RATTLED

Would the Times ever make the top of 
 their front page look like that?

 Depending on where you live, a 4.8 earthquake might be akin to a belch following a large serving of goulash. To us residents of the Northeast, it's cause for panic, and local news shows to take over the airwaves for a few hours, damn the commercials and full ratings ahead.

Personally, it allowed me to text and email various friends and family the words I never thought I'd say: We just had an earthquake!  For those who currently or used to live in California, their response could have been, What else you got? But they were gracious enough to listen to the deets, as the kids say.

Oh, you want to hear it, too? Well, alright. I was in the kitchen when a weird rumbling sound followed by shaking started. For the first second or two, it felt like a large truck going by, But as it grew louder and more fierce, I knew this was no vehicle. By the fifth second, I thought there was a pretty good chance of the ceiling collapsing, so I did what anyone would have done: run to the window to see if a giant crack had appeared in the middle of 84th Street as neighbors ran around screaming and crying.

It didn't and they weren't. The scene was actually quieter than usual. What a letdown. The shaking faded away after 10 or 12 seconds. It felt longer; in some areas, people reported it lasting 20 to 30 seconds. (A very small quake located in Queens several weeks ago went unnoticed by most of us.)

Trump was quoted as saying, "It was Ramapo's
fault! I had nothing to do with it!"

This was one of the rare occasions when New Yorkers felt comfortable talking to neighbors and strangers alike -- Did you feel the earthquake? Everyone with a cellphone got an emergency message roughly an hour later advising us what happened. Thanks -- for nothing! We know what happened. 

News anchors, along with city and state officials, went into overdrive, reporting for hours that there was little or no damage to report. And they had the video to prove it! Oh, folks in New Jersey, close to the epicenter, posted home videos of dogs going crazy, pictures falling from the walls, everyone saying, "Is that an earthquake?" What the hell do you think it is?

They're getting weaker while I'm
growing stronger!

Thanks to the usual hustle & bustle of the city, nobody who was outside at the time felt anything. Neither did anyone at my wife's tap class. It wasn't until we were both home when the aftershock hit at exactly 6:00 p.m. -- right in time for the local news! -- that she felt it. It didn't last as quite as long, nor was it as violent as the morning quake, being "only" a 4.0. 

Having grown up in the suburbs of L.A., my wife experienced at least five quakes in that time. According to her, the West Coast quakes were more like waves, while this one was just shaking. It's called an "earthQUAKE", not "earthWAVE".

This time, the aftershock alert came only 12 minutes later, followed by the official confirmation at 7:07, with the assurance "NYers can continue usual activities." Apparently, I had jumped the gun because I already picked up dinner at 6:50. I'll wait for the official word next time.

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