Shake, Rattle & Roll

That's what us SoCal-ians have been doing this past month.  A few weeks ago there was a 4.4 "shaker" at 4:04a that about tossed me out of bed.  Then yesterday there was a 7.2 "roller" that originated all the way down in Baja, Mexico.  I prefer rollers to shakers, but really, I'll take a tornado any day over an earthquake.  At least there's warning and you can hide from it.

The oddest thing about earthquakes is that really, you have no idea when they're going to hit.  I think that when I first moved out here, I missed the little ones because I didn't know or understand the sensation yet.  But now, the more seasoned Cali girl in me knows exactly when it's happening.

You feel the vibrations and then just pause...maybe it was all in your mind...and then again, maybe not.  You freeze for a moment and instantly think, yep, this is what I think it is.  Then you find yourself holding your breath for what seems like several minutes (really only several seconds, it varies) until it's over.

The smoother ones are better, I think.  Sort of feels like your house is on a small, rolling wave and you're just sailing along.  The TV shakes and things sway, but they're virtually harmless.  I'm not a fan of the shakes.  The one we had a few weeks back felt like a giant had our apartment in his hands and was just shaking it back and forth...everything in the house was rattling, the wall hangings were all crooked and my water jumped out of the glass even though the glass did not tip over.  That one didn't go over very well in my book...and it didn't help that it jolted me out of bed in the middle of the night.

I suppose it's all in the experience that we grow by, but I'm not sure how much better of a person I'll be having been through a quake (or three, or five).  I just pray they stay low key.