Saturday, March 22nd
Beautiful Saturday morning sunrise! As it turns out, that’s about all we got to see of the outside. No Yard at 7 or 8 am, then normal lockdown at 9:30. Sure enough at lunch around 12, we heard the guards supposedly found paraphernalia in the Yard so we get to be punished with no Yard privileges. I’m sure that’s going to solve the drug problems here:) Sometimes I wonder if that’s just the standard excuse for staff shortage as we have no visiting this weekend so no guards for that as well.
So, got lots of typing done on my new blog series-“Life and Faith-A Prisoners Perspective”. And a nap:) Plenty of reading and TV to round out a boring day and evening….
Sunday, March 23rd
Another beautiful day, another day of no Yard. My plan was to go to library 7-8, then Yard 8-9, so made it a 2 hour library session instead.
Really enjoying creating an investment strategy document for my son ( and probably girlfriend/partner). Everything from global macro issues to Macro investing to Specific strategies and where opportunities may lie. He’s been helpful sharing research reports that he sees which makes for interesting reading as well. And this was before the tariffs were announced:) Spending a lot of time this weekend on that, plus keeping up on typing my weekly journals. I didn’t sign up for library 7-12 so have to do most of my writing in the Unit today. Oh joy, should be nice and quiet with everyone stuck inside!
Good church service today. Our band has a new drum set and guitars, courtesy of the recently shutdown women’s prison in Dublin, Ca. It was recently shutdown due to the out of control sex abuse issues and now successful class action lawsuit, and now I’ve seen our gym,hobby shop, and religious services all benefit by guards driving up there and grabbing stuff to bring back. Our band benefitted as well looks like!
Monday, March 24th
Thankfully at 8 am the guard screamed Yard and then I knew we were back to normal. So I took advantage and went outside 9-10 just to get out of the Unit and get some exercise and walk the track. Then went back 2-3 for track cardio/weights and again 6:30-7:30. Amazing how much better I felt after 2 days of being cooped up. I’m thinking that between no visiting being staff driven shortages, and Yard closed all weekend, it really must be staffing related. One of the guys whose been here 10+ years and works in the kitchen, told me his kitchen guard was complaining all OT is cancelled due to cost cuts. All making sense, but doesn’t mean I have to like it:)
Spent good portion of the day typing journal, book report, and finalizing my first blog for the Life and Faith series. With all this judge overreach/mania going on, I’ve got a good blog in mind to share more thoughts on as well.
At lunch, the line of management waiting to answer questions from inmates was there including the Warden for once. He has been also leading Sheridan up near Portland for the past 6 months, so haven’t seen him much. I waited in line to speak to him about visiting changes. I expressed my concerns about going to every other weekend without having more space. He understood, was aware of the issue, indicated he will track and address any issues if needed. He stated that he felt visiting was very important, but budget cuts are driving things. DOGE is clearly putting the squeeze on, that’s for sure. Me personally, I could show them in a minute how to fix their labor scheduling process, as during the week we have excess guards just standing around/BS’ing with each other, but no one has asked me yet:)
Tuesday, March 25th
Woke up to an email from my son who already researched the 3 judges assigned to my appeal, and whose names we learned yesterday. Also an encouraging email from a good friend in Portland who is praying for me to be strong in here and remember God’s promise for eternal life goes way beyond whatever time and what I’m dealing with in this place. Great way to start the day!
I was headed to Education/Library from 7:30-10:30 anyways, but my priorities for writing my blog and a Better Tomorrow Book quickly gave way to researching cases from these 3 judges. Want to see their track record and how they rule on things. Two judges are fairly new within the past 3 years, and the senior judge has been on the 9th Circuit since 2012, so good experience. Last year alone, 2024, the two together had 30+ rulings between the senior and one of the other two judges. I found them to be law and constitutional focused in their opinion, which hopefully works in our favor. The third judge didn’t seem to have any wire fraud cases recently so will be interesting to see what resonates with her.
Between research, typing 11-2, and in the evening, worked out 2-3 and 5-6. After 2 days I’ve been outside 5 times, feels back to normal after last weekends’ lack of Yard time.
Wednesday, March 26th
Learned this morning how my appeal attorney has been sharing judges names and streaming links directly with my family. Its so comforting to know she is so helpful and kind. Did some tweaks to my judge analysis email and fired it off. Hope its helpful for counsel!
Staying in my Unit this morning to read my bible and other quiet reading during census, then write what I had intended to yesterday. Part of my writing today was another blog on Facts of Life in the BOP, the topic being in my mind these past few weeks on judge “overreach” and accountability. Funny how when I’m ready to write, it comes right out!
Afternoon was 1-3 workout, first day of June gloom so 65, light clouds and no wind in the afternoon. Perfect!
Even since our shakedown a couple weeks ago, the guards in our Unit have become a real hassle. Two nights in a row the same guard searched our cell. Makes me paranoid he will plant something then miraculously find it like what happened to Steve in Victorville. Three cells down, two nights ago, they took 2 white guys, both about 30 days from going home, straight to the SHU because the guard found some paraphernalia. You never know that’s for sure.
