Rumbles from the underground

Tuesday July 29, 2008

Approximately 11:42 a.m.

I stand over the stovetop and stir my soup. Bubbles are just beginning to surface as it simmers. It's just moments away from being ready.

I look at the microwave clock-- 11:43 a.m. I turn off the burner and grab a soup bowl out of the cupboard. For some reason, I pause to glance outside to the patio.

"The cascading lemon tree is especially lovely today," I think to myself.

I feel a vibration. For a millisecond, I convince myself that it's another plane flying overhead.
The vibration intensifies. My mind finally recognizes what's going on. I freeze in my tracks. Things start to shake. This is an earthquake.

I bring my cats inside. Then, I run to a door frame to wait it out. I don't have any idea how long it's going to last. I have no idea if it's going to get STRONGER or if this is the extent of it. Twenty or thirty seconds go by, but it feels much longer.

The rumbling finally goes back underground and suddenly things are eerily silent. I'm still frozen, my hands shaking from nervousness. Five minutes pass though and I'm alright again. I say a silent thank you that it wasn't any worse. I console my terrified cats. I eat my soup.

Hours later, it's as though nothing had happened. The freeways are running. Drivers are still honking their horns. The mail carrier is still delivering. The earth is silent once more.
I drive to Hollywood to see "The Dark Knight" at Arclight's Cinerama Dome, moving forward with my initial plans for the evening.

Along Sunset Blvd. I encounter an Australian news crew. They request to interview me about my experience with the quake. I agree to recount those earlier moments, unsure that any Australians really care about me blathering about how the earthquake interrupted my lunch.

I smile as I walk into the movie theater. Everything is alright with the world again. [ For now anyway.]

** The earthquake hit Chino Hills, CA-- east of downtown Los Angeles-- at 11:43 a.m. with a magnitude of 5.4. According to The Los Angeles Times, the quake rumbled from a shallow depth, making it feel much more intense than it's magnitude would suggest.

Copyright © 2008 KLiedle
Photo credit: t_r_o_n / flickr "Chino Hills"