moosh in indy.

April 18, 2008

In Utah they like to talk about “the big one.” Referring to an earthquake. Considering I lived most of my life right on the most gigantic fault in the entire valley I was prepared to kiss it all goodbye in a few shaky seconds. As a kid I would practice running from the couch to the nearest door jamb. In school we were subject to regular earthquake drills.

And yet in all my twenty four years living there I never felt an earthquake.

Blizzards with ten foot high snow drifts? Yes.

Earthquake? No.

So here I am in the Midwest where if it snows ten centimeters life shuts down.

Completely.

And there’s these things called tornadoes. Maybe you’ve heard of them. If not think Wizard of Oz without the gingham dress.

The tornado sirens have gone off four times since we’ve lived here and every time I’m sent scurrying like a burrowing rodent to gather the necessary supplies just in case we’re blown off to Oz. Or Ohio. Whatever.

What I’m trying to say is that every part of the country has it’s own little freaky weather patterns and geological quirks that scare a newcomer to death. (me + my first tornado siren = me crying in the Wal-Mart parking lot.)

I figured since Indiana is the flattest place I’ve been since, well ever, earthquakes weren’t of much concern.

Until one SHOOK ME AWAKE at 5:30 this morning. (The only way I have to reference how hard it shook is my boobs. Yes, my boobs shook me awake. Do with that what you will.) It shook Cody awake too, or maybe it was the shaking boob radar that all men seem to have. Regardless he very groggily said “Was that an earthquake or a tornado?” got up to pee and then fell back into death sleep moments later.

Meanwhile being the big girl that I am freaked out in a completely classic girlish freak out kind of way. I started remembering all I had learned from elementary about earthquakes. THE BIRDS! The birds weren’t chirping while it happened but they started chirping immediately after it was over! THE BIRDS KNEW! Animals know when there’s funny geological stuff going on!

So now not only am I afraid of being swallowed whole by a fissure, any sudden loss of birds chirping or odd acting animal is going to set off my Spidey earthquake senses.

Hope you have your 72 hour kits, because Earth seems to be going a wee bit crazy lately.

Juicy.

Comments off.

I heard about the earthquake on the news and thought about you guys. I can’t believe you never felt an earthquake in Utah! We feel ‘em all the time ’round these parts, but this is California.

Let me guess – the moosh slept through it.

heather’s last blog post..Fear of the Unknown

I completely agree with you on the last line and find it hilarious and scary. It is hard to believe how far this earthquake was felt, very crazy! A person thinks she is safe in one part of the country and BAM a un-natural disaster happens to the area she lives in. My husband claimed there weren’t (hardly ever) tornados in Wisconsin. In our first year of living here there were twenty-seven in one day in our region (record number). Mother Earth’s days are definitely numbered.

PS It is pretty impressive you have your own earthquake alert system.

Oh I hear ya on the waking up shaking bit! And I was sleeping out on a shaky old dock in my sleeping bag…
Seriously though, you crack me up with your writing. You’ve got a way with words!
I’m not a fan of the tornadoes, never seen one, never hope to. Out here we mostly have forest fires. Oh, they are pleasant all in their own way… NOT! We got evacuated from camp one summer because our only access road was going to be (and did get) cut off by the fire.

Krista’s last blog post..Relief

Yikers!! That’s scary! I’m glad that you’re okay!

Barb’s last blog post..The Secret to Flat Abs

Thanks for the 72 hour kit reminder. I have been meaning to do it forEVER, but of course ‘something’ else always comes up. I even have some papers printed off the internet that I can fill in with all the important info I need in case of an emergency. The earth IS going a wee bit crazy and we need to get a few steps ahead of the chaos! Glad you’re all okay… I remember tornado drills in school. The first one really freaked me out!

Holly’s last blog post..Happy Birthday Kelly

We live in PA in an area with a lot of smallish mountains and so I was shocked when I felt my very first earthquake a few years ago. I probably wouldn’t have felt it if I’d been in bed but I happened to be laying on the floor with my daughter’s friends because she was having a slumber party and one of the girls was afraid. I have lived in this area for 18 years and we’ve supposedly had 3 earthquakes. Go figure!

Glad you’re safe

I felt it up here in South Bend. Hubby slept through it. Of course, I freak out standing on a bridge that rumbles, so the earthquake was Not the way to start my day.

Antonette’s last blog post..Unwelcome Visitors

Hi Casey (yes, I am another blog stalker, totally random)

So you felt the earthquake from IL! If I had stayed in Des Moines I would have, too. I work right on top of that fault line in SLC. And yes… tornadoes are scary… but eventually you will be an old pro at going outside and looking for them like the rest of us. Take luck!

Emily

Emily the Utah transplant from the Midwest’s last blog post..101 in 1001

Please, please, please, whatever you do DO NOT go to your girly bits doctor. There could be an aftershock.

