In a restricted entry of several months ago, I briefly mentioned an episode (about fifteen years ago) in which someone attempted to kill me. On Tuesday of last week, I was telling the story more fully to my neighbors Claudia and Ren.

At the time of the attack, I was very frustrated and upset with what was happening in my life, and had elevated levels of adrenaline and of cortisol. That may have saved my life.

As I sat in a lounge, I was approached by a very large fellow; he was well over six feet tall, and well over 200 pounds. (By comparison, I'm about 5 ft 10 in and I probably weighed something less that 150 pounds.) He told me that I were telepathically disrupting his thoughts.

I grimly noted to myself that here was one more thing gone wrong. Then, aware of the underlying humor but expressing myself in a serious manner, I asked Would it help if I moved to the other side of the room?

His reply was No, but I think I know what would.

What?

If I killed you. He lifted a chair with which to strike me.

I shot to my feet, and grabbed the chair by a cross-piece. He found that he couldn't much move it — which was because my body was so wired. (I was holding it with just one hand, keeping the other immediately free; but, with what was in my blood-stream, one hand was enough.)

Thwarted, he listened as I tried reasoning with him, and I talked him out of trying to kill me.

Claudia wanted to know what I'd said to him. After all these years, I simply don't remember.

She also asserted that my reäction was unusual; that most other people would have attempted to shield themselves with their arms while cowering in their seats. Until she made that assertion, I'd not thought about that point; but I believe that she's right. A typical person would probably have done that, perhaps crying for help or for mercy. Had I done that, I would have had my arms fractured and my head injured; I might have been killed.

But, as far as I can recall, none of the typical response occurred to me; I didn't even consider doing those things. I don't think that I calculated that such a reäction would fail; I just didn't give thought to responding in that way. (After I had hold of the chair, I considered calling for help, but decided to bring the situation under control without assistance.)

So, after Claudia's assertion, the scientist in me asked why not. The best answer that I have is that my actual reäction was implicit in my ethos. While I'd never given conscious thought to the question of what my childhood rôle models would do in a situation such as that, and didn't ask myself in that moment, I was responding much as any one of them would. Curt Newton would have grabbed the chair; Solomon Kane would have grabbed the chair.

I was asleep when the 'quake hit the Greater Los Angeles Area late this morning (I'd gone to sleep less than four hours earlier), but when the shock reached Hillcrest, it woke me up. First there was a little rattling, then more aggressive shaking.

Yet I didn't hear any change in the activity in front of the building. People didn't raise their voices, and so forth. And, after I was out-and-about, I over-heard other people saying or implying that they felt nothing. My guess is that my apartment shook as much as it did because it is on the third floor, and the building amplified the oscillations.

I was glad that the 'quake itself wasn't stronger at its epicenter. Frankly, I'd be pleased if the Los Angeles area would just have a series of 'quakes of that magnitude, until the energy trapped in the fault were spent, rather than some eventual Big One.

I felt another earthquake at 10:23 PST.

Addendum: The USGS doesn't admit to the occurrence of such an earthquake. So perhaps something else shook the building in similar manner.

I felt an earthquake at 06:14 PST.

Addendum: A 3.6 on the border, some miles to the east.