OJ Simpson

OJ Simpson's death is an odd topic for me to write about.

Simply hearing about his name in the news this week brought back a long-suppressed memory. That of the moment on October 3, 1995 when the announcement came after the lengthy 11-month trial that this middle class mid-20s college educated white woman first witnessed what I would later learn was dubbed "the racial gap."

I remember a group of us were returning from a group lunch at Sunny Garden in West Windsor. In my mind, I'm picturing us in its shinier location, after it sold its liquor license and moved a little closer to Princeton MarketFair mall. It must have been a birthday celebration, but nearly 30 years later I don't remember whose birthday we were celebrating. I'm guessing it was Hilda B., the first person I met who did not change her last name because she married someone with the same last name, what are the odds!

Whoever it was, we were a larger crowd than usual. 

As we were returning from lunch, someone shared the announcement they heard on their car radio: not guilty.

This was in the early days of the internet, long before knowing Smart Phones would become something just about everyone would always carry. Hearing news midday often meant listening to a radio. 

This was momentous.

I was not following the case. I had heard about OJ's police chase in his white Ford Bronco (something my in-law's watched on TV and told me about, as this was the beginning of our days of not having cable TV), and Johnny Cochran's famous line about the glove, "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit." I wasn't following the particulars.

Until that moment I don't think I had an opinion about whether or not (Black football star) OJ Simpson murdered his (blond white) wife Nicole Brown Simpson. What I instantly realized, though, was my Black co-workers had been following the case and did care -- they were thrilled. My white co-worker who had also been following the case were subdued.

This was the first time I realized I had Black and white co-workers.

It took me another three decades for me to realize that was the first time I realized that.

And the Earth Shook

Years ago I realized there is no place on the planet immune from natural disasters. Hawaii is a volcanic island prone to tsunamis. California is prone to wildfires and earthquakes. Florida has hurricanes. The mid-west has tornadoes. Upstate New York has blizzards. Iceland is so cold body parts feel like they are going to fall off. Australia has animals whose mission in life seems to be to kill humans.

Put that way, New Jersey is pretty calm. Sure, it snows some. Sure we have some hurricanes. Typhoons, no! Tornadoes, no! Earthquakes, no! 

Oh wait! In 2011 we had our first earthquake, which was a non-event. The epicenter was in Washington, DC. In 2021 we had our second tornado, also a fairly rare event. Yesterday we had our second earthquake, this time the epicenter was a mere hour from here in Tewksbury, NJ.

Just before the quake, Mimi Kitty jumped on my lap and stayed. Often she'll check me out, try to eat my hair, or sit just out of arms length, but sit on me? That's rare!

Unlike in 2011 when I felt a slight movement and noticed the light fixture swing over the kitchen table, this time I heard it more than felt it. It sounded like a low-flying helicopter, or a freight train. Almost like the rumble of the subway beneath my house (there is no subway in Central New Jersey). Friends described it as if the house was sitting on top of the washing machine. After the noise lasted longer than I thought it should, I went to the basement to see if the heater exploded (why that thought would even cross my head, I have no idea). I stepped outside, didn't see a truck hitting the house or any other explanation. 

I sat back on the couch and invited Mimi to join me. Oddly enough, she stayed with me for a half an hour until Don came home from the gym (he did not notice a thing). I then took to social media for answers.

So many posts about the earthquake ("Did you feel that, too?" "What was that?"). Followed by friends from California incredulous that a 4.8 earthquake is newsworthy ("We don't even get out of bed for that!"). This will be a topic of conversation for a while ... where were you during the earthquake of 2024? 

Earthquake "damage" was limited to a picture that fell down.

That afternoon we went to Lititz, PA to spend some time before meeting up with Dan and Heather for dinner. While strolling we saw a Fox News 43 reporter. He was looking for people who felt something. I told him I did, but also that I felt it in Lawrenceville, NJ not in his viewership range. I think he was a little desperate for someone to interview, so I talked to him on air for a few moments. Don took pictures, so I can add a picture of my 30 seconds of fame. I did not look up the report online.

We went on with our day. On the drive home, I learned at 6 pm there was an aftershock emanating from Bedminster, NJ (where Don used to work, and where a former president has a home). Someone else reported another aftershock at 6:48 am. I missed both of those.

Why is an earthquake more newsworthy in New Jersey than in California? One answer is it has to do with our fault lines, which cause earthquakes to be felt by people from Boston to DC and out past Philadelphia. That's a large concentration of people.

A couple of days ago we had severe flooding. In a couple of days we are expecting an eclipse. What's next? Locusts? Oh, the cicadas are expected to appear again next month. Be safe.

Q&A About our Trip to Havana

Last weekend Don and I traveled to Havana, Cuba for a five day tour with Road Scholar (formerly known as Elderhostel). There are about a gazillion thoughts traveling through my head. As stray thoughts enter, I'll add them to this post. Subsequent posts (which will be dated the day they happened vs. the day they were written) will be focused on specific activities and lessons we learned. Of course, there will be A LOT of pictures. I have so far called the 2,500 pictures Don and I took down to about 750, with more culling still taking place as I choose the best pictures.

