Resting Day

It appears my special meal at dinner will be a mystery. Last night I was given an extra helping of Mexican rice and two tubes of peanut butter. I certainly did not mind this meal, in fact, it was the best one this week. I was actually full. When I finished I had the peanut butter tubes leftover for a future lunch. Apparently, the kitchen supervisor makes the decision as to what appears on my tray and last night it was the third different supervisor. I received something different from the previous two and the hopes are this kitchen supervisor is on duty more often. Nothing to report on breakfast this morning because the main entrée was French Toast with a sausage (allegedly soy – I traded it away) and farina. As usual I traded everything with the exception of the farina for more farina. Today’s lunch was peanut butter and jam so there was no need to ask for the vegetarian special.

I need to take a step back for a brief moment. I have to mention that yesterday being the 17th of November means I officially have 20 more months remaining on my sentence. Yes, this will be reduced once I get to fire camp but according to all the prison records I do have one year and eight moths remaining to serve. Twenty months may seem like a long time and it truly is when I think about not actually being with my family for that period of time. In the grand scheme of life it really is not that long. Four months have gone by very fast - when I think about how far I have come since the beginning of the sentence, I do now have a definitive routine with my new job and the time will continue to roll forward. On the flip side of this – the longer I stay here the more time I lose in reducing my sentence. I lose 10 days for every month I remain here. I don’t know how long I will be here but I am hoping it is only three to five months. My goal – which by the way is completely out of my control and at the mercy of the CDC – is to be released sometime prior to my son’s 7th birthday which is February 8th, 2008. My daughter turns 10 three days later and it would be wonderful to celebrate their birthdays! This means I need to be transferred to a fire camp by March of 2007. Again, completely out of my control but there are good thoughts which I focus on daily. Who knows what the future has in store but I know I must stay focused on my recovery or my future does not exist. It is bright as long as I stay in recovery and very dark without recovery. I am doing my best everyday and will continue each and everyday.

Officially, I am off from work on Saturdays and Sundays– calling it “work” is certainly not fair because it is anything but work. Today was my first day off since I started last Tuesday. I laid in bed until 6:30 am because as I have reported previously the news is not shown on the weekends so there was no need for me to get out of my bunk. I listened to my CD Radio player which is starting to receive 5 radio stations depending on how I aim the antennae. I just relaxed and listened to some music. While I was relaxing, I was listening to my body. I wasn’t as sore as I expected from my big workout of yesterday. Please make no mistake I am sore (I am not a machine despite some inmate’s comments and I do get sore) but not overly so. We had morning yard and I was contemplating running during this time and taking tomorrow as my rest day. However, as is the case in so many aspects of prison life, this decision was not mine to make. Morning yard usually opens at 9:00 am which came and went without the yard being opened. It wasn’t opened until 10:30 am which was too late for me to do any running because the yard closes one hour later.

I did go outside and enjoy the beautiful morning in which the temperature was in the low 70’s without a cloud in the sky. I chatted with a few of my inmate acquaintances whom I haven’t spoken to since I started my new position. (I am hesitant to use the word friend because over the 21 months of my recovery, I learned the true meaning of the word friend). However, I was taken aback by the generosity of one of the inmate’s who was going to the store. I won’t be able to go for a week from Monday so I will reciprocate in kind. But nonetheless, this inmate (who by the way, fits in the normal category very well) was kind enough to buy me some soups, rice, and beans. The cost of these items was $2.70 but it was the thought that counted most. When I go to the store, I will not be selfish with my food and anyone especially those who have been very kind to me can have what they would like. It seems everyday is filled with surprises and thankfully they have been very good surprises.

One of the drawbacks of my position is not being able to sign up for telephone calls and really the only way I can call is after 3:00 pm and when we have evening yard. I have not spoken to my wife in over a week and I do miss hearing her voice. As I was chatting this morning another one of my acquaintances told me he had signed up for a phone call tomorrow and I could have it. Again, this was a very pleasant surprise and someone is certainly watching out for me. Also, as we were talking someone mentioned about some special “perks” that inmates who work during the week have. One of these has to do with making telephone calls. Apparently there is a way for me to make calls without having to sign up. I have to talk with the right people and if all goes well I can make a telephone call. This does not involve any shady business or backhanded dealings. It is well within the rules which I will use sparingly.

The call I have for tomorrow is for 3:30 pm and I hope my wife is at home. At the very least if she isn’t I hope I can reach my mother. I have only been able to speak with my mom once since I arrived here almost a month ago. I am not sure if Thanksgiving will be a day I can make a telephone call nor do I even know where my wife and children will be. My guess is my mother-in-law will be hosting dinner but now that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law have their own families - who knows where everyone will be. Hopefully, I will have an answer to this question when I get to speak with my wife tomorrow.

My body did need a rest day because my calves were a little tight and my toenail needs some time to heal. My calves are sore from all the Harvard steps I performed yesterday and my toenail from my new basketball shoes. It is fairly obvious I have an obsession with my exercising but I am getting better listening to my body. My hand was forced not to exercise today and that was a good thing. I walked two miles around the track at a very leisurely pace as I talked with my inmate acquaintances. Interestingly enough I didn’t see any of the other instructors working out today which was a bit of a shock. Especially with the lead instructor who is always doing some type of exercise when he is outside whether we have class or not. Believe it or not, he works out more than I do and this is hard to believe but it is true. I guess all the instructors were listening to their bodies as well and the consensus was to take a day of rest. I will see how my calves and toenail feel tomorrow. I may take another day of rest but I truly doubt it because the weather is supposed to be just as nice as it was today. It would be ashamed to not work out on a beautiful day.