**BLOGGER NOTE — Facebook users see the end**

There are way too many people who have the wrong idea about California and Earthquakes.  Let’s make one thing clear right now — Californians, particularly Southern Californians, are world class complainers and exaggerators.  If you grasp that, then you can start to pull yourself from the misconceptions that exist.

Last night and this morning, I had a few people contacting me to find out how much damage and how long I will be in the hospital because of the massive world changing earthquake that happened yesterday.

The news is this —

Last night at 7:33pm local time, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook our area.  It was centered in La Verna, CA – which is about 25 miles from Downtown LA and 35 miles from my home in La Crescenta, CA … or about 1-1/2 in afternoon traffic down the 210.  As usual, they report “felt as far as” in the news – and in this case it was Sylmar, a town that is about 10 miles further from the epicenter than me.

First of all — some of you live in Wisconsin, and if the reports would be consistent with the exaggerators here, you’re house is 10 feet under water and rushing at the speed of sound somewhere south of St Louis by now.  For serious, I worry about you guys way more than y’all should be worrying about me.

Second of all — Not only was there no damage or injuries at my place … I didn’t even feel it.  As of this morning, there are no reports of damage or injuries from anyone, which of course gives me free will to make fun of the situation.

Third — The reason I didn’t feel it wasn’t because I lived in California too long.  That would be like saying “you must like cold weather because you lived in Kansas too long.”  Yes it got cold in Kansas … but that suggests it wasn’t cold in Alaska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Massachusetts.

I’ve only felt one Californian earthquake – and that was in 2005.  California averages about 10,000 earthquakes per year.  Of those, it is estimated that there is about 15 that register above a 4.0-magnitude.

In comparison, I felt four earthquakes in Alaska- the weakest being around a 3.0-magnitude.   Alaska averages nearly 15,000 earthquakes per year, and can see upwards of 300 4.0 to 5.0-magnitude earthquakes; and have about 5 quakes above 6.0-magnitude.  Now, arguably, Alaska covers a greater area – but it’s not like California has a fault line that is 20 times shorter.

It’s not just that though.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, last night’s earthquake would have felt like a 2.0-magnitude earthquake where I lived; which is barely in the range of ‘noticeable by humans’.  I’m also a few ridge-lines and other formations between myself and the epicenter.  So there is a good chance that on my specific street, I wouldn’t have felt an earthquake because ‘there wasn’t an earthquake to feel’.

Still — I repeat — No reports of injury or damage cause by the earthquake.  Yes the LA Basin and Inland Empire got shook last night; but the world did not come to the end.

Instead, you can assume that a movie will come out next year about the Earthquake that would end the world.  Likely staring Dwayne Johnson.  Likely a sequel to San Andres.  Likely blaming it all on unobtanium.

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