If You Forget Who's Boss....... - 08/23/11
mom nature has a way of reminded you. It's such a unnatural feeling,it really is rather scary.
At about 140pm,Sean called my cell to say our phone lines to the office were messed up. I told him I heard a initial attempt at a ring and then it would go silent.Sean said it sounded like my lines were being directed to my fax machine but,since it enjoys it's own dedicated line, I knew that wasn't the prolem. It happened to him 3 times and I really had no idea what the problem could be as I had been using the phone without problems all day.
Five minutes later,one of our circuit court judges,a friend and hunting partner of mine, walked into my offices to tell me about his Canada bow hunt and to invite me to Newfoundland for a moose hunt at the end of September. Just two minutes into the conversation, the artist next door interrupted us to say the toilets and phones were going to be down for a good while. He went on to say that for some bizarre reason,the water fountain on our entrance floor level had pulled itself out of alignment somehow and the water line broke,causing water to drop through the floor to the lower floor suite and, specifically, onto and inside the box containing the building's phone line connections. OK...phone issue with Sean resolved but WTF on the water fountain,right?
Anyways,judge and I keep shooting the schit and all of a sudden it very mildly felt like I was standing on the top rung of a ladder,set on uneven ground,hands free. The tremor and sound intensified during the next 5 seconds we were in the WTF stage and my friend simply said "Bob,are we in a earthquake?" Before I could finish my genius "I have no idea but we best get out of the building" reply,a deer head fell off my wall and pictures and books started falling from my shelving. As we stood to rush out, I saw a crack forming on the wall and plaster falling from the ceiling over my paralegal's desk. While moving towards the stairwell (20 feet),I saw a huge crack forming on the wall by our exit door and the artist's studio paintings falling off easles and from his walls. Before I went down the stairs, I looked in to the next door office to make sure the accountants, all women,were already out of their offices and then I hustled down the steps. I felt the ground moving on my way down (20 steps),causing me to hold on to the railing,because I had to, and I literally saw walls waving as I made my way out. Once outside, the people from our building and the other adjoining buildings were looking upwards so as to figure out what to do next as "things" were falling from roofs and off of the old windows and eaves of our building(s). My office is the old civil war home of the southern sympathizer and spy,Antonia Ford. I think it was built in 1865. Beautifulm structure but nothing but old bricks and plaster....Gorilla glue and duct-tape.
For me,the most intense part of this quake felt like the above ladder comparison but this time while standing on one leg with a wind blowing at 20 mph.You really are helpless. And the feeling is so unnatural for me that it was frightening,at some stages,especially if you sensed the ceiling could come down on you at any moment.
We've not experienced this before in this area. While admitting I was frightened at some levels,in a perverse sort of way,I'll also admit to it being pretty F'ing cool,as well.Bizarre,ping-ponging emotions in that minute and a half,folks. I've BTDT on the hurricane and tornado gigs but old mom nature through me a pitch I ain't seen or felt before and that adds much to the overall dynamic.
Anyways, all things considered, the region actually managed the potential nightmare very well in that our architecture and infrastructure still appear structurally intact and strong. My cell text feature works and calls come in but I can not call out,as yet. Traffic lights are out in some areas so traffic is and will most likely remain a nightmare till the 10 o'clock hour,or so. Tyson's Corner mall got hurt as did the National Cathedral. Because of the age of our architecture, in both DC and the burbs,the structural engineers will be quite busy looking at the guts of buildings and bridges to make sure things are ok. It appears there are no fatalities or extraordinary ambulance activities and most emergency crews are out helping at traffic intersections where the lights are without power.
All in all I give the movie a B+ with some extra credit points for the special effects. Although I remained outwardly calm,didn't piss myself and my instinctual actions seemed above average decent;my nerves were such that, if I could have, I'd of knocked back 4 fingers of Dewars at the Pub next door before I got comfortable in my bar stool.
At about 140pm,Sean called my cell to say our phone lines to the office were messed up. I told him I heard a initial attempt at a ring and then it would go silent.Sean said it sounded like my lines were being directed to my fax machine but,since it enjoys it's own dedicated line, I knew that wasn't the prolem. It happened to him 3 times and I really had no idea what the problem could be as I had been using the phone without problems all day.
Five minutes later,one of our circuit court judges,a friend and hunting partner of mine, walked into my offices to tell me about his Canada bow hunt and to invite me to Newfoundland for a moose hunt at the end of September. Just two minutes into the conversation, the artist next door interrupted us to say the toilets and phones were going to be down for a good while. He went on to say that for some bizarre reason,the water fountain on our entrance floor level had pulled itself out of alignment somehow and the water line broke,causing water to drop through the floor to the lower floor suite and, specifically, onto and inside the box containing the building's phone line connections. OK...phone issue with Sean resolved but WTF on the water fountain,right?
Anyways,judge and I keep shooting the schit and all of a sudden it very mildly felt like I was standing on the top rung of a ladder,set on uneven ground,hands free. The tremor and sound intensified during the next 5 seconds we were in the WTF stage and my friend simply said "Bob,are we in a earthquake?" Before I could finish my genius "I have no idea but we best get out of the building" reply,a deer head fell off my wall and pictures and books started falling from my shelving. As we stood to rush out, I saw a crack forming on the wall and plaster falling from the ceiling over my paralegal's desk. While moving towards the stairwell (20 feet),I saw a huge crack forming on the wall by our exit door and the artist's studio paintings falling off easles and from his walls. Before I went down the stairs, I looked in to the next door office to make sure the accountants, all women,were already out of their offices and then I hustled down the steps. I felt the ground moving on my way down (20 steps),causing me to hold on to the railing,because I had to, and I literally saw walls waving as I made my way out. Once outside, the people from our building and the other adjoining buildings were looking upwards so as to figure out what to do next as "things" were falling from roofs and off of the old windows and eaves of our building(s). My office is the old civil war home of the southern sympathizer and spy,Antonia Ford. I think it was built in 1865. Beautifulm structure but nothing but old bricks and plaster....Gorilla glue and duct-tape.
For me,the most intense part of this quake felt like the above ladder comparison but this time while standing on one leg with a wind blowing at 20 mph.You really are helpless. And the feeling is so unnatural for me that it was frightening,at some stages,especially if you sensed the ceiling could come down on you at any moment.
We've not experienced this before in this area. While admitting I was frightened at some levels,in a perverse sort of way,I'll also admit to it being pretty F'ing cool,as well.Bizarre,ping-ponging emotions in that minute and a half,folks. I've BTDT on the hurricane and tornado gigs but old mom nature through me a pitch I ain't seen or felt before and that adds much to the overall dynamic.
Anyways, all things considered, the region actually managed the potential nightmare very well in that our architecture and infrastructure still appear structurally intact and strong. My cell text feature works and calls come in but I can not call out,as yet. Traffic lights are out in some areas so traffic is and will most likely remain a nightmare till the 10 o'clock hour,or so. Tyson's Corner mall got hurt as did the National Cathedral. Because of the age of our architecture, in both DC and the burbs,the structural engineers will be quite busy looking at the guts of buildings and bridges to make sure things are ok. It appears there are no fatalities or extraordinary ambulance activities and most emergency crews are out helping at traffic intersections where the lights are without power.
All in all I give the movie a B+ with some extra credit points for the special effects. Although I remained outwardly calm,didn't piss myself and my instinctual actions seemed above average decent;my nerves were such that, if I could have, I'd of knocked back 4 fingers of Dewars at the Pub next door before I got comfortable in my bar stool.