BIG Earthquake!!!

I will never, ever, ever complain again about never feeling an earthquake. EVER...

This morning, at 8:42 am to be exact, I was putting my bags into my car to go to work. (Oops, I was running late today.) I noticed that my car was starting to shake. And then, my brain caught up to what was happening - EARTHQUAKE! I moved out from under the roof of where I park my car into the open and literally rode the quake out.

This is my first experience with a strong earthquake while being fully conscious. I no likey! It is unreal to experience the ground shaking and moving underneath you. This sort of natural event feels 100% unnatural in every way. The shaking lasted about 30-40 seconds - an eternity when everything around you that should be stationary is rocking and rolling around.

Once it stopped, I still felt like I was moving - almost the feeling you get when you first get off a boat. Then, I didn't know what to do, so I went to work! While driving to work I was watching people walking down the street going about their business. I found myself wondering why they all weren't doing what I felt like doing - running around with hands in the air screaming!! I am proud to say I kept myself composed. Once I got to the office, the entire building had been evacuated. So, I'm back at home for the day. So far, no aftershocks have been felt here in San Jose.

According to news reports, this was a 7.6 on the Richter scale. It hit in Guanacaste, towards the Pacific coast of the country. No casualties have been reported, but there are various levels of damage to buildings and roads throughout the country. 

Here's what the US Geological Survey is reporting:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000cfsd#pager

On solid ground for now,
Amber