Yeah! The weekend is here I am so glad that the week is over.
Nothing particularly bad happened but I feel as if I have not stopped to
breath. Come last night, I barely made it though Dateline, and that is on at
9:00 PM.
This morning I spent my time writing letters to friends. I also
had to take care of John, who has an ingrown toenail. Despite the fact that I
have some medical experience, he does not listen. In any case, I have him
soaking his foot in salt water to loosen the skin and tissue. There is an
average wait of 12- 20 days after putting in a request to be seen by medical. It’s really astounding. By that time that guys
who have MRSA or staph infections need IV antibiotics and are reeling with
pain. Yes – staph is a very big problem in this prison as are insect bites that
go untreated.
I have been lucky since I have been in prison and have not had an
issue with infection. I did have my share of issues while being in country jail
however. One night, I was bitten on my lip by a brown recluse spider. I killed
the spider and kept it to show medical. Problem was I was not seen by medical
for 4 days and by then, my upper lip had swollen to literally the size of a
golf ball. Surgery was required to cut out the dead tissue. Thankfully, I have
full lips and there is only a scar on the inside of my mouth. I can still feel
that scar tissue though. As that entire process was underway, I distinctly
remember my mom losing it behind the visitation glass. She was completely
powerless to help and it killed her to look at me. I will always remember that
visit.
Since coming to prison, I have become completely anal (no pun
intended) about sanitizing things and my own personal hygiene. I wash my hands
before and after I pee. I do not touch the walls in the shower. I sanitize the
toilet seat and put down paper to sit on. My personal living area is cleaned
every day…. well I actually have a housekeeper who constantly keeps it clean
for me.
Before I go any further, I realize that the “housekeeper” concept
may stump or shock you. Let me explain. A lot of guys here cannot have jobs and
they have no family to help them financially.
Some of the trustworthy ones can do odd jobs for the inmates that have
the means to pay them. For me, it works because my schedule is so incredibly
busy. There is an older guy across the hall, Greg, who has nothing and he loves
to smoke his cigarettes and drink his coffee. In return for cleaning my living
space top-to-bottom 5 days a week, I buy him a bag of coffee and a pack of
ciggies every week. There are also people who will do your laundry, but I
prefer to wash my own clothes.
This afternoon, I will go outside to work out and call mom and
Joe, They are set to have lunch with a friend of ours, Marco so they should be
good. Beyond that, I have no real plans for the rest of the day. Most likely I
will end up laying on my bed and listening to Sade’ and staring at the ceiling.
Oh well.
Take advantage of your freedom. Go do something! J
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