July 14th 2013

Hello again and welcome back.

I guess I'm going to start this journal with telling you a little about myself and about where I am at right now. I am hoping to shed some light on myself so you can get to know me as a person. I also hope to shed light on what really goes on in prison, for those of you that are interested in this.

I can't tell you what I'll put into my posts other than my thoughts, hopes, dreams, wishes, and the struggle I face in this place and in life. Everything I write will be my own thoughts or feelings, or what I'm thinking about. Any comments you have, and/or questions, please feel free to voice them. I will respond to all. You can either leave a response on here or write me personally, either way I am just grateful you read my post and decided to let me know it.

So let me begin with me, myself and I...

I've already mentioned I'm 36. My birthday is February 5th 1977... Yep, I'm an Aquarius, with light blue eyes, brown hair and a medium build. I was born in Sacramento, California (shout out to all the Kings fans) and lived there 'til I was 10 1/2, which is when I was moved to Louisiana.

I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books, writing letters, meet new individuals from all over the world, travelling, fishing,cars, playing chess... and eating. I love to learn new things. One of my philosophies in life is: knowledge is power, but you never know what or when you need it, so learn all you can.

I'm easy going and enjoy sharing a laugh with others. I guess you could say I am a carefree, happy go lucky type guy. I keep an open mind about things and try to see from another person's perspective. I don't judge, 'cause who am I to tell someone else how to live their life? I also hate to see someone else sad. If I do, I try to lift their spirits with an uplifting word and/or joke.

There's some about me... but stay tuned, 'cause that's only a small taste. You'll find out more and more as we go along. Now I'm going to try to describe where I am at right now.

Right now, I'm confined to Administration Segregation. Simply put, I am in a single cell 23 hours a day, or more. When I'm allowed out of my cell, either for recreation, shower, medical or whatever, I must be handcuffed (or shackled hands and feet, if I'm leaving the building) behind my back. The only interaction I'm allowed to have with other inmates is to holler at them. All our meals are delivered to us in our cell, thru a slot in the cell door, that is secured by a bolt. They bring our clothes (1 towel, 2 boxers, 2 socks, 1 jumper) to us three times a week. In order to receive fresh clothing, we must turn in the old, one-for-one.

We live in pods that have 84 cells per pod. Each pod is divided into 6 sections of 14 cells. Each section has 2 showers and 1 dayroom, which is right in front of the cells. The 14 cells in each section are split into 2 rows of 7 cells each.

Each cell is approximately 10 feet long and 7 feet wide. Inside each cell there's a steel bunk (with a storage locker underneath), a steel sink/toilet combo, and a table attached to the wall. There is also a light and an A/C and exhaust vent. On the back wall of each cell, recessed into the wall, is a small window.

Each pod also has 4 recreation sections with bars, so that 4 inmates can go outside without being able to physically touch. Outside, they provide us with 4 basketballs, 4 goals (one on each side of the bars) and a pullup bar.

This is where I live. If you're curious and want more details, please ask.

These types of housing units are for aggressive, assaultive inmates and/or gang members. Unfortunately, when I was down from '99 to '04, I was very angry and assaultive. Then they classified me as a gang member. I am not nor never was a gang member. These types of housing are basically to control inmates.

Everything we need, our food, medication, clothes, packages, and commissary is brought to our cells. Basically, we are stuck in one place all day every day. That's why I'm glad that I developed a great imagination when I was younger. Sometimes I think my imagination is the only thing keeping me sane (then again, who is sane :) ). I use my mind every day to escape this place. Either it's through books I'm reading or have already read, or by thinking about what I might be doing if I was on the other side of the fence. It doesn't take much to get the wheels turning, either.

Whenever I look outside, I get to thinking a hundred miles a minute. Like today, I woke up to watch the ladies come to work. After I seen the ones I like, I laid back down and thought about what I'd be doing if it was me. I thought about what my first meal would be if I was released today.

I want a home cooked meal of deep fried chicken, mashed potatoes with country gravy with mushrooms, 2 ears of corn, 2 fluffy biscuits, deep fried (real crunchy) okra, some tater tots and a big glass of milk. For dessert, I want a big slice of pecan pie with butter pecan ice cream and chocolate syrup on top. Now that's a meal!!

I can tell you though, my friend, even though they say fast food's bad for you, I am sure what they feed us here is worse. Yet, according to them, it's good for you. Then again, most of the officers eat what they bring or they get better prepared food. Whereas the inmates get food pigs and dogs wouldn't eat. Go figure.

I know, I know, this isn't a vacation. I understand that. But the food they serve most of the time is worse than what you'd feed your dogs.

Okay, I've ranted long enough. I'm going to go ahead and close this post. I guess I had more to say on this subject than I thought. I'll try to touch on different issues throughout my posts for now on. And don't forget, your input will help me write about more things you're interested in. So don't be shy or hesitate about writing what's on your mind.

I also like jokes and riddles, puzzles,and poems. If you know any good ones, please share them. I could use some good laughs.

Until next time, my friend, keep your head up, a smile on your face and don't be a stranger.

Sincerely yours

Bobby