My last post was a mix of optimism and the Zen that accompanies the acceptance of being in prison aided by a fast-approaching release date. I found myself having a profound appreciation for the parts of the experience I actually enjoyed. When you’re going to be locked away somewhere for over a year, you’d be …
Happiness resides in misery Misery hides in happiness Who knows where they end -Lao Tzu Prison is a punishment. So how does society measure whether a punishment effectively meets the goals of punishing someone? Somewhere a group of experts determined that based on a multitude of factors, x number of months incarceration is needed to …
On Thursday nights part of the gym is cleared for full-court basketball. The games can be contentious and therefore include three referees, two score keepers, and the bleachers are full. Full disclosure – there are only two sets of bleachers, but still. My car works out from 4:30-6:30 and I was able to catch the …
Yankton Federal Prison Camp is a minimum security prison in Yankton, South Dakota. These types of facilities are for white collar offenders – places where inmates will be surrounded by their professional peers and those of similar backgrounds. Or so the thinking goes. White collar offenders represent roughly 1 in 20 cases here. Almost all …
This is a game that I used to play frequently. The version I played was to be 100% honest in that exact moment with the person who was asking the question. It is not a random game you play with anyone though. The other person, your partner in the game, knows this game exists and …
Before I came here I heard rumors that many prisons and jails had pickle ball. Unfortunately, prisons aren’t like hotels and you can’t get on the internet to check on the accommodations prior to your arrival. I lucked out that we have one indoor court and one outdoor court. I can only run so many …
Now that I have found myself in the swing of things I am beginning to cook more. It is time consuming, but we have plenty of that and cooking is about more than simply making food to eat. In here, there is a sense of freedom, albeit small, in preparing something you chose to make. …
Everything finally clicked with John Lennon’s Imagine. I love this song, it feels so so good to play, especially considering all the effort I put in. After breakfast and before work call I head downstairs when the music room is empty (before 7am). I turn on the mixing board and the amplifier, then connect them …
Yankton FPC has a fairly large Native American population and with today being ahem, “Columbus Day” I felt I would share a story I recently read. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were training for Apollo II they were in the Western United States and there is a tale about an interaction between the astronauts …
Update on the Mp3 player. I actually could not handle walking the track and listening to music at the same time. After almost 120 days without music it was literally too much. For now, I started listening to music the way people used to. I lay down (on my bunk) and just listen to it. …