posted September 03, 2004 10:10 PM              

Why did I just write that?

posted September 04, 2004 05:52 PM              

It looks like it's going to head in your direction once it crosses the peninsula.

I'm all boarded up and tied down. By 11am this morning, all businesses were closed, even Home Depot. It's like a ghost town. There was a voluntary curfew at 2pm today (Saturday), and then a MANDATORY curfew at 9pm tonight. This helps protect people who had to leave their house so it doesn't get looted.

We've gotten about 5 of the outer bands so far, lots of wind and rain, and then it stops until the next band. They get more and more intense as they go, and we have to watch for potential tornado's. The intense stuff comes at night (which is even spookier), but I'm already cranking up my fridge and a/c in case I lose electricity.

I already did my laundry, and also going to take a HOT bath now.

posted September 04, 2004 06:16 PM              

That would be freaky to see in person.

Did you take that pic?

posted September 04, 2004 08:05 PM              

There's a fantastically designed slide show feature at www.orlandosentinel.com

and if you scroll down a little on the window with picture, you'll see a menu of all the photos with a short description so you can skip around. And they are consistently adding more photos, which they put at the beginning.

posted September 04, 2004 08:41 PM              

They also said the wind will be coming mostly from the northeast, and to stay at the other end of the house. But that's not necessarily true, and may give people false sense of security. If the topography surrounding you provides a whirlpool of wind to take hold, then, a tornado can hit you from ANY direction.

PS: Needless to say, I still have power (electricity) or wouldn't be able to send this... *cross fingers* the worst is going to be my normal prime time you know? 4am or whatever - so I'll be ready.

posted September 05, 2004 04:58 PM              

My electric went out for about an hour and then came back on and has stayed on since. I feel lucky because many in my county have none AGAIN.

Well - this is different from the other hurricane. Twice as big and less than half as slow, if you can imagine. So the gusts and right quadrant have been landing on us for many hours, as the hurricane passes underneath us at an upward diagonal, combined with where the hurricane is going, and counter clockwise whirling. So believe it or not, my burb took the brunt of it inland because of sustained hurricane winds.

They just said on the radio that it's now been downgraded to "no more hurricane" - whatever the next thing down is - and people are calling in and saying - "UMMMMMM - we are still in a hurricane". Those are the people who've been in the right quandrant for hours upon hours.

The best news, no lightening whatsoever with this one!!! So me and Capt'n Spunky were able to sleep through some of it. We've got a few more hours of intensity to go, and then they will still have strict curfews, and we are greatly discouraged from driving around unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. More people died AFTER the last hurricane than DURING the hurricane, with broken traffic lights, downed electrical wires (not active but still carries electricity), trees blocking roads, doing repairs in the heat, buying and then using a chain saw for the first time in your life.

posted September 05, 2004 06:24 PM              

Hope you and your family will kick back and relax through it. Don't watch the news. It's like a little break. Free water! Yipppee! Actually rain was not overwhelming where I was, not even on my street. Be very careful.

posted September 05, 2004 08:15 PM              

Graffitti like this is always interesting

posted September 05, 2004 08:37 PM              

Chick's making her way here -

Jase and I were eating some ice cream outside (mmmm...Breyers Reese's Peanut Butter Cup...mmmm) and he jokingly said, "I dunno what they're talking 'bout. Clear blue and 22 all around."
Three minutes later the very outer band had darkened half the sky. Another two covered almost it all.

posted September 06, 2004 03:34 PM              

I'M HOME!

I was bored out of my MIND! *Is so overwhelmed by all of the terrific and exciting things her room has to offer*

I got to my great aunt's place on Thursday morning- it's not a one story house astro junkie, she lives in one of those Cenutry Village type communities- the condo communities in Pem. Pines that are pretty much exclusively for old people. Just got back like, half an hour ago.

So, here's what happened.

I was going INSANE with boredom. My great aunt's apartment is a bit small, just the living room/dining room, two little rooms. Basically all my grandmother (she's my gaurdian, so that's why she was there, heh) and my great aunt did all day was sit and watch the news. LITERALLY. And my grandma kept asking my great aunt the same questions over and over, poor thing. "Do you have friendly neighbors? Do you have any stores around here? Do you ever see (insert relative here)". My grandma also didn't really seem to get the gist that there was a hurricane coming, so she kept saying that we should go out to get something to eat.

My grandma and I brought three gallons of water and three cans of food with us, you know, just in case, but my great aunt assured us that she had supplies. Well, guess what? The power goes out and it turns out we don't have any extra batteries for the radio/flashlights, any water besides the gallons we brought, and hardly any non-perishable food besides the cans we also brought. I know she's old, but I couldn't help but feel that I was surrounded by idiots. Luckily it only went out for us for about 12 hours.

So I basically sat in the guest room all day reading. I'm not kidding, that's all I did. And it would have been a lot less boring if Frances hadn't had been moving FOUR MILES PER HOUR!

We didn't get that bad of weather at all- just gusty winds and a lot of rain. I just wouldn't have been able to stay where I live because they put a mandatory evacuation for us people east of A1A until yesterday, I think.

Everyone else, how are you?

Hear about Hurricane Ivan? I'll go NUTS if I have to go back to my great aunt's place!

posted September 06, 2004 08:35 PM              

all I want to do is sleep. I hope some of you out there invested in alchohol and head medication stocks. You'd have been right.

It's cool. Just another example of how sensitive hormones like adrenaline-type hormones, can wear the body down. It's kind of weird, everyone is slowing down closer to the pace I've been at, so I'm cool with it.

There is a lot of devastation, that is true, and the worst part is, Florida is filled with people from another place. They've just moved here, they don't know what it is. Or they have a "not me" attitude. Whatever the reason, the devastation is always heartbreaking, because I for one, want to bring everyone in. Have like a big soup kitchen. I think Natasha, another Cancer Mooner, has the same idea.

You know, but Florida is very rich with historical facts on hurricanes, and maybe since I'm a native, and grew up with Seminoles, the true natives who endured and survived many devasting hurricanes WITHOUT THE LUXURY OF WEATHER REPORTS.

So a typical day of hurricane is sunny, blue, bright and wonderful. The calm before the storm. A few bands come in, you figure it's ANOTHER OF A MILLION afternoon thunder storms. And before you can finish that thought, a 120 mph gust of wind just took your roof off, your family and possessions exposed. These people must have come up with some novel ways to survive this.

posted September 07, 2004 03:34 PM              

Lord, make me an instrument of
Your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,
as to console,
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are
born to eternal life.

Feast Day: October 4

posted September 09, 2004 02:21 PM              

Hurricane Ivan