5.8

Earlier today I went out for lunch at 1:35. I only get a half-hour, and since my office is on a highway, there aren’t too many places to go and things to do during those thirty minutes. So I’ve been reading a bit after eating my sandwich in my car. Don’t feel sorry for me; it’s often the highlight of my day.

Anyway, today was the rare day that I forgot to bring a book. I didn’t want to listen to the radio, talk or tunes, and the weather was beautiful, so I reclined back, took off my glasses, and closed my eyes. Within five minutes I was in that pleasant alpha-state a level or two above full-fledged dozing.

Then, just before 2, my car started wobbling side to side. At first I thought it was just the wind and didn’t open my eyes. But then the swaying intensified. I glanced up, checking out the tree branches forty feet up. Yeah, there was a breeze, but nothing strong enough to buckle my fairly large and heavy sedan.

The thought that someone was pulling a trick on me popped into mind. I’m starting to become well acquainted with the valets and detailers at my job. They make half as much as me but enjoy life twice as much, so I wouldn’t put anything past them. One by one I hit all the rear view mirrors and spot nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe five seconds have elapsed so far.

I sit up and see the cars on either side of me and the SUV I’m facing rocking back and forth too. Suddenly the notion that something weird’s happening saturates my consciousness. To be completely candid, I felt a little creepy, spooked a bit. I grabbed my cell and my bottle of water and got out of the car, and at that very second the shaking stopped.

As I approached the building I noticed a group of about twenty-five people mulling about, all excited and exhilarated. Apparently the whole building shook for a minute or two, tables and chairs moving about, hanging lamps swinging. Managers ordered their people outdoors. The lot guys and the car washers were whooping it up. It was truly a strange, surreal five or ten minutes.

For a solidly grounded Northeasterner like myself, this is the second earthquake I’ve experienced. I wrote about the first one, briefly, here. But this one was the first and only one I felt that actually, physically moved me.

Scary stuff.