Thursday, March 27th
Hopped out of bed at 5:55. threw on my khaki’s and raced to the pill line to pick up my Vitamin D prescription. Already a line of 20 people when I got there, so took 15-20 minutes to finally get. 4th time waiting in line to finally get, you’d think these $6 pills are gold bars or something:) But if I need sab oxen no problem, every day, no problem, $20/day no problem!
Next to me was Steve, another Steve I’ve gotten to know pretty well. An electrician from Los Alamitos, he has a reputation for being gruff, sometimes overly stubborn and argumentative. He was that way with me 15 months ago when I went to my first Jewish event, a Shabbat, just wanting to learn more about the culture and religion. He was immediately in my face, like why are you here? Very abruptly, made me feel quite unwelcome:). In time I got to know him better, especially in the library doing legal research. He is always challenging something and needing help, spent lots of time just listening to his legal issues on the track. Unfortunately, he’s been waiting for 18 months for prostate medical attention with no luck. His most recent PSA had gone from 3.9 eighteen months ago to 14. Anything above 4 is a problem. Sure enough he told me this morning he recently got diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, 3-5 year life expectancy. And that’s with immediate treatment, which isn’t highly likely inside here. Besides feeling terrible for him, I suggested he try for a court injunction/order forcing treatment on the outside. Typing this a few weeks later now, I can state he also has Stage 4 bone cancer and was recently transferred to a medical prison back east. Will definitely be one of those guys who has a 10 year sentence and dies in prison at age 58. This also reminded me to get more assertive with the rheumatologist for myself!
Took some time to pray for my pregnant niece, for her and her baby to be healthy during this pregnancy and afterwards. Reading the AA book on peoples stories,I read one written by a physician and all he went through with alcohol, including being held in a psych ward at one point. Now 10 years into his AA journey, he has his spiritual grounding in his Higher Power. He wrote a paragraph which really resonated with me and my praying for a successful outcome on my appeal-“Acceptance is the key to my relationship with God today. I never just sit and do nothing, while waiting for Him to tell me what to do. Rather I do whatever is in front of me, to be done, and I leave the results up to Him; however it turns out, that’s God’s will for me.” As my dear friend and pastor in Portland always says” You do the possible, and let God do the impossible.” Both those statements are basically why I’m at peace with the appeal journey, and regardless the outcome, it won’t change God’s love for me as demonstrated by having his Son die on the cross for all of us.
A lot of people understand this, but I read this story the other day that reinforced it- how a parent can still love a child, even when not giving that child everything they ask for. Sometimes the Father has other purposes for each of us than what we want, just like parents sometimes do! Easy to write, hard to remember, just ask Job from the bible about his story!
Class from 12-2, topic mainly about family relationships and the reentry process back into their lives. A lot of emphasis on our upbringing impacting who we are and why we think and behave as we do sometimes. For me, I’m sure there will be some adjustment returning to a normal routine as a family, but everyone has pretty much kept the norms and traditions and getting together as normal as when I’m there. Just hope that continues without any hiccups! The curriculum is now transitioning into communication styles and how to be more effective, which should be interesting:)
Friday, March 28th
I’m really enjoying the routine I’ve settled into. Staying in the Unit from 6 am-1,and with my cellmate gone to work usually, I have a good amount of space to write, read, type, even better than going to the Library as the noise level is the same. Mornings usually have a lot of folks out of the Unit so noise isn’t too bad. I have time at my table downstairs writing while its extra quiet, then typing thereafter. Then 1-3 is a perfect 2 hour window to go to the Yard and workout, both track and weights. Back in at 3, so 30 minutes of news, then lockdown and chow till 6. Followed by TV, typing till 7:30 or 8, then in my cell reading till 10. Given those windows of time, I can focus on various projects and vary things to keep things interesting.
Had an interesting chat with my cellmate today on illegal immigrants committing a human smuggling crime etc. He got booked in El Paso/Juarez Mexico, and that area happened to be on TV today as an example of a 95% improvement. His view was it wasn’t fair to bust the illegals, give them time to serve,and return them back to Mexico prior to serving their time. My argument was why spend $50,000/year on them for 10 years( as opposed to our schools and hospitals for low income care) and then send them back? Its an interesting dilemma when being an American citizen works against you, being treated worse than an illegal if they don’t have to serve their time. Seems like everyday there’s something to speak about when it comes to this whole illegal mess!
Yesterday and today have been communicating with my attorney on a potential conflict issue 2 of my appeal judges may have. Monday we learned who the judges are, so have been doing research on their cases and rulings. Only to learn 2 of them worked closely with my trial judge in 2024 , as he joined them as a temporary 3rd appeal judge of a panel for 3 separate cases. Nothing related to me. But my appeal is really about trial judge error in one way or another, and per the rules of conflict of interest, apparently I have to accept these 2 judges won’t be biased reviewing his work, even though they just finished working with him deciding these 3 other cases. My attorney isn’t worried and feels they will be professional which helps. I just pray that’s true!
Praying for Freedom and Liberty and to see my Family and Friends soon! BJ
