A Peanut Butter Free Day

While I was lying in my bunk yesterday morning, I set a goal. Every morning as I awake I say I am not going to gamble today and this has proven effective over the past two years. I said this to myself yesterday morning and made it through the day without placing a wager. In addition to this, I said to myself I’m not going to eat any peanut butter all day. I believe not gambling is much easier than not eating the peanut butter especially considering my current dietary options. Unbelievably, I made it through the entire day without eating any! I’m not sure how many consecutive days I have gone with eating the peanut butter, but it could have been at least two months, if not more, which is a great deal. Once again I was surprised how good tuna fish and mustard tastes and I might carry this with me when I make it out to the free world.

My old bones aren’t what they used to be because it seems I can go only a few weeks without any aches. These have returned and it is part of the long distance running. I could feel a twinge in my right hip as I ran yesterday, but the more I ran the less pain I felt. However, as I sat on my bunk all afternoon writing (what else???) I could feel the hip stiffen up. This isn’t anything major, it is just a side effect of running on poor road conditions without the benefit of good running shoes. This hip ache comes and goes. I have learned a hip stretch which helps but there doesn’t seem to be any getting around the ache. In my crazy somewhat sadistic mind, I am actually looking forward to the aches. I always seem to question myself when I don’t have an ache. I know this is crazy, but I feel I’m not doing enough when I cannot feel the effects of my run. I certainly did feel that after my 14 mile run yesterday afternoon and again this morning. However, it is perfectly fine when I start moving around. I realize the need for rest to help my old bones recover, but I also have noticed it is better for me to move around the day after a long run which assists the recovery period. I’m not insane enough to run 14 miles two days in a row, but power walking 5 miles along with a nice slow one mile jog actually helped my hip today.

In the eight months I have been here, I have learned that some of the many vitamins I have taken on a daily basis may only have served as a placebo effect on my health. I used to take a garlic supplement every day and now I realize the only effect this had was that it made me smell. I’m not sure if I will return to taking these when I am released and this should be good news to my wife since she often told me that I “stunk” of garlic! I can say that I do miss the glucosamain chondrotin tablet which did lubricate my joints. I didn’t have the aches I have had over these past few months.

In the afternoon I wandered out into the television area where my fellow inmates were watching a professional basketball game when the college basketball tournament was on at the same time. I asked in my best non- condescending voice how they could watch a seemingly meaningless professional game when the college tournament games were usually more exciting. I received responses such as “ I like the NBA better.’ Two minutes later they switched the channel!

The evening yard opened on time and I went outside. The evening was gorgeous and much like the morning with temperatures in the 60’s. I was going to call my mother since I couldn’t utilize the Bail Bonds Company and didn’t want to burden my wife with extra expenses. I dialed my mother’s number and found there was a block on her phone much like the block that was temporarily on my wife’s phone. I then called my wife and it was great to hear her voice!

After the phone call I walked with my friend as I usually do and will miss him very much when I am transferred to fire camp.

After breakfast we started the PFT Class with the new coach who seems to be the “anti-old coach” as he does everything differently. This is not my program and I have to mind my own business and respect the new coach. Speaking of respect he seems to have taken a liking to me as he asked me to assist him in his office this morning. He needed some help organizing his files and assistance with one of his computer programs. I had no problem helping him organize his files but I did reiterate my prohibition about being on a computer. He seemed to understand and he thought if he sat with me while we worked on the computer it shouldn’t be an issue. I did organize some files but the new coach is not very good at expressing what he needs as I asked him to clarify a few times. After arranging the files, he showed me a very complex Excel Spreadsheet which was created by the old coach. For the first time in over 8 months, I actually touched the keyboard on a computer! I sort of understood what he was asking but to fix what he needed would take me a few hours of dissecting the spreadsheet. He didn’t have a few hours to spend today but did say maybe when the PFT Class ends we could spend some time on the program. I sure hope I am transferred by this time which would be 2 weeks but if I’m not, I will give it my best shot.