Earthquake!

Yesterday, I went for a walk after work, down Market and then Mission to The Embarcadero. Upon arrival, I noticed a sidewalk extending a good distance into the bay and became interested in taking a walk. I wondered whether or not it was public, but then I saw a few joggers and a guy on a bike exiting it and I made my way towards the end. I got to the end, soaked in the beauty and turned around to face the city. I shielded my eyes from the glaring sunlight and walked back listening to Thom Yorke's jarring sound on my iPod. It was both idyllic and foreign in some fashion and I felt like a tourist in the city of San Francisco. At this point, I thought about all the San Francisco-centric images, songs and moods and tried to feel like an outsider. All of sudden, it hit me: you live in earthquake country. We may be more famous for that than for anything else. I have fear-pangs from time to time and I imagined the earth rocking, jolting the bridge and everyone's screams and cries. I thought about how interesting that would be, were it to happen.

I returned home, ate a sandwich, listened to some music and went to sleep about midnight. At approximately 4:42, was rudely awakened and I felt sick. Something I didn't understand was occurring. Was I dreaming? Was it the big one? A horrible rumble, as if I was in a jeep with bad shocks in the mountains. But I was lying in my bed. EARTHQUAKE! It shook and then petered out. Then, an second rocked my bed again.

I was frightened, but I drifted back to sleep, and forgot it, like a dream. Then, after arriving at work, I read the paper:

From various news sources:
-An earthquake jolted San Francisco Bay area residents awake early Friday, breaking glass and rattling nerves.
-The earthquake was centered about 2 miles northeast of downtown Oakland on the Hayward fault.
-The actual epicenter was in the Oakland Hills near Joaquin Miller Park and the Mormon Temple and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
-It could be felt for up to 10 seconds on both sides of the San Francisco Bay.
-According to the USGS, 4.2-magnitude quakes are felt indoors and may break dishes and windows, and overturn unstable objects. Pendulum clocks may stop.
-This quake was strong enough to set off alarms and shatter windows. Pacific Gas & Electric reported 4,600 people in Oakland without power.
-"This is the biggest quake we've had in awhile," reported Rufus Catchings of USGS. "This was a strike-slip mechanism," he said. "These give very strong, if you're nearby, initial jolts from the (primary) wave and then rattling for a couple seconds from the (secondary) wave. It's possible that the temblor was a foreshock that could be followed by stronger seismic events," said Catchings.
-Several business owners in the Montclair District, about 2 miles from the epicenter, arrived at work today to find their merchandise in shambles.

I will be moving my John Coltrane picture from above my bed to a different spot. I don't need that smashing my head in and shattering.

Current music: Roxy Music - There Is Something