Shake rattle and roll, A Westwood earthquake

Shake , rattle and roll is how we started our day today. Growing up in the Orange County/Los Angeles county area I have been through the worst earthquakes that southern Ca. had to offer in my lifetime a few years back. So last night, Christmas Day evening Dave and I were doing the kick it back thing and watch some T.V. Yes, even I actually watched television. It was foretold that the night was going to be extra, extra, cold.  I made myself a bed on the couch. As it turned out, Dave had decided to do sort of the same thing by making a bed on the floor of the living room, right next to the wood stove. If you have ever found yourself living in a home where the only heat source is wood, you know what it's like when the outlook is not just cold for the night, but very, very cold for the night. Sleeping on the floor next to the wood stove does NOT sound so far fetched. Add to that a couple of dogs and you have yourself a 2 dog night and arms that reach the wood and then the wood stove without having to be uncovered

I woke myself up at 4:19 A.M. yelling, shit we are having an earthquake. And we were. It ended up being centered just 13 miles from here and was a 4.5. Now I tell ya when you have been in the big ones like Sylmar and Northridges earthquakes in Southern Ca. a 4.5 is a little baby wannabe earthquake, or so it would seem. But it is not that different. NOT AS VIOLENT but not as different . Things aren't falling off the walls, and you are not meeting all family members in a predesignated area of the inside of the home. But that sick, sick feeling still overtakes you. For a moment you know that you are in the complete mercy of something so far bigger than you can imagine. You know that EVERYTHING can change in the next few seconds.......and then the  sickness starts to go away, and its getting quieter as perhaps your very own voice is becoming mute.Your heart goes back into the proper place in your chest, and you quit holding your breath.
Yea, then you start to do the thinking... Yes, that fucked up thinking of how big was it? and where was it centered and is everybody else in this area and beyond all-right. Yea, they may last but a few seconds but the aftermath can seem like hours.
They are just like I remembered them from being younger.
They are no fun at all!!!