In the entry for Week 108, I shared some of the silly things that inmates say. Well, here’s a continuation of some of those things…it’s adorable when kids say it, not grown men.
-With the sudden deaths of several geese from the bird flu outbreak, a few inmates were walking to the dining hall and noting how they missed feeding a few of the more well known waterfowls. One guy sincerely asked, “How long does it take for a duck to become a goose?”
-An irritated inmate was recollecting his legal woes and sharing his frustrations with another: “Can you believe they labeled me a ‘domestic terrorist?’ I only had enough to powder to blow up a garbage can, not people. Yeah, they found a list of names next to the explosives, like a hit list. I wasn’t going to blow them up. I was just writing down the people who deserve to be blown up. You know I was gonna fight for this country by joining the military. Now, they can’t have me. It’s a good thing that I’m finding Jesus cuz that list would be longer.”
-During a wintery flurry, large snow flakes were amassing on our coats and gloves. One guy holds his hand open and begins intensely studying the frozen clumps. “Hey, these look just like the pictures we drew as kids,” he proclaims. Another inmate quips, “Yeah, those are snowflakes. That’s what they look like.” Then, the first guy quizzically retorts, “But, they look just like those pictures.” The second guy inquires, “Haven’t you ever seen a snowflake before?” He replies, “Yup, I’ve seen plenty of ’em, but I’ve never really looked at ’em.”
Over the past week, my housing unit came under scrutiny since a full bag of contraband was found by officers: bottles of alcohol, weed pens, vapes, and cell phones. Appropriately, the Warden addressed the entire housing unit and imposed sanctions of suspended shopping at the store and turned off the televisions. The Warden’s intervention really shook up the unit. She asked those individuals in the alcohol/drug program to devise reasons why she shouldn’t make everyone in the program start it over (known as being recycled). The intense meeting generated all sorts of gossip among the other two housing units. The officers did arrest 7 people in the past week for contraband: 4 of them related to the bag and 3 of them using cell phones.
Over the past month, guys in my housing unit became very relaxed with the rules and started embracing “crime time,” which is the name for not adhering to the prison’s rules. On their contraband phones, they watched a video put out by some idiot broadcasting from Middle America in his makeshift headquarters of his parents’ basement. The video cited top secret information that prison camps were closing, inmates would not be transferred and would be sent home within the month. This misinformation sparked a fury of celebratory misgivings, like introducing the contraband and having careless attitudes. Well, these guys found out the hard way that expectations are still held high, even while waiting for imminent closure of the prison. At this time, I still do not have any updates to share regarding any transfers. I really appreciate you taking the time to check-in with me. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful week and continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your life this week 🙂