If you think airline food is the worst, you haven't had prison food. As I mentioned earlier, I love pipe organ music and am listening to Pipe Dreams now as I write this. I went out earlier for my daily exercise walk with some short jogs added just this week to further punish the old bod. I came back to my humble room, took a nice hot shower (yes, we do have individual shower stalls), and made dinner.

When I worked in the kitchen several years ago, in both the bakery and warehouse areas, I learned that "they" do not want to do things correctly. The #1 objective of most of the inmate workers is to see how much vegetables and pizza crust (baked in bakery overnight) can be smuggled out. So going in and getting an overcooked, dried-out slice of pork roast that I know for a fact started out as a perfectly good "raw" product is depressing. Anyhow, if I do not eat in the chow hall it’s one less thing to whine over and complain about how come we feed ourselves such garbage.

So I have found it much healthier emotionally, physically, and intellectually to prepare my own food. I have always had a hearty appetite and the meals here are very low-protein high-starch type. I always leave chow hall hungry.

We have a large ice machine and three microwave ovens to cook with. Mom and Dad send me some money each month so I am able to keep myself in healthier food and also some treats. Tonight for dinner I mixed up some refried beans (they come dried pellet-like, just add water), fresh-chopped garlic, Mrs. Dash, a little "squeeze cheese", and a 3 oz. can of chicken. To wash it down, I had a can of Coke on the rocks.

I try to stay away from the fats, so I only get pepperoni once every couple of weeks and no chips etc. I get the plain fat-free pretzels to munch on, and the microwave popcorn. But I sometimes treat myself to a pint of ice cream, which obviously you have to eat right away. They used to sell chocolate chocolate-chip Hagen-Dazs and that was deadly to both the pocketbook and the waistline. The current choices are the store-brand type and not as good as Hagen-Dazs or even Breyers but also half the calories of Hagen-Dazs or Breyers.

I know, tough life. I am in prison.  ¶ 9:44 AM