eArThQuAkE!

Sorry Kristen. Sorry Jen. You girls missed out. I was sitting on the couch watching TV last night at about 9:30 when all of a sudden things started a shakin'. For a split second I thought someone was walking heavy around the flat and shaking things but before that thought was finished it was steamrolled by the realization that there was no gap between steps and it was not stopping... I had to look at my flatmates and question, "Is this what I think it is?" For the next 30 seconds or so my world had a subtle vibration. Not enough to knock things off the wall, but enough to make our 2 story apartment building sway, as we uneasily noticed from the upstairs balcony. Something surreal about being in a swaying building while watching all the streetlights rock back and forth...during an eArThQuAkE! They're reporting last night's weirdness was of the 7.8 magnitude variety that occurred probably about 3-4 hours southwest of Queenstown (as the crow flies). Since then several other more minor tremors have been felt including one today at the winery. Subtle? Yes. Humbling? Yes. Amazing? Absolutely. The disconnect between me as a human and mother nature was once again highlighted last night and I was reminded that I need to "recognize." She is something else.