Shaken Not Stirred
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006The morning after and I’m much better. I communed with the freaks mothers from my local club and actually got a very supportive e-mail back.
Just wanted to say hello. It was our first earthquake too– we moved here from PA last summer (but we lived in South Florida before that). We both felt totally nauseated by the whole thing, and had to go outside for some fresh air. Just felt like I needed to say hello when I read your email as we were totally freaked too.
(Does it shock any of you that she is also an East Coast transplant?) Anyway, no damage other than to my brain. The total net on the quake is officially it was a 4.4 that didn’t last very long. There were three aftershocks that no one felt (a 1.2; 2.0; and 1.5). The last one was at 9:30ish. All of the quakes centered about 14 miles east of me and slightly north. But alas, all of you are happy to know that Snarkville is fine and dandy.
Well, fine and dandy, if you don’t look at Duke’s shoe. Now, I have no idea if the quake did it or if it was the shock of the quake that made this one little shoe lose the will to live. About a week ago, I told Duke to put his shoes in his room. For reasons that only a three year knows, the shoes went into my washing machine. (Don’t ask — I have no idea if they were in the machine OR in his hamper that was then dumped in the machine.) The light-up shoes were washed. And while they LOOKED much better, just a note, light up shoes and the washing machine — don’t really get along well — they stayed light a little longer; one of the lights doesn’t fully go out. But other than that they seemed to work just fine again until the quake. Now his right shoe that was still flashing when I went to bed is now in a constant on state. It looks like he is signaling to turn right constantly. But this begs the bigger question — do I have to buy him a new pair? (For the record, I’m not loving the light-up shoes. I’m too embarassed to say why I bought them — but let’s leave it at my father loves the shoes and I’m, after all, Daddy’s Little Girl.)
And in case you wondered how my boy child fared in the Quake of ‘06, he giggled. Yep. He was in his bed, “reading”, and possibly considering sleeping. I went in afterwards to check on him and he was calm and giggly. I kissed him and told him to take good care of Red Bear. It wasn’t until I walked back into the living room that total panic hit me. My child was across the house when it happened. What if it had worse? Would I have gotten to him? But I’m calming down and my desire to grab the child and never let go ended within seconds of him laying down in the floor loudly lamenting that we were NOT going to have oatmeal for breakfast this morning. The horrors this poor child endures because I am his mother.
See life can go back to normal, right?
Tomorrow, we are off to one of those major theme parks, 3 Banners, for the day. Duke and Prince have the day off of school, which roughly means I have to have all of my work done today! And remember those descending hordes? Well, it appears we will be short one — seems my father will not be joining the party as there is a little “weather” heading his direction and budget meetings he must attend. I’m ever hopeful that at the last possible second he’ll run down the jetway and catch up to my mother and say something about not missing the boy’s 3rd birthday and telling the mean and nasty budget people to screw-off. Doubtful, but I can dream can’t I?
