Prison Journal: Day 8,093
October 6, 2009
Today has been a day of waiting, and I may have a few more as the week progresses. I’ve completed the edit of chapter eleven for Earning Freedom, leaving me with only the final chapter to work through. I can’t begin to until I receive the typed version from Carole. It may come in tomorrow’s mail, or it may come on Thursday. Until I receive it, I’m in a dead time.
This slow pace of productivity bothers me. I’m not able to start a new project until Earning Freedom crosses the finish line. I wrote the last page of the manuscript on 15 September, and since then I’ve been editing. I still want to read all of the edited pages once they’re typed, but in order to begin that work, I have to wait for Carole to type and for the mail to deliver the work.
I want to submit the manuscript by early next week. We still may reach that goal but I’m beginning to accept that I may have to wait for a few days or even another week after that. These kinds of delays wouldn’t exist in the real world, as I’d be able to use email and make the changes directly on my own computer. Carole does this work for me now, and she does it after working 10-hour days as a nurse. I’m so fortunate to have her assistance.
This morning I ran 10 miles and followed the run with 170 pushups. I’m not feeling any soreness now. My running tally is now 2,649 miles over the past 298 days.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Prison Journal: Day 8,065
September 8, 2009
I began writing this morning with hopes of finishing a draft of chapter eleven. The chapter goes on. I began writing at 1:49, and I wrote through page 521. Yet the characters at Lompoc camp who played a role in disrupting my life require more space to develop. This chapter may stretch for 15,000 words. I expect to finish tomorrow, and I’m eager to advance to the next chapter, which brings me to present time at Taft Camp. That chapter, also, may be long.
I spoke with my wife over the phone this morning. (After all these years, I still like saying “my wife.”) Carole told me that our new Web site is up. Once I finish this manuscript, I expect to return to adding more substantial content for the Web site than daily journal entries. I’m glad that I’m ahead of schedule with the manuscript, as I feel confident that I’ll finish a solid draft of Earning Freedom before the end of this month.
Carole has used the Internet since 2003 to build my Web presence, and I’m looking forward to seeing our work online when I come home.
I ran 10 miles this morning. The run brings my cumulative tally to 2,397 miles over the past 270 days.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Prison Journal: Day 8,061
September 4, 2009
I woke at 1:11 this morning, even though I stayed awake last night two hours past my normal bed time of 5:00 in the afternoon. The reason I stayed awake until 7 p.m. was that when I spoke with Carole, she told me she is expecting to work extra hours over the next few months in order to save money before she returns to school in January. If she’s going to work extra hard, then I decided I had better work a bit harder for our family as well. I spent those extra two hours editing chapters seven and eight.
I continued work on chapter eleven of the manuscript, and I had a productive session today. I wrote through page 485. Then I ran three miles, advancing my consecutive total to 2,357 miles in 266 days.
My visit with Carole began earlier than usual when she arrived at 8:30 this morning. Our time together is truly wonderful, better than I deserve. Carole and I are a wonderful team, and we’re moving into the final leg of our plan in preparation for my release.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Prison Journal: Day 8,059
September 2, 2009
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Legislative leaders in the state of California face opposition from the powerful lobby that represents the ridiculous prison system. Earlier this year, a panel of judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s prison system does not meet the standards of the U.S. Constitution. The Court ordered California to reduce its prison population by 50,000 prisoners. Then, the State Senate responded with a bill that would release nonviolent offenders who had completed 80 percent of their time in prison, provided those prisoners had earned vocational skills or academic credentials while in prison. The prison lobbyists launched an attack on the legislation, and by the time the state assembly passed its version, the bill was watered down significantly. Not a single Republican, I understand, voted in favor of prison reform. Another victory for the prison lobbyists, and another loss for the California taxpayers.
I find a lot of irony in the process. Those who work in the human warehouses known as “corrections” like to consider themselves Republicans, or better yet “conservatives.” They claim to believe in the Constitution, in smaller government. Yet when the court says the prison system violates the constitution, they scream that the courts don’t have the right to intervene in California affairs. Those who work in “corrections” cling to their bloated salaries, to their taxpayer guaranteed pensions, to their government healthcare, to their overtime and total lack of accountability. Despite recidivism rates that suggest the system renders people less likely to succeed upon release, they demand their overtime, their benefits that come at taxpayer expense. These same people who scream about government spending and the sacredness of the constitution work for a system that judges have held violates the constitution, and demand that the government continue locking people in cages so the guards can enjoy their 4×4 pickups, motor homes, boats, and six-week vacation each year. So much for principled conservatism. Hypocrites!
This morning I began my work at 1:29, and by the time I put my writing away I finished chapter ten, began chapter eleven, and advanced the manuscript through page 471.
I ran 10 miles, bringing my running tally to 2,344 miles over the past 264 days.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
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