So today, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck, these boring people took to the street in a moment, and took in the sunlight of an otherwise fabulous day.
It started small, as these things do, with a little rumble that felt more like construction than a real notable event, but only a few seconds later the earth began to sway, the power went out, and started screams rang throughout the office. It felt like minutes - as if there were time to logically try to work things out - however apparently it was a mere 30 seconds. The lights didn't come back on, and the sirens began to blare throughout the city as emergency crews attended to the numerous alarms.
Not long after the earthquake, we were given permission to leave and head home. The city streets were full of people, all milling about, many of whom were holding their cellphones to the sky; the network was so inundated that they crashed. No news to be googled, no twitter updates, and certainly no phone calls.
The lack of technological accessibility was at first incredibly disconcerting - I'm not accustomed to being 'out of touch' for any length of time, but especially not when there's something worth talking about! Alas, as Chantal's big black Benz worked it's way up Bank Street, it was incredible to see the people in the streets, milling about, and the impromptu picnics that suddenly lined the lawns of the big buildings.
Only here is an earthquake cause for a picnic.
Traffic was crazy, as were the torrents of people rushing along the sidewalks, but in the end of it all, I got home in a reasonably good time, and with minimal damage sustained. There's a few things damaged, including a stand that needs repair due to the vibration, some pictures that fell, and some dishes that tumbled, but I figure a few small things are relatively acceptable when considering how much worse these things can be.
Sometimes this city surprises me, while other times it just amazes me.
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