AND THEY CALLED THE CROWD MARIAH'S --
I had been toying with the idea of heading over to the Hollywood and Highland complex yesterday. Mariah Carey was appearing in a free concert sponsored by Samsung as part of their Summer Krush Concert Series
http://samsungsummerkrush.com/

She was set to perform a 35 minute set at around 8:00 so I figured if I really wanted to get a good bird's eye view, I would just hang around the 2nd level of the complex and read or write while I wait. I knew there'd be a heck of a lot of people so I planned to be there around 3 pm.

Well, after sweeping the driveway and putting in some work in front of the computer, I decided to rest my eyes for a quick catnap before making the trek to see Mrs. Cannon. Uh... my body had vetoed that decision--no way was I going to have the physical or mental energy to deal with crazed fans. It was Zzzzzzzonkarooni City for me! Thank goodness I wasn't all that keen to fighting the crowd because I learned later that her concert was airing on Jimmy Kimmel show -- yippee, I didn't miss anything.
(it'll probably be online later at: http://abc.go.com/player/?channel=20739

And the crowd was HUMONGOUS; numbering about 2000 or more, according to the LA Times & Todd Martens http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2008/08/mariah-carey-ge.html (image by Todd Martens)

Summer Krush indeed!

BEND ME, SHAKE ME --
This pic is taken from ShakeMovie: Caltech's Near Real Time Simulation of Southern California Seismic Events Portal. http://www.shakemovie.caltech.edu/

My dog wasn't acting overly crazy pre-quake, but luckily she was asking to go outside for her bathroom break. While walking her, the shaker happened and I didn't feel it...hallelujah! I've had my share of temblors, thank you very much Mother Nature.
I didn't watch too much TV coverage. I understand wanting to cover a story from many angles, but oversaturation and overanalyzation by the news networks can drive you crazy. Just reading the US Geological Survey's synopsis is both puzzling and descriptive: "The moment tensor showed a mixture of thrust and left-lateral strike-slip faulting on a plane striking 43 deg east of north, forming a high angle to both faults."

Things to do list (after the quake of 2008):

• get anxiety medication, instead of calming my nerves with chocolate
  
• make sure I have a disaster plan
• replenish disaster kit
• Thank God no one was seriously injured

All I want is a peaceful, easy feeling --- pleeeeez.