Earthquake report

Experienced our first earthquake today. Seems like most of California is greeting it with a big yawn -- inasmuch as there wasn't any damage or injury, at least by early reports. The quake and a few aftershocks hit around 1:53, around 5.3 magnitude. Jack was sitting in his chair looking out the window and babbling from time to time. Boris didn't do a god-damned thing, so forget all those "animals know it's going to happen" crap. For about 5-10 seconds there as just this kind of rolling, rumbling shaking kind of feeling. I could see things wobbling a little and hear our crystal tinkling gently in the cupboard. I froze at first and then grabbed Jack and pushed him under a doorway.

Well I can't say I enjoyed it a bit but I am glad to have it over with, briefly scary though it was. I'll know what to expect next time. Bunch of aftershocks still rolling around 1-2 magnitude near the epicenter, which is like 50 miles or so from here, so we can't feel them. I will be ready next time.

Genevieve has long been mocking my earthquake worries. Much of her childhood was spent in Alaska, where earthquakes came along as often as the postman. She and he little friends would run around the playground, wheeee!

The news is asking the same question I'm asking -- there has been a lot of seismic acitivty around here lately, some of it quite strong, like the big offshore quake in Northern California that prompted tsunami warnings. What gives?