Gain time

It seems like it’s just about impossible to get all your gain time in prison and make your earliest release date. I try so hard to stay to myself (except for a few people who try to do the same thing) and do what I have to do to make my earliest release date.

Right now I have about three weeks worth of gain time when I should have about twice that. I can’t really complain though.Three weeks is better than nothing and at least I’m not maxing my time out.

There’s a lot of people in her that don’t care about getting gain time. It seems like they don’t want to get out any sooner than they have to. Most people will tell you, “Hey, they can’t hold me in here forever.” Yea well, they can’t hold me forever either, but if I can get out earlier than my current release date, than I will.

Unlike most people that just don’t care, I want my gain time. I have people that love me on the outside and I want to be with them more than anything. I’ll do whatever I’m supposed to do to see them as soon as possible.

Inmates earn a certain number of days off for good behavior each month they stay out of trouble. That means, no write-ups or infractions of any kind. Ted has received five write-ups since he’s been at Lancaster work camp. One for having a piece of paper under his bed, one for sitting on someone else’s bed, one for leaving a pair of his pants on his bed while he went to sleep, one for someone else leaving loose tobacco on his bed, and one for not having his shoes tied.

Frozen in time

I don’t see how people can do 5, 10, 20 years in prison and not hate life. I only got two years and it seems like it’ll never end. Sometimes it feels like time is flying by, but if I sit and think about it, it seems like it’s dragging on. Days seem to go by quick, but months seem to never end. I really don’t understand how people deal with the fact that they’re not getting out any time soon.

As for me, I know I don’t have that much time left and I feel like I’m going mad. Even though I have plenty of things to keep my days occupied, it seems like I can’t pass enough time. I try so hard not to think about it, but it’s hard not to. I know it’s only a small fraction of my life that I’m spending in prison, but it still feels like forever.

If you ever want to have the feeling that time is frozen, spend some time in prison. Well, at least try to imagine it. Don’t actually come here. Besides the time, there are a million reasons why prison sucks. Time dragging by is only one reason.

Time

I keep telling myself I only have eight more months, but sometimes it seems like it’s never going to get here.

At other times, it seems like time is flying, but the pages of my calendar don’t turn over fast enough.

I heard a lot of people ask me how much time I had. I’d tell them I got 24 months, but I have about eight months left. And then they’d say, “Oh you’re practically home.” Sure it makes me feel good to hear that, but I don’t feel close to going home.

Hey, I guess it could be worse. I could have 4 – 5 years to do or 15 – Life. At least I’ll be home next year. Sure it’s not that soon, but it’s not that long either.