Earthquake!

So, I just experienced my first earthquake! We'd just finished a big Italian dinner and some lip-synching to Aretha Franklin.. and the floor started shaking! Vanessa said, "Is that the dishwasher?" And I said, "No! It's an EARTHQUAKE!!!" with a giant grin on my face. Stuff around the room was shaking visibly, and it felt to me like standing up while the school bus is in motion. It only lasted about a minute.

I was elated, but Vanessa kind of freaked out. She shot downstairs and looked out the front door, where she met our neighbor, Caty, who was in a bath robe, hair towel, and face mask. She was getting ready to attend an event, and looked a little nervous that she'd get caught in a catastrophe in that state! I sat at the top of the stairs while they talked, and Caty told us that our building survived the big earthquakes in 1906 and 1989 because we're on bedrock. So unless the neighborhood catches fire or the whole peninsula falls into the ocean, I think we'll be okay. My favorite quote of the month, by Caty: "This is California, girls! Ride it!" We love her.

I was so excited because I've been psyched out several times every day trying to figure out if the shaking I'm feeling is a little tremor or just my heart turning over like it's prone to do. Of course, I've been paying acute attention to these things, being new here and aware of SF's reputation, and it didn't help to read that the area experiences over 10,000 minor earthquakes every year. Most times when I think I feel a tremor, I'm laying in bed waking up, and I feel the mattress shake (as if Vanessa's moving slightly, but I'm actually alone). So it was somewhat climactic to know that an earthquake was DEFINITELY happening and to confirm my suspicions. I didn't feel scared at all, it was just a new experience and it was pretty exciting.

According to AP: "The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake, which lasted about a minute, as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma in California wine country."

Well, Hello There

Let me break it down for you. First, the name. Squashimi?, some of you might be asking. My dear friend Chris Lacio once called me Squash, because it was easier and more fun to say than Sasha. And some of my favorite food is sashimi, a convenient play off my preferred nickname. Put them together and what do you have? Squashimi!

Second, the title. Adventures in California. Hm. Sounds kind of like a comic book, maybe a little too inflated for its own good.. Well, as most of my friends and family know, I have recently relocated to San Francisco from Chicago. There's a big difference on many levels, from geography to culture, and from population to flora and fauna. It's a difference that I needed in my life, and in the roughly three weeks I've been here, I already feel a huge weight lifted from my formerly curmudgeon-like soul. Every day has become a potential for adventures, and you'll find out how and why (at least for myself) in this blog. I've got a few great examples already!

Third, the motivation. I want to keep in touch with the friends and family I left, and share my experiences because they mean so much to me. Not to make everyone want to move here (well, maybe a little, but only because we miss you so much already!).. just to keep up, offer some inspiration to visit, and hopefully share in all of the fun stuff I do. I'll be honest - I was a grumpy kid in Chicago, and I knew it. I didn't really have anything nice to say, so I mostly kept to myself. I fell out of touch with my family, and with a lot of friends.. or didn't even make a very solid connection, though I realized how great each of them were to have around. So maybe this is a way to redeem myself (oh, internet therapy!), to share the good stuff I'm finally capable of sharing.

Fourth, the contents. I've been having a lot of wonderful experiences in and around San Francisco, and I'm always excited to tell someone about them. I take pictures because pretty much everywhere I look there's something I've never seen before or a breathtaking view. My old passions of food and writing and art are being awakened. I have a wonderful person in my life, who I think is going to stick around for a while. Hopefully there will be a little bit of everything at first, and maybe this forum will come to a focus eventually. For now, I've been excited thinking about posting pictures of our new apartment, recipes we try out and food philosophy on the west coast, info about San Francisco and the cool people/collectives/shops/orgs/etc. that can be found here, progress reports on my new birdwatching/naturalist hobby, and of course travelogues of our many planned trips around California.

I welcome you to my new home on the interweb.. I hope it helps to keep us connected, and I invite you to share your experiences as well. I'm looking forward to linking my friends' spaces, so send me your preferred info for posts. Hooray!