🔵 By Michael Klevene. Photo by lauragrafie.
Michael’s Weekly Diary 13.12.21-19.12.21
Today’s Bible reading – Isaiah 30:15-19. Monday Dec. 13 – 5am starts my usual day beginning with sink cleaning. Most mornings are kind of creepy when several of the spice heads are wandering around early in the morning stoned out. Breakfast is called – I go expecting the menu items of biscuits, potatoes, grits. Instead I’m given a serving of corn flakes and chocolate cake. Left that behind & came back to make blueberry oatmeal. 8am lights on & inspection ready but not any Officers around to check on us so easy morning. Work call, medical & education calls for the next few hours but I’m not needed anywhere. Facilities crew has put the doors back on the handicapped shower and the shower with the best nozzle on it so we can use it again. I got there early to be the first to use it. Many of the 14 other showers barely work or don’t work at all… Rec is at noon so we’re first called to lunch. Menu says tuna salad, lettuce salad, beets but found chili, rice & cornbread instead – supposed to be tonight’s dinner… Rec called – I stayed in and napped instead. 4pm count – mail call gave me 1 magazine & USA Today paper. Officer has a hard time with some of the names so inmates try to help him with those. Dinner called late tonight – supposed to be the chili we had at lunch – but we were given a great meal of mashed potatoes, gravy, peas & a large slice of turkey – a meal we had not been served before. Commissary out-of-stock list should be posted tonight but arrived to late so will have to wait until tomorrow.
Today’s Bible reading – Nehemiah 2: 1-6. Tues. Dec. 14 – Normal day begins. Fog starting to come in by 6:30 – breakfast called and got corn flakes & chocolate cake (again). Made strawberry oatmeal instead. Fog lifted by 9 so work/education/medical callouts begin. Commissary out list is small this week so I’m able to get many things I’ve been out of for weeks – (Pop Tarts, Zebra cakes, chips, etc.). Lunch called at 11:30 – menu says chicken patty sandwich (a favorite) but found mashed potatoes, green beans & chicken stew. Always something new here… Facilities came to unclog my sink and fix the leaky urinal & toilets so it all works again. Commissary call at 2pm – all 3 windows are open so we get served quickly and are done by 3. Mail call after 4pm count – only paper today & letter from best friend Tom in Tucson, Arizona. Rec called at 5 but too hot outside for me to be out 3 hours. Dinner call – supposed to be pepper steak but were served beef/chicken stew & rice- added beef to leftover chicken stew from lunch. Rest of night went by slowly until 9pm count.
Today’s Bible reading – 1 Corinthians 12: 12-21. Wed. Dec. 15 – Another normal day begins. Blankets & sheets are washed today so took them to the carts. I’d just finished shaving when breakfast was called so I didn’t go & ate Pop Tarts instead. Missed the pancakes & grits but that’s ok… Rec was called at 7:35 but stayed in. Normal callouts begin at 8 – lots of people out of the unit so it’s pretty quiet inside. Called last for lunch in the chow hall- hamburgers, hard & crispy tater tots & cake. Mail called just as I was laying down to nap – so no nap today. Only newspaper again – still missing 25 magazines – a mail room problem or what? Our „Crimmas“ (Christmas) bags are being delivered today – each year the BOP gives us a sack of goodies – cookies, various chips, drink packs, crackers, etc. It’s a nice gesture. Dinner tonight is taco salad – taco meat, lettuce, salsa, beans, tortilla chips. I ate the lettuce with my Ranch dressing & left the rest. Had a Zebra cake & decaf coffee later before 9pm count.
