Ouch

I need to make a correction from last night’s entry. I did receive mail, one from my father and the other from a dear friend who sent a lot of postage stamps. There were so many stamps that the maximum allowable amount of 40 was exceeded and hopefully the extra amount of postage stamps were returned. Thank you much for your kindness and generosity. The letter from my father was very nice and very much appreciated. My record of receiving one piece of mail ever since my birthday is still in tact. Whew!

This morning in the kitchen was very easy because we had three people work the ovens for two items: coffee cake and grits. It really is only one item because the coffee cake takes no preparation time. It goes directly from the ovens to the frontline but makes a big mess for the pots and pans clean-up crew. Think about how “crumbly” coffee crumb cakes are when you bring them home from the bakery (East Coast thing). Multiply this by 1200 and it really makes a huge mess. Interestingly enough the regular pots and pans clean up crew takes coffee cake day, as one of their days off and today was no exception. The trays that hold the coffee cake are three feet long and 18 inches wide. I believe each tray serves 24 large pieces of cake. As I returned, the oven crew takes these from the oven and places them into the warmers on the front line. These trays get very hot and it usually isn’t any problem taking them in and out with potholders. Well, yesterday the potholders were nowhere to be found, as was the case today. We made makeshift potholders with towels (remember there is a great deal of improvising in prison). However, the towels worked fine yesterday with the six inch pots but were ineffective with the larger coffee cake trays.

As I was moving one of these trays from the 350-degree oven to the warmer, I burned my left forearm (ouch)! It wasn’t a bad burn and I was able to place warm water on it immediately followed by ice a few minutes later. I didn’t need medical attention; thankfully, remember the medical staff is something I would like to stay away from if at all possible. I do have a two inch burn mark on my forearm. I was told when I first “volunteered” for the ovens that I would get burned. I was doing so well because I made it 3 ½ weeks without an incident which has all changed today. Now I can show my replacement, whenever that may be, my war wounds from the ovens just like the inmates who trained me showed me theirs.

The next few days will probably get more difficult (so to speak) in the kitchen because the menu has the creamed and chipped beef along with two other oven entrees. (What really is the difference because both are disgusting to me). This means there will be at least one more person on the ovens which always adds to the “excitement” factor. I have sort of hit an automatic pilot stage when it comes to the ovens which may not be a good thing, but everything so far seems to be working well. I have one regular person and the third person helps out when he is not working on the grills. The three of us work very well together which maybe why I have hit the automatic pilot stage. Maybe the added fourth person will shake me out of this stage.

I was speaking with the kitchen supervisor a little more today about her transfer. She has been in this particular kitchen for three years and has Friday and Saturday as her days off. Also, she has to work any holiday that falls on her schedule. She is transferring to have Saturday and Sunday off and also she will get all the major holidays off as well. These were her reasons for transferring. This lady is so nice and it is amazing to find a ray of sunshine in a very cloudy sky. Her last day is on Sunday and I will be definitely going into work this day.

Today is one of those “hump” days and once it is over the week will soon be ending. In addition to the week ending, the month is coming to a close, also. I can’t believe it, but I like when the weeks and months end. Oh, who am I kidding? I certainly can believe it because the faster the weeks, months, and years end; the faster I will be back with my dear family.

After exercising, I went to take my usual “birdbath” when someone said the hot water in the showers has been turned on. Well, someone usually says this at least two or three times a day so I believe no one. I had my “bird bath” already in the shower area, but before I started, I felt the shower water. It was not as cold as it has been but in no way would I categorize it as hot. I proceeded with my “birdbath” which seems to work fine. After I was done, my Bunkie requested the bucket and went back to the bunk to get dressed. After I got dressed, I started to do the bridging work. I was doing this for approximately 30 minutes and my Bunkie had not returned. This was very unusual because he is always very fast when taking this bath.

The showers are all the way on the opposite corner of the gymnasium and they are the farthest thing from my bunk. That is good because there are bunks situated directly in front of the showers and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to watch fellow inmates shower 12 hours a day everyday. I do like my little corner because it is far enough away from the “facilities”. When my Bunkie didn’t come back, I became curious. I looked across the dorm towards the shower and I could see him standing underneath the shower. This was very unusual because he went to take a “birdbath” and I believe he hates the cold shower as much as I do. A few inmates passed my bunk area and confirmed the hot water was on. It was finally true and as is the case with many things in life, had I waited an extra 10 minutes, I too could have taken a hot shower, but I was not that fortunate and it will have to wait until tomorrow. My Bunkie returned and said that if you turn the faucet all the way to the left, the water is almost scalding hot and by witnessing the red marks on his back, I could certainly believe him. At least we know we have hot water and the cold showers are a thing of the past – progress is very good.

The turning on of the hot showers did not come without controversy. There is a 602 form where an inmate or a group of inmates can fill out if they feel they are not getting the satisfaction they have been promised on a certain issue by a prison employee: CO, medical staff, or any person who works for the California Department of Corrections. A few – actually many (not me) signed the form to have the water turned on. This form is taken very seriously and makes its way through the chain of command very quickly. I believe the warden is notified of any and all 602’s. The CO’s responsible for the A Gym dorm took offense to this and had one of the inmates talk of his displeasure. I don’t know why the CO’s themselves did not do the talking but from what the inmate said (to everyone) the CO’s, their unit commander, and sergeant were extremely pissed. They threatened to transfer all the people who signed the 602 to other dorms and cellblocks, but there were too many inmates and it would have caused a major disruption.

I do have some strong feelings about what was said, but I will taper them because I am trying to understand the CO’s point of view. They are obviously pissed because their commander probably got chewed out who in turn chewed them out. However, the purpose of the 602 is to give the inmates some rights and all these inmates were doing was exercising their rights. I do understand the prison system is NOT a democracy nor should it be and the power is in the proper hands which are those who run the prison system. However, what is the true purpose of filing a 602 form if there will be retribution? It is sort of like a Catch 22 situation, damned if you do and damned if you don’t. At least the hot water is now turned on and the inmates who signed the form have not been transferred to those awful dorms or cellblocks.

I am very fortunate to be housed in the “Old Guy” dorm and I am thankful each day because I hear horror stories from other inmates who have been transferred to this dorm from those awful places. One of these is a building right across the yard. This area where the reception inmates are housed is called the “sandbox” because they are housed in the common area of the mainline cellblocks. The reception center inmates are housed in bunks and they are instructed not to venture past the yellow lines which have been painted on the floor that resembles a big box (hence the name “sandbox”). The lights stay on all night and they are surrounded by level 3 mainline inmates. This is yet another example of the overcrowding of the prison system. Also, the building next to this one houses reception center inmates as well, but instead of bunks the inmates are housed in cells. Someone must really be watching out for me because even though the hot water has been turned off, I at least had the opportunity to take a shower everyday and I can walk around most of the day without fear of crossing the wrong line. Also, I am surrounded mostly by “Old Guys” just like me who just want to do their time and go home.

I was speaking to an inmate who resided in the same dorm that I used to be in. He had been there for approximately four weeks and expressed to me his happiness to get out of that place. He told me there were fights everyday between the various inmates and right before he got here, there were gang fights. He couldn’t wait to get out. The television was blasting music each and every night. Oh, yes I do remember that. He was breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the “program” we had here. It is very good and I believe I need to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. They are certainly working, thank you!

The hot water won the race between that and seeing my counselor. No, I still haven’t seen him, but there is still hope. An inmate who arrived the same day as I did and who was transferred the same three times that I was, is seeing his counselor tomorrow. His number is four before mine, so based on this very superficial extrapolation, I should see my counselor by the end of the week or the first part of next week. Of course, I will continue to keep everyone posted as to the status. It is a matter of time before I see him and will be on a countdown as to when I make the transport list. I do understand it is one small step at a time and I can’t get to wherever I am going without going through these steps. My serenity is still in tact and thank God for my recovery which helps me in so many ways and is not limited to only gambling. It has provided me with a new way of life and I love this new way because I am finally taking my life back.