Message from Casey

[Uncle Don]

Veteran's day Eve

Hey Everyone,

Well it's been a fun week as always here at Coleman Federal Prison. The entire week has been a holiday week starting on Tuesday. Apparently Veterans Day Eve is a recognized holiday so we all had fun holiday events.

Earlier in the week both of my cellies (prison talk for roommates) moved out. As luck would have it (Veterans Day Week remember) all of the staff took the week off. This means for the entire week I have had a one man cell! This is very rare in the overcrowded prison system. I have also been put on a bottom bunk which is nice.

Also this week I had all of my yarn kidnapped by the yarn police. While I was at school one of the officers decided that I didn't have my permit in the right location. As a punishment he confiscated 25 yarn spools. It took me all week and a bunch of drama to get it back, but I finally did. Considering how things could have turned out I'm pretty lucky. One time a guy had some drum sticks in his locker that he ordered through the music department. During a search the officers found them and wrote him up for having 'weapons' in his locker. The write up stuck and he was punished for complying with their regulations. In the federal government one hand rarely knows what the other is doing. We have two terms coined to explain this. One is 'BOP' which stands for Backwards On Purpose. The other is CIGOL, which means logic as applied to federal employees (incase you haven't noticed CIGAL is LOGIC spelled backwards). All and all I'm very lucky to have got my items back.

I have also started this 'Walk & Run' program. In the next 3 months I have to walk 500 miles. So far this is proving difficult since I can now barely walk. My bad ankle (from the Nashville incident) is acting up again.

The Christmas tree just went up today. I am planning to try to get the Christmas photos next week. I will be sure to send them out to everyone.

Yesterday I got a ton of magazines and newspapers so I have to take off now to try to catch up on my reading. Hope everything is going well for you guys.


Tim

[Uncle Don]

Happy Thanksgiving from Club Fed!

Hey everyone,

I just got back from our thanksgiving meal. I feel like I am going to explode! We had Turkey, Ham, Mashpotatos, Corn, Stuffing, Rolls, Sweet potato, and Pumpkin Pie. As usual we had to bring our own drinks. I choose Mountain Dew (as usual). One of the big down sides to the Federal Prison's food is that you can't take anything out of the dining hall. There is no way I could eat all that, and I felt bad wasting it! At the very least I would have liked to have given it to the cat that lives outside our housing unit. I know he or she would have appreciated it.

After the meal I went to pickup our 'bag lunch' for the evening. They gave us a bottle of Zephyrhills Water (Go Zephyrhills!), so sandwiches, chips, and cookies. We were thinking that it would be nice if they could pipe christmas music through the announcement system to add to the mood. The entire dining hall is decorated in Christmas decorations, so that would put the icing on the cake.

They have this new system here which displays the day's meal on a digital screen (think stock ticker). It's funny because from reading it you'd forget that your in prison. 'Happy Thanksgiving.. Today's meal is.....' It's very bright and cheery.

This entire week I have been bunkered down in my cell reading. Every now and then I get into a super reading mode and do this. It doesn't help that I am extremely vulnerable to suggestive marketing. The way they got me this time was by advertising that Walmart and Amazon were in a battle for the cheapest price on the top upcoming releases. That was all I needed to order every new release!

I just got finished with 'Under the Dome' by Stephen King. It is a 1100 page novel that took me about 3 days to get through. The story is about a small town in Maine (where else? after all it is Stephen King) that gets taken over by a Alien Dome and separated from the world. Once separated the Christians take over the town and end up destroying it. The weirdest part of the book is that the Christians try to setup an innocent man for their crimes. The key to his innocence is a secret computer file called 'Vader' which they are trying to destroy. I'm very curious about where that name came from. (If you aren't familiar with the significance of Vador to my case than you have been sleeping on the job)

I also got 'Going Rogue' by Sarah Palin. I haven't had a chance to read it yet (I got it yesterday evening), but hope to very soon. I spend a bunch of time arguing with people about why I like Sarah. I know she is a homophobe (most Americans are), but I like the fact that she is at least real. I also don't like the way the media treats her and tries to manipulate the minds of Americans. (If you don't understand the danger of blindly following what are leaders tell us, read the above mentioned Stephan King book.)