Today’s Bible reading-Galatians 3: 26-4:7. Thu. Dec. 16 – Usual start to another day in captivity. Breakfast was bran flakes & cake again – I drank a milk, came back to make PopTarts again. No VoTec today – education officers called out to other duties. How can we get any education if the officers for teaching are called to do other duties? Lunch menu says baked chicken – but many meals have been substituted lately. Good news – sort of – we did have the chicken but it was very small & overcooked so only got a few forkfuls of meat. Menu says mac & cheese but got rice instead (again). Menu says mixed vegs but got corn instead. Best part of lunch is the blueberry pie. Recall announced at 1:30- waited until 3 to be given 2 small caramel wafer cookies & an 8-oz.. packet of cocoa mix – another Christmas „treat“. At least they’re trying… Mail call delivered 5 magazines (at last) and USA Today paper. Still have 20 mags due this month. No „US Weekly“ mag since Nov.1- are they still printing? Dinner menu says chicken lo mein on pasta but served chicken ala king on rice – was a better choice & tasted good. Every meal seems to be a mystery now…
Today’s Bible reading- Psalm 31: 12-24. Fri. Dec. 17 – Normal day start – little fog but called to breakfast by 7 – French toast & grits – still no oatmeal… VoTec classes called at 8 so the officers are here today. Several names called to R&D so some going home. Called early to lunch – 10:30 – breaded fish sandwich, coleslaw, peas, apple pie. Different better quality patty which was real fish filets & tasted pretty good. Rec supposed to be at noon – rumor has the staff having a Christmas party instead so we’ll see if any activities go on this afternoon. OK – no staff party so rec called & work goes on. Quiet time for a little nap. Mail call delivered People magazine & USA Today. Dinner of chicken fajitas was blah as usual. Got to eat & talk with „Z Man“ and Basil. Not much else happening until 9pm count etc.
Today’s Bible reading-2 Timothy 4:1-8* Sat. Dec. 18 – Usual start of the weekend – but too much traffic at the sinks this morning as I’m trying to clean – why are so many up at 5am on a Saturday morning? Maybe getting ready for rec at 7 and visitation afterwards. Foggy morning though – called to breakfast at 7:15 so no rec yet in the fog – bran flakes and cake instead of oatmeal – but bananas served for the first time this week! Came back & made a PopTart instead, & coffee. Fog cleared by 8:30 so had a stand-up fog count and no rec this morning for us (supposed to be 7-9:30am). Visits delayed also but were called finally. Lunch called us first & had „breakfast burrito“- scrambled eggs, tater tots & salsa in a flour tortilla wrap. Had to nap- read paper & did puzzles afterwards. TV channels all not working now – Dish Network is out of service… Called last to dinner at 6pm of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy & chicken & rice stew. Got an extra slab of roast beef from Zman for tomorrow. TVs are out of service still at 8pm so everyone is very unhappy & don’t know what to do with themselves… No one in the TV room tonight so noise level is very high – no „quiet time“ until midnight count.
Today’s Bible reading-Genesis 30: 1-2, 22-24. Sunday Dec. 19 – Job done early- not eating in the chow hall this morning – went to pick up trays of grits, cake & milk. Foggy early but cleared now. Still no TV’s working- many unhappy guys this morning – they’re lost without being able to be sitting in front of the screens – especially with Sunday NFL Football all day. Decent lunch – ate in the chow hall with Zman. Rec at noon but napped instead. Dinner of BBQ shred chicken & baked potato. Tampa Bay Buccaneers play New Orleans Saints tonight – Saints have „owned“ the Bucs by winning the last 6 regular season games – but hope today is different. Oh well- Saints playing good but Bucs stinking – can’t get a first down – missed a field goal so Bucs not scoring yet- 6-0 at halftime. Quit listening with 10 minutes left – Bucs losing 9-0 but Saints will probably score more. TV’s still out so will have to wait until Tues. to find out score in USA Today. Bad night for Tampa-(and me!). Bucs had won all 6 home games this season but not this one – Tom Brady had not lost to any team 4 times in his 22 – year career until tonight. Bucs running back Fournette, wide receivers Chris Godwin & Mike Evens all out of the game injured. Poor execution by the rest of the team although the defense held the Saints to only 3 field goals – no touchdowns… Bucs could have clinched the NFC South title with a win but will have to wait now – maybe next week.?
*2 Timothy 4: 3-4 was written in 67AD from Paul to Timothy, but foretold what had happened here in the USA last January with our Capitol insurrection riot and reads as such: „For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers (president) who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear (the lie that „the election was stolen“). They will reject the truth and chase after myths“.