Blow, Winds, Blow

They may call the wind Mariah, but this storm is Katrina (now a hurricane), and she is blowing across South Florida. It is just about to come ashore (6:30 p.m., Hollywood, FL). Some of the sustained winds are at 49 MPH right now (airport gusts are being recorded at 65 MPH). Power keeps flickering here. I was out earlier and found that half the street lights were already out. I was on the Hollywood Beach earlier. A1A, which is next to the ocean, was already flooded. Dania Beach (the actual beach, not the city) was already closed. Here's what it looked like then from the shore.

Sand is whipping across the road, but reporters continue to report from there. A man on a bicycle rides by as the reporter is on-air. Amazing. The people who live along the beach, especially Hollywood Beach, are definitely a different lot. Some roofs have already been damaged at a hotel at Pompano Beach. If you have never been in a hurricane, you can't really appreciate the awesome power of nature. It shows no respect for man or his works.

I didn't put up the shutters but did put away lawn chairs and tools. They say we will get around 20 inches of rain by the time it's done. I hope they really fixed my roof leak. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

On the whole, I'd rather be in Buffalo right now.

The Beginning

Everything has to start somewhere, even the end. I'm not sure what this will become, but it should be fun to find out. It seemed like it was time for me to join the ranks of bloggers. Who will read this or why anyone would read this remains to be seen. I have many interests. Hopefully, some of them will be expressed here. I've been inspired by many people. Anyone who has any interest in educational uses for the World Wide Web (WWW from now on), needs to know about Andy Carvin. His ability to do almost anything on and with the WWW is amazing. My friend, Robert Buford, is a pioneer of blogging and podcasts (called "Bobcasts") in our realm--which is Broward Community College, where I have been teaching English since 1981. I am inspired by both of them and many more people.

I'm looking forward to doing this and to see where it leads. I hope others will feel the same way.