The past week has been quite productive for me, which I would have not imagined a few weeks ago. I have been busy learning how to crochet, working with leather, and goofing around in a "band"...It's called Sh!t Pickle. I have no idea where the name of the band originates, neither do some of the other members. It is a group of talented musicians, and we essentially just jam. The band consists of rhythm guitar, drums, bass guitar, saxophone, lead guitar, ukulele, and piano. The grand piano that I play needed tuning, and I successfully tuned my first piano! It is not perfect, but wow, it has made a difference. We do not play any songs that you would know since we spot write a songs. Then, we just play out chords, progressions, and scales for about 10-15 minutes. It is quite the creative process and just something to help the time pass by for the two days that we "practice"! Some of our sessions would sound great as a recording, and others, well, they are just pure cringe...but it is fun (and a mental escape from the daily prison life).
The food here has also been really well done. The quality of the chicken has been better, and now we have sugary drinks like iced tea, fruit punch, orange drink, and lemonade. The morning breakfasts have really improved. We have maple French toast with oatmeal, pancakes with eggs, grits, and potatoes, and a cinnamon crumble cake. I am usually up at 5:45 am each morning, just to be one of the firsts in line for breakfast. It is a great way to begin the day! I admittedly feel quite spoiled at times. I would be happy with just cereal and milk, but we have hot breakfast four times per week - wow and yum!
I am excited this week to finally buy a pair of work boots, which is much needed since I am on my feet for most of the day. Unlike the tennis shoes, the work boots only took a week to arrive! Woohoo! The electric job is going well too! I have been learning along the way. Our electric department was able to walk the perimeter of the campus to inspect the near 20 transformers that run power to each building. It was a great walk and refreshing to be nearer to freedom! I could see apartments, a gas station, and a storage facility.
Many of the discussions that take place on the daily basis deal with credits earned toward leaving prison early. The credits are provided by an automated system with many glitches. My time has not been updated yet, but rumor has it that February 6th will have a system update. Basically, the credits were enacted in 2018 and expected to take effect immediately. It has been over 4 years to implement credits. Apparently, now the system that does the calculation has lots of bugs. Some guys that should be released home have filed law suits against the Board of Prisons for missing deadlines and essentially "kidnapping" them. It is an interesting concept - you have time to serve, but a law is enacted to give credits for less time to serve but those credits are delayed by years. Many of the guys just sit around and fixate conversations on how much time they have and try to argue with each other why they should be released early - it's quite entertaining and sometimes annoying since some guys are emphatic - as though their argument is soundproof so they will be released immediately since they have self-rationalized it to happen.
That pretty much summarizes this past week. I am grateful that this time is moving quickly (except for weekends). I thank all you for taking the time to read this blog and share any interest. If you ever have questions, please do not hesitate to email me at kengaughan@gmail.com. I'll be happy to answer any and all questions. Have a wonderful and safe week in this crazy world!