In other news, I am sure that you have heard about Adam Lambert's -the openly gay runner up to last year's American Idol- 'contraversal' performance on the American Music Awards. I watched it live and didn't even notice anything contraversal. He did some Britney Spears/Madonna style dancing with another guy. Well apparently this was so awful that Good Morning America canceled his appearance on their show. Every now and then you have to stop to remember just how homophobic this country really still is. No better proof is out there then the recent removal of Gay Marriage rights in Maine! (Let's not forget that Maine is a BLUE state in a very BLUE part of the country) I think for me homophobia really hit home when we did the jury selection in my case.

That's enough of all that for now though. Things are going good here. I just finished up two more college classes and I'm getting ready to take the biggest challenge of my life. I'm planning to Learn German! This should be fun.

Love, Tim


P.S. The Federal Government Spell Checker does not recognize the word 'Homophobic'... Interesting...

[Uncle Don]

Got a letter from Casey today telling me that he can no longer access corrlinks for some reason so if you've e-mailed him and gotten no answer that is the reason. He's trying to get the prison authorities to fix the problem but doesn't have much confidence in them.

[Casey]

Hello everyone!

Thanks for all the cards and gifts. I can't believe I'm 29 already. Next year I am officially an old man.

When I was younger I always heard the stories about what happens as you get older. In typical teenage fashion I believed I was immune to it all, but I'm not.

My first major old age crisis has been my weight. I went from 132 pounds to 154 pounds within a few months of arriving here. The weight was well distributed and mostly muscle, so I didn't worry too much. 154 is actually the ideal weight for my height and age, according to the people who figure such things.

As the months went on I focused less on workouts and more on college. Last week, I was feeling curious and checked my weight, and BAM! 164 pounds! That is huge for me, and a serious crisis level. I immediately took preventative measures.

Now, I'm working out each day and I'm back on a diet. The money sent to me was used to buy a pair of Nike Xcellorators for walking. They are being used frequently.

Another concern as I get older was if I would start to be attracted to younger boys. The government swore this to be true (and had experts), but I seriously doubted it. Despite evidence to the contrary, I has always despised teeny boppers. They are annoying, self-centered, and borderline retarded at times. All you have to do is look at some of the examples right here in this forum (no names, but it's obvious) to see what I mean. Guys under 21-ish are just obnoxious.

Now that I'm 29 I can't imagine a scenario where I would date someone under 21. My tastes have definitely moved with me and now fall in the 23-35 range. Personally, I'm glad to see that because it means Daughtrey and friends were wrong, again!

In other news, I'm working extremely hard in college and on learning German. I spend about three hours per day studying German, and I despise the language. I don't know what use it will be, but I've got the time, so why not?

I also learned technical trading of world currencies, which is fun. I'm fairly good at it and improving daily. It's amazing what you can do with a bit of concentration.

My last acquired skill is crochet. I can make nearly anything now. If you visit my Picasa you can find the cat blanket I made for my mom. I also do stuffed animals and hats. At some point I'll probably make a sweater, but it is difficult to find the time.

A few weeks ago I took a positive thinking seminar (like I needed that) and it was very inspiring. The basic point, with which I fully agree, is that freedom is a state of mind. They can lock up your body, but only you can lock up your mind. This place can be either the best opportunity of your life, or your worst nightmare, the choice is yours.

Love,

Casey

[SkaterBoi]

Hahaha, Yes Casey. I miss you too. It's okay though, in September, I'll be 21. Can you imagine that? Yeah, neither can I. Hopefully someone will forward this to you. I've been relying on everyone for everything lately. I almost lost my car, because I couldn't afford the insurance. An 88 station wagon, 64 a month, and I cant afford it. I'm living at my brothers, leeching off him until he kicks me out. Then it's back to my car. Don't start with the "you can find a job" BS. No, I can't. I've had 10 interviews, everyone came back with "we went with someone else" Even McDee's turned me down. I told everyone I would try and send you something. And I did. I did try, I did however, fail. One of these days I won't be such a fuck up. :] I stopped visiting the site for awhile, because my laptop decided to burn out the power cord. luckily, I fixed with a pair of wire strippers and some tape. long story. Now I'm sitting here... at 0532, On Sunday, with a dude I despise passed out on my couch, with my brother right beside him. If jail taught me one thing, its anger control. You'll be proud to know that I haven't been back in awhile, and I haven't even been in trouble for awhile. And while I'm here, spilling my guts, I might as well tell you this too. So, I came to a realization one day, while contemplating what bleach tastes like. Not good for the record. Anyway, I came to the conclusion, that I'm not Bi. I'm just a sex addict. And now, I don't even want sex. I actually turned down sex. Me, a 20 year old guy. I thought I was going crazy, but then I realized... I think I'm growing up. So, remember that deal we made way back in '08? If you don't, Ill refresh your memory. You told me to start writing a blog. Well, when I get done writing this, I'm gonna start writing a blog.

travisthedrummer.xanga.com

thats the site where it will be, and since this is the only way I can contact you, because I am borderline homeless again and not in Nashville, deal with it. :] Ill be in touch one of these days homeboy.

