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Here is what my desk looked like right after the quake. Normally it is pretty messy like this, but not quite this bad. The kitty on the keyboard is a gargoyle that normally sits on top of my monitor (Scares away the evil spirits of the Microsoft blue screen errors!). |
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I was working on that computer on the left (with the case open) when the quake hit. It only took me a second to figure out what was happening and do the incorrect thing - run out the door! I should have dove under my desk, but I wasn't thinking. |
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The hole up there is where the warm air comes out and makes my office warm and cozy. Notice that the vent is missing? |
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Hey I found this on the floor! It is supposed to be up on that pipe up there. It must have come down just after I fled the office. That could have left a mark if I got that in the head! After running out the door, I found my other co-workers inside the walk-in vault (there used to be a jeweler in this office). Good place to be I guess, I was just waiting for the vault to become an elevator to the basement! |
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The other side of the office. The quake was snooping through one of my drawers and left it open. A large monitor was also tossed on the floor. |
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The pile of computer covers on the floor used to be stacked on the shelf on the right of the photo. Notice the computer in the lower right? That started on the shelf you can see in the top left of the picture. The quake tossed it all the way across the room! I might have been hit by it if I was under the desk. Maybe it was good that I did the cowardly thing and ran out the door in a panic? |
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Another view of the heap of computer parts. Look! There are those very important daily back-up tapes all over the floor on the left. They are normally on the shelf in that plastic containter that is upside down on the floor. |
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This is the server rack that all our important servers live in. The racks moved back about an inch. These must weigh several hundred pounds each! No damage to the servers, the tape drive fell down, and one of the hard drives went into shock this morning. After some comforting, it came back up. |
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During my lunch break I jumped on a bus and went down to Pioneer Square to see the damage. Here is a wall on the Fenix Underground that fell into the ally. If they didn't have the area blocked off, I would have helped myself to a few bricks. I would try to sell some of that stuff on Ebay and make a few bucks! |
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Another good reason I don't drive to work. Look at that car! Not only is driving to work frustrating, you could also end up needing to buy a new one after a building falls on it. I wonder if insurance covers that? |
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Another view of the Fenix from across the street. It is just a completely helpless feeling in a quake like this. You want to run away from it, but then realize that you just can't run anywhere to get away from it. You just have to wait for the shaking to stop. |
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They do say that there are a lot of artists that have studios in Pioneer Square. This guy just brought his studio outside and started painting. It was raining at the time, but I guess oil paints don't run? Maybe I just adds some good rainy Seattle effect to his artwork. |
