g42b
10-8-18

Dear DeeVoted,

First & foremost, don't ever think for one second that your questions or comments are not good enough for me to take the time to respond to. Many times these things just take a while. I'm not sure exactly what date you sent your first message, but I received it in the mail on 8-22-18. Then it took me 7 days to put my reply in the mailbox. I'll admit, I can't just come up with a letter in one day. On top of that, I was having to question some guys about special diets, and waiting for another guy who told me he could get me a copy of the menu. Then, when he wasn't coming through, I thought to myself that maybe I would just leave that section out and see if you were ever even going to write back anyway. I've had that happen a number of times, where someone who sounds like they want to keep in touch never even answers my first reply letter. That's why you'll notice I haven't answered a few of the people who sent me messages; to me it appears that they just wanted to leave a friendly comment and not be bothered.

So I answered you on 8-29-18, but it didn't reach your screen until 9-12-18. (Take into consideration they have over 2,000 prisoners to deal with this in this program). So as we see, there is going to be a substantial amount of time between our messages. (+/- 20 days). However, you can always expect a voila. :-)

Well, the month of September was a bit of a busy one. On the 1st, we received the computer tablets we ordered. So I have had to do a bunch of learning as to how these things operate. It offers all kinds of interesting features, except the Internet. I CAN send & receive e-mails though. Then there was the hectic completing of classes, which brought about the graduation ceremony on the 21st. On the 22nd my folks & brother came to see me. (I don't know. I think they love me or something. Go figure.) Then on the 23rd I had to turn 49. Happy birthday to you too! How old did you turn? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Then on the 26th I got moved into a different dorm, due to graduating. And throughout all of these events, I have been busy designing & drawing a special style of maze for the psych doctor here. It is designed in accordance with the live cat/dead cat experiment (1935) by Erwin Schrodinger regarding quantum mechanics. He's going to make a bunch of copies so he can conduct an experiment of his own.

Believe it or not, I was very disappointed in your answer regarding

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course brings about the question, why have I lost 10 pounds? I was getting some regular check up thing about 2 or 3 weeks ago & was told to get on the scale. Your guess is as good as mine. While in prison, my weight has fluctuated between 130 and 155. It depends mostly upon location.

I'm glad you appreciate my humorous side. I am a true believer in laughter is the best medicine. So much so that I have a special manilla envelope that is full of all kinds of jokes, amusing short stories, funny pictures, things I've found from God knows where, and things that other guys have received from their families & were actually going to throw them away. :-( Here's an example of one: It's a picture of some silly looking cartoon lady with the quote underneath, "I got a new stick deodorant today. The instructions said: Remove cap and push up bottom. I can barely walk, but whenever I fart, the room smells lovely." (Ha ha) Or how about this message? And God promised Man that good & obedient wives would be found in all corners of the world. Then he made the Earth round... and laughed and laughed and laughed... I don't know, maybe I just haven't grown up yet.

Good luck on the mazes. (There are 2 of them) They aren't as difficult as they appear to be. So just relax.

Okay, now to finally answer your question regarding prison diets. There are numerous diets available to us, not only for health related issues, but for religious ones as well. I have not been able to find a partaker of each kind, but I'm sure their titles will give you a roundabout idea as to their purpose. The 2 weeks of menu I sent with this message are from the 3000 calorie diet, shared by the vast majority of the prison system. We go in 4 week cycles, but seeing 2 of them will pretty much cover everything. If you take a look at the bottom of each day, you'll see the alternative I spoke of before. Basically, if you ask for an alternate tray you get what's at the bottom in place of the regular tray's entree. (Ex. peanut butter sandwich in place of chicken/shredded cheese in place of sausage).

The next closest thing seems to be the 2600 Diabetic Diet. This is pretty much the same thing, but apple sauce takes the place of the desserts. Also, they get a peanut butter sandwich to take back to the dorm with their meal.

The most interesting is the RDP diet. (Religious Diet Program) It is mainly wrapped around the whole concept of trying to be as kosher as possible while here in prison. Granted, you don't have a priest serving the meals, but everything is served in separate Styrofoam cups with lids & sandwich bags. Then it's put in a brown paper bag along with a paper plate. The entree is a pack of sardines, mackerel, or peanut butter. (Like they sell in the canteen). Then your side dishes are beans, cabbage, bread, carrot coins, and tomatoes, along with little packs of jelly or crackers. (Depending on what day it is). At first it can look a bit enticing. However, after seeing those same 3 meals throughout the weeks, I would think it would get a bit monotonous.

The rest that I've only heard of are: low sodium, protein, and fat intolerant. So I'm sure your question of lactose intolerance would be covered.

Well, I suppose I should let you go for a while (+/- 20 days). Be sure to keep yourself busy with different things (except a different blog to visit), and I will be highly anticipating your next message.

Eric

P.S. I would just like to apologize for my sloppy handwriting. My good pen ran out of ink while doing the doctor's maze, and the dorm I'm in now is missing the nice desk I had. I've got some other good excuses too, but let's just go with those 2 for right now.

Bye