Christmas Decorations

“It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” is the famous line in the very popular Christmas song. This is very appropriate because the camp is starting to look a lot like Christmas with Christmas decorating everywhere. Yesterday afternoon, the dining hall was decorated complete with a Christmas tree and other very nice decorations. This is a remarkable change from last year when I did not see one Christmas decoration while I was spending the holiday in Jamestown. Yes, one year does make a huge difference, and I can only imagine how special Christmas 2008 will be as I spend it with my family. The decorations were great touches, and when I heard the first Christmas song on the radio, I realized Christmas season was upon me. I am not exactly enamored with the prospect of spending one more Christmas in prison separated from my family; however, this year is so much better than last year. Obviously, the fact that I will be released two months after Christmas is a huge benefit. Also, the fact that I will see my wife in a few days and my mother will be visiting in January and that I am in a great place both physically and mentally all make for a much better holiday season. Quite frankly, I will be very happy when Christmas is over all with New Year’s because this puts me that much closer to getting out of here. In the meantime, I will continue enjoying my days and the holidays.

I had heard stories about Christmas in Fire Camp. All of these stories have been very positive, and I am seeing them taking shape. Not only are there Christmas decorations in the dining hall, there are decorations all throughout the camp on the outside of the buildings. I can’t say enough how nice this is, and it does give me a very good feeling. Even the family visit cottage has a Christmas wreath on the front door which looks very good. Yes, it is feeling a lot like Christmas, which is a really good thing.

I finished “Shelter Island” by Dennis Lehane, and the adjective I have been saying to describe this novel cannot be printed. I will give a hint. It is a four-letter word which is banned in most media, and the second part of the phrase is “up”. I don’t ever remember reading a novel so convoluted and just downright insane. It was a combination horror and drama novel, and the ending had more twists than a pretzel. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the novel, but I also didn’t hate the novel. It was certainly a strange story that got stranger and stranger as it progressed. I had to read the last four pages twice because I wasn’t sure what I was reading. I was told before I started reading it that the ending is unforgettable, and this is the truth. I guess I was entertained, but I really wouldn’t recommend the novel.

Last night I resumed our nightly conversations with my roommate, and it was good to have him awake. Last week, due to the fire meals, my roommate was so tired he fell asleep very early. Last night we talked for a while and laughed most of the time. We did finish talking and went to sleep knowing we would both be using the weight area in the morning. My roommate joined me 30 minutes after I got out there, and we had a very good workout. Nothing too exciting happened today (just like every day!) as breakfast and cleaning the bathrooms were very uneventful. During lunchtime, I was able to watch a few minutes of CNN as my friend programmed the television. He did his best to please everyone with comedy movies to movies from Portugal with subtitles. (I don’t know how well this will be received because foreign films in this setting are truly foreign!) After watching CNN, I intended to call my wife for some last minute additions to our family visit, but I couldn’t reach her. I was hoping to call her tonight, but if I don’t reach her, it really doesn’t matter.

As lunchtime ended, I did what has become my usual Tuesday afternoon workout – I hiked the hill. I was having a hard time getting going and only did 90 minutes, but it was a solid 90 minutes as I was sweating profusely. I returned to my room where I showered and read the Las Vegas Review and Journal that I received yesterday. This is my final issue as the subscription has run out, and it is too costly to continue. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to read this newspaper as I do have a better feeling for the place I will be going in three months from today.