Saturday, October 12
No fog hallelujah! With my son visiting, would hate to wait till 11 to start. So had a great 4 1/2 hour visit with him. Amazing to think he had Hurricane Milton on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning and flew out Friday evening with no issues and on time to Santa Barbara. One can get used to existing in prison and all that comes with that, but the hardest part is really the separation from loved ones and friends. One doesn’t realize how quick those 15 minute phone calls zip by, you just can’t really delve into anything like one can in person.
Oregon Ducks played Ohio State afterwards at 4:30, luckily our 3:30-5 lockdown got out early so was able to watch entire game. What a thriller 32-31! Finally won the big one:) Plus had an amazing burrito during the game so skipped dinner. My son watched in a bar with a great pasta dish and vino, so double epic for him!
Pretty good day all around!
Sunday, October 13
Library 8-12:30, followed by church 12:30-2. Got some good writing for my blog done, really helps to have peace and quiet. Apparently I missed a “mandatory” meeting of whites in the Yard today. A total 75 whites(not counting offenders) here out of 1800 people, one of the long time guys telling everyone to stand up for each other when one of us is attacked. Seems most of the guys thought it was silly since an apparent recent event was in his unit and he did nothing:) Guess that’s what happens when you come from a medium facility with that kind of upbringing to boot. Fortunately most guys realize they are in a low and want to go home or to camp ASAP and fighting just delays those things.
Definitely heading into a Monday Holiday. No guards around for moves, had to get our dinner in a clam shell and eat in our cell. Supposedly the “dishwasher broke down”. Yup, good one:)
There was a 5pm yard move, but didn’t bring the guys back until 7:30 so no 6 pm workout tonight which was unfortunate as I didn’t get one yesterday as well….
Monday, October 14
Holiday schedule looks like again. No gym until 7 am, not 6 am as no guard available. That means Yard at 7 and hopefully 8-9. Of course computers and phones didn’t work this morning, nor hot water in our sink. Means showers won’t have hot water either. Got to love Holidays:) Can only imagine what Thanksgiving and Christmas will be like.
Met with one of our Hispanic chefs last night, he has 21 years for drugs and a gun. Nicest guy you will ever meet, strong Christian as well. I believe him when he says no one translated his plea deal, and he was set up by a confidential informant who apparently had the gun. But informant wasn’t charged, and he was charged for both drugs and gun and didn’t understand until his sentencing when there was actual translation, but it was too late then. There is no way this guy would harm a fly, but 21 years?
Tuesday, October 15
Day 2 of no computers thus no email or typing. Sure hope they work tomorrow.
Big day in medical at 7:30 am. Met again with both the Assistant Medical Director and Head Clinical Doctor as nothing happened since July except a blood test. Had a copy of my letter from April 5 with me, but bottom-line all I got accomplished was to sign another medical record request form to my doctor and pray they mail it out this time!
Followed by a productive time in library from 9-10, getting new books to read and making copies of things. I’m over 80 books read since January, that’s 9.5 months! Almost 10/month, tells you how much time in the cell we have. Ratio will probably drop as football season carries on:)
As I write my blog series on “Facts of Life Inside the BOP”, I’m thinking about lots of topics. One of the newer ones is he “laziness” of so many inmates here. Basically free room and board here plus recreation. First Step Act is a good model to incent behavior by taking classes, but the curriculum is so weak and classes so infrequent, it still allows for a lot of free time. I still like my idea of no cards or dominos until 5 pm, but I feel more is needed as well,something fundamentally different with strong incentives to comply. I’ll blog about this, but basically a boot camp approach, and ongoing military chain of command model with SHU as the price for not complying. Lets quit this free lunch program, so we can stop wondering why so many keep coming back….
Wednesday, October 16
Day 3 no computers and a fog lockdown on top of it! No way to start a day:) Oh and education/library is closed as well. Starting to feel like prison:)
Last night was kind of interesting. After lights out around 10:15, the guard was pounding on our cell door around midnight, shining his flashlight inside our cell. Woke me from a deep sleep, but he was getting my cellmate for a urine test. Guess they had 3 guys at 1 am testing, as well as the night before. Talk about a pain… Thankfully I’m a good sleeper so it didn’t ruin my sleep the rest of the night!
Fog count was productive writing wise. Hard to be motivated to write more when the typing pile is so big:) I feel like I need to clear that stack and edit it, which then clears my mind on those topics as well.
Two good workouts 12:30-2 and 6:30-7:30. Weather is warming up again, fog or no fog.
Met again with my Mexican chef friend to help him. 260 months is 21+ years sentence, and then I listen to the story of what limited legal help and evidence, it seems so unjust. Hard to imagine someone so nice was so stupid selling kilos of drugs. Guess it demonstrates how desperate so many are for $10,000.
Computers were supposed to come on early afternoon, but no go. Apparently our half of the prison is out, so wondering if its related somehow to the new Wi-Fi being put in?
Thursday, October 17
Finally! 12 pm, computers came back on. Took till 2 for me to get access with everyone so desperate to connect with family and friends.
Productive morning framing out a 2255 for the chef buddy wanting to file for a new attorney and trial. The language barrier is brutal for most of these guys. I feel terrible for them. But just about done so he can get typed.
9-10 workout, beautiful morning. After chow, 12-2 bible study. The farmer who heads it is so gifted, I always learn something.
The 67 year old guy in the SHU for 60 days due to not being able to do a urine test in 2 hours, finally got a copy of his legal appeal that was filed last week. He is pretty angry as well as I’d be, being stuck in the SHU, so he couldn’t tell his attorney to file an extension until he read a draft. So it got filed without his input. I’m reading it and explaining it to him now. First blush, not world class that’s for sure.
Skipped dinner and worked out 5-6:30. Sunny but the 20 mph wind was cold as ice. Reminded me of what’s to come. Fortunately, next 10 days should be in 70’s, but evenings now in high 40’s. I’m pretty sure daylight savings time is close which only make things worse:)
Friday, October 18
Started off the morning by not being able to find my radio, at 6 am:( Not like me to leave it somewhere. Ughh, not a good way to start the day! But the day picked up from there.
9-10 went outside for a beautiful morning and good workout, knowing it would be the only one today given my schedule:) Luckily, when I got back inside, one of the Hispanics near our cell came up to me with my radio, having found it last night by the computers, If there ever was confirmation I’ve ben treating them with respect and being helpful to them, that was it.
After chow, I had arranged a 1-1 with our #2 chaplain, new here since March, and responsible for our facility. I had 2 things to discuss:
1) how to make our little church more relevant to new /non church attending inmates thru serving them- ie. mentoring, clothes etc.
2) Teaching a class on helping inmates be successful after release with a biblical perspective, to help better equip them after release
Had a 45 minute chat, learned a ton about his background- Korean military chaplain, commercial airline pilot, missionary pilot, and so forth. Then he opened up how they are short staffed, and cutting back on services right now, probably not able to do anything new right now. But I felt heard, really enjoyed him, and am totally resigned to not doing anything relevant to help fellow inmates beyond what I’m doing already. same thing happened at Education when I tried to get a curriculum approved to teach last spring.
As I was reflecting later, especially as it relates to my blog I’m writing, each and every department says the same thing. Education, Religion, Medical, Hobby Shop, Yard-” we are too busy, too understaffed” in their explanation why they don’t do something, 100% always. Well I’ll definitely have some suggestions in my blog how to help fix that quickly:)
Praying for Freedom and Liberty and to see my Family and Friends soon! BJ
