I’m at the Fox Lake Minimum Correctional Institution (FMCI), a facility in the Wisconsin Prison System (WPS). It should have been a good day. The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Jets and it’s always a good day regardless when the Minnesota Vikings lose of course. I however was going on little sleep after the previous evening and wasn’t in a great place in my head as it was. The day started with conversations with a couple members of the now defunct praise choir questioning the motives and talent of the guy left to sing. Hey, the guy could have been the best praise leader on earth and it wouldn’t have mattered to me. All it did was remind me I didn’t know the music, the chords, had never played with the guitar player and this feud between all of them still grated on me. Oh, and the service was only hours away. At count time after lunch, I’m in the aisle expressing my frustrations to a chapel service when Percy came up and asked me where my bunk was. I showed him to my right grabbing the bar. He had this look on his face that said smug satisfaction. Those around me thought he might give me a warning for not being by my bunk since I’d never gotten a ticket or warning for anything since my arrival in WPS. A warning would tarnish my record but not permanently. The fact it came from Percy annoyed me but what are you going to do? Around 4 I went for practice and setup for chapel. Of course, the leader wants to have special sound settings for each song and brings out another keyboard than the one I’d used on Friday. I am having to do everything I can to keep from walking out at this point. The actual practice showed, well, we need more practice, myself included, but all of us together especially. We didn’t know how to start or end the songs and the guitar and I weren’t playing together. So chapel, music wise, was a disaster. The head volunteer suggested we play hymns, if that gives you an idea. The message was about Daniel 9:20-27, and how the preacher felt the end of the world would occur. I enjoyed studying such things years ago but that knowledge was only useful then to win a Bible Trivia game. The stakes are much higher now.
Afterwards, the politics began all over again with lots of opinions. I was just glad to get out of there. I escaped to my bunk. I put the closed captioning on the football game, put my headphones in the radio while listening to eighties music, trying to keep my mind occupied by these distractions from my current world. About 2 hours later I was paged to go to the guard desk. There was Percy, paper in hand. He informed me I was being written up and was going to get 3 days bunk confinement for not being by my bunk at count. I replied that he had to be kidding, no warning or anything? He replied sarcastically, that oh sure he was. His demeanor indicated he was really enjoying this. Then he told me my bunk restriction would begin immediately unless I appealed to Lt. Brodie. Great, I thought. Hardly someone in my corner. I wasn’t as composed as I had been with Brodie as I said I would appeal. I returned to my bunk. Guys around me let me know I’d also lose my electronics, which had been keeping me sane and since I appealed, my punishment would probably double. I tried to sleep again but gave up at 1 am and got up and did laundry. It just feels like I’ve been on a bit of a losing streak lately, like everything I touch is turning to stone. I tried to talk myself down, that at least for now I haven’t lost my ERP program at Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) yet. I’m not in the hole, and I shouldn’t be surprised, its Percy we’re talking about. He acted as expected. I should have been more careful. I wish I could tell you I was good after that but that would be a lie. But let’s see what happens. Maybe Brodie will surprise me.
Life in Wisconsin Prisons and Beyond 