1) I had a friend/work colleague visit me yesterday. It was good to catch up with him. When I got back to the unit, I took the time to call my wife since I saw there wasn’t much of a line at the phones. After I was done, I was walking back to my cell when I got stopped and was told that my good friend/mentor here in prison, Mark, died on Sunday morning. He got sick about 2.5 months ago with a disease call amyloidosis which affected proteins in his blood and caused a build-up of plasma in his chest, causing problems for his heart and making it difficult to breathe. They have been treating his symptoms by draining the fluid from his lungs every so often, but never treated the actual disease. It sounded like they were going to start treatment on Thursday when he went back to the hospital. We just found out that he died Sunday morning. Everyone in the 1st floor of the unit (A alley) was sad because he was known by everyone as a friend & was well respected by all. One guy said he was the nicest person he ever met – in or out of prison. To quote Morgan Friedman (Red) in Shawshank Redemption, “I guess I just miss my friend.” I know that Gino didn’t sleep well last night as a result of his death and I cannot say that I slept so well myself.
2) Mark said that when he came back that he wanted to be transferred to F4 unit, leaving a spot open in his 2-man room. He & Gino agreed that I should be invited in to replace them and Gino submitted the paperwork Thursday evening. In the face of sadness & death, there is a bright spot for me personally. Going to a 2-man room will be a step up for me, especially since I am friends with Gino (and was with Mark). Gino & I went ahead and did our weekly crossword Sunday evening, just like we always did when Mark was here.
3) Before I came to prison, I heard in a podcast that it is very important while in prison not to get sick or hurt yourself. They said not to play sports to avoid the possibility of an injury. If Mark’s illness taught us anything, it is that staying healthy while in prison is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
4) Still working out well – Today I did 200 sit-ups, 300 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, 100 squats and walked about 2.5 miles. I also ended up lifting weights with some guys I know from another unit. I have my last Spanish class this coming Thursday & will continue working with Gino to learn more conversational Spanish. In a nutshell, the goals I had for prison are progressing nicely. I may have to update and/or add some new goals soon. I am now about 20% done with prison (with GTC and FSA credits). Days lead to week, weeks lead to months, months lead to freedom.
