!!!!EARTHQUAKE!!!!

We had an earthquake here in Portland tonight, at approximately 9:35pm. And the really interesting thing about all of this is that the epicenter of this earthquake, according to the USGS, was literally FIFTY YARDS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE!!! 16 miles down into the earth, mind you, but 50 yards away nonetheless! Click the link, close out the irritating "thought bubble" thing by clicking the X in the upper right hand corner, zoom in all the way, and then pull down with the handy hand tool until you can see the red-roofed house, roughly in line with the green "epicenter" arrow, at the corner of the main street (Belmont St) and the dead end street (18th St). That house is where I live!

I've been on the west coast for 7 years now, and while we've had a number of earthquakes since I arrived, this is the first one I've actually felt. There was about 5 seconds of shaking, which was really more accurately described as a bouncing sensation, as though a very large explosion had taken place nearby. In fact, my roommate, Robert, didn't think it was an earthquake at all at first, because of the unusual bouncing sensation. But he is a fool, as it was indeed an earthquake! All of 2.6 in magnitude. Small by earthquake standards, but still, respectible enough, for one's first earthquake anyway!