Temblors - 3 and counting

It was a typical Tuesday evening. I was at the Banana Leaf, a Singaporean restaurant in Milipitas, California. I was savoring a spicy Pad Thai while my friend was wolfing down a "Red Curry". At around 8 PM on October 30 2007, I suddenly felt this strange thing in my head, the kind of thing you feel when you are too exhausted from working and feel dizzy. The last few days had been hectic and I guessed that it was catching up. But this was different. I felt like I had a tad too much to drink and this was confusing as it had been a while since I drank any alcohol. I looked around and saw people do their thing, nothing out of the ordinary.

Then came the strong rumbling noise and the strong shaking of the table and the kitchen. People were confused, bewildered and wore a puzzled look. They were still contemplating what was happening. My earlier experiences told me that this was a pretty strong earthquake. The shaking lasted for a good 15-20 seconds and during the last 5 seconds was when people realised and started to panic and head out. A few were still puzzled and unable to comprehend what was happening around them. I guess people do become unresponsive during such events.

I was about to head out when the shaking stopped. Phew...this was the strongest I ever endured. My brush with plate tectonics started sometime in the 90's. I do not remember when, but the first one was in Bangalore, India. I was in my bedroom when a 2-3 pointer occurred and even before I new it, things were back to normal. The second one was in Santa Clara, California sometime in August 2004. This was a 3-4 pointer and I was at work. Like I described earlier, I had this strange feeling in my head before the shaking actually started. I wonder why that happens and, surprisingly, a few seconds before the quake.

Seeing the trend, I can infer that all the earthquakes I experienced are getting progressively stronger, with the latest one being a 5.6 on the Richter scale and occurred just 5 miles from where I was. What does that say about my luck with quakes in the future? Anyone wanna be around me now ? ;-)

(FYI- The latest quake had the epicenter near Alum Rock which was 5 miles from where I was and 8-10 miles from my home. The center of the quake, on the east side near the intersection of the Hayward and Calaveras faults, northeast of San Jose, was not reassuring. The geological survey recently said Hayward endures a major quake about every 140 years. The last big one there was in 1868, or 139 years ago. Hmmmmm....)

Homestead Lounge

Imagine driving around your neighbourhood with the only intent to get your job done and nothing else. Well, I was doing that one day, but I chanced upon a place called Homestead Lounge. This is the exact image you would see in a b grade Hollywood flick.

The place where the cigarette smoke hangs in the air, the smell of beer below that and loud guffaws and weird laughs. And outside, you have bikers with a leather jacket, a pot belly and their female companions, who look more like males. Now in our b grade flick, the main protagonist, with a lit cigarette in his mouth, walks in to a room where rednecks and well endowed, leather clad lady's stare at him with an intent to kill. Our hero walks to the bar and orders a beer/shot of something which the bar tender throws at him. As he walks around, a drunk tries to start a fight...and so on..you get the picture.

When I saw the Homestead lounge and the broken cocktail sign outside, flickering like a fly zapper would, I wondered if I should venture inside. I guess a brown dude is sure to stand out. This thought and life got in between and I did not bother to get in for the 3 years I have been in that country. But a couple of weeks back, I did. "Will these people stare at me like they do in the movies?" I wondered. "What the heck.." I told myself as I stepped in. I was greeted by an old lady who would make a good model for Botox. With a drink in one hand and a pack of camels in the other, she fit the bill of a b grade stereotype. She gave me a smile and with a voice marred by years of cigarette smoking she said "hi there". So far so good, I thought and went to the counter, choosing a chair in between the old lady and a middle aged guy who though he was a dude.

Went ahead and ordered my beer, a Sam Adams and started to explore the new surroundings. It was not too crowded that day. I started to watch some American football on TV and the dude next to me started to ask me a question about the game like I was playing it for years. I excused myself for my ignorance and then the conversation went towards formula 1. "That's not bad" I thought, so far so good.

Why discussing the F1 scenario, a bystander pitched in his 2 cents starting with 4 letter words. This was getting interesting. The conversation moved to the outside now as it was time for a cigarette and this is when I got to know these guys names and have a real freaky conversation.
The dude's name was "Beau" and the bystanders name was "Riche". Then there was "Mike", the wrinkled old guy who stood in one corner with a Que stick and hoped that someone would play with him. I am guessing Riche was drunk when he started talking about spirit and choice and freedom and ...get the picture. Dude wanted to prove him wrong and started on a tangential note. While this was going on, I got myself another beer and sat in the side lines having a good time.

After a couple of hours of mindless banter, Riche bought me a beer and asked me if I would play pool with him. Shot a couple of balls and it was 1 AM by then. As I was saying my goodbyes Riche, I guess, wanted me to hang around more. He offered to buy me one more drink. I refused, thanking him and headed out as a couple of hardcore redneck bikers arrived. Maybe I should have stayed back for some more time. But nahh...

And that is the Homestead Lounge. For easy times with your favorite drink.