Q&A

Q: HOW did you get to go to Cuba?

A: I'll assume the question is more about as an American how did we gain entrance to a country we have been shut away from and not the specific travel arrangements. The short answer is, with money anything is possible. The longer answer is we went on an organized tour (in our case, Road Scholar), and purchased a $100 visa at the airport we were flying directly to Cuba from (in our case, Miami). 

Note: when Road Scholar said to purchase the visa at the airport, I expected it to be complicated. I was picturing an office hidden in a far recess of the vast airport. I was not expecting a kiosk that moved to the proper departure gate. Payment is made via credit or debit card (the last time we used them until we came back to the United States since American credit cards rarely work in Cuba). They did not ask us why we were going, but Road Scholar said to support the local economy or for cultural reasons. Any time I tipped a local for their help, I reminded myself I was helping the local economy.

Q: How did you get there?

A: This time I'll assume the question is the basic logistics. We took an 8 am flight from Newark Airport to Miami. After a three-hour layover we took a one hour flight from the Miami Airport to Havana. After clearing customs, we were greeted at the baggage claim area by Lian, a representative of Road Scholar who stayed with us the whole time. She guided us to the 40 passenger tour bus (which included a bathroom and air conditioning) that would be home for the next five days.

Q: Where did you stay?

A: Legally Americans are very restricted to where they can stay. Since we were on an organized trip, we stayed where we were told to stay. This time it was the Grand Aston -- a new twin tower hotel on the Malecon (the path that hugs the water).

Last time we stayed at the Hotel Plaza in Old Havana. I got two answers about why the Grand Aston over the Hotel Plaza. One was that Americans are no longer allowed to stay at the Hotel Plaza, and the other was that their type of traveler expects a pool. If you are given the choice, I'd recommend the Hotel Plaza over the Grand Aston. While the Grand Aston is shinier, the food was much better at the Plaza, and it was walking distance from everything.

Q: Jacquie, didn't you already go to Cuba?

A: Yes, I went with Martha, Sharon, and Sandra in November 2015. I blogged about it in a 12-part series starting with THIS ONE. At the time, Ashley was 13. Sharon and Sandra were going to run the Havana Half-Marathon on an athlete's visa. They invited me along as their companion, on a cultural exchange visa. I invited Martha along as an additional companion because Martha is both a runner and lover of visiting foreign countries. She opted for the cultural visa over the athlete visa.

Q: Did you ever think you would go back?

A: No. I went this time because Don did not go with me in 2015 and he wanted to see it for himself. I'm glad I went back since Cuba is once again having historic times, this time negative instead of positive ones.

Q: How many were in your group?

A: Twenty-two people, all Americans, ranging from about our age and up. Many retired, some not. Everyone arrived when they were supposed to. Lots of different backgrounds.

Q: Did you leave Havana? 

A: No. This tour was just for Havana. There was an option for a longer trip, but we decided not to. I'm glad we stayed in the city since the countryside is facing a lot of problems with blackouts. Living without wifi is hard enough. Life without electricity would be a challenge -- especially since it was so warm.

Q: What was the weather like?

A: Temperatures between 70 and 90 each day. A little more humid than I am used to in March.

Q: Did you encounter the riots?

A: No, though we were in Cuba during the riots, they took place in Santiago. Yes, it is that bad.

Q: Did you feel safe?

A: Absolutely! The biggest issue was people asking us for money. I never felt threatened. Don felt annoyed. One strange observation about this is while we were asked non-stop for money during the day, we had zero requests at night. We walked around some sketchy neighborhoods and saw people hanging out with friends and family. I said buenos noches as I passed people, and they replied, but never once asked us for money.

Q: How has it changed in the past 8 years?

A: This is really the magic question! As I process the answer, I'll elaborate. 

The first big change was the airport. Last time we took a chartered flight on a plane held together with duct tape and prayers (not a good thing when traveling to an atheist country). This time we took a regularly scheduled American Airlines flight. Last time the airport had no food, and only a Duty-Free shop. Now the airport is light and airy with restaurants and shops. Small, though much larger than the Mercer County Airport.

The second was how the currency changed in February 2020 which led to rampant inflation. In 2015 Cuba had two different currencies: the CUC ("kook") and the CUP ("coop"). The CUC was what foreigners used after exchanging money at the airport. The exchange rate was $1 for 1CUC. The CUP was what the locals used. Tourists were not supposed to acquire any of that money (though most did).

When looking into our trip, I read we were being discouraged from exchanging money at the airport because everyone used the US Dollar at a rate two to three times more favorable than the official rate you would get at the airport. Huh?

By the way, the Cuban government did away with the CUC and only the CUP exists. With inflation out of control, the CUP hardly buys anything anymore. Just stick wit dollars and euros. Huh?

I was in such disbelief I had to be told this a few more times before I believed it.

