Cash shortage. I have asked Mom and Dad for an extra $30 to help mail out the books and legal stuff I need to save, and if they would include an extra $50 for October and November. I was making $88 at Rec. I ended up working till the end of the pay period that will be posted to my account this month. I will really miss the money next month.

Do you understand that 100% of my money is spent on maintaining my three meals a day and the soap, shampoo, etc. that I have to buy? True, they serve three meals a day here, but they are so lacking in protein and are all fat and carbohydrates. So I try to avoid eating in the chow hall. I have started hitting the breakfast and lunch to begin to stretch my remaining funds.

But I can already feel the difference. Today for example, lunch was baked chicken and I chopped it up with lettuce and made a "salad". The salad was strictly iceberg lettuce with some carrot shavings and cucumber slices! I spent the afternoon feeling like I had sucked down a pint of 10W30 motor oil!

Besides the health issue, there is the psychological issue. What is the cost? So am I being selfish by not paying $3.45 for a phone call? That is three cans of tuna or mackerel, one six-pack of Diet Coke, and a bag of rice.

Also, I find the phone calls are good and bad. As you know, it is hard to have any kind of discussion in fifteen minutes. But we are only talking about the next few weeks since in the county jail it is all collect calls and there is no option for privacy. But that is another story.

I have been walking every day at the dinner hour. I do between twelve to sixteen laps at .39 of mile per lap. The first ten or so are at a 5:15 per lap clip. This means I miss dinner. This is the most constant time for me to walk the track.

So, by going to breakfast and lunch, I am left with needing one meal a day. I am working on kicking down my five to seven six-packs per week Diet Coke habit. Tonight I had a twenty ounce lukewarm tea with no sugar and have enjoyed the poor man's Gatorade (water) also.
  ¶ 10:34 AM