My first big earthquake

It's been a rollercoaster of a weekend, almost literally. I'll work backwards, shall I? Yesterday afternoon, I experienced my first big earthquake. 7.2, with the epicenter about 108 miles away. Everything shook visibly for close to a minute (my boss described it as "a lot more rolling than usual"). My soon-to-be-husband and I took refuge in a doorway. No damage fortunately, other than two broken glasses. But the bookshelves swayed, things on tabletops and desks moved all over the place, the liquor bottles banged against each other, the water in the swimming pool sloshed out. One cat slept through it, the other is still hiding under the sofa. Poor thing--she finally ventured out at one point last night, just in time for an aftershock, which sent her right back under.

I've lived through hurricanes, (little) tornadoes, floods, ice storms, whiteout blizzards, and a Memphis summer with no air conditioning, and I'd rather take them all at once than deal with another earthquake. It's a sickening feeling--there's no warning, and nothing you can do. You can only hang on for dear life, and hope 1) the ceiling doesn't cave in on you or 2) the earth doesn't open up beneath your feet. Plus there are aftershocks. In the grand scheme of things, of course, it wasn't a big deal. No damage, no injuries. The neighbors came out, looked around, said "I've felt worse," and went back inside. That was the end of it. But still. My heart raced for the better part of six hours yesterday. I think I used up my yearly supply of adrenalin. And every time my fiance shifted in bed last night, I woke up terrified, thinking it was another aftershock.

Before that, yesterday morning, I discovered we ("we" meaning "not me") owed significantly more money to the IRS this year than previously suspected. Meaning yesterday was pretty much a wash. Although Saturday was a better day--we finished the fifth season of "Lost", I got a check in the mail, and discovered I'd been sent an incredibly thoughtful wedding gift. My friend K in New York is currently dealing with her two-year-old's brain cancer. Surgeries, chemo, specialists, I'm sure her entire family is in medical hell right now. And somehow she found time to send me a wedding present. I burst out crying in the kitchen when I opened it. When I become Ruler of the Universe, cancer will officially be banned, and no one under the age of 47 will ever get sick. K, you are awesome. I'm still praying to every god I can think of for you.

Friday I had the day off. I didn't do anything particularly exciting (no money), but I got to spend the day cooking and cleaning and gossiping with my mom and sister over the phone. It was the last non-weekend day off I'll get before we leave for the wedding, and considering that I had no money, it was a pretty good way to spend the day.

So, to recap: wedding presents good. More debt bad. Earthquakes REALLY, REALLY bad. That is all.