Hi Eternal Light and Sugar Plum
Thanks for being so sweet. I went to visit my uncle late last night, and he was still quite upset by the whole thing. He kinda referenced what Del was saying, that this was not much of a major quake and since he's lived here in California pretty much all of his life, he's seen worse. Nonetheless, he had never been cutting sheet metal when an earthquake had occurred. He won't gain complete mobility in his thumb, but it's better than having lost it completely.
Oddly, I learned of another injury that occurred during the earthquake.... a friend of mine has