"Some memories are safer than reality."
—Supreme Bachchan Vorian Atreides (from Dune: The Battle of Corrosion by Brian Herbert and Kevin C. Anderson)

02-05-15

Dear Readers,

Well, when I last left you, I had just been transfered to El Reno, OK. After over two months, I'm still struggling to fit in.

This place is originally pretty old. The main building in front has "Southwestern U.S. Reformatory" engraved on it, so you can only imagine. How long has it been since they had reformations?

As far as looks go, it's pretty bleak. There are a couple of small trees, but not much else. I now know why the theme song from Oklahoma says, "where the winds comes sweeping down the plain." It is seriously windy here and flat as a pancake. Sometimes, you really have to fight the wind.

It feels colder here than North Carolina, even though it's on the same basic latitude. You see Interstate 40 out of the windows of my unit (an unusual sight in prison), and I-40 starts in North Carolina. I was told you could see that big tornado that went through Okalhoma a few years ago out these same windows. I cannot wait until tornado season!

The staff here are petty and conservative. In the first week, I was searched 600 times more than I was in five months at Butner II just going to and from chow (six times as opposed to once). Plus, it is seriously not in one's favor to be openly gay here. There are extremely few open gays on the compound and then all are conservative looking and acting. I'm the most "out there" homo on the compound BY FAR!

One time, I was having fun and dancing by a support pole. Then I was called to the CO's office and told not to dance by the pole anymore. It soon spread that I was "pole dancing." Not!

After a couple months, I finally got a job here. I'm the new clerk at Hobby Crafts. It mainly involves typing orders for inmates of hobby craft items and maintaining files. There's really not much to do and it sure doesn't pay much. Plus, I'm supposed to stay up here even when I don't have anything to do. Perhaps I'll catch up on my writing, like I am now!

One good thing about this prison is that they have a lot more hobby crafts than at Butner. They have beading and leather crafts here! As soon as I can, I plan to start making jewelry and learn how to make leather purses and such. I hope I can finally support myself since crocheting went nowhere.

Love and blessings,
Kelly