Move Those Weekends Along

The weekends do bring about a change in my routine from the days during the week. I can only go out just in the afternoon or just the morning and evening. Since I was in all morning, I tried to use this time productively which was to read and write. Of all the elements in prison life, passing the time quickly and effectively is key for me.

After I went on my run, I decided to go to the store once again. I realized I ran out of shampoo after going to the store on Thursday. I bought a few items and one of those was a pint of Dreyers Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Before everyone gets excited, the ice cream was obviously not for me. It was for my friend who I saw walking around the track. I do find it fascinating that the store sells ice cream because it must be consumed the day it is purchased since there aren’t any freezers or for that matter any refrigerators in the dorms. My friend was very surprised when I presented him the ice cream and he shared it with 2 other inmates who I have come to know. All of them seemed to enjoy and it did make me feel good knowing they were appreciative of receiving the ice cream.

My exercises for the afternoon had been completed and with 20 or 30 minutes left before the yard closed, I got my hair cut. I had given up on the barber shop because it seems too difficult to get in. There is an inmate in the dorm next door to mine who gives haircuts in the yard. I went to him yesterday and he cut my hair. I had to wet my hair underneath a water spicket because he was having a tough time with the electric clippers. Once I wet my hair, he did a very good job. It has been awhile since I last saw the tops of my ears and after he finished it looked like my ears got bigger! I’m sure they haven’t grown but for some reason they appear larger. Anyhow the haircut wasn’t that bad and my hair looks better. My hair is much longer than most of the other inmates, mostly due to the fact that I have hair! I was impressed with the way this inmate did the cut and I was equally impressed with his tools and accessories. Sure I got my haircut on a prison yard while sitting on a garbage can but the price was right; two soups. I continue to be amazed at the ingenuity displayed by my fellow inmates.

Dinnertime arrived and I was hooked up by the kitchen line workers who gave me large amounts of beans, rice, corn, and salsa and an extra tortilla. I had so much food I couldn’t finish it all. Eating also took longer than usual as my table mates were actually waiting for me to finish instead of vice versa. I got more food in this one meal than I had all week. Since I only had breakfast and the peanut butter and banana sandwich, the food hit the spot.

For the remainder of the evening, I continued to read The Art of War. I have heard about this book for a number of years and I guess my expectations were too high because it wasn’t what I expected. I read the book with interest and found it fascinating that it was written over 2400 years ago. However, I was expecting more than a list of ways to win a war. One third of the book was the original Art of War and the other two-thirds was an explanation of the first part as it applies to modern examples. I can see why every General in the Armed Forces is required to read this because it makes so much sense. I am not sure if President George Bush has read this book and even if he has he may have missed some critical issues. If we are in fact at “war” in Iraq, President Bush may want to re-read this because according to this we are making very big mistakes.

This morning was overcast and it had rained overnight. This was a dramatic departure to the weather of the last 4 weeks which had brilliantly sunny skies. Thankfully, the rain held off most of the morning as I got to run 11 miles. I guess I am getting old because I couldn’t seem to duplicate the effortless effort (does that make sense?) of yesterday’s 7 miles. I am not crazy about running back to back with significant mileage; however, I needed a run of 10 miles or more. My first 5 miles were a struggle but the longer I ran the easier it got. I most certainly could have run farther but I had an unexpected telephone call to make. My friend had telephone time scheduled this morning but he encountered some difficulty when placing calls to his girlfriend and cannot get through due to a block on the phone. I thought this would be a great time to call my children since I have not spoken to them in a few weeks.

I placed the call and instead of my wife answering, my brother-in-law picked up. He was babysitting all three children. My wife, mother, and sister-in-law went out for the afternoon. Of course I would have liked to speak with my wife but the primary reason for the phone call was to speak with my children. First I spoke with my son who is turning 6 in a few weeks and his conversation skills have improved tremendously. I spoke with him for 5 minutes which is the longest I have talked to him in over 6 months. He recited his ABC’s and counted to 21. I was very impressed as he spoke. Also, his voice sounds very much like my nephew’s voice when he was a similar age. My son has a little less squeak to his voice but the sounds are similar. Next I spoke with my darling daughter who will be 9 in a few weeks also. Her speech has been tremendous for a long time and she does ask some good questions. She wanted to know if I would be back next year in the summertime. I couldn’t give her an exact answer because at this point I don’t know. I will definitely be back before the summer of 2008 and I am hoping to be back before my children’s birthdays in February of next year. Ideally I would love to surprise them which is why I didn’t answer my daughter’s question.

They are both great children and I miss them so much. They are growing up so quickly and I know I can never get back this time I have missed. However, I do know I can and will make the most of the time we will have together. To say “I can’t wait to see them” would be a gross understatement because I want to see and be with them more than anything else in the world.