"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protect." -Elie Wiesel

Dear Readers, Sat. 04/24/21
5:41p
Howdy y'all! I'm locked in my cell as usual listening to "UK Megamix" by Samantha Fox on C3PO.
Before I go any further, I want to apologize to the late, great Dorothy Parker whom I believe I misquoted in a previous post several months ago. I believe the correct quote is, "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think." My sincere apologies to the spirit of Dorothy Parker, whose wit I greatly admire and whom I wish I could have met.
I recently finished reading "The Brothers Karamayor" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Turn your nose p at me if you will, but I have a really hard time understanding why some books are considered "classics" or "great works of literature." Dostoyevsky includes pages and pages and pages of philosophical rants - usually about the Church - which have absolutely nothing to do with the story. One of these rants in one paragraph which lasts for nine pages. There's also 45 pages devoted to the life and teachings of a minor character. Any editor worth his salt would have cut a few hundred pages out of that book. Ugh.
I much prefer my current read, "American Dads" by Neil Gaimon (the 10th Anniversary Edition, which has some changes from the original). This is my third time reading "American Dds" (the first for the 10th Anniversary Edition), and I highly recommend it. I wish I could see the TV series.
Now for the latest news:
When we last left our hero (that would be me), his unit was under full lockdown/quarantine (as opposed to a moderated lockdown/quarantine) after guys in his unit tested positive for COVID.
I may have mentioned this, but I'm not sure if they're doing a COVID quarantined for 10 or 21 days. I'm inclined to believe they lowered it from 21 to 10 days, and then if the guys test OK after 10 days, they clear it.
Well... on April 17th, one guy complained of symptoms and he tested positive, so the whole thing started over again. This guy was Seth's cellie. I don't think I've mentioned Seth before, but he is absolutely FINE. Seth didn't test positive, but was put in a separate cell due to "exposure." Everyone was pissed off at his cellie - some new guy - for screwing us over and getting our time started over. Unless you've got serious complications - which he didn't - medical won't do anything but tell you to get plenty of rest & drink fluids. So, reporting it only causes problems for the rest of us (and it was believed that he had been sick since the 7th when the full quarantine started).
On April 20th (Happy 4/20 Day!), the CO took the signs down from the cells of the guys who first tested positive. I'm assuming that on Monday the guys were retested and were OK, then cleared on Tues. That's why I think it's 10 days & not 21.
Then... on April 21st, the older guy in one of the 4-man cells went to sick call & he tested positive. (Kill me now!) They tested his three cellies and one other tested positive & the rest were kept separate due to "Exposure."
What's weird about the cellie who also tested positive, ("Ghost"), is that he was in the first "priority" group that got both their shots back in March. Huh? If he was fully vaccinated then how the hell did he test positive? Surely it wasn't caused by the vaccine or a bunch of people out there who've been vaccinated would also test positive.
I don't get it.
Anyway, the full quarantine started all over yet again. Fucking awesome. If no one else tests positive, this will last all through next week, and if everyone's OK the following Monday, we will hopefully be done with this on Tues. the 4th.
I certainly hope so.
On the 22nd the asshole unit manager decreed that we couldn't ask the orderlies to pass stuff, which means we can't charge our MP3s, we can't use the computer to revalidate them, so mine will die in six days, no ice/hot water - nothing. They bring a phone around once a week (which they wipe down after use) and that's it. Otherwise we get showers three times per week.
This shit really sucks.
It had been over a year and we were finally getting vaccines and making progress and that's when my unit finally gets positive COVID cases. Ugh.

Mon. 5/3/21 11:42A

Hey y'all! I'm still locked down due to this damn quarantine.
C3P0 is dead. We are not allowed to charge or revalidate our MP3s which is bullshit. Unless you have the $62 for one of their cheap-ass wind-up radios that often break down, then you're screwed.
I finally got a shower today after 3 days of not showering. Not pretty. My beauty routine is going to hell!
I hate to make everything a big issue, but these conditions just aren't right. And by keeping the guys who are infected with COVID in the same unit instead of moving them to the "quarantine unit," it just seems to make things worse.
Please, please feel free to complain to your Congressmembers about this. Inmates should receive at least one extra day off their sentence for each day under this lockdown/quarantine.
And please mention the decisions of Warden Andrews whose policies punish those who aren't sick and those who are.
The night I last wrote, on the 21st yet another guy tested positive for COVID. He was on the top tier and was moved some days prior to a cell on the bottom - actually, it was my old cell, #12. That is in the same vent as the cell where the guy tested positive on the 17th - Seth's old cell.
I don't know if this guy, Aaron, had it before he moved on if it's possible he got it through the vent.
I got my 2nd vaccine on the 28th - three weeks after the first. I believe the first group got theirs a few days after three weeks exactly.
This time I stood up, and when that bitch nurse shot me this time - since he is a bit shorter than I - it was much lower in my shoulder and didn't hurt anywhere near what the first one did. I had no problem sleeping that night.
There's a rumor going around on INMATE.com (and put out by the orderlies), that they're supposed to come around today & give everyone who wants one the Moderna vaccine. And, those who don't get one will be moved out, I guess to a non-vaccine unit.
Now, I had the Pfizer vaccine, & I heard there were guys opposed to the Moderna vaccine for some reason - something like religious reasons for how it's made. I don't know anything about that & it's coming from Nick, so who knows?
So far no one's shown up, but I wouldn't expect them till later anyway. We shall see... who knows if any of it's true.

Thurs. 5/6/21 7:35p

Still no music. Really sucks. I sent C3P0 off to get charged "in a mysterious way," but haven't gotten him back yet. I still can't revalidate it on the computer when I do get it back.
I see on my lunar calendar that I got from Lunar Press, that we're coming up on the dark of the Moon. I usually hang different jewelry I have from a hook above the calendar depending on which quarter it is. (THELUNARPRESS.COM)
I have my usual "dark of the Moon" stuff up plus my elephant pendant (which I use to represent the God Ganesha) up right now.
Medical staff came on Tues., the 4th, and gave out the Moderna shots. Nick got his. The CO said that only six guys refused and he didn't know if they were going to be moved or just put in separate designated quarantine cells. They, the CO and Unit Mgr., came around on Tues. and told everyone they would be moved if they didn't get the vaccine.
Today, someone from Medical came around and took the last "quarantine" sign down from the last cell. The word is that we'll remain on full quarantine for another week - the whole 21 days - before we're let off.
Wonderful. It's been a month now & this crap is getting old.

I would like to thank the following free books for prisoners groups around the country who have sent me books not only during this pandemic, but for many years.
Please support them in any way you can. Many of them accept used books!

- ROGUE LIBERATION LIBRARY
ASHLAND, OR HTTPS://PEACEHOUSE.NET/RLL/

- PRISON LITERATURE PROJECT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA WWW.PRISONLIT.ORG

- NYC BOOKS THROUGH BARS
NYC, NY WWW.BOOKSTHROUGHBARSNYC.ORG

- DC BOOKS TO PRISONERS
WASHINGTON, DC DCBOOKSTOPRISONERS.ORG

- PRISON BOOK PROGRAM
QUINCY, MA PRISONBOOKPROGRAM.ORG

- LGBT BOOKS TO PRISONERS
MADISON, WI LGBTBOOKSTOPRISONERS.ORG

- BOOKS THROUGH BARS
PHILADELPHIA, PA BOOKSTHROUGHBARS.ORG

- BOOKS TO PRISONERS (SEATTLE)
SEATTLE, WA BOOKSTOPRISONERS.NET

Until next time, I wish you...

Love & Blessings,
Kelly