Job Woes. So I am not sure if I have mentioned Darnell Biggins to you before. He is the inmate clerk in the mess hall, and in the past has made my life miserable, and made it tough for me to find time to work on the computer once they had taken my personal machine from me.

Today I see him up at the chapel and I happen to mention the $2.00 and change missing from my pay. He says that should not be. I further mention that it appears they have switched my job number, which governs the normal hours I get paid, and the rate. He claims he did not know that it was switched.

It has been going on for over six weeks, and I know he personally fills out the preprinted time sheets with all the hours for each of the 100 plus inmates listed. Since I used to be in a group of six or so inmates listed on their own page, and am now on the regular list with about 65 other inmates, it would be tough to miss.

He is either stupid, or lying to me.

I happened to mention to Ray (Carlton) that I talked to Biggins, and that Biggins said the reason I was still not working was that two staff people did not want me around. One is an officer, the other, one of the civilian cooks. Ray mentions no, it is another one of the officers down there that does not want me there.

Ironically, all of the people mentioned have been there for a while and while I might not be their best friend, I was working with them in the past. The point is that I do not know how much of what Darnell -- oops, so used to staff people calling inmates by their last name -- is saying is possibly the truth, nor what Ray says is the whole story either.

It still amazes me not only that any staff person is willing to look the great gift of my services in the mouth, and how little power John Black, the food service manager has over what goes on in the area he is responsible for.

Are you able to follow any of this, or do you even care? I am not sure how much of this I really want you to write back about, but if you want better (more) detail just ask. I would rather you not mention specific questions just in case your letter does get read on the way in.  ¶ 8:48 AM