I feel the sky tumbling down

Yeah, I felt it.

It woke me from a dream in which we -- me and somebody else, can't remember who -- were chasing a rat around the house. I think it was my old house in Baltimore. We didn't know if the rat was in the same room as us; we thought maybe it was behind the dresser. And then everything started creaking. First I thought the rat was scratching behind some furniture... and then I was awake, and fully aware that the furniture was moving. Ten seconds of jiggle, with the mattress going back and forth, but no real shocks. It was over quickly.

I turned on the radio, and heard the KCBS news reporter talking about how most people don't have earthquake insurance because it's too expensive. And then he sort of chuckled and reported that a little quake had just happened, although he didn't feel it down at Battery and Broadway. KCBS always takes phone calls from all over the Bay Area when little tremors roll through -- starting with their own reporters, then going to the general public. It's like the Oakland A's postgame show!

I think I've felt six quakes in eight years. I was dining at Le Soleil with my visiting photographer friend when the last one rolled through in March. She didn't notice it, but I could see the light fixtures swaying and felt my chair go to jelly. Cool.