Infamous Vegetarian Card

When I completed my shower yesterday, the rest of the afternoon was more of the same ‘ole same ‘ole. My emphasis is getting into the shower as soon as possible so I don’t have to sit around all sweaty and smelly waiting for the shower to come back on. In my friend’s dorm, they have hooked up a very ingenious bird bath which acts just like a shower. They have attached a garden hose to the faucet in the sink and ran it over to the shower (I have no idea where it came from nor does my friend). The hose, according to my friend, is better than the regular shower because the water is hotter. Apparently, in my friend’s dorm, they aren’t having any concerns with the new shower schedule.

It was time to wait for the evening yard to open and it did relatively on time. I had a telephone call scheduled at 7:30 to call my mother. I was able to connect with her and we had a very good “ambien-free” conversation. It was very good talking with her as always. Once again those 13 minutes flew by and it just seemed like we said “hello” and it was time to go. I certainly do miss my mother as well as the rest of the family and friends. This situation is only temporary and in the next few months there are some changes ahead. I keep thinking of the inmates who have done 5 years plus in one institution and especially one former inmate who did 6 ½ years in one place. This person made it, successfully found a job, and is now living happily with his wife. He did it and I will!

The telephone concluded and it was on to the telephone sign up selection process. Due to the enormous influx of inmates over the past month, obtaining an evening telephone call has gotten increasingly more difficult. There used to be evenings where not many inmates would take part in the process, but those evenings are long gone. There are a few inmates who are enterprising and only sign up for the telephone in order to sell that time spot. There are a few “old time” inmates who take offense to this type of enterprise and think the inmates selling items for phone time should be punished. I have yet to see this happen. I can say all of this is a ripple down effect of the overcrowding issue and not a lot has been done to rectify this situation.

The evening yard ended and it was back into the dorm as is required. Once I was back, my neighbor had just finished reading THE BRETHREN by John Grisham and he was kind enough to lend it to me. Yes, I started the non-fiction book about the Iraq War but I can’t seem to get into it so I opted for the Grisham novel. I started it last night and was only able to complete the first few chapters and it is already good. It seems as though I prefer fictional novels to non-fiction. I guess it is my way to get away from this place as I read.

The release for breakfast came a few minutes late because the regular CO is off on Monday as well as Tuesday. I like to be the first one from my dorm especially on days when I need to request the vegetarian meals. Today was one of those days as it was once again the creamed beef with biscuits breakfast. I believe this was just served on Saturday (please keep this in mind as I go further because it was served just 2 days ago). I approached the front of the line and very politely asked the CO for the vegetarian meal. The CO instantly barked out at me, “I need to see your card.” As soon as he said this, I thought, “Oh, no here we go again about the stupid card.” I replied very calmly – probably too calmly – that I have written both the Chaplain and the Chief Medical Officer and was told I don’t requite a card because my need for the vegetarian meal is medical not a religious reason.

He must not have understood the words which came out of my mouth because he stated, “I must have a card.” Again I replied very calmly because I was not about to engage the Officer that I had previously mentioned and I have documentation verifying this. He didn’t seem to care and asked me what dorm I was in and told me he would take care of the issue personally and see to it that I receive a card. I was given a tray without any meat but unlike Saturday where I was given extra potatoes and hot cereal, I was only given two packets of peanut butter. By the way, this same CO was on duty on Saturday and never questioned me regarding the card. I have had this same discussion before with this CO and today he acted as if he had never seen me before. Incidentally, this is the same CO who skipped me when going to the store on Saturday and told me that being in the FTP class was “on me” and basically no reason for missing the store all week.

I’m not sure if this CO was put here to push my buttons and if he was, he is doing an excellent job. I really had to compose myself this morning and I was probably too composed. When I get like this, I have a tendency to use a condescending tone and probably a pompous attitude. I did my best and didn’t say anything that I would regret, such as “I was here on Saturday and you didn’t give me any problems and I have discussed the vegetarian card with you twice before, you DOPE!” I knew I couldn’t say that so I just grabbed the tray and went to the table just shaking my head. This is what my life has come down to – having a discussion (no argument on my part) regarding the ever illusive vegetarian card with a CO who doesn’t seem to listen very well. I took a few deep breaths before I sat down to release the built up tension in my stomach. All I can say is thank God for serenity or that discussion could have gotten ugly.

On Monday, the FTP class doesn’t meet so it extends the weekend one more day. Today was an afternoon yard for my tier so I was relegated to the dorm for the morning. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to go outside to workout so I decided to ask the relief CO if he would allow me outside. He said, “Okay.” That was it and I was outside. This is the relief CO who is always very nice and treats every inmate like a human and not a sub-human. I experienced the two ends of the CO spectrum in the course of a few hours. Obviously, I prefer the humane CO, but I understand the world is filled with all types of people. It is entirely up to me as to how I react during the adverse situations and today I feel I did really well but there is a limit and I sure hope I never reach that limit. I will keep reciting the Serenity Prayer and taking deep breaths.

In closing I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to a very special person – my little sister! Happy Birthday, Sis ~ I love you very much!