Friday, March 10, 2006

Oh my god, we're f***ed!!!





The Hayward Fault (Red) and The Head-Royce School (the buildings just to the right of the grass playing field)


Download Google Earth and then follow this link to an article in the SF Chronicle which is provides a link to the USGS website providing an aerial flyover of the Hayward Fault. Although not as famous as her sister the San Andreas Fault, which cuts through San Francisco, the Hayward Fault cuts right through the cities of Oakland and Berkeley. The Hayward Fault is the fault most likely to experience serious activity in the near future. It's only a matter of time, they say, until the Hayward Fault "lets go".

In the picture, you'll see that the Hayward Fault runs within 500 years of Head-Royce. I knew upon first signing my contract back in 1998 that there is a provision in our contracts that mandates faculty members to stay at school for 72 hours to help with any emergency situation were a catastrophic earthquake occur during the school. This really makes it hit home.

For my own personal sake, I hope that the big one on the Hayward Fault hits sometime when I'm not in the East Bay. But let's just hope that everyone has made plans and has made their earthquake kits.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

An appreciation for this thing called life

Over the past year, I have found myself driving home listening to NPR (of course what else could it be?) and it seems that more often than not I am driving across the Bay Bridge when the end of Newshour rolls around and the anchors (Shields and Gigot) sign off with a silent tribute to those soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. Whenever I hear that music they play as they are showing pictures of the fallen I have tears rolling down my face. I can't pinpoint exactly why it is that this happens, but I can partially attribute it to a delayed reaction to my accident three and a half years ago. At the time, I was just living through each moment and day working so hard on getting better and not wallowing in self-pity that I probably never really seriously took a step back and realized that I could have died. As I turned 36 this year I understand how precious each and every day on this earth really is. And to be thankful for the fact that things are worse, or that someone I love has passed away or to simply be happy that I have things that make me comfortable and loved. I feel down inside the tragedy that is the end of each and every life that isn't from natural causes. That person who died will never feel happiness nor joy again. I get it now. I really do. I wish that meant that I wouldn't be so unappreciative of my Mom, but you know, those habits are hard ones to break. By the way, hi Mom. But do know that I'm much better than I used to be. And there are sometimes that I'm outright nice!! So on this day that is the 8th of March, I truly know deep down inside the gift that is life.