New Neighbors...

01/16/10



Last night yielded no sleep as 25+ inmates were ushered in around 1am. As I my cell is located next to the only door in or out, you can imagine why. My bed no longer feels like I have that 2' mattress between me and the steel slab bed I sleep on.



I saw my face for the first time today in a borrowed mirror. The sleepless nights have taken their toll. That, combined with my psoriasis having gone untreated, have really unleashed hell on my face. Tuesday can't come fast enough...



Interesting encounter today involving one of the newly transferred inmates from last night. Normally I sit adjacent to a disheveled looking white dude who says nothing...ever. Perfect for someone like me who just wants to eat and get out of there. As it is I barely have enough time to eat the portions I want before being told to dump our trays. Since my cell is opened last to line up, I am last to get food, and have less time than most in which to eat in. Anyway, during lunch this older, graying Mexican guy sits down, and then a younger 30 something Mexican fills the four person table. The younger guy strikes me as odd. He has a thousand yard stare about him. I write off the ghostly stare as fatigue from the rumored 12+ hour bus ride into Sheridan. Right before I get up to dump my tray, the dude starts laughing. I assumed someone said something to him Spanish and thought nothing more of it.... until dinner.



Same players, same positions at the table. This time, I am really getting an off vibe from this guy. He is looking through people, not at them, and his maniacl laugh rings out unprovoked immediately upon sitting down, continuing even as he shoved food into his mouth. The older Mexican left the table at the insistence of an inmate who has been here a while, leaving only me and the fore-mentioned white dude with him. Luckily dinner sucked and I left in record time. After dinner, during recreation time (rec) this crazy dude is all that is being talked about by the other inmates, with one common message: keep an eye on this guy, he's not playing with a full deck.



Needless to say, I will be searching for a new seat tomorrow.