Monday, April 17, 2006

"C'mon over baby, whole lot of shakin' going on"

So 100 years ago tomorrow (April 18) at 5:12 a.m., a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco. It lasted close to a minute, and, if memory serves, was about 7.2 on the richter scale. It destroyed many buildings, but just as devastating, it broke gas mains which caused fires to break out all over the city. The resulting fire destroyed about three quarters of the city. By the time it was over 3,000 people had lost their lives. People fled the city to the east bay cities of Oakland and Berkeley. Others set up a shanty town in Golden Gate park.

City planners took the opportunity, and all the rubble, to extend the city farther into the bay, so a good portion of the current financial district is built, literally, on the fallen buildings of before. The irony goes even deeper, as this type of landfill is not stable, and a quake of similar magnitude would cause the ground to practically liquify beneath those structions. Not very solid ground.

I had thought to go over to San Francisco tomorrow a.m., where thousands are expected to gather for the moment of silence followed by the blowing of all the siren in the downtown neighborhood. But, hell, it's 5:12 a.m., and while I love history, I think even I have my limits. So I'll get up and go outside and see if I can hear the commotion from across the bay - in my jammies!

In other news, the pageant activities are in full swing on the east coast. All the contestants are going to be on various television shows this week. And Writing in AK sent this link to an article in the Anchorage Daily News about Cousin Noelle.

Following up on the heels of my London adventures, I've definitely decided that it's time for me to put myself out there a bit more (yes, yes, Mystic I did know that part of the answer before you answered...I was hoping for something, I don't know, more mystical). So I go to the old standard attempt of putting up a craigslist ad. Out of the 6 responses, I've gotten 2 that at least sound normal and a 3rd that I'm going to ask for more info from. But I'd forgotten what a crap shoot craigslist can be (emphasis on "crap"). There was the gentleman who went on for 3 paragraphs about perfect soulmates and taking the wheat and the chaff together and gently blowing on it to seperate the two (huh?!), or the guy in IN who owns a farm with a mobile home and can't spell the word "pretty." The best was the student in Nigeria who is looking for a steady older woman who will be faithful. Hmmm...

I have promised myself that I will keep my mind open to the possibilities.

I'm off to watch a couple more episodes of Firefly, which I started yesterday. Later this week, I'll blog about the strange world of work.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

personally i think the craigslist ads are bad - everyone i know who has tried them has had bad experiences, both online and in-person - i'd try another site :)

Aravis said...

I loved your tribute to the anniversary of the quake, and the pragmatic conclusion you came to in the end. *G*

Good luck with the ads! Or with meeting people live and in person, for that matter. Whoever you wind up with will be a very lucky person. :0)

Hyde said...

Wow. Craigslist, huh? Let us know how it goes! Oh, and I read your cousin's article-- they have to wear four inch heels?!?! That's insane.

-h-

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize that you had not seen Firefly before. I would have sent you tapes. Because it is excellent. Let me know what you think.

Anonymous said...

There are some things that could use a little mystique, then there are other things that need a more sober and practical approach.

The answer I have given to your question is meant to help and not confuse.

I truely only ever wish you the best.....

LB said...

hey - a farm AND a mobile home? That's a man of means. Damn the spelling....!

Cody Bones said...

Not a big fan of craiglists, but Firefly, GOOOD Stuff. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

HistoryGeek said...

Mystic - I should just know that, as with any oracle, you almost never get what you expect. I know that you have my best interests at heart.

There's a few more gems - I'll share them later.