24 August 2011

All Shook Up

Yesterday around 2:00 I was at work in the salon where I’m employed, sitting at the front desk when I felt someone quite large in the offices above us discovered they still had half a Twinkie left. Apparently this made them overjoyed because they jumped so hard I felt the ground beneath me shake. I looked at my co-worker/friend Zalina and we both question the movement. She then seemed delighted herself as she informed me, “It’s earthquake! Look at window shaking!” She’s from Uzbekistan and was excited because this was the first occurrence with an earthquake she’s had in years and I guess it gave her a feeling of nostalgia. She also forgets to use grammatical articles when speaking and her sentences can be a bit short. I don’t remember much from when I was in elementary school and they showed everyone instructional videos on what to do when disaster strikes but I’m pretty sure freezing up with fear was not on the list. I really didn’t know what to do. Luckily someone made a run for the door and I followed suit, probably shoving them out of the way once the door opened and we made it safely outside. Good thing we did too- there were some bottles of shampoo and conditioner that thrashed to the floor and who knows the damage it could have caused had someone been standing right beneath them, deliberately trying to get hit.

I’ve learned from this experience that my mind does not adapt well to sudden unexpected situations. This is a problem because I was so sure that the building was going to come crumbling down, crushing me and all I could do was stand there and try to piece things together as time passed. I don't care how minor things were I was scared as shi*t. Granted, the east coast is the laughing stock around the water cooler to the rest of the country (we apologize that there were no fatalities so we could be taken seriously) but in the midst of everything I didn’t care if I overreacted with panic and fear. I really had no idea what was taking place and how horrific things could get, so in doubt I did what I do best which is think of the worst possible scenario. Demons being summoned from Hell to steal my unborn childs soul? Doesn't seem so far-fetched in my mind.


Complete mayhem.

8 Thoughts :

Kristin August 24, 2011 at 11:55 PM  

That must have been so scary! Glad you are ok! My Dad is in Long Island, NY right now and felt it there too.
I remember before having a baby I would really panic in lots of situations. Becoming a mother automatically makes you stronger, it is crazy! But good! :)

Denise August 25, 2011 at 12:04 AM  

hahaha oh my gosh! What a disaster! It looks like a tornado went through your salon ;)

I love sarcasm a little too much!! haha Demons from hell.. :)

Jilean August 25, 2011 at 12:55 AM  

Hi! New follower! I would've been scared too... love your blog - cant wait to read more! Enjoy your pregnancy cause it flies by and before you know it your baby is a month old :)

Shannon August 25, 2011 at 9:08 AM  

Wow - I'm just glad you and baby are safe. We felt the earthquake up in Buffalo, NY. No damage, but it was still scary.

Jillian August 25, 2011 at 12:19 PM  

i couldnt move either. in emergencies i tend to be more like a deer in the headlights.... not so good. good thing my husband was home.

P! August 25, 2011 at 12:37 PM  

Oh my gosh! I can't imagine!! Living in Minnesota, we have more run-ins with tornados and floods, but an earthquake would scare the daylights out of me, no matter how small! Glad everyone was okay! May be time to brush up on those safety videos though. ;)

Mrs. Pancakes August 25, 2011 at 4:24 PM  

that is a little scary..nothing in my apartment moved! glad everything is good!

Laura Darling August 25, 2011 at 6:13 PM  

I was in Philadelphia, so we just had a little bit of shaking, but it was definitely a strange feeling!