1. The first thing that happens after we encounter an earthquake is to wonder if anyone else felt it. The need for group validation is widespread and happens for events that don't involve earthquakes as well.
If those in the tribe feel something, we're likely to as well. That's why people look around before they stand up to offer an ovation at the end of a concert. Why should it matter if any of these strangers felt the way you did about the event? Because it does. A lot. Social proof matters.
2. Organizations are busy evacuating buildings, even national monuments. Even though experience indicates that the most dangerous thing you can do is have tens of thousands of people run down the stairs, cram into the elevators and stand in the streets, we do it anyway. Why? Because people like to do something. Action, even ineffective action, is something societies seek out during times of uncertainty.
[from Seth's Blog. Mad props.]
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What a better time to resurrect my terribly neglected blog than the biggest natural event (can't quite call it a disaster) to happen to the east coast in a while? Yes, what's been coined the "East Coast Earthquake" (flows well, doesn't it?) has "shaken" me back into blogging mode. So, what can I blame for my neglect of my favorite writing space? Summer? Big life changes and new friends? Visits to and from some of my closest and favorite old friends and family? My new job (yup, goodbye internship, hello salary!), the frustrating yet eventually fruitful hunt for a new apartment in downtown DC? Increase in Twitter use? My new-found obsessions with Spotify, Millionaire Matchmaker, or the Hunger Games trilogy? (Yes, I finally got on that boat. About to start the second!). Alright, let's just go for all of them.
Well, the earthquake obviously wins as most blog-worthy for the past few weeks at least. This was my first earthquake, and the experience honestly wasn't much of a doozy as one might think. But the news and hype that surrounded it made it feel like a much bigger deal than it was, and I think my memory of it may be tainted with some of the overreactions that happened in downtown DC. Screaming and running? Really? Well I don't know, but I'm pretty sure my quake experience went as follows:
I was at work, jamming to T.Swift and Sugarland while doing some uploading to our sweet new site, and all of sudden, the house started shaking a little. There's been tons of construction happening right next to my office building, so we all brushed it off as a big truck or drill. But about 10 seconds in, it kept getting more intense--I thought my computer monitors were going to topple, and my picture frame had fallen over. Unsure what was happening, we just ran downstairs and out the door. By the time a few of us got outside, it was over. The whole thing lasted about 20 seconds.
Considering our office is a historical 19th century Victorian House (that once belonged to the families of Robert E. Lee & Elizabeth Cady Stanton), we thought maybe something had gone on with the aged foundation. That was my first thought--that something was wrong with the house, which was why we all ran to get outside. But everyone else in the neighborhood was in a tizzy, and we heard that the building next to us and the grass were seen shaking as well. Confusion ensued, and then we rushed back inside to listen to the radio. It was an earthquake. It was really strong for this area--magnitude 5.9! And what?! It was felt all the way up to Toronto, and as far west as Michigan? That's what got me. I didn't think earthquakes could be that big.
(By the way, besides a couple ceiling cracks, the Cady-Lee held up okay. This is a photo I took of the house in winter, but now seems like a good time to pause and admire its beauty.)
The first hour after the earthquake happened flew by. No one was really panicking--just confused. Lots of radios were on and phone calls being made--except cell phones were down, and that made a lot of us nervous and reminiscent of 9/11, considering how the 10th anniversary is sneaking up on us. As for me, after soaking in what had happened, writing emails to family telling them I was safe, and having to restart my computer because my TweetDeck was throttled to the max (searching for "earthquake" was probably not the smartest thing to do) it took a while to get back into "work" mode. The radio and news confirmed that it was widespread, but there were no injuries, and the extent of the damage could pretty much be summed up by this:
I know, it's horrible. But we're okay. (If only that photo and association, now going viral, were my idea).
And at about 3:00 when things were starting to calm down, floating through the office through our intercom was the lovely sounds of the most earthquake-appropriate song ever:
The song's getting tons more hits on YouTube today. Way to go, Carole!
So, with a healthy dose of stress relief--including a plan to wrap oneself in foam in case of aftershocks-- the whole office was busting a gut. And, unlike the rest of downtown DC, no one went home early.
Anywho, thank you, quake, for rumbling my butt back into blogging. The timing is good anyway--just as when I was a student, this time of year inspires me to put my head in the game, turn a new page, and rejuvenate myself with an overflowing but highly enjoyable schedule. Which will, along with dance, writing, friends, and food, be sufficiently full of earthquake jokes ... at least until Hurricane Irene hits. Please, Irene, be kind, we've been through a lot.
In the meantime, I'm going to go eat myself some Ranch Quakes.
