My wife can sleep through most anything with two specific exceptions. One is the movement of a baby within 50 yards of her. When our boys were babies she could hear them take the breath before they started to cry in the middle of the night. By the time I was aware the baby was awake, Sandi had already taken care of the issue.
As a Californian I know that if you have to say, "Was that an earthquake?' you have never been in one before. There is no doubt about what is happening at the time, the only question is "how long it will last and will it get stronger?" This one was very short in duration and relatively small, 4.4 to 4.7. We rarely feel the ones that are 3.0 and below. I have an iPhone app that connects me to the US Geological Survey Earthquake center. It will send me an alert with the strength of an earthquake within a 100 miles of where I am at the time.
I had to set it to only register 3.5 and above because it was going off several times a day with alerts on the ones that can hardly be felt. To clarify the 4.7 we felt this morning is one hundred and twenty times more powerful than a 3.5.
The other thing Sandi is uber sensitive to is Earthquakes. In the middle of the dark morning I became aware of being quickly engulfed in a strangling embrace, moments before the house responded like it had been hit by a truck. I don't know how she did it but out of a sound sleep she knew an earthquake was about to happen, and had already taken defensive actions before I was even aware of my own existence.
As a Californian I know that if you have to say, "Was that an earthquake?' you have never been in one before. There is no doubt about what is happening at the time, the only question is "how long it will last and will it get stronger?" This one was very short in duration and relatively small, 4.4 to 4.7. We rarely feel the ones that are 3.0 and below. I have an iPhone app that connects me to the US Geological Survey Earthquake center. It will send me an alert with the strength of an earthquake within a 100 miles of where I am at the time.I had to set it to only register 3.5 and above because it was going off several times a day with alerts on the ones that can hardly be felt. To clarify the 4.7 we felt this morning is one hundred and twenty times more powerful than a 3.5.
Once the shaking stops is gets very quiet except for car alarms going off and the tinkle of wind chimes. But the anxiety remains for another half an hour because a relatively small quake like this one can be the pre-quake to a bigger one. You tend to hold your breath a lot and contemplate your sins. And although they say the risk of a larger quake gets smaller with every hour that passes, there is still a chance it might happen for 24 hours. I have not heard if this was considered a "new quake" or an after shock from an older quake.
So there you go. I intended to write about Flight MH370 this morning. Being the ultimate conspiracy hound this mystery is ripe with covert possibilities. Since no one can say for sure what happened, all theories are open for discussion now. Tomorrow. I will write it tomorrow unless this morning was just the pre-quake for the "big one".
As for me, I will spend the rest of St. Patrick's Day very close to Sandi. If she flinches I will grab her and dive for cover.
As you were,
Jay
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