Happy Halloween

These past few days have been quite interesting. First came the news regarding the out of control fires spreading through the Malibu area. Before we were able to manage that crisis, an earthquake occurred in Alum Rock, which was a little closer to home. After all, we experienced the aftershocks of that startling event. The earthquake was rumored to be the strongest one we’ve had since Loma Prieta, and it has recently been the topic of discussion almost everywhere I’ve gone. Unfortunately, I am unable to give any input in those discussions because I was driving at the time the earthquake hit; therefore I was completely unaware that an earthquake had even occurred. As I listened to countless individuals give me details about where they were and what they were doing at the time the earth suddenly began to shake, I noticed a similarity in all of their stories. None had followed standard procedures for what to do when an earthquake occurs. We’ve been conditioned since grade-school to “duck-and-cover”, stand under a door frame or even to run outside to an open space, where nothing large and heavy can fall on us and squash us.

When I asked my friends what they did when the earthquake hit, they all gave me roughly the same response, “I don’t know, I kind of just rode it out and waited for it to stop.” I assume that very few people actually did the right thing when the 30-second earthquake hit on Tuesday night. Scientists are currently predicting more earthquakes, warning that there is a lot of heat trapped under the earth’s surface. The risk of another big one is apparent, and what is also apparent is that few people are going to prepare for it. People should be advised that riding it out like a surfer is probably not the best option.

For me, the “crazy days” ended with Halloween. I spent the majority of the night in my room attempting to finish up an assignment. I use the word “attempting” because doing homework on this particular night was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. The doorbell rang every five minutes, which was expected. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was how annoying my dog was going to be. I have a Chihuahua, which is an extremely territorial breed. Thus, every time the doorbell rang, you heard the doorbell combined with Dolce’s nonstop barking. It’s also difficult to pass out candy while trying to block Dolce from running outside and attacking the trick-or-treaters. Nevertheless, it was a fun night, and I saw some adorable costumes. My personal favorite was a toddler dressed as Chicken Little.

All things considered, after such a crazy week, it’s my duty to relieve some stress this weekend.

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