Aftermath

www.koreantimes.co.kr

In the aftermath of that whole Haiti debacle, I suppose I shouldn't be so glib about this, but what OTHER natural disaster can hit us here in old Koooorea? Honestly. So there was that snow storm that hobbled the city last month (a whopping 10 cm of snow and the city is literally knocked off its feet...knobs), and yesterday we had a flippin' EARTHQUAKE! It measured a 3.0 on the Richter scale. I wonder what that really means?

I came out of my apartment shortly after it happened to get some water. Bill the Weirdo who lives down the hall and is our advocate for all things building related, came charging out of his room, and demanded to know, "Did you FEEL that?" Yes, Bill (whose real name is not Bill, but the name has stuck), I felt it. The other doofus neighbours came out too. I asked if they felt it. They said no. Um, the building shook because the ground shook. And they didn't feel it. Seriously, the strangest humans live in this country. I coloured the font for effect...I hope it worked ;) It really wasn't a big deal.

I remember an earthquake (the only other one I've ever experienced in my truncated life) fondly. I was in the backyard of a boy I love love loved, eating cherry tomatoes from his garden, lying on the grass in our school uniforms. A squirrel ran across the eavestrough right when the ground shook a little. It was bizarre. The Boyfriend said, "Did you feel that? I think that was an earthquake." In my infinite wisdom, I responded, "Earthquake? That was just a squirrel."

I'll let you sit with that one for a second. Because it's almost as good as the time I asked my father, after he carefully constructed his deck around a sapling in his backyard and planned to continue cutting the deck as it grew, but chiseled the staircase startling close to a large boulder, "What happens when the rock grows?" He let me off without commenting: so will you keep your judgments to yourself about the Earthquake Squirrel. I guess climate change is happening everywhere, despite what the Koreans think about kimchi keeping them eternally protected from all things. I've started to keep score. As far as I'm concerned:

Nature: 2, Kimchi: 0.

Here's the story about the 'quake if you want to read some quality Asian news...

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/02/113_60614.html

Note: That picture was taken in May 2008. This is an earthquake drill in Korea. I find it hilarious. I think that might make me a bad person, but I can't help it.