Rattled Nerves (*WTF*)

By adniloj

On 18 April 2008

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Hi there!

I thought you might like this photo on JPGmag.com:

http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/620964

Rattled Nerves (*WTF*)

Jolted awake 'round 5:30a.m. by the strangest of sensations, I reached for my notebook to document my dream. The notebook had fallen off the bedside table onto the floor. The dream didn’t stop. I jumped out of my shaking bed...went to the window to see if a plane, helicopter, or large truck was outside. I remember thinking, 'Am I sleep-walking, maybe still dreaming & in lucid la-la land?" A glass vase fell from the window sill; my cat, Zig, began to meow (he seldom does)...The floor moved then moved again. Multiple loud thuds were heard, to my dismay I later realized they were books falling out of a bookcase upstairs. I remember thinking, “Holy S@*t, I really need to wake up!"

The earthquake that shook the Midwest today was a surreal experience. I wasn’t dreaming. The cat was meow-ing for a definite reason. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit at 5:37 am, rattling skyscrapers from Chicago to Cincinnati, OH, & over to Louisville, KY. An aftershock jolt came 'round 11am & a smaller rumble an hour or so later.

While speaking with a friend in northern California who heard the news & phoned knowing I fear earthquakes, all he could do was chuckle after hearing I was safe. All I kept saying was "I don’t care what Mother Nature may bring, I just don’t want the ground moving underneath my feet!"

13 Responses

  • Leanna Lomanski

    On 19 April 2008 Leanna Lomanski said:

    They are a little unnerving - first you're not sure whether it's your balance going or everything else's around you! Glad you and the cat are OK. I see you dealt with the trauma by getting out your camera.............nice work!

  • Jean Pierre Vacherot

    On 19 April 2008 Jean Pierre Vacherot gave props:

    Very nice

  • Jessica Hollenback

    On 20 April 2008 Jessica Hollenback gave props:

    nice pic, great way to capture the moment, I like the cracks you can see through the dryway where the bricks are coming through underneath.

  • Thomas Henry

    On 20 April 2008 Thomas Henry said:

    I felt it all the way up here in Michigan! I was sitting at my computer (I'm an early riser...) when the house started shaking. I too, looked out the window thinking it was a truck, or the wind, or some other easily explained phenomena...which it wasn't, of course. I spent the remainder of the "event" watching the waves in my cup of coffee. It was my first direct experience with an earthquake!

  • *hector* Ortiz

    On 20 April 2008 *hector* Ortiz gave props:

    pretty scary... hey, sis... love the essay.... specially " I don’t care what Mother Nature may bring, but I want her to hear that I don’t want the ground moving underneath my feet!

  • Portia Söderberg

    On 20 April 2008 Portia Söderberg gave props:

    really nice shot Jolinda! I could imagine being rattled, it's the biggest quake you've had in forever! Did you know that one of the deadliest quake in the US was from that New Madrid fault, because of the geology. Love the essay!

  • William Moore

    On 24 April 2008 William Moore gave props:

    super photo of the surfaces....didn't feel it here wonder if it was from the Madrid Fault

  • Jayel

    On 5 May 2008 Jayel said:

    Scary thing, quakes, Jolinda. Glad it wasn't much more than a bad dream (we never remember the chore of cleaning up or fixing what broke, right?). I also liked the photo, how you framed it.

  • John Linton

    On 9 May 2008 John Linton gave props:

    Heartwarming stories like this are why I like to VISIT the West. Your photo rocks!, adniloJ.

  • Vidyavati Chandan

    On 26 May 2008 Vidyavati Chandan gave props:

    interesting...

  • elfriede fulda

    On 13 June 2008 elfriede fulda gave props:

    Yup, I went through an several earthquakes in Austria in th 80's, we were there on holiday. It ws a 5.7 on the Richter. The Alps were shifting we were told,we were in fear and at the same time in awe at the power of nature..lovely portrayal of your experience...

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