Thursday, April 19, 2012

Travelogue: Australia – I Feel The Earth - *Move* - Under My Feet

No, Seriously! The earth MOVED!

It’s odd! We were just talking about earthquakes at the office yesterday and this morning, we have one! I think that today we should talk about me winning the Australian Lottery!

So, here’s what happened: I have completely acclimated to the time zone (well, it has been nearly two months here – long enough that I can count this as a place I have “lived” using the reckoning of having paid rent/mortgage twice and having received mail…but I digress…) and so, it was early to bed, early to rise for me.

I went to bed around ten last night, shortly after I got in from dinner/beers with my colleagues. Heading to bed that early, I was up before five and as is my nature, I do not hang-about in bed in the mornings, I am an early riser and got up more-or-less immediately.

So right about five, I felt a vibration through my feet and heard the shade rattle against the window casing. Now, years ago, when I was living in Memphis, there was an earthquake that I felt there. At that time I had failed to recognize it as such as I was more-or-less out of it on flu medications.

This time, I was clear-headed, awake, and thinking about earthquakes, as we had just talked about them a few hours ago – I recognized it immediately for what it was. Though, as the course of the conversation had run along the lines of “…they so seldom happen here…” so I was a bit reticent to believe it.

Until I finally turned on the morning news to hear them confirm it, that is. The Sunrise program has just given me the details. It was a 3.4 and the epicenter was approximately 40km to the west of here. So, yes, I really did feel the earth move! It was exciting.

Wherever you are this morning I hope that you enjoy your day has a little excitement in it!

Don Bergquist – 19 April 2012 – Canberra, ACT, Australia

No comments: