Back to the Routine

I am very happy to report that my Bunkie received his prescription Motrin along with the bonus muscle relaxer (I don’t remember the name) at 7:30 last night. This was 12 hours after his initial consultation/evaluation with the Medical Technician Assistant. At least he received the medication the same day, and he was able to fall asleep which made “both of us” feel better. The added bonus of the muscle relaxer was very unexpected but needed. I am fearful that this prescription will only offer temporary relief and does not address the real issue. It maybe a long weekend because there isn’t any medical staff on duty until Monday.

My Bunkie is still limping along today and it appears his lower back is very swollen. I don’t know much about the sciatic nerve, but according to the Bunkie, he has had problems with this in the past. It may very well be the nerve which is causing the tingling and spasms in his left leg. No matter how he feels on Monday, I made him promise me to see a doctor about his condition. He tried to go today, but the CO denied it because he had already gone yesterday.

I have no idea how anyone feels regarding the prisoners receiving medical care and I do understand people have different opinions on this subject. All of us have committed crimes and we are all here to serve a sentence. Most of us have committed non-violent crimes which is still breaking the law. I understand there are many prisoners who have committed heinous crimes, and thankfully these prisoners are not housed in this dormitory. However, the violent and non-violent offenders are under the same healthcare system so I can understand the sentiment of “let them rot”. With that stated, the prisoners here are still human beings and entitled to nominal healthcare. I do understand that the prisons are now in compliance with the federal mandate and since then, the healthcare system improved dramatically.

Another interesting event happened last night. One of my bunk neighbors was released and able to go home (not the one mentioned earlier in the week). This was not an early release; he fulfilled the terms of his sentence. At 5:00 pm, he was notified by his CO that he was going. He had been waiting all day for this notification and when he was finally told, he had tears of joy! I have never seen anyone released from prison before, and I was elated to see the relief on this man’s face. I can only imagine what it would be like in a few years, and I would expect the same tears of joy. I learned a little more about release days. Each prisoner is given $200. upon release. This money can be used in any manner and it is a good faith gesture by the state to give the released prisoner a head start. Some inmates use this for transportation and others, unfortunately, use it to buy drugs. Also, clothes need to be sent in by family or friends and these are called “dress outs”. If the inmate does not have any clothes sent in, they are given a very stylish one piece “paper” jumpsuit. Hopefully, my wife will send in a pair of jeans, shirt, underwear, socks, and sneakers when my release date finally arrives.

It was back to the same routine this morning. I received the 3:50 am wakeup tap, and when I got out of the bunk, I was very relieved to see my Bunkie still asleep. I now have a uniform for the kitchen which is a one-piece bright yellow jumpsuit. I look like a banana; however it is much easier to hand wash than my orange pants and orange shirt. It is also more comfortable because it is just like wearing overalls. When I arrived at the kitchen , I checked the assignment board and found I was assigned to the back kitchen and the front line. I was the only one with two assignments, don’t know why, but it sure did make the morning go faster.

Thankfully, the only eggs on the menu today were scrambled eggs. Out of all the eggs served for breakfast, I can somewhat tolerate these eggs as opposed to all others. Even the smell is not so bad. Fortunately, I was assigned the French toast station. There really is no difficult position in the kitchen because – with the exception of the grill – everything is prepared in advance. The only foods prepared on the grill are the pancakes and fried eggs. I haven’t been assigned yet to the grills, and hopefully if I do it will be on pancake day and not fried egg day which will be quite difficult.

I was eating my cream of wheat with bananas and peanut butter when one of my fellow workers asked if I was a vegetarian. I told him I was and asked how he could tell. He told me he has seen me eat the same breakfast for the past five days – hot cereal, bananas, and peanut butter. Then we got into a discussion regarding nutrition. It was fascinating because this inmate was born in the south where everything is deep-fried. I came to find out that his parents are in their 80’s and have eaten a steady diet of fried foods forever. I guess it certainly helps to have good genes, but I prefer to keep my diet because it does make me feel better.

Yesterday when I didn’t go into work, I found I was rather hungry about 8:00 am. This was obviously due to the fact that I have been eating rather large (for me anyway) quantities of food at this hour for 12 consecutive days. Conditioning is a big part of any routine and apparently my stomach has now become conditioned to being hungry at a certain time. Hopefully, down the road, this conditioning will be broken and another routine will be born.

Today being another Friday meant it was yard day. Yes, I went jogging again in perfect 80 degree weather with a cool breeze blowing. I was able to do more laps today than last Friday when the temperature was in the low 100’s with no breeze. Also, it has now become a fascination with some of the other inmates as to how many laps I will run. As I was running, there were many inmates who constantly asked how many laps and when I finish, they all want to know my final total. (They were probably betting as to how many laps Paul could do) Another fascinating aspect when I am running is that there are a handful of inmates who run and pass me. However, the ones who are running so hard seem to complete two laps and stop while breathing very heavily. Then I come along with my slow and steady jog and pass them as they have stopped. I don’t know if this is good or bad and I am certainly no better than anyone else; I just have more experience in running. Sometimes it is hard to believe that I am jogging in a prison yard but it puts me in a very good state of mind by having my mind only focus on completing the jogging session.

The other day, I alluded to the fact that my plan “to fly under the radar” may have suffered a set-back. Well, it seems that there are more and more inmates coming over to my bunk just to chat with my Bunkie and me. It is getting increasingly more difficult to read and write without interruptions. It appears many other inmates just want to shoot the breeze with both of us. Neither one of us are what you would call “social butterflies” but we are cordial and never turn anyone away. A month ago, I may have been annoyed by these interruptions, but it seems very different now. I will pass the time one way or another and I guess I can read only so much. The more I engage in conversations with other inmates, the more I realize how blessed I am in all aspects of my life. This is definitely a learning experience and hopefully I will NEVER forget what I have learned. One of those things is to NEVER come back to a place like this.