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Ivan the Terrible
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I am just south of Orlando, Flordia as I type this. I've been here for 10 days at a Microsoft training class. I arrived on the 1st, just after Hurricane Charley left the region. What are the chances of another Hurricane coming within 2 weeks? Next to nil. Florida, on average, gets about one major hurricane every 9 years. Two so close together was a bit over the average. Hurricane Frances came and while it caused considerable damage to much of the state, the neighborhood I'm staying in only suffered a few uprooted trees. Mind you, no one could sleep the night that Frances was overheard. The wind and POUNDING rain was intense. I was convinced that one of the windows in my room was going to blow through at any minute. I kept the blanket over my head just in case.
 I was originally scheduled to fly back home on Tuesday the 14th. However, as my luck would have it (time to buy a lotto ticket), Hurricane Ivan has decided to visit. As I write this, the hurricane is leveling Jamaica as shown in this infra-red satellite photo. Hurricane Frances was no where near this strong. This is a category 4 (almost 5) hurricane with sustained winds of 155MPH+.
Keep in mind that that the hurricane already leveled 90% of the homes in Grenada yesterday. The projected course is for Hurricane Ivan to turn north towards Cuba. That is news I can deal with. While I have no ill will towards Cubans, I wouldn't mind if Fidel Castro's house managed to get leveled so he can see what it's like to live like his oppressed countrymen do where the average wage is just a few bucks a day. The down side, is that once Ivan is done toying with Fidel and ruining the lives of an already poverity stricken people, he will likely hit Florida.
 Naturally, the estimated time of impact is Tuesday. When does my flight leave for home? Tuesday. Therein lies the problem. Even if Ivan heads into the Gulf of Mexico, the winds and rain will be strong enough that Orlando Intl Airport will shutdown for atleast 24-48 hours, leaving me stranded here. I am not a man to let fate run wild, so I called Delta and changed my flight to Sunday night. I will miss some class time and a certification test, but it seems like a wise choice. I only hope that Ivan doesn't decide to hustle up here ahead of schedule. This is Jim Goings reporting from Hurricane central where I wonder what Florida did to make God so angry.
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