There haven't been any noteworthy earthquakes around here for the last few years, but we had a nice one last week. I woke up at 5am with the bed banging against the wall and the entire apartment creaking. The light fixture was swinging back and forth and I thought to myself, "This is a flimsy apartment made of wood and I live on the first floor. If everything comes crashing down on me, I haven't got a chance." But instead of running out the door, I stayed in bed and waited for the shaking to stop. And fell right back asleep when it did.
Later after getting out of bed I checked the news and discovered that the earthquake felt so big because the epicenter was right here in Oita! They're usually far away and we only get a level 1 or 2 tremor around here, but this one was a 5 and lasted for about 15 seconds. Felt like a lot longer though.
Out of curiosity I just checked the national earthquake information site and it looks like there are minor earthquakes on the island almost everyday. I wonder if that means another big one's coming up.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
1500m
It's been about two years since I'd been to the city pool and for a while now I've been thinking that it's about time to get back into shape, and I FINALLY got around to going for a swim last week. Surprisingly the lady at the front desk remembered me even though we'd never spoken. When she looked up and saw me, she greeted me with a "Long time no see!" I said that yup, it's been about two years and she seemed pretty surprised herself. She replied with a bewildered "Has it been that long?"
I went to the pool again today, and a different lady was at the front desk. Again I was greeted with a "Long time no see!" And when I mentioned that it's been about two years, the same response . . . "Has it been that long?" I wonder if it's some kind of greeting they say to all the customers.
After a two year hiatus I expected to be totally weak and practically drowning after a couple laps. Astonishingly both times I swam my usual 1500 meters without even going short of breath! Go me!
I went to the pool again today, and a different lady was at the front desk. Again I was greeted with a "Long time no see!" And when I mentioned that it's been about two years, the same response . . . "Has it been that long?" I wonder if it's some kind of greeting they say to all the customers.
After a two year hiatus I expected to be totally weak and practically drowning after a couple laps. Astonishingly both times I swam my usual 1500 meters without even going short of breath! Go me!
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