Earthquakes and Love

I was in my bathroom here in upper Manhattan (I now know it was 11:03 am) when the bathroom shook, and a deep roar seemed to emanate from the floor. I looked at the drawn bathwater and it was swaying, like a swimming pool on a cruise ship (from north to south.)

How odd, I thought.

My friend Marianne and I were laughing earlier at how neither of us considered for a moment stopping what we were doing, or doing something earthquake conscious, like standing in a doorway or something. One reason is we are accustomed to subways rumbling around, and I live on a subway line on the west side. But this was no subway rumble.

I felt nauseous, but when it stopped, I proceeded with my bath, listening to a corrective true history about Tsar Nicholas II, (strongly recommend.) Lo and behold my cell phone screeched with an emergency warning, some 40 minutes later. (Which is certifiably funny.)

The warning said there had been a 4.7 earthquake in NYC. And mysteriously, said we should stay inside. (Which we always do anyway.)

That sound was scarier than the earthquake! Can’t they come up with a better emergency alert sound?

FOX News clip here.

Is it normal to laugh more than usual, after an earthquake? I can’t stop belly laughing at the jaundiced New Yorker memes.

Are there still New Yorkers who expect this city to take steps to protect them?

Well, hope springs eternal.

I have not mentioned the eclipse, or the Satanic Euro creepo-set at CERN, mainly because it’s impossible to say anything about it that is 100% definitely either correct or helpful.

A blue jay appeared on my fire escape, squawking to get my attention. That was either Guy Obolensky, or my father, telling me something, and it might be to pay attention.

There is some talk of a real earthquake in NYC on Monday, the eclipse day.

So we should all think about love, a little more than we think about facts, in the coming days.

Taiwanese nurses protecting newborns in incubators during earthquake.

And I do not know why I can’t stop laughing.