2005 - 09-01-05

# 2005 - 09-01-05

From:

North of Jewfish Creek

Dear Friend & Subscriber,

It seems to me it would be almost sacrilegious
to write about anything in this issue other than the massive
misery and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

I'll begin by describing my own personal experience
with this storm.

As far as I can remember, Hurricane Katrina wasn't
even mentioned on the news until Tuesday or Wednesday of last
week. At that time, it was described as "something we didn't
have to worry much about." The weather forecasters said
it might hit southeastern Florida but, it would probably hit
as a tropical storm or a very weak Category 1 hurricane. For
those of you who don't live in "hurricane country",
to qualify as a Category 1 hurricane, it has to have sustained
winds of at least 74 miles per hour.

On Thursday, I was scheduled to fly out of Miami
to Baltimore to speak at the Agora Internet Marketing Seminar.
(Which, by the way, was an excellent seminar.) My plane was
scheduled to leave mid-afternoon. But I was afraid it wouldn't
take off before the winds got so strong from the "outskirts"
of Hurricane Katrina, all the flights from Miami International
Airport would be delayed or outright canceled.

I considered myself very fortunate as I was able
to board the plane. Once on it, I strapped myself in and we
rolled out onto the runway. And there we sat. And sat. And sat.
Our plane remained on the tarmac for two hours. Was it because
Hurricane Katrina's winds were holding us back? No. We sat on
that tarmac for two hours... because...

We Had A Malfunctioning

Toilet In The Back Of The Plane!

All the while, I kept thinking, "Come
on, let's get this baby in the air. If we don't leave fairly
soon, they're going to shut down the airport and I won't be
able to make the trip. We can do without a toilet for a couple
hours."