Quarterly Update (#24)

Quarterly Update

October 13th marked my 6 month milestone at the Taft Federal Prison Camp. I will say that the last three months went by more quickly and more easily than the first three months. The first three months I would have say were highlighted by the soccer league and the exercise class of which I was a part. I lost about 20 pounds during the first three months.

Soccer ended in the middle of August and I re-injured my ankle in the last game. I had injured my ankle around Father’s Day, and then let it heal a bit before playing about 6 more games before injuring it again. At least it was the last game and I was able to rest. I wasn’t too concerned since the next league doesn’t start until mid-November. I’m not 100% yet, but I should be able to play when the league starts. That’s a nice distraction from the tedium of life here.

I started another 12 week exercise class in mid-September. This class has helped me lose another 5 pounds. I’m also able to do sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups at a rate I’ve never been able to do before. The class is very difficult. I actually puked after one class. Perhaps that will give you an idea of how this classes pushes our bodies to the limit. I would never challenge myself to this degree if working out on my own. The leader of the class is an ex-special forces guy. He designs cards (a piece of cardboard) with various exercises on them. He also names the cards. One card is named “Death.” It isn’t fun. A few other card names are “Hell,” “Pain,” and “Dirt Diver.” The objective of dirt diver is to leave the participant face down in the dirt after the workout. You know that you have arrived when you dip for a push-up and you can’t get back up. Just as an aside, I’m not the first or the last person to have lost their previous meal during one of these workouts.

The benefit to all of this working out is that I can now run 3 miles in about 22 minutes. I haven’t done that in years. I hope to get to a fitness point to what I was doing in college. That would be 4 miles in 30 minutes. I also hope to lose another 5 – 10 pounds and add more muscle.

With the onset of Fall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a better selection and the new Fall television shows. Each weekend we have 6 movies, 2 each night from Friday to Sunday. Friday night is usually the best movie and a new release. I did not watch many movies in the late Spring and Summer because not much comes out on DVD from late May through August. Finally, in Sept. we started seeing some better movies come to Taft. A good movie can really help your disposition. The new TV shows have provided a minor distraction during the week. I watch a show called “Chuck” on Monday nights. It makes me laugh. Laughs are not easy to find here. College and pro football have made it easier to get through Sat. and Sun. So, all in all, the days go by much more quickly than they used to during my first three months here. Of course, I still miss my family very much.

I started my marketing and advertising courses through Ohio U. in the past quarter. I probably started them right around the beginning of my second quarter here, in mid-July. The classes have helped fill time, but more importantly, have helped me prepare for my release. Most of what I will need to learn to be successful upon release I will have to learn and pay for on my own like these Ohio U. classes. As a side note, I have not taken a class at Taft that was taught by a staff person. So far, all of the classes offered here have been taught by other inmates. The slogan for the company that manages our camp is “Preparing offenders for reentry.” I find this ironic since the staff here hasn’t done one thing to prepare me for anything. Well, I should clarify, they have forced me to make my bed every morning by 8 am, so that is something that I can use upon release.

The other nice change these last 3 months has been the arrival of a good friend named Doug. We hit it off quickly. He’s a Christian guy who is doing a lot in the church here. It’s helpful to have someone with whom you can laugh or pray. We walk the track together a few nights a week and just share what’s on our minds. It’s nice to be able to trust someone here, and he has been an answer to prayer.

During the past three months I have missed my oldest son, Connor’s, birthday. That was more difficult than I thought it would be. I try to stay connected with him by including a drawing, activity sheet, or magazine picture for him with every letter I write home (that’s 3 a week). I think it works to some extent, but he told me during a visit after his birthday that he didn’t want anymore birthdays until I come home. That broke my heart. If also goes well, I should be able to be at home just in time for his 7th birthday.

I also missed my 7-year anniversary. I am thankful that I have an anniversary to miss. My wife is so supportive and dedicated to me. I’m lucky to have her and God has truly blessed me with Laura. It’s difficult to show love to your family in prison. One of the few ways is simply writing her. I do that as much as I can. I look forward to actually writing her because I know in a small way we are connecting and that our love and friendship is growing even during this separation.

The next three months will probably be the most difficult 3 months I will spend here. Please pray for me and my family as we go through the Holidays apart.

Jeff