Preamble

Last week we had an earthquake.

It was in the middle of the night (4am or so) and technically "small" (3.6) but most everyone I know was woken up by it, not just on the Island but on the mainland too so... "small" is relative... just saying.

For me, and my over-stressed system, it was frightening.  Quite.

I haven't felt too many earthquakes in my life THANKFULLY, but most of the ones I remember noticing  have been when I'm in bed.  I remember one from ages ago when I half woke up and pulled the covers up over myself because to my half asleep brain "that will save me."  I've told that story before in a self-depreciating way but asleep brains + adrenaline surge/shock = not a lot of top notch thinking.  Just saying.

This time it felt longer.  Like the "pull up the covers" one I hardly had time to wake up.  And most others, I have gotten out of bed, texted anyone I thought might be awake and then gone back to bed and sleep.

This one wasn't like that.  Whatever woke me up... or to be more accurate, made me no longer fast asleep.  So something made me not be deeply asleep any more and I feel like I went through the thought process of "not normal"... like, you generally know the sounds of your place, right?  And occasionally your neighbour drops something or whatever and you get used to that, but this?  This wasn't a "normal" noise or sensation.  Things were shaking.  I felt movement.  Shaking movement.  And I heard rattling.  And as I said it felt like it was going on and on.

I think my thought process was "not normal" followed by "earthquake?  earthquake."  quickly followed by "holy shit this is going on and on this could be the big one I should do something!" and y'all?  Every time an earthquake happens in bed I think to myself DAMNIT I SLEEP NAKED because I do.  Unless I'm sharing a hotel room or something ... naked sleeping.  Which means "do something" in terms of earthquake means throwing off the covers, getting out of bed, putting on a house coat and slippers and, well then it stopped.  

The shaking and rattling stopped by the time I was "dressed" but my brain was in panic mode.  Or no, that's not true, my brain was in full on FUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKK fight/flight mode.  Like full on.  "An aftershock is coming"  and/or "that was just the precursor" and "I need to go outside" were all thoughts running through my brain and I think the fact that things weren't continuing to shake meant I was able to pause for a moment.  But still, it was 4 something in the morning.  I wasn't very good at whatever thinking I was trying to do.

I went to my living room.  Turned on the light.  Took my phone off of the charger and turned my laptop on.  "Earthquake" I googled.

Google told me yup.  Which... is kind of reassuring even though I was 400% sure it was an earthquake.

None of the twitter accounts I follow showed anything and it wasn't until the next morning that I realized they only show "big ones" (above 5.0), at the time I just kept refreshing and wondering why they weren't showing up.

I reported it to Earthquakes Canada and I think the US one as well in their "did you feel it" things.  I texted Jason (he's an early waker, even if he'd rather not be) and he replied "oh, was that an earthquake?  thought it was the wind"  And there I am with a pounding heart and like I just drank several highly caffeinated beverages and he's all... "oh....shrug".  Damn!

But anyway, I digress... kinda.  

It took over and hour for my system to calm and then another while to feel ok about going back to bed "where the scary thing happened" (thanks brain) and then I think I got a couple of hours of sleep before C-Dawg called to talk about the snow (not in my part of town) and the earthquake.  I was completely brain dead all the next day, like seriously so.