Tuesday, February 03, 2009

All Shook Up

Oh hay, did I forget to tell you? There was an earthquake here in Seattle. Look at me, so west coast, forgetting to tell you about an earthquake.

Last summer I was at my parents house and there was a tornado warning in the area around their house. We had to go sit in the basement and listen to the radio and hope to heck that we wouldn't be swept away to Oz. And it was SO NORMAL to me. We did this on a regular basis when I was growing up, and hearing those tornado warning sirens, eerie and loud in the still, tornado-colored air (I swear there is a specific color of gray that befalls the surroundings when a tornado is on its way in Michigan) and the tornado smell. Didn't phase me at all, really. I mean, it's scary, but I'm used to that fear. If that makes any sense.

Since I have moved to Seattle, I have been in various earthquakes, and although I have never panicked or anything during one (I'm too lazy to panic), they have freaked my freak somewhat. Even the little ones. I was never one of those people that didn't notice an earthquake (you crazy Californians). If the ground is shaking, even in a not-violent way, you bet your sweet hiney I NOTICE.

But Friday morning? When Nordic Boy and I were being shaken awake at 5:30 in the morning? Not only were we not scared, we didn't even think it was an earthquake. Our windows were rattling in their frames, our roof was shaking. Rather than an earthquake, we jumped to our own individual conclusions reflecting our respective WORST NIGHTMARES.

Me: Oh my god. There's someone rattling our window! (ie a murderous killer who is going to break in and eat our brains after sawing us to bits with a machete).
Him: Oh my god. There's a squirrel that somehow got into my roof! (ie my well-insulated, newly built, tightly seamed roof that I love like the fruit of my loins.)

See how our fears differ? I am deathly afraid of Hannibal Lechter. Nordic Boy is deathly afraid of roof penetration.

I'm out,
Librarian Girl

8 comments:

Sarah said...

I can remember waiting out tornados in Iowa, although we never had one come through near our house, thank goodness. But they didn't scare me as much as earthquakes until (1) I experienced an earthquake here in the Bay Area and it wasn't that bad and (2) I was visiting Iowa when the tornado that tore apart Parkersberg, IA went through, and I watched that storm from my mother-in-law's porch. Those were some scary look storm clouds!

In any case, I'll back you up on the specific color of the sky immediately pre-tornado, though I'd argue there's some greenish casts in among the gray.

Anonymous said...

HAHA. That is hilarious. I don't have anything else to add... just that Nordic Boy made me laugh out loud and I appreciate it.

Becky said...

...a murderous killer who is going to break in and eat our brains after sawing us to bits with a machete...

that may very well be my favorite line in this blog. ever.

Barb said...

I've never even been close to an earthquake, been close ~ but no cigar ~ to a tornado (which makes me really nervous)... but I can do hurricanes standing on my head!

cadiz12 said...

i was at my aunt's in India for the ginormous Gujarat earthquake of 2001. in the shower. which is one place i DO NOT recommend someone be during an earthquake. it was hella scary and everyone was screaming to run out into the street which really seemed against everything i'd ever heard about natural disasters.

it's always good when the person building/repairing your home takes such pride in his work. it hope you guys didn't have any damage.

librarianista said...

The weird thing about the earthquake, to me, was that there was practically no news coverage--at least, not that I heard. They were probably going nuts about it on Channel 2.

Anonymous said...

Ok. Maybe we really are the same person and also married to similar people, because Chris... he would've been thinking about his roof too... and I.... I would've been thinking crazy shit like you. Lumberjacks with axe's en junk.

Anonymous said...

That's really funny. Just in case don't move to Boston. Or at least cal first. :)