1) Yesterday, I bumped up my push-ups & sit-ups to 250/day. It sounds funny to hear from a prisoner, but I am not sure how much more time I have to do them. The sit-ups are easy because I do them in my bed out of the way of everyone else in my room. The push-ups are done on the floor of our cell and I get in the way of others coming & going if I am doing them there. You cannot do them too early in the morning when others are sleeping or too late in the evening when everyone goes to bed. I leave for work at 7:30 to 2:30 and usually try to go to the library from 2:30-3:30. In between then and bed, we have two standing counts (we have to stand in the hall to be counted) and dinner. I might kick it up to 300, but that will probably do it until we can go outside consistently where I will have capacity to do more.
2) I can only do about 25 push-ups in a set before I run out of gas & have to quit. It has been plaguing me why I cannot push through this plateau. A guy I talked to yesterday said it will help to only do them every other or every third day. I might try some different exercises on the off days. I was able to walk 2.5 miles yesterday and do 35 pull-ups yesterday.
3) I started my ACE class (Spanish 2) last Thursday and go to my next one this evening. I also start a class this morning called “Threshold” that runs from 7:30 to 9:00 am – every Wednesday for six months. It is designed to prepare us to integrate ourselves back into society. Attending these classes gives us FSA credit to reduce our time in prison.
4) I also am pushing myself to read even more books and write even more reports. I have 3 books completed that need reports done and I am 90% done with the book report on “The Scarlet Letter.” The Lord of the Flies is about halfway done.
5) There are so many stories floating around – the rumor mill here is rampant on about just about any topic you can imagine. There are always rumors about some new program to get out earlier and when guys start talking about it, I always walk away. I don’t want to hear about it. First of all, I don’t believe it or think it will happen. Secondly, I don’t want to be on that emotional roller-coaster with the ups & downs related to which way “the wind is blowing on that particular day” and third, I focus on the things I can control. What the BOP does or does not do is out of my control.
6) It still amazes me that almost no one here says “good morning” during the first hour or so of the morning. Not inmates, cellmates and definitely not the guards. Doesn’t stop me – I still say it!
