When you get to bed late and have to get up real early, nothing is worse than being knocked from your slumber prematurely. So it stands to reason that I was a little cranky when I woke up to a shaking bed around 4:30 this morning.

At first, I thought it was the usual Downtown garbage trucks making their rounds, but there were no sounds. I quickly ruled out thunder because, simply, all the rain the weathermen promised failed to show up. I settled on wind, since I slept with my windows wide open last night ... even though I highly doubted wind could rattle my bed.

It wasn't until I showed up at work this morning that I finally put two-and-two together: it was a flippin' earthquake; one that measured 5.4 on the Richter Scale.

The quake's epicenter was in West Salem, Ill., about 120 miles east of St. Louis. Judging from TV and wire service reports, it caused minor damage in parts of the Midwest and was felt in Chicago, St. Louis and Louisville.

In no way am I trying to be one of those people that freaks out and has to call every TV station in town to share his experience, but it was nonetheless weird when I realized what had happened.

I've watched the History Channel special on the New Madrid Fault numerous times and always figured "eh, if it happens ... it'll be Memphis and St. Louis."

How about you? Use the talkback feature below if you felt the rumble this morning.