Travis, the 20-ish, obnoxiously awesome skaterboy. ;]

someone wanna print that and send it for me? Cause I really cant afford envelopes or paper or anything. :[ I hate being like this.
_________________
"You can always change for someone you love"-Eric
"When all is said and done, it doesn't matter who likes you. If you don't like you, then it's all been a waste, has it not?" -[travis]

"locked, cocked, and ready to rock since 1989" - [travis]

[CaseysDad]

Skaterboi,

We'll send it.

[SkaterBoi]

thank you.
_________________
"You can always change for someone you love"-Eric
"When all is said and done, it doesn't matter who likes you. If you don't like you, then it's all been a waste, has it not?" -[travis]

"locked, cocked, and ready to rock since 1989" - [travis]

[Uncle Don]

Already sent.

[Casey]

Hey everyone,

Well, it has been a month since my birthday, and I figured I had better write in with a report. Since I purchased my new shoes I have lost 11 pounds. I am now back to the "ideal" weight for my height and age. Thanks to everyone who pitched in and sent me something for my birthday. A fat Casey would not have been a good thing!

For the past several weeks I have been testing a hypothesis I developed. After a painstaking process of researching, experimenting, and analyzing, I have determined my theory to be accurate. The world would indeed be a better place if everyone simply listened to me.

One recent example of my immeasurable exactitude comes from one of the newest members of the gay community at Coleman FCI: Scott. Scott is a twenty-five year old Jewish guy from Florida's opulent southeast coast. Unlike the vast majority of federal captives, he was able to maneuver his way out of any jail time before arriving here. In other words, he was particularly green to the ways of prison life that caused him to make some foolish mistakes.

The first mistake came after trying to impress some of the sun worshipping queers we have here. I took him out one morning for introductions and the conversation turned towards tanning. Scott made a comment that he was so pale and really needed to get a tan, to which I replied that that was probably a good idea, but warned him to not stay in the sun for more than 15 minutes until he has developed a base tan.

Fast forward two days...

On my way back from breakfast that morning, I ran into Scott, who was wearing a pair of sandals and walking funny. Since wearing sandals outside the unit is a big misjudgment here, I stopped to warn him. I told him that he can't wear sandals on the compound, and that they will nail him for that. He replied that he knows that, and already asked for permission. So, I asked him where he was going, to which he replied "medical and I can't put on shoes." When I asked why, he said, "I have sun poisoning!"

He should have listened to me! Perhaps the more serious issus with him came a few days later. I spotted him with an active gang member from Texas. Knowing that gays and gang members don't normally mix, I inquired and asked who he was speaking to, which he said was Spike. I asked him why in the world he was talking to him, and warned him that Spike was probably trying make him do something or make him his bitch. Scott denied this, and said Spike just wants to be friends with him. I sure hope so, and I told him that, and that gang members never want to be friends, and once you're involved, there is no way for us to help you out.

Several days pass and I finally get to talk to Scott again, when Scott tells me that Spike is making him uncomfortable and trying to make him do things that he doesn't want to do. Of course I call him a dumbass, and remind him that I warned him not to get involved with those people, but also offered help.

So, I spoke to a few Texans I know about how to handle the problem, and returned with a plan. He needed to start avoiding Spike and we would send someone to diplomatically tell Spike, "He isn't interested in what you're selling."

The plan worked well at first, but today I heard that Scott was following behind a group of Texans. While the majority of you haven't been in prison, you've seen enough movies to figure this one out. I stopped him later in the day to ask what's going on, and he just says he was playing cards with him and that Spike still wants to be friends. I reply by telling him that he's retarded, and explain that Texans do not associate with gay white guys 'just to be friends', and that they are running game on him. He refuses to believe me and says that he doesn't want to be mean to Spike, then says he has to leave so he can go play cards with them.

Stupid! Need I say more? If only people would listen to me, they would save themselves a while lot of trouble.

Casey