Sometimes it’s embarrassing to live in the media capital of the world. Anything that affects New York City gets massive news coverage, no matter how minor it is on a true scale. No wonder the rest of the country hates us. It remains to be seen whether there was any significant damage from this quake down near the epicenter in Virginia, but in New York City it was just an unusual and interesting experience. Personally, I was at home in my pre-WWI walk-up apartment building, when the room started to wobble. It was not so unlike when a big truck passes by, except that there was no sound of any truck—no sound of anything. And it was more wobbly. And it continued for an inordinate number of seconds. I immediately thought that it could well be an earthquake, although I’d never felt one before. However, it was so minor that I also doubted what I was feeling, and especially so after it had stopped. I looked out the window and failed to see hordes of panicking people. A remark by a talk radio host based in the city a couple of minutes later confirmed to me that I hadn’t imagined it and that it wasn’t an event limited to my building.
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A more serious quake in New York would make many old buildings, like the one I was in, crumble to dust. So I consider today’s quake to be a salutary reminder that death is only ever a moment away. I also am glad of it because now I can say I felt an earthquake, which is something I’ve always been deeply curious about.
And that’s about it.