To sum up, instead of exchanging money at the airport we were to pay for everything in from tipping the sand lady at the bathroom to taxis to drinks and meals in US dollars. Euros, Pounds, and Canadian Dollars are also accepted. We learned from a British couple, though, that the Cubans only want bills and not coins, so they exchanged their money into USD because we still have the dollar bill. Their smallest form of currency is a 5 pound note, worth just over $6 USD. That's a lot of toilet paper from the sand lady! Change is often given in Cuban Pesos at a variable rate, often 1:1. 

The official exchange rate is 120 CUP to $1 USD. The street rate is about 300 CUP for $1 USD. Restaurants and shops might give you a rate of 215 CUP to the USD. The CUC no longer exists. However, the places we were guided to spelled out the rate in USD. My mojito at Hemingway's favorite drinking spot (El Floridita) was $6.25, Don's non-alcoholic drink was $2.92. Don and I went out for a nice lunch. The bill for the two of us was $32 with him having a local beer, and me having a mixed drink. This receipt is for us dining with two others. We spent about that much for two burgers and iced teas at the Miami airport during our layover. See how the bill is in three different currencies? I did carry Euros just in case USD were not accepted. 

One option was to buy a prepaid card from the hotel for $50 to receive CUP that could be spent at the hotel bar (which, for some reason would not accept USD). Anything left over could easily be converted into Euros, with the cents portion paid back in pesos at the airport at the end of the trip. Easily, I suppose, if the currency exchange booth had been open at 8 AM when we checked in for our 10:30 AM flight. Don and I did not exchange, though I was tempted just to easily get some more euros for a future trip. At no point did we regret not having CUP, even as we bought a 65 peso postage stamp at the airport, we paid with a single USD and were given three dimes and a nickel in change.

The third surprise was the increase of newer cars and buses, particularly fancy tour buses from China.

Q: How was the food?

A: Delicious, but heavy, and a lot of meat. We avoided uncooked food (i.e., salads) and non-bottled waters to give our stomachs a chance. We mostly survived unscathed. Very little dairy. No pasta. Breakfast at the hotel was the worst meal of the day -- it seemed to be leftovers from the previous dinner, but not what any of us would consider breakfast food. No cereal, yogurt, eggs, pancakes, etc. They did have coffee, tea, juice, and toast. We suspect whatever we left on our family-style platters went to the next table (which means we received whatever the previous diners left on their serving platters).

Q: Did you get to the Hemingway Museum.

A: No, our schedule did not have free time when they were open, though one of our group skipped a lunch to go.

Q: Did you go to Fusterlandia?

A: Yes, and will blog about it with lots of pictures.

Q: Did you stick with the group the whole time?

A: No. We took walks alone each night, went to Fusterlandia, went to the Buena Vista Social Club Review, and spent Saturday afternoon walking around Old Havana alone.

Q: Is there music everywhere?

A: Yes! From street musicians to small bands at every restaurant, we had a Cuban music soundtrack playing. We did not hear any Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, etc.

Q: Are there really that many old cars?

A: Yes! When I came I took at look at my 2008 convertible and am ashamed to say it is not nearly as sparkly as the 1950s convertibles we saw in Havana. At the very least the salt water should be causing more damage.

Q: What was the biggest challenge?

A: Living without the internet. We had spotty wifi in the hotel, but not during the day. There are so many times I wanted to bring up a map on my phone, or look something up. As someone pointed out during dinner, it was like the old days when you and a friend had a debate about something, the one who could better argue their answer was right, even if they were wrong.

Q: What was your highlight?

A: The last night at dinner we asked each other this question. The neat thing was, everyone had a different answer. Mine was the tour of the synagogue because it was so different from anything I did the time before, and because thanks to my Jewish friends, I had enough of a base to understand the conversation.

Q: Did you get sick?

A: Most everyone seems to have caught a form of Montezuma's Revenge (including us, though ours was mild). I've only heard of one couple (out of 22 people) who came down with COVID after the trip. We only saw one person wearing a mask, he swears it was a respiratory disease and not COVID. Being a government controlled country, most everyone was vaccinated from COVID.

If you have more questions, add them to the comments, or send me a message off-line and I'll answer.

Photography Class

This winter I took a 3-week photography class from the Princeton Adult School. It was taught by a Lambertville-based photographer named Stephen. I took the class because though I've used nice digital cameras for at least a decade, I still shoot in the IA setting. People who know what they are doing, fiddle with the settings and take amazing pictures, but I feel mine are mostly flat. If they are really nice, it was dumb luck, or taken on my iPhone (also with dumb luck).

One of things I learned was how I could use the F1 button to adjust the lighting to get the effect I want.

This is an example of me tooling around with that feature while at Fusterlandia in Havana, Cuba.

While my end result was not exactly what I wanted, I still enjoyed seeing the changes between pictures. I need to go out and spend an afternoon by myself taking lots of pictures so it becomes more automatic.

Cuba 15: Pictures of Alleyways

I like taking pictures of narrow alleyways. Most of these did not fit into any post, but I wanted to share them anyway. Enjoy!

Cuba 14: Pictures of Classic Cars

It is true. Classic cars are everywhere in Cuba. Many are used as taxis. Others are privately owned. I took many pictures of these cars, and narrowed them down to these. I either like the car, the setting, or the color combination. Enjoy!