it's like the eye of a duck

Local peeps: 1 Singer, one Kenmore, both ca. 1970s, both with accessories/cams. Will likely need to be serviced. More details available upon request. $40 each or best offer, first come, first serve.

So, yeah, we had an earthquake today. 5.8 too - not my first but definitely my strongest.

I thought someone was dragging furniture around on the floor above us until the windows started shaking - it wasn't a sudden thing! It started light and got worse, then tapered off over about 10-15 seconds. I didn't run, though some of my co-workers did - perhaps I was stupid, but what was going through my mind was that's over with, if it's going to happen again it won't be NOW.

It didn't take the office long to figure out that it was an earthquake and not construction. We were evacuated for about 10 minutes, and I followed the #earthquake tag on Twitter because I couldn't get to local news sites(for those who wonder what Twitter is for, it is excellent for on-the-ground, up-to-the-minute news). I emailed my mom and sister to let them know we were all right, and then we were let back into the building. About half my office went home, I couldn't come up with good enough of a reason to.

So, we're ok. What were your experiences?

PSA: Show the USGS some love with a data point: Did you feel it?. They do ask for your zip but address is optional and they take no personally identifiable info.

jlsjlsjls and snarlingbadger: y'all should talk. You both like crochet/knitting/yarn arts.

That is all.

Ganked directly from kass_rants and I'm participating mostly because I've not done a proper update in an age:

You know how sometimes people on your friendslist post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when were they working THERE? Since when were they dating HIM/HER? Since when?" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

Please copy the topics below, erase my answers and put yours in their place, and then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration. One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out.

NAME: A. Non (don't use my real name here; if you know me in person, you know my real name)

AGE: 36

LOCATION: DC 'burbs

OCCUPATION: Communications Information Specialist (I help people find stuff on the web). I contract to the government.

PARTNER(s): the venerable D., married August 1997

KIDS: None

BROTHERS/SISTERS: 1 sister, J.

PARENTS: Dad died 2005 (almost exactly 4 years today, in fact :( ), Mom

PETS: Cats/makers of bread Kisia, Russian Blue princess and tardis cat, Spice, the vicious predator and sewing assistant/stretching coach

LIST THE 3-5 BIGGEST THINGS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE

#1 I fence. A lot. Fencing is exercise, a "laboratory" of sorts for mental/emotional discipline, and my primary social outlet of late.

#2 Battling winter lethargy and passive in-a-rut-edness to get out more, reconnect with old friends and make new ones

#3 We want to buy a house in the next year. Planning is in the embryonic stage but this has the potential to affect time/finances/everything.

#4 Trying to get more organized because there's so much I want to do/see/read so much yet I manage to waste lots of time and misplace tools I need. To these ends, I'm trying to spend less time online, make lists and stop slacking.

WearPalettes - blog pulling color palettes from streetstyle blog entries

ColourLovers, create/share your own palettes

Pantone has finally come out with a reasonably priced shopper's color guide

In the same spirit as my comic book fan post, I've also realized I have a lot of friends who are librarians, catalogers, or others of the information science/info moving and shaking ilk. If you want to pop up to say hello, share reading lists or book tips, or just gab about the latest Librarian Book Cart Drill Championships results, feel free to do so here.

Librarian groupies/wannabees [YouTube] are also invited to peek in, but be respectful - librarians are pretty hardcore.

For local peeps - if I were going to be in town I'd be at this in a heartbeat:

Costume Sale
10/11/2009

Sidney Harman Hall


General Public Sale: 1pm-6pm
Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW)

Just in time for Halloween, the Shakespeare Theatre Company is holding a magnificent prop and costume sale! With something for everyone, the sale will include costumes from such productions as Edward II, The Silent Woman, The Oedipus Plays, Hamlet, King John, Peer Gynt, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Macbeth and The School for Scandal. Also included are costumes from Tony-award winning designers Martin Pakledinaz, Jane Greenwood and Jess Goldstein, and costumes worn by Kelly McGillis, Floyd King, Ted Van Griethuysen, David Sabin, Nancy Robinette, and Avery Brooks. Costume styles range from medieval, Renaissance and baroque to gothic, art nouveau and 1960s mod. Shoes, hats, masks, dresses, doublets, armor, animal headdresses, leather jackets, cloaks and jewelry will be sold. Prices begin at $1 and increase to over $200.

There will also be spectacular props for sale including a tall red throne decorated for Christmas, large sculpted acrylic wedding rings from Taming of the Shrew, wedding centerpieces from Taming of the Shrew, large children’s building blocks and much, much more! Large props and furniture will need to be picked up during the costume sale hours, and cannot be delivered or stored.

Just reading through my Friends page and realizing there are a lot of you who are into comic books, graphic novels, Comic Con, the Small Press Expo and the like, and I'm not sure that you all know each other.

Please feel free to use the comments to this post to introduce yourselves, say hello etc. if you're so inclined. You might meet some people to chat/hang out with :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem=&item=230331182262

Too rich for my blood but an ASTOUNDINGLY good price for something 1) handmade 2) by Margo Anderson! If nothing else check it out for the photos.