Reply ID: e2xj

Dear Rita, 10-17-22

Howdy! It's so good to hear from you! I got your last letter in the mail and I'm working on catching up on writing back.
I'm glad to hear you got some rain. Hopefully there won't be any more major fires in Europe. Yeah! I'm so happy to hear your paintings were chosen! That's wonderful! I like your artwork, too. I've never been much of an artist myself.
So, as I understand it, you'll be able to have your own solo art show next year? That's great! Do you have any of your art showing in galleries now? I'm also happy to hear your friend Joshua will be released soon. I'm always glad for people who are getting out. Hopefully he can continue working on his art and the two of you can stay in touch. It's also great that he'll be able to get a job as a certified optician. You would think federal prison's would offer more opportunities like that, but they don't.
My job in the kitchen isn't too bad. I don't come in until 3:00 pm and we usually get off at 6:30-7:00 pm (I'm only part-time). For the most part, I just wipe tables and get to walk around and visit with various friends - that part I enjoy.
Since you asked, I received this in the mail on Oct. 6. For some reason I got a second (duplicate) the following week which was a copy of the original (since they copy all our mail).
Sorry you're not having any luck on the dating site. I've pretty much given up on love and feel like I'll spend the rest of my life alone. I'm not cute anymore and I've got way too much baggage.
I'm glad to hear that your eyes are better now. I will be so glad when I get out of here and can get contacts again instead of glasses.
I'm also glad to hear you're still taking classes and staying active! Good for you!!
Yes, I was very saddened and surprised at the death of Queen Elizabeth. I though she'd live long. (If anyone from the UK is reading this, my heart goes out to you).
Even though it's sad, it's also exciting to have a new King Charles III on the [throne] for the first time in my life! I wish him the best and hope his monarchy is very successful. I have so many books on their history!
Much love + hugs to you Rita!!

Love, ______.

Sun, 10/09/22 10:30A
Howdy. Once again I'm going through a rough time.
This past Wed. was my b-day, and it was much more depressing and stressful than usual. I'm still on that goddamn _____ after six months, so I couldn't buy anything for myself. I did manage to beg + borrow (not steal) several chocolate-related snacks and ate myself sick, which was the only bright side. However, I was still sore and very stressed (and still am) due to a violent I had with my latest cellie the day before.
My previous cellie, Jeff, the druggie-loser, ended up in the Hole in Sept. 14 after getting slapped in the day room by his even bigger druggie-loser fiend over one dollar which Webb (the friend) decided Jeff owed him at the last minute. Everyone warned Jeff not to hang out with Webb, but Jeff is extremely stupid.
I was still moving stuff around after the CO packed Jeff's stuff when the former "#1" and my former co-worker, Tony, who had just been released form the Hole, told me that the counselor had put him in my cell. ("#1" in the Dishroom)
Fucking great. I couldn't stand Tony when I had to work with him and now I'm forced to live with this douchebag.
Tony is a two-faced liar, hypocrite, and a coward, among other things. What is pertinent to what happened on the 4th, practically every day he would come in the cell and go on and on about how much he hated this place 'cause staff can get away with anything they want because everyone here is too afraid to stand up to them and do something about it.
Well... this past Mon., the 3rd, a Lieutenant locked Tony in a cage in the Hole from about 5p to 8:30 p for no reason, when Tony hadn't done anything wrong. (The details aren't important right now). When he got back to the unit, everyone told him that he needed to file a complaint against the Lt. His first reply to me was that he was afraid of what they'd do to him if he filed a complaint - which he quickly changed to "it doesn't do any good."
Fucking hypocrite coward. The next day, Tues., I told two other guys in the unit what he said. They both called him a hypocrite, and one of them called him out for it at lunch. Well... he immediately comes to the cells and starts screaming at the top of his lungs, accusing me of calling him a hypocrite (which I didn't) and of talking about him behind his back (I only told the truth about what actually happened. He had repeatedly called one guy here "gay" behind his back, but quickly recanted when the guy confronted him about it).
After the screaming, he said that since he was assigned to the bottom bunk, (where I slept), then he was taking it. He then proceeded to rip my mattress off and the various clothes, books, and papers underneath (there's not much storage space in a locker).
Rather than just stand there, I started grabbing stuff and putting it back. Now, Tony weighs at least 100 lbs. more than I do, and he started shoving me around 'cause he's also a bully on top of being a slimeball. I ended up with my left knee being messed up so that I limped for a few days, my right knee was scraped from being pushed onto the floor, and my sternum is bruised somehow so it hurts to cough or breathe deeply.
Even after the other guys said that they were the ones to call him a hypocrite (and that he was), he still refused to apologize and said he was keeping the bottom bunk since, he claimed, he had been assigned to it.
Well... it just so happens that he was on the "callout" sheet (list of appointments) that night - which is rare 'cause callouts are few and far between, and also lucky for me. Because.. the callout has your bunk assignment and he is listed as being assigned the upper bunk.
Fucking slimeball.
So I got roughed up by yet another cellie and had all my property on my bunk thrown on the floor when he's not even supposed to be on the bottom bunk. And everything I said was the absolute truth. I really hate this motherfucker.
Someone tried to help me get rid of him by offering to switch cellies in a couple of different combos, but no one will take Tony as a cellie 'cause he's such a piece of shit.
I was, however, able to get the bottom bunk back the next day (my b-day), after I pointed out that I am assigned the bottom bunk and not him. I still hate this piece of shit and want him out of this cell.

Fri. 10/14/22 3:50p
Hey y'all. I'm back at work in the kitchen after a long absence. Yesterday was my fist day back.