Meal Economics. I have decided to type on the bed now. I can fit the typewriter on the six inch wide shelf at the head of the bed. Now if I could just find a place to put several feet of legs.

I just gave out four pieces of carbon paper to the alleged inmate law clerk. I say "alleged" because he is still going to the GED classes. He uses the law library typewriter which never has any ribbons and a little memory, but no LCD screen. Carbon paper is the only way to get any output from that machine. It is getting a little out of hand in terms of me giving things to other inmates.

Tom now has one of the higher paying jobs, and they only take twenty percent of his wages to go toward the fines he owes. He ends up with slightly over $9.00 each commissary. Bill by way of comparison only had $2.80 available to spend.

Since they are getting up to six meals every two weeks from me, we all agreed last commissary that they would buy a box of rice each, four servings, to cover the four bean meals. This past period, Tom used two bags of rice for a meal with some other inmates.

Last night, Bill still had one bag of rice left and Tom was out. I ask Tom if he wanted just the beans since he no more rice. He said yes, just give him the beans. Well I realized one bag of rice is not all that big a deal, so I kick in a bag for him.

When it came time to fill in the commissary sheet tonight I asked Tom if he was getting a box of rice. He said he owed all his money out. The point is he borrows bags of chips etc. and ends up having to pay this all back.

Bill actually asked if there was anything else he should buy. He only has the $2.80 and he values me providing the meals. Tom did end up telling me he got me the box of rice. I guess he does not get it: the rice is not for me, it is for him. I even mentioned to him that if he wanted to use a ramen noodle package instead of the rice that was okay with me. The jailhouse name for the ramen noodles is "crack head soup" and they sell here for only ten cents a pack, so it would be half the cost of rice.

I know my parents would probably laugh at me and tell me, "See that is what we feel like, giving you money!" Part of the problem is that I can only spend $55.00 each commissary, not including stamps, and it does add up fast. I need to buy another $9.70 of stamps this week.

I need to proof and print a two page letter I entered yesterday to Mom and Dad and then get these three pages in the mail to you so for now that is all. [Time does fly, 9:40 PM and I am ready to print this last page.]  ¶ 5:47 PM