Ok, ok. Yes, I did feel the earthquake last night. At first, I thought it was my upstairs neighbors stomping around really loudly, but then I remembered that I've heard them stomp around, and it never shook the ceiling like that before. And then, perhaps erroneously, my first thought was "what do I have to protect so that it doesn't fall down?" Of course, I had been watching tv and was therefore also looking at my bookcase and my orchid, both of which were moving in a most ominous manner.

But then it was over in about 10 seconds, and I was ready to resume watching the movie. I was unprepared for the reaction of my guest, though, who was ready to hear disaster reports on the radio and was asking which doorjams we should stand in.

I have to admit, though, it was kind of exciting. Not the kind of exciting that I'd like to repeat, but exciting nonetheless.