I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Oh my, we had quite the little earthquake earlier today, ok 5.8, not that little. The kids were in the living room playing educational games, ok, they were really watching Spongebob. I was in the kitchen prepping dinner so I could fuck off and write the rest of the day when the whole house started shaking.
Now I don't have the best sense of balance, I am one of those people who will occasionally stumble for no apparent reason and everyone thinks I'm drunk or something when really, I just momentarily forgot to stand up normal. So I spent the first few seconds of the quake trying to figure out if it was an earthquake or just a formerlyfun equilibrium moment.
Once it registered that it was an earthquake I spent a few seconds looking at everything moving. Then, my thought was, holy fuck, I need to be by the kids in case this gets bad. Just as I think to do this I hear my eight year old son shout "earthquake" in the placcid voice of the guy who says your order's up at the deli counter.
I run in the family room and swoop up the baby and hug my big kids. They both sqirm away from me, point to the television and say "Spongebob" in a derisive tone that suggests my emotionally charged self is a distraction while they are trying to get their Spongebob on.
I'm in tears as my older daughter says, “what was that?” and my son says "that was an earthquake, I hope we have another one, bigger." I don't know if it's because they are kids or that they've grown up here and perhaps less fazed but the earthquakes still scare the shit out of me. Nevermind that more people die on average in a hostile Wisconsin winter, but the idea of the ground opening up makes me nervous. The good thing about most earthquakes? By the time you get scared, they are already over.
Filed under: I think I peed my pants a little.
3 comments:
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Oh my God..I would be a quaking (hee..see that? Quaking? Earth quake?) in my shoes and a little pee would be the least of my problems. Pack up the family and come see us on the coast of Maine. No quakes, no tornadoes, and I've never seen a cockroach here in my life, and that's got to count for something. The only down side to Maine living is the occasional car-vs-moose incident, it never ends well for the car. I'm so glad you & yours weren't hurt!
I've got that same equilibrium problem, which I think would be made worse by periodic earhquakes.
Sounds like your son had just the right attitude!
Glad to hear you're okay! I never got over the earthquakes when I lived there. Even the little bitty ones bothered me.