Last Night's Earthquake

It was a "roller" as opposed to a "jerk."  At 9:09 p.m. I had just gotten to bed and Himself was upstairs watching the end of a movie.

At first I thought one of the cats had jumped up on the bed - but: no cat.  "Oh.  Earthquake.  So I yelled up to him, "Richie!  Earthquake!  Radio!" which is the drill out here.  The radio is much faster than television for information on an earthquake.  Everyone in Southern California has a cell phone and they use them.  "This is Mike in San Fernando..."  "This is Cynthia in Northridge..." 

We had no damage; the wine glasses in the kitchen rack didn't even chime.   It's been quite awhile since we've had an earthquake in fact.  Thank God. 

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Answering some questions ... No, our cats are very poor earthquake predictors.  Richie said they both sat up and looked around but since it only last 20 seconds (felt longer) they then relaxed again. 

Their FLEE! instincts are triggered by the front door bell or anyone hollering "Hi!" through the security door.  They go straight under our bed. 

During a previous earthquake at 4-something a.m. Richie was in the kitchen making his lunch (hadn't retired yet) when one struck and all three of them came bolting down the stairs - the cats were going so fast that their tails streamed out behind them. 

My First Earthquake:  I had just moved to So. Cal. from Kansas City, MO (where there are no earthquakes at all.)  I was 24, had a job and an apartment.  One night I was getting ready for bed, had run a tub of warm water, stripped down to nothing at all and decided I needed to pee.  I was stark naked on the toilet when it hit - a jolter.  And I thought, "Oh, no!  They'll find me stark naked, stuck in a toilet!" 

Of course, that didn't happen but to this day I am not one to linger in the bathroom.  You never know ...