Earthquake!

Last night at around 2 a.m.:

Me: James! We're having an earthquake!

James: Oh yeah ... I can feel it.

Me: Do you think we should get in the doorway?

James: No. I think we're fine here. Go to sleep.

In the morning I checked the news - it was a 6.3, centered off the East Coast - the strongest quake here in the last two years.

Having grown up in Alaska, I'm no stranger to quakes. But I've never experienced one from the 13th story - it was like my whole house turned into a giant hammock. I know buildings sway to absorb shock, and that it's a good thing. However, at 2 a.m. - experiencing it for the first time - I was half-expecting the floor to fall out beneath my bed. It seemed to go on for some time too.

Taiwan has a lot of earthquakes. James' uncle (my endless source of useful information) said because of this the building codes here are quite strict, the same as in Japan.

Needless to say, after last night's mini ordeal, I have nothing on my dad who was living in Anchorage in 1964.