The past week has been pretty standard. Wake up, shower, eat breakfast, go to work, have lunch, back to work, recreation time, dinner, band practice, read, and sleep. The weekdays go by very quickly, but the weekends still continue to drag. When the weather is inclement, we are stuck inside our unit, which is quite boring, so I just read and read and read. I probably average about a book every other day.
Over the course of the past few weeks, I have had a few consistent questions asked, so if you'll indulge me:
-Do you go to your electric job every day? Yes, I work Monday through Friday. My shift begins at 7:30 am and finishes at 2:30 am (similar to a school schedule). We do a varying amount of work - mostly divide and conquer different issues, from simple tasks to changing light bulbs, which actually involves removing a lot of electrical components since these fixtures are industrial to replacing outlets which carry 270 volts.
-Will you be licensed as an electrician? No, I will not be licensed (yet). I just finished my third month on the job which makes me eligible for the apprenticeship. An electrician apprenticeship is 4 years long. Frankly, I'm hoping that I will not be here for those 4 years to finish 🙂 The hours that I work will be documented within the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which are accepted credit hours toward licensing in any state. The good news is that all the work will not be in vain.
-How many people are at your job site? I work with 6 other guys: 5 are full-time and 1 is part-time since he has another job working with a dog. It is exciting since he brings the 10 month old, 60 lb. black Labrador Retriever, Maverick, to work with us. Our team has a lot of good energy. The youngest guy is 25 and the oldest 57. One guy just recently left, and he is 71 years old. Besides age, we have good diversity: black, white, native, mixed, devout Muslim, Christian, Catholic/Chaldean, Pagan, and Agnostic. We have some good laughs, and I think we all look forward to the workday to help the time quickly pass.
-Do you still crochet? Yes, I still crochet, but it has been very sporadic. Not because of my schedule, but due to limited supplies. If you recall how long it took for me to obtain tennis shoes, well the same is true for yarn and crocheting needles.
-What are you crocheting now? So far, I have made 1 and half bears stuffed bears. These are not the best quality bears. The half bear just needs to be assembled, but I am waiting on the stuffing. Some guys like to use the cotton from pillows, but I refuse. These are the same pillows that dirty heads sleep on at night. I can't do these bears dirty like that, so I ordered actual stuffing. I am open to suggestions on what to make next. I like a good challenge!
Do they ever test you COVID? No, and thankfully they do not. They just lifted the COVID restrictions, which means that the operations at this camp are back to pre-COVID. I'm pretty certain that we have a lot of COVID going around right now. Dry coughs, fevers, headaches, that deep gurgling noise in the chest when guys cough. Thank goodness I have been fully vaccinated and boosted before I came here. When a guy is sick, I ask if they had their shots, and the reply has been "No." Those of us that have not been sick, most have had a booster. These sick guys look miserable too, and it usually lasts about 7-10 days. If they did test for COVID, then I do not think they would know what to do besides implementing another lockdown.
Is the food really that good? Yes, I think the food here is quite good. Better than any food that I have been served from a hospital or school cafeteria. We are spoiled by how good the food is and the quality of it. Many guys that transfer to here comment about how awful their food was at another prison. I am grateful that we have such good, quality meals!
Thanks again to all of you for the great questions and your continued support. I hope you all have a safe, healthy, and miraculous week!