New Years - happy new year everyone. I bet my new year was better than yours. 10 minutes into our movie on Saturday night we had an emergency lockdown (around 6pm). The medium prison had a fire (started by inmates) and we were confined to our rooms for the whole night. SOME of the guards felt bad and at least we got an explanation. Super fun.
We have a new head of RDAP. Dr. Kerivan has come from the medium security prison to run RDAP in place of Dr. Wells. She is super cool. I am part of the MAT program.... which is MEDICALLY ASSISTED TREATMENT. I take the Vivitrol shot once a month to help with pain/craving and every 2 weeks I meet with the Dr. to make sure I continue to handle it well (I met with Dr. Wells prior). Anyway, I got to meet with her and talk about my situation/case. Most of the RDAP unit is wary of change which I get (change can be a bit unsteady), but I think she is going to be a breath of fresh air. We will see.
I met with my counselor to get my halfway house location changed to NOR CAL (I would have been sent to San Diego where my case originated). I don’t know how you are supposed to know these things????...I wouldn’t have thought I needed to worry about my halfway house for several months but evidentially the information is inputted almost immediately as my sentence is shorter than most. It’s quite a bit of paperwork so I am grateful this is finished. Had I not had done this I would have started in San Diego (needed to find work) ...then transferred to Sacramento (where I will stay for home confinement and where I have employment already lined up).
Books - Several people have asked about sending me books. I read mostly fiction at this time so if you have a favorite book, please send it. It doesn’t have to be fiction it can be anything. Rt. now I am all over the GRAY MAN books (LOVE THEM). But if it’s a self-help book there is a decent chance, I have read it already.
Probably smart to coordinate with my dad as he knows what I have and have not read. SEND FROM AMAZON - DO NOT MAIL A BOOK YOURSELF IT WILL GET SENT BACK.
Strangest thing I have seen/heard. It was a new level of cold here. There is a half a foot of snow on the ground in perpetuity it seems like. The last thing you expect to see is an inmate buying and planning to use a slip n slide. HA....CMON...A SLIP N SLIDE. Not sure where they will get the hose or where it will be used...but stay tuned there is no way this can’t be a good story.
I had back-to-back nights where the guards searched me in the bathroom (Thursday at 5am right before work and Friday at 3am). Same guards. I listen to music when I am in bed especially if I can’t sleep...which is most nights (still having detoxing effects.... only a problem when trying to sleep) and eventually I sing (I was told this by other inmates). They heard me and were convinced I was talking on the phone.... HA....NO!!!!!.
But here is the funny part. They walk in during silent count (count while people are sleeping 12am, 3am & 5:15am)...people are often in the bathroom.....On Thursday night/morning they came in and asked if I was alone....which I thought was funny so I laughed. I don’t know if the laugh made them angry or they thought I was talking or singing. But when I got out of the bathroom they were hiding around the corner and came into the bathroom stopping me to be searched. They asked what I thought was so funny. I replied.."your question...was I alone?" I thought it was clever. They claimed I was talking prior to them coming in which unless they have superhuman hearing I’m not sure how they would hear
I But then again maybe I was singing...who knows.... anyway, they were convinced I had a phone and searched me and the bathroom for about 10/15 minutes. The second night they were certain again I had a phone. Lots of people in the unit heard the exchange. They searched every inch of the bathroom and me.... which if I’m being honest was a bit worrying since I’m not sure what is in there and I wouldn’t want to take heat for something that wasn’t mine. Anyway, they left frustrated’
DAD COMMENT
iPhones especially are a major problem and issue in prisons. I am not sure how they get in but apparently, they are common. It is really good way to lose good time credits as it is a serious disciplinary offense. Once a phone is seized the corrections staff will look at the phone log and see the numbers that were called. If a number is on an inmate’s phone call list, it is a disciplinary offense even if it is not that inmate’s phone. So, restraint is required to not only not have a phone but not use one if it is offered.
Story
We had our first monthly presentation this past week at RDAP. Every month we must do a 2-hour presentation. It can be on almost anything...it’s not easy keeping 80 RDAPers interested your presentation for 2 hours. Rough crowd. We chose to play Family Feud (attitude Feud) using the 8 attitudes that are important/essential to RDAP (I know this is silly...I’m doing my best). The 8 attitudes are as follows:
1.) Honesty
2.) Objectivity (my favorite)
3.) Open mindedness
4.) Responsibility
5.) Willingness
6.) Caring
7.) Gratitude
8.) Humility (not great at this one)
Not sure If all of you remember the family feud but it requires surveying people to get the top answers, so we did just that. Our group passed out a survey with close to an 80/90 questions to the over 50 inmates in the dorm. We then collected the answers and over a two-week period put together the top three answers for every category. It was a ton of work. Most answers were unacceptable (keep in mind it needs to be PG 13....needs to be appropriate). Hilarious but inappropriate. We set up buzzers (actual buzzers that make noise and light up an X) and a scoreboard and played as close to the game as possible. It was a bit chaotic, but I thought it went well. Funny and entertaining. Although it is hard-to-find questions that Illicit three top answers multiple people get (well ones that aren’t obvious). We only made it through half the questions and responses in 2 hours
ANDREA MESSIMER-HENLEY 2/10/1972 - 12/28/2022
Some of you met Andrea Henley at my birthday a few years back (she flew in from Florida). She was one of my favorite people on earth. She was always happy and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She had most infectious personality and made new friends everywhere she went. She was of the most well-known names in the Outdoor industry, something she worked very hard to become. I am truly sorry to have lost my friend. I have lost two people that were very important to me this past year (Scott Christensen & Andrea). I know I’m getting older, and this is more common, but it still hurts. It’s the first time I have felt the sting of being in prison and not being able to deal with a situation the way I would want to. Her beautiful daughter Emma was the most important thing in her life, and I bummed she will not get to see her grow up. Andrea did not know about my arrest. The week before she died, she tried to call and text me and another friend Andy also was trying to contact me. I think they communicated worried about why I had disappeared (they both worked in the outdoor advertising industry). Dad has my phone and we tried to figure out how to tell her and Andy. Dad contacted Andy and sent a text to Andrea asking her to phone him. He sent the text the day Andrea died. The Obit stated she died after a short illness, but I don’t know what happened. I am very sad. (So, is Dad).
Hug everyone you love!!! Miss everyone
Andrea
Scott Christensen
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