Tuesday, April 12, 2005
My First Earthquake
The earthquake early this morning caught me by surprise.I had been writing until about 2 am and so my head was still buzzing when the earthquake came at 4. I was in something of a half-awake state.
It scared the hell out of me, but not because I was afraid to die in an earthquake. No. I didn't even realize it was an earthquake. All I knew was that I had been startled into consciousness by the sudden and seemingly unnatural shaking of my already rickety brass bed. The possibility that the earth had done it didn't cross my mind. (I guess I haven't been in California long enough yet.)
After I overcame the initial paralysis of the situation, I looked under my bed to make sure there wasn't some goblin, murderer or thief under there. I carefully and quietly went downstairs to see that I hadn't left my door unlocked. Only after I had exhausted all other explanations, including the supernatural (ghosts? I was ready to go that far), did I think to look on the internet and see if we had had an earthquake.
And there it was. A nice 4 am wakeup call emanating from eastern San Diego County. A 4.
So now I know what that feels like. Maybe next time I won't be so disoriented by it. One can only hope.
About Me
- Name: Matthew Shindell
- Location: San Diego, California, United States
Matthew Shindell used to live and write in Phoenix, Arizona. He now lives and writes in La Jolla, California.
The Poetry Postcard Project:
Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the status of the Poetry Postcard Project.
Go to the Poetry Postcard Project website to see the project and find out how to participate.
My Vocabulary Radio Show:
Find out about My Vocabulary, the weekly poetry radio show hosted by Matthew Shindell and James Meetze.
Where are my poems?
Read a PDF of my chapbook, Were something to happen it would be both funny and interesting. Copies of this limited edition chapbook are no longer available.American Letters and Commentary (Coming Soon) - "Hoo Ta Ta, Hoo Ta"
American Poetry Review July/August 2004 - "It sounds like a saxophone tugging across a field"
Black Warrior Review v30n2 - "Sidekick"
FENCE v6n2 - "Drinking with the Ventriloquist's Dummy" & "Parable of the Boy inside the Deer"
Hayden's Ferry Review #25 - "The Willow"
Hayden's Ferry Review #35 - "The Monkey's Skull: Where Do Good Newsmen Come From?" & "Made Easy"
Jubilat 7 - "But Emerson Says, 'The body is a metre. The eye appreciates finer differences than art can expose."
The Melic Review - "In Short, a Pleasant Day :: The Man Arrives, Hooray!" "The Same Words :: Order of Harpoons," & "A Birdâs Head Rolls Into Two Baskets :: Walkie-Talkie"
No Tell Motel - "Order of Harpoons :: Digitalia :: Dobre Vecher" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Read my discussion of the poem here.
Northwest Review - "Clink" & "Bear-Caught"
Octopus 4 - "About the Author," "Four Star General" &
"The Day :: Born :: The Red Door"
Pleiades 24:2 - "Speech of Artificio, a Character in My New Play" & "Inc."
Tarpaulin Sky v2n2&3 -
"Two Jokes About Bears"
Unpleasant Event Schedule - "He Called Her Forest (or was it Forest?)" & "The Brain Full of Bourbon (concerning the doctor and the simulation of Switzerland)"
Listen to my Pandora station? Why not?
Online Poetry Magazines
B A L A K L A V ACan we have our ball back?
Castagraf
Conjunctions
Double Change
Drunken Boat
Ducky
Failbetter
Gut Cult
HOW2
H_NGM_N
Jacket
La Petite Zine
LVNG
Mark(s)
Moria
No Tell Motel
Octopus
Piplit
PomPom
Puppyflowers
Shampoo
Slope
Tarpaulin Sky
The Canary
Typo
Unpleasant Event Schedule
Word For/ Word
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3 Comments:
Congratulations on your first earthquake. Ghosts would be interesting. Word is there are ghosts where I live now, a girl in my bedroom, though I haven't seen her yet. I'm glad your alive and well.
matt, you responded like a veteran. i mean a veteran earthquake experiencer not one of those other sorts of veterans. yes. good show.
Matt,
My first earthquak in LA was the "Big One" that wrecked the I10, and basically destroyed the campus of Cal State Northridge in 1994. It happened at around 4AM in the morning. I felt my bed rock from side to side. All the power was out and everyone in the surrounding apartments were outside in the dark. Toilet water splashed out of the bowl and all the cupboards were opened. I stupidly stayed in bed through the shaking.
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