01 Dec 06

Winter

On 90·5 KUAT-FM: Clear skies. Expect a low of 25 to 30 degrees. Highs in the upper 50s. Watch out for blowing dust this evening. There’s a possibility of winds gusting at 40 miles per hour according to the National Weather Service.

The cold weather sent the harvester ants underground. Some ravens invaded the turf of the pigeons that beg for bread by the chow hall. Coyotes are taking advantage of the darker mornings to extend their hunting hours. Throughout the night their yelps and howls sound like the cries of ghosts. Our outdoor walls are adorned with stink bugs.

Prefering the warmth of the control room, the guards are seldom seen walking the yard.

The swamp cooler was switched off, and hot air is flowing. The conversion caused what had gathered in the heater over the year to be suddenly blown into my cell. I was directly below the vent reading when the cloud of dust, bug parts, and pollen descended.

For Christmas, Keefe Commissary Network extended it's junk offerings to prisoners: Ferrara Pan Atomic Fire Balls, Tootsie Frooties etc.

On the radio: ‘What’s this?’ ‘Open it.’ ‘Oh, Jack, it’s beautiful!’ ‘And it’s a perfect match.’ Moments that sparkle brought to you by Helzberg Diamonds….Zia Records is the place to go this year for all your gift-giving needs…Toole…Dave Mathews Band…Foo Fighters….Safeway even has Blockbuster, and Barnes & Noble gift cards…and bananas, three pounds for ninety-nine cents….Santasgotgaming.com….Santa tried reaching up a neighbour’s blouse after drinking all the eggnog….camera phones, Bluetooth phones…get the Nokia Megapixel Slide Phone only at Cricket….bad boys get from Santa Claus a flaming bag of reindeer poo….iPods…Sony Playstation Portable…Dual Screen and Wii by Nintendo…Microsoft Xbox 360…digital SLR cameras…flat-panel TVs, plasma TVs, LCD-TVs, DVDs, MP3s, CDs….

At night, I sleep under two blankets with holes in them and a sheet. I had more blankets but they were deemed contraband and confiscated.

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Copyright © 2006-2007 Shaun P. Attwood