Letter 47

May 19, 2011

Dear Mom,

Here I am on the H.M.S. Titanic, awaiting my steerage e-class meal of recycled, reprocessed utter garbage likely illegal to serve anyone except the most desperately starving (as they have the dubious distinction of both being the most likely to eat it and being unknown by anyone with enough of whatever it takes to get some healing balm into the system. My opinion, anyway. Thought I might touch on a couple of matters while I'm in "eager apprehension" of lunch.

Sitting here, trying to hear music over the waves of static caused by the building structure on the single radio station I'm able to sometimes receive, not caused by the structure, while trying to put words to thoughts glancing off my brain. On the presidency of Obama, I don't think he is expected to actually fix any of the mess inherited from the Bush administration, and all the way back to Ray-gun. I think no one else stepped forward and they all stepped back while he was not paying attention...so they made him the patsy. It is his misfortune to have inherited the train wreck. Now, since there is no way to get the country back on its rails, he who would have been an extremely competent president at any other time is now only the chief fall-guy. Calling it the way I see it. Maybe I'll get questioned for my seditious views.

I wrote another pen out of ink, near the top of this page; the word "balm" did it. In many ways I imagine that, while the president is doing a passable job at it, his administration can be compared to being made executor for a poor relation who incurred much in the way of debts. A good a job is possible until one has to stand good for debt out of his own money. It is a losing proposition, bottom line...and I'm a bottom-line kind of guy.

Read in the paper recently that there is another potential killer lurking in the kitchens (like we didn't have enough!). Think the article I glanced at listed this latest one as the "listeria" contaminant. That is a serious threat, when the laughable quality of the food plus the questionable medical care are taken into consideration here. Guys get sick here, they take them away, and I never hear of them again. Got me thinking about that happening to me...what would I do?

Let's see, what else can I whine ineffectively to you about? Hey, I've got something...our wing of the building just got to take showers and today only (per schedule posted) we were given the option to get haircuts with the mandatory shaves. All of this at the officers discretion, of course. Now, as I'd have to go through so much hassle to get Medical to "give" me any shampoo (after the $7 they take out of my account) I choose to keep a close cropped head instead. Anyway, the officer discretion was that I didn't need a haircut (from the one barber shaving 80 guys in time compression.) Don't think I missed anything there; maybe next week I'll qualify for a haircut.

May 20, 2011

The day following yesterday has brought both ill and fair events with it. Since there's not an overwhelming amount of the fair, I'll list the ill. Our toilets are (again!) shut down and not a word of explanation as to why. It is like the difference between major and minor surgery; it's minor if it's yours and major if it's mine. This, and immediately after lunch, too! The highly intensely unpleasant guards like to make us beg. Probably, they find a thrill in it somehow. Maybe, and I'm guessing here, it makes them feel good about themselves as they don't need to beg to have a toilet flushed. Something like that, anyway. Purely sucks and is wrong, if you ask me.

May 21, 2011

Well, it's today and the day an enormous earthquake was predicted by this doomsday clown; except as it turns out it's a day for his personal embarrassment instead. Things are taking on a rather distinctly chaotic air here, and I may need to stop suddenly (our canteen orders are due shortly.) I'll probably write more after I get a shower tonight (oh joy). I cleaned the accumulated filth from my body and was enjoying a "Spider Man" movie on T.V. when all of a sudden I got slimed from behind! Some ignorant monkey blew his nose right onto my head and stood there laughing while I freaked out. I can't believe how some think a thing like that is funny! I would've smacked the hell out of the guy but then I'd have to wait longer to leave here, which is my primary goal. Without getting back into a shower, I got all of it out of my hair, miraculously enough. Oh man, that pisses me off!

I'm at a point now where about the only things there are to write to you about are the things that go against my grain. I'm seriously very offended by that, but there is nothing I can do, unless I want to risk additional and harsher confinement time for an "outside charge." Which I'm considering...NOT!! I don't like this confinement stuff much anymore. I do wish I could "tell" you some happy news, but truthfully there isn't any. So, I'd better close this while it is still light enough to require only one stamp.

Much love and regards,
James