What a week! The unfortunate part is that "it's not over yet." That was quite an earthquake we had in Virginia. Now officially categorized as a 5.8, it was the strongest quake in our state (commonwealth, actually) since 1897. That means most of us have never felt anything like it.Not too long ago, we had a small earthquake, which I recognized as one pretty quickly. It freaked out all of us East Coast types. That turned out to be nothing compared to what happened here Tuesday. I was at my desk at home, on the phone placing an order, when the trembling started. As it rolled in, things started to rattle. I thought Charlie was misbehaving (he wasn't, but during the earthquake, he came running into the room to be with me). Within nanoseconds, as everything in my house and my house started to move rather violently, I realized we were having a doozy of an earthquake. I had told the woman on the phone, "Hang on, something is really wrong." She stayed on the phone until I came back, after the earthquake had ended, and I told her what had happened. She told me she had been on the phone with California customers when earthquakes had struck. What are the chances of that?
I was pretty rattled. As I surveyed for damage, I found perfume bottles everywhere. They went flying off shelves. Pictures on the wall were askew. Shampoos and conditioners on the rim of the tub were in the tub. I'm fortunate. I found nothing damaged or broken. There was severe damage elsewhere. You may have read that the National Cathedral suffered major damage, with fallen angels and parts of the spires broken off and smashed on the ground. The Washington Monument was damaged badly. Just up the street at Tysons Corner, part of a building wall came down and smashed cars. In Mineral, Virginia (southwest of here) at the epicenter, the damage is catastrophic. Many homes and businesses in the little town have been condemned.
We have had unsettling aftershocks since then. Why do they keep happening at night? The largest was Thursday at 1:07 am, when we had a 4.5. Charlie felt it first and bolted upright. Then the house started to rattle. The aftershock was more of a severe rattle than a rocking and rolling shock. It was still unnerving. I lost two nights of sleep to aftershocks. It's hard for me to go back to sleep when I've been awakened suddenly.
Now, we are waiting for Hurricane Irene. "She" is expected to reach Virginia on Saturday and Sunday. All coastal areas are being evacuated. I suspect we will have torrential rain and heavy winds, and many will lose power. I lost my power for 10 days after one tropical storm, and those were 10 miserable days. Workers from Florida Power and Light, who had come to help our area, restored my electricity. We cheered the guys! I wanted to hug them.
Let's hope for no major damage from Irene. The trees really suffer from these storms, homes are often damaged, and it seems inevitable that someone is going to get hurt. I'll be out braving the panicked crowds today to get all my essentials, including cat food.
I may also have to make a quick run to Neiman Marcus to see Kathy. As she crossed the parking lot there this week, some jerk almost ran over her (he kept going, so the mall is reviewing security tapes to try to find him). Kathy fell and broke a bone in her hand. She continued to work for five hours before she left to go get an x-ray, and she went in the next day to help all of you who have started shopping with her. That's dedication!
Let's talk about something beautiful. It's time for The Friday Forum, our open chat. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers have moved on.
If you feel like shopping this weekend, Zuneta is offering free shipping from August 26 until midnight August 29 on all orders, wherever you are! Use code FREESHIPAUG. Now's the time to order Rouge Bunny Rouge.
I have a great giveaway underway. If you'd like a chance to win Chanel's Collection Essentielle de Chanel Lumière Romantique, make sure to enter before midnight tomorrow, Saturday, August 27.
If you are in the path of Irene, I hope you stay home, stay safe, and weather the storm well. Good luck!
Photo courtesy of hurricane.com