You’ll thank me:

http://rhiinpink.com/blog/?p=223

Oh my goodness! I hope that you are all alright. I used to live in MO and I was always worried about an Earthquake. Wishing you all well.

Nicole’s last blog post..The Perfect Breakfast

A couple of months ago there was an earthquake in NV, and we felt it in southern ID. We were already awake, and it was just a small aftershock, but still pretty exciting. I’m sure Walmart was filled that day with people filling their 72 hr kits!

erin’s last blog post..Seriously? The toilet again?

You must live very close to my girlfriend:

http://itisjustallaboutme.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/e-is-for-again/

Darla’s last blog post..Spaghetti Casserole with cream cheese & sour cream

Holy SCARY! Seems to me like it’s time for a road trip. How bout Seattle?!! I’ll put you up! We’ll shop and giggle till your homeland is rubble, and then you can go home unharmed.

Melain’s last blog post..In Conclusion: I am definitely straight.

Oh yeah, California has nothing on Alaska, we get earthquakes up here all the time. The only time it freaks me out is if I’m not around my kids and when I was a teacher I had this sudden realization that these parents were trusting ME to not freak out and take care of a classroom full of dramatic teenagers who most definitely were.
Oh, tornados? I would NEVER live there. I can handle a little boob shake but I don’t have sparkly red shoes to bring me back home…

earthquakes are seriously scary. the last one that I enjoyed was in Tokyo. I was 7 months pregnant, there on business, and sure I would die. the next day everyone laughed at me… turns out earthquakes are so normal as to be BORING there!

I felt an earthquake once in Utah! I was early to school sitting in the counselor’s office making up bad citizenship grades in 1992(Pleasant Grove High, do you know PG?). Suddenly I felt everything shake! It only lasted for a second. I was the only one in the room so I ran out to the hall expecting to see teachers running for cover. But no one was in sight! I went to the office and asked the secretaries if they felt the earthquake. They said there hadn’t been an earthquake and I insisted that there was. The secretary turned on the radio to prove me wrong. But I was right, Utah had a minor earthquake!

Katrine’s last blog post..Hair Color

Tell me about it (the crazy Earth thing) we had shorts weather last week and a dump of snow today. And we didn’t get ANY snow all winter. Weeeeeeird.

Victoria’s last blog post..Oh Fudge

I am glad I live in the Northeast, where all we get to experience is Noreasters~loads of rain, or snow, or wind. And flooding. Love the flooding.
We still have snow in our yard. Oh, and sometimes a hurricane may make it here, but nothing major. Not sure I could handle the earth shifting under my feet.

Kristin’s last blog post..My four kids

Can you believe they have tornadoes in Canada, too? Something about being as flat as the midwest…

I just think it’s totally unfair to have a freezing cold climate and no safety from tornadoes or other scary things.

Camille’s last blog post..{What We Do in Bed}

After the husband and I finally figured out what it was, I thought it was kind of neat! I don’t really want to experience anything bigger, but the little ones are kinda…cute?

Kelly’s last blog post..Shaken, not stirred

they really should replace the Richter scale with the basooma scale. would be way more interesting…;)

ali’s last blog post..when ali cracks, she buys shoes.

People claimed to have felt that all the way up here in Michigan. Odd. Loved the shaky boob radar BTW. Hubby confirmed its existence.

Jill’s last blog post..The Hubby Meme

Over here in St. Louis, it was only 4:37am and Jeff and I were sleeping. I opened my eyes, Jeff bolted upright, I said “what the hell is that?” and then we both fell immediately back asleep.

This is why I think we’re not meant to have children. We’re way too apathetic in the face of natural disasters, instead much preferring our sleep.

Rebecca’s last blog post..Come One, Come All

It woke us up too. Didn’t shake my boobies very much (not much there to really shake!)

I have lived in Central Illinois my entire 33 years. I have had the tornado sirens go off, but no actual tornado. Then there’s the testing on the first Tuesday at 10:00 am (unless the weather is stormy!

Random Emily’s last blog post..R is for…

We felt it all the way up in NW Indiana too. I woke up and freaked out. DH tried to convince me it was a branch from a tree tapping on our wind. I shoved him and told him to wake the heck up because no tree branch would make the house shake like that.

Jess’s last blog post..It’s got the makings of a nervous breakdown

I can’t believe I didn’t feel the quake – BUMMER!

Mymsie’s last blog post..Chill

we felt it up here too, although *I* didn’t wake up during it. Just proves I CAN sleep through an earthquake or tornado or whatever.

staciesmadness’s last blog post..Foot in Mouth – Disease

I was awakened by the same earthquake down here in Nashville. I’d never felt one before, but I knew what it was. Nothing else could feel like that.

Amy’s last blog post..Amy’s Secret

[...] Man, I am SO bummed I didn’t feel the earthquake last Friday! Everyone else in greater Indianapolis sure did. I do recall waking up really early and noticing that Abby was standing by [...]

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