I have this problem... I bounce my leg while sitting at my desk. Well sitting anywhere really. Regardless of the number of cups of coffee or the cans of Coke, my leg bounces. The only way I avoid it is by sitting on my chair with my legs Indian style (is that even PC anymore?)


(That PC stuff has gotten so out of control)


(Lazy: motivationally dispossessed )


(Evil: niceness deprived )


(Lost: locationally disadvantaged )


I mean really? Okay, back to my bouncing...


I can't stand it when someone else does it to me, especially in a meeting, at church, or the movies. I am conscious of it myself if I am sitting in a pew or close to other people because I don't want to annoy them.


Then earlier this week, with no caffeine on board, I feel as though I have broken the floor beneath my desk because my computer screen is shaking as I work. I try and stop myself from bouncing to find that it is not my leg this time. So my brain goes directly to yelling at Cody, my furry office pup, who usually sits on my desk. I ask him without looking in his direction to stop scratching. When he does not oblige I realize that he is passed out on my desk not even dreaming.(that tongue is too cute!)


(I am not bias at all)






Now my brain completely confused itself. No leg bounce, no dog scratch, yet my screen is still wobbling back and forth, hmmm. I turn to my co-worker and as our eyes meet with both say. "I think it is an earthquake." I go to the front window and check to make sure someone hasn't blown up the massive generator in the top secret bank location across the street...(shhh, you don't know that) Nope. No truck or trolley rolling by either. No redneck monster truck either (Yes, there are plenty of those that go through town.)


I go out to the other window and brace my hands on either side of the dormer window looking over the back parking lot. Still shaking. "It has to be an earthquake."



The only other earthquakes I have felt here have been really quick shakes. One in the middle of the night sounded like what I think would be a meth lab exploding. And the other a large truck flying up the road. This one on the other hand allowed me to think about it --- move across the office--- think about fighting with my 3 other coworkers for the 1 door jamb on the 3rd floor of our more than 100 year old condo--- and then some more thinking.



After the at least 30 seconds of the long shake I head to the local news station website to see if there is anything up about the rumble. Nope. CNN, nope. USGS, nope. I then flip over to my Facebook account and that is where I get the confirmation that it was not just us who felt it. Within the next 60 seconds I have at least 35 people asking if they were the only ones that felt the shake. After some playful banter back and forth I am convinced that we did, in fact have and quake. (Now that we have had a real one I am entitled to shorten it, right California?) The news took at least 15 minutes to break the story. I think from now on I will get all my news from Facebook from now on.




The official information -




http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0005ild/




Anyway, that is my story about the quake felt all along the east coast.