https://omaciel.github.io/tags/1997/Recent content in 1997 on Og Maciel's JournalHugoen-usThu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://omaciel.github.io/posts/2025-11-20-the-day-in-1997-when-the-world-went-quiet/Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://omaciel.github.io/posts/2025-11-20-the-day-in-1997-when-the-world-went-quiet/<h1 id="the-day-in-1997-when-the-world-went-quiet">The Day in 1997 When the World Went Quiet</h1> <p><img src="https://omaciel.github.io/images/the-day-in-1997-when-the-world-went-image-1.jpeg" alt="">Actual correspondence from 1997</p> <p>Yesterday, when I <a href="https://ogmaciel.substack.com/p/fishing-90s-style-banana-boats-and">wrote</a> about the time I used to go fishing with a friend in that very polluted lake in New Jersey as a way to have something to do and hang out after long hours of studying and waiting for my friends to be done with work, it reminded me of another similar story that happened to me. I know the exact date because, while going through some of my old notes and writings from before I was even married, I found a letter I wrote to someone telling this story.</p>https://omaciel.github.io/posts/2025-11-19-fishing-90s-style-banana-boats-and-questionable-lakes/Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://omaciel.github.io/posts/2025-11-19-fishing-90s-style-banana-boats-and-questionable-lakes/<h1 id="fishing-90s-style-banana-boats-and-questionable-lakes">Fishing, 90s Style: Banana Boats and Questionable Lakes</h1> <p><img src="https://omaciel.github.io/images/fishing-90s-style-banana-boats-and-image-1.jpg" alt="silhouette of three person riding on boat on body of water">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jediahowen">Jed Owen</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></p> <p>There was a time in the 90s when my favorite hobby—other than playing video games—was fishing. I actually owned several tackle boxes, a multitude of lures and hooks, and all the paraphernalia you’d expect: nets, rods, you name it. I had it.</p> <p>Back then, most of my friends were working part-time jobs—delivery boys, stockroom helpers—anything to make some cash for gas or to keep up with the car payments for the “fancy” cars they thought they could afford. Meanwhile, I was busy with school, studying hard, and trying to keep my grades up because I thought I wanted to pursue an MD/PhD program. By the time I was done studying and my friends were done working, it was already past 10 or 11 at night.</p>