Apparently, I'm Supposed to Stand in a Doorway

So, the earth just moved.

It only lasted about 10 seconds, and nothing fell on my head. But, still. Pretty weird. Picture frames fell over, and a stack of CDs is strewn across the kitchen floor. Nothing broke. All in all, not a big deal.

It was a 5.8 magnitude quake, about 30 miles south-southeast of downtown. Now LA is under a big red square on the U.S. Geological Survey site.

After about five seconds of watching everything shake and listening to the sound of it (like a box of Legos being tossed around), I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I picked my drink up off the coffee table.

The second realization is: you have no idea how long it's going to last. Right when it occurred to me that the building could collapse, I would die an untimely death in LA, I haven't even eaten lunch yet, and I have an assignment due this afternoon.... it's over.

Still, pretty weird.

Now. Where did I put my drink?

Comments

[Heather]

Fun, aren't they? We experienced a 5.6 last fall with the epicenter just 9 miles away from our apartment. The walls went all slanty, and it lasted for a really long time. Scary fun!

[John Jackson]

I don't get the doorway thing. It's not like you see doorways still standing in the rubble. But I live in Virginia. What do I know? Glad you're OK.

[Parker]

Exactly, John. Also, "Stop, Drop and Roll" went through my head briefly, but I knew that couldn't be right. I've since been told I should also have crawled under a table. But considering how much of our furniture is from Ikea, that seems like asking for trouble.

[Katrina]

I'm proud of ya, girly. Always, ALWAYS, protect the drink.