...a few memorable quakes.

- '71 Sylmar quake - I was sleeping and my bed started sliding all over the bedroom. I rode out the entire quake that way. Later, walking to school, I used the quake as a pretext to start a conversation with an older hottie that I did not know. [My grandfather was caught sitting on the toilet. He kept trying to get up, but could not get his balance till the quake was over.]

- '94 Northridge quake - Another morning quake. Not too much damage where I lived, but my parents and one sister and a niece lived together in Sylmar (close to epicenter). I could not get through on the phone (I know you aren't supposed to use the phone in an emergency.) There were stories on the radio about severe damage to some freeways so I wasn't sure I could make it to them. I decided to get on the freeway and see if I could get to them to help, if they needed it. I got there with no problem. They basically said everything sucks and what do you want?

- ? Don't remember when this one happened exactly - I was driving to work in the morning and my car started doing the darndest thing. It sort of made an intermittent grinding sound, and it just felt funny. I was pretty sure my suspension was going crazy and I would have to spend a lot of cash to fix it. Later I figured out that an earthquake made the strip of suspended freeway I was on undulate.

- '87 Whittier Narrows - I was working at the Cal Fed or the Glendale Fed data center (I can't remember which was which, any more. both banks got gobbled up by larger banks. One was in Burbank the other was in Whittier. In this story, I mean the Whittier one). That building was big, sprawling but only 3 stories tall. And it had a big atrium in the center for the cafeteria. The atrium was covered by plexiglass panels. When the quake struck, these panels fell off and sort of drifted down 3 stories to the floor with side to side motions, like giant deadly leaves. Everyone got the heck out of there, and no one was hurt.