Finally The Package

I have tried three different times since my package arrived on Wednesday to retrieve it all were unsuccessful. According to the package retrieval slip I received I had to pick up the package between the hours of 12:00 – 2:00 pm. We had morning yard which starts at 9:00 am and ends at 11:30 so I thought I had no chance of retrieving the package for today. I was talking with one of my dorm mates last night about how frustrated I was getting regarding this package. He told me I would be able to pick up the package today and told me not to pay attention to the hours printed on the slip and I would be able to pick it up when the yard opens in the morning.

Now I am one to abide by the rules (maybe a little too late considering where and why I am in a place like this) so I had my doubts about getting the package. As soon as the yard opened I took my orange laundry bag – one of the rules written on the retrieval slip was to bring your own bag – and headed over to the gate where the pickup area is located. I arrived to find 18 other inmates standing in line for pick up. Apparently my dorm mate was correct in telling me to ignore the instructions on the slip as to the hours because they were allowing early morning hours.

I have waited in line three times prior so I had my doubts. However, after 10 minutes of standing in line one of the workers from the pick-up area came to the gate and let everyone in line through. It appeared I was actually going to receive my box which has been here since Wednesday. I waited very patiently for my name to be called and finally after 19 of the 21 inmates had received their package, it was my turn. The process was fairly simple and I signed a receipt and a logbook to witness receiving the box. Then the contents were emptied into my laundry bag along with a separate plastic bag for the clothing I ordered – sweatpants, shorts, sweatshirt, tee shirts, and “normal” underwear along with socks and running shoes. I ordered very little food – just some soups, tortilla chips, wheat thins, and my wife threw in two individual cereals. Of course, I ordered the health and beauty products such as shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and toothbrush, a multi vitamin, vitamin C, and vitamin B 12.

We are allowed one package per quarter; however, not everyone receives a package and some inmates order for other inmates to obtain more than one package. There appear to be some nutritional catalogues out there that supply a whole host of vitamins and possibly power bars (along with pretzels I am craving). I need to obtain a copy of this catalogue so I can see what is truly available. It does appear that I am going to need to order more food especially since I am going to be an Instructor where I will be burning more calories everyday. At the current level of the food which is available for free is not enough to maintain my current weight since tuna fish is not available in any of the lunches and peanut butter is only available two days of the week. I was amazed at how much food I could order from one of the catalogues that can be cooked in my new Hot Pot. The only issue would be where to store all the food. I have a locker and half of it is filled with clothes, one quarter is filled with health and beauty cosmetics and the rest is mostly mail. It would be great if I could have a small filing cabinet so I could neatly store and organize all my wonderful mail. Unfortunately, this is not an option and I will have to make do. If I do run out of room I can always use my bunkie’s locker for storage because there is plenty of space available.

I came back from picking up my package and went back to my bunk to organize my “stuff”. As I was walking back toward my dorm I tried not to make eye contact with any inmate because I have noticed that everyone is so “friendly” when they see you carrying your laundry bag filled with the contents from the package. I don’t mind sharing ~ check that is not true ~ I do mind sharing my food with anyone else. I never borrow food from anyone; I have been fortunate enough to receive a jar of peanut butter and some soups from my neighbor. These were given to me without me having to ask for them and when I go to the store I will return the favor. The “problem” is I only eat certain foods and I never participate in group food gatherings because there is always some kind of meal included and it is just better for me to say, “No, thank you.” This maybe very selfish but I like to keep my food to myself.

However, with that said one of my dorm mates (actually the one I got off to a rocky start with when I first moved in but now we get along very well) saw me come back from the package pickup. He came over to my bunk while I was putting away my new belongings and very nicely asked for a “shot” of coffee. The problem is I didn’t purchase any coffee because I don’t drink it. I didn’t want him to think I was being rude when I said no, so I explained that I just didn’t have any. He was okay with this and let me go about my business. I finished putting everything away and was sitting on my bunk writing a letter with my locker open (mistake!) when this same dorm mate came by and saw I had an unusual flavor – Hot and Spicy Vegetable Soup – and asked what flavor it was. I told him and also said it was very good. He then asked me nicely if he could have one. I couldn’t say no because I already turned him down on the coffee so I gave him one. He thanked me and went on his way. A few minutes later this dorm mate’s Bunkie came over to me and wanted to trade his soups for the Hot and Spicy. He had four soups to trade but I only traded three because the fourth flavor was beef. I do have a problem saying “no” but I want to keep the peace so I think it worked out well.

The one issue with this transaction is it broke one of the “prison rules”. I won’t say which one because it is fairly obvious. However, I have been observing very intently over the almost four months I have been in the prison system and I noticed a definite double standard in some of these rules. It truly comes down to using good sense and I expressed that today. I know there won’t be any issues with my transaction; however, this is something that can only be done selectively so I will constantly monitor that.

It was sort of funny after I took a shower; I was shaving in the bathroom when a different one of my dorm mates came over to me who also knew I picked up my package. He saw me shaving with the state issued two-cent razor (that’s really how much it cost) and my shampoo. He looked at me kind of funny and asked if I did indeed pick up my package and if I did why was I still shaving with that razor. I told him my wife had the ultimate decision on what products I received because she placed the order. I went on to tell him she switched catalogue companies in order for me to receive vitamins but she didn’t order the electric razor nor did she order any other regular razors or shaving cream because I did not specify the regular razors as a replacement. Oh well, I did finally get my package which was quite extensive even though it didn’t contain any shaving materials. Hopefully, this week I will get to the store and buy some semi normal razors and shaving cream. Again, the little things go a long way in a place like this and my package was a welcome sight. Now I can look at my wrist to find out the time instead of having to go over to the window and look across the yard at the clock. My watch can even tell me the day and the date along with being a stopwatch, not bad for eight bucks!