Mixed Up Mail. I can see clearly now, the mail has come. I now see why portions of your letter did not make sense! I received it last Thursday, and in Friday's mail call I received two letters which were written earlier.

The two envelopes both had only the local bar code on them, so I am not sure why they arrived here after your more recent letter. Certainly your one should have reached me at Downstate by Friday or the Monday before I left, but who knows.

Obviously the delay of the Tuesday letter was unfortunate and would have done wonders for my sprit had I received it last week while still at Downstate, the fact that I did receive the books and postcard before I moved notwithstanding.

I had one pen from Downstate and it disappeared from this afternoon's New York Times reading session from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

It is now 4:30 PM and dinner is done, so I have the rest of the night free. One count is coming up at 5:45 PM but that is it.

I am not sure if I will watch any TV tonight, but I should really work on my writing. I have a pile full of NY Times articles to deal with.

Speaking of the NY Times, I trust you saw the article on Lance Armstrong possibly trying to break the one hour distance record.

But OK, enough preamble - about your letter.

As previously noted, this letter surpassed unacceptable and traveled into WTF! They would have given me any mail on Monday even though I was packed out. I did not leave till Tuesday morning.

So why the letter did not arrive at Downstate till Tuesday is truly a puzzle. The fact that your more recent letter arrived here before this one is a further puzzle. The envelope did have double bar codes. OK, that is the receiving story!

Yes, I am terribly insecure and panic easily when I do not hear from you. The last few weeks have been extra stressful due to the lack of any support or comfort items available to me in the past. No therapist, no phone calls, Mom and Dad among the missing for several weeks, the denial of my appeal, and then silence from you.

OK, I know you are always there for me in spirit. I offer no defense and will try to be less whiny in the future. I guess that once I get some things settled here, my emotional state will improve. So enough about that.

Damn, as I write this I hear a typewriter click-clacking in the distance. Well, soon enough I too will have one!

I now have open access to phones. Unfortunately, it is only a collect-call system. I do not have your number on my list at this point. I think that the system charges an upfront fee of $3.50 or so, and then 23¢ per minute! Whether this would apply to your cell phone or not, I do not know. Obviously this system would prevent me from calling your work number.

Hang on - let me check with someone who might know about phones, i.e. a fellow inmate. Staff here is useless in terms of information of any importance.

OK, I checked with someone who regularly calls Long Island, NY, and he said it is about $7.80 for thirty minutes. That is the time limit for a phone call.

But I can place the call basically any time between 9:00 AM and 10:30 PM. There is a count each evening at 5:45 PM and 9:45 PM when being on the phone would be interrupted, but that is the story.  ¶ 8:28 AM