2001-08-10 - 1:36 p.m.

Earthquake

So only a few minutes ago we got hit. Steelhead and I were both working at our desks when all of the computer monitors in our office decided to boggie.

Our monitors still on cheap plastic risers, so that the screens can be at eye level. I wouldn't have guessed that one of the benefits of the risers would be that they also serve as seismographs.

Anyway, basically it went down like this.

Me: "Dood, I'm still feeling dizzy. In fact, I'm so dizzy, it looks like this entire room is shaking."

Steelhead: "No way man, that was an earthquake."

I looked at him, and he looked like a deer caught in head lights. Steelhead didn't move for about 1 minute then we both looked at each other and whispered, "Oh My God."

We work in the dead center of a 17 story tall building in Sacramento. For us to feel an earthquake, somebody somewhere in California got rocked and big time. My first thought was of all my friends in the Bay Area. :( I was worried they could be hurt or something.

Steelhead has all the earthquake sites bookmarked on his PC, so we used our government T1 connection and started surfing around to see what the hell happened.

T+2 minutes

Nothing yet. So we both walked out in the hall and found other employees stumbling around. Apparently the state geologists have an office just down the hall from us (apparently you learn something new everyday) and so we walked down there.

Damn, somebody did get fucked, because every state reservoir in Northern California just did a little disco. I was told within minutes they could calculate the focal point of the earthquake.

T+10 minutes

Was I ever relieved to hear that the quake was only a 5+ magnitude and in Northern California. OK, so our project reservoirs took a mild beating, but at least my friends were safe.

What Does the Future Hold In Store?

This isn't the first time I've been afraid about my Bay Area friends. For some reason I'm not worried about myself, but frankly I'm afraid that some of my dear friends are going to be homeless someday. Any time I can actually feel an earthquake, I'm not worried about myself but them. I got lucky today, but I just don't think I'll always be so fortunate.

-=-

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