Hi,
A quick Los Angeles earthquake report: I was jolted awake just before 6:30, and it wasn't our dogs doing their usual trampoline act on our bed. The windows were rattling, but our windows rattle easily. But they were really rattling, and there were other noises I hadn't heard recently. The last quake I remember was in January, and I was also in bed, though it was maybe 2 AM. My partner, Tom, said there'd been another one, more recently, when we were sitting at dinner, but I don't remember that. As I've written before, Los Angeles has dozens of small earthquakes every day, and they only get our notice when they hit 3. These two earlier quakes were around there.
This morning's was bigger. When it stopped, after about 20 or 30 seconds, I turned on the radio. I was still in bed, since, reportedly, that's a really safe place to be unless the ceiling is coming down. Then, a good place to be is on the floor besides your bed, so it will catch and support the beams as the ceiling comes down. That leaves you a safe crawl space for the rescuers to find you in. As I hit the button on my radio, I wondered if we'd lost the power, but the radio came on, and it took a couple of minutes for the national story to finish and the local morning host to announce it was a 4.7, centered in Westwood.
The first thing I thought of was my friend Natalie, who lives on the 20th floor of a 45-year-old building in Westwood. Her building is constructed on rollers, an early and later rescinded technology to help survive quakes. So if you're in her apartment in a quake, you tend to bounce around. I know because I stayed there for a few nights after the '94 Northridge quake, and there were aftershocks. That quake was 6.7, and the way seismologists measure these things, this morning's was 900 times weaker.
And it turned out today's quake was later downsized to a mere 4.4, and its epicenter moved from near Natalie's apartment to nearer my old apartment in Sherman Oaks -- I now live 10 miles further west. The epicenter was also in the mountains, which we were told was odd because the quakes usually cluster in the Los Angeles Basin, south of the mountains or the San Fernando Valley, just north. The mountains are bedrock, reportedly as dense as Manhattan's.
Tom was in the kitchen when the quake hit, feeding the dogs. So much for them being prescient. He said Molly dashed into the backyard, but Rocky finished eating first. A dog who knows his priority. He also used the opportunity to grab a quarter of a chicken Tom had left unprotected on the counter. Then Rocky hit the back yard -- but that's his usual evasive maneuver.
Other than that, all's well, and there was little reported damage in Los Angeles. I later realized my wind chimes hadn't sounded. In the '94 quake, they were ringing like the bells of St. Patrick's on New Year's Eve. But this was merely St. Patrick's Day, evidently a lesser holiday.
In financial news -- at least in terms of the Tampio/Gibson scholarships -- another $375 came in, letting me relax a little more. Currently, we have $875 of the $1000 needed for this year's awards. Again, please send your checks to: Rich Eisbrouch, 23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California 91367. The checks should be made out to me, and please indicate in the bottom left corner of the check which scholarship you'd like to support, or if you'd prefer your donation to be split between the two. So far, we're almost evenly split between the two scholarships. Booker's ahead by 25 bucks.
In another piece of Valley Stream news, Steve Kahn writes praising the YouTube video that's been mentioned here before: Amy Kassak Bentley put together a first-rate video on Valley Stream. I know from our e-mail conversations that this little piece is merely the tip of the iceberg of her research. From Rum Junction, to the LIRR, to Rockaway Avenue, to Mill Pond (Watts Pond) where we used to ice skate, to the salt water creeks that meandered through the community (look for my boat... constantly under repair) to Sal & Vin's barber shop, it's all there. (Use the pause button to read some of the articles and signs.) She makes regular postings on the Facebook page for Green Acres, and more... but this video is a nice, thoughtful stroll down memory lane, and I thought you might like to see it and share it with your friends. Again, because Amy continues to update the video, the link isn't consistent. But go to YouTube and search on: Valley Stream – The Evolution of a Hometown
And from a different Amy, this one in Los Angeles, Amy Lieberman writes: After the pre-release party at the Baked Potato the other night for Billy Valentine's new album titled Brit Eyed Soul, we've got an Indiegogo campaign started. It's like Kickstarter. The party was a huge success, packed in and cozy. Billy's got a glorious band which includes 2 horns and 2 backup singers, not to mention his brother John. The campaign is to complete the work on the album and get it out there for all to hear. The Facebook page will also take you to the Indiegogo page, if you get the urge to contribute.
Facebook . com/music . billyvalentine (please remove the spaces)
Quick reminder about the class of '64 reunion: Friday, October 10, 2014. Cocktails: 6 - 7. Buffet: 7 - 11. $70 per person. Cash bar at both the cocktail hour and buffet. Hyatt Regency, Hauppague, New York. Committee phone numbers: Tom McPartland 570-223-2577. Ken Silver: 631-463-2217. Bette Silver: 631-463-2216.
The class of '65 50th Reunion dates: April 24 through April 26, 2015
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com (remove the spaces)
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com/SouthHS65 (ditto)
Rich
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