I just can’t get into reading in this place. I’m content with just writing and listening to music. I’ve only read a couple of books since I’ve been here. I guess I’m just used to reading at home in my comfortable bed with a big bowl of popcorn.

I don’t know if Ida’s crazy or not, but she told me that at home she slaps her thighs, ass and stomach to keep fat off. The slapping is supposed to break up the fat. I’ll try it when I get out of here.

After a week of fighting for it, I finally got my inhaler last night, and I should only need to fight for two more inhalers while I’m here. Sharon, the nurse I told my joke to, was kind enough to bring me the inhaler after her rounds, saying she didn’t trust anyone else. Neither do I. Some other black nurse at noon told me she’d put one on the cart for me. The lying bitch never even asked for my name, let alone put one on the cart for me. Sharon went all the way back to medical just to bring me one.

Barajas is on again. She sure does like to smile at me. She’s a friendly one.

Melinda finally got A Towered. She just couldn’t cut it next door and they finally got rid of her. Mary was thrilled to see her go.

They have this ‘Daily Jobs’ sheet they posted this morning. Each room rotates around a job list. Some days we have to clean the showers, do the trash, tables, phones, floors, etc. I ain’t doing shit. I’m here to do time I shouldn’t be doing. Not to be the jail’s housekeeper.

Mindy was passing a titty impression sheet around for those who were interested, and I sure wasn’t one of them. She wanted people to rub lipstick on their tits and make impressions on paper for her husband.

Oh, please! What kind of desperate pervert is she married to?

Cedeño’s on now. She’s harmless.

God, it is freezing in here! Is it because it’s been cooler outside because of the rain we’ve had, or is it because the stupid shits cranked the AC up?

It’s about 4:30 now and I’m so hungry. Without commissary, I hardly eat shit. That’s because most of the jail food is so horrid. In fact, I’ll bet you anything we have weenies tonight, after having chicken yesterday. We haven’t had them in a while, either. I can tolerate them better when they’re corndogs and not just plain hot dogs.

It wasn’t weenies. It was a hard chicken patty. We think it was chicken, anyway. I can’t wait for commissary. I’m sick of potato salad, salad, and overcooked zucchini. The only good thing we’ve had in weeks was last night’s chicken. Everything else was either so-so or gross. Every now and then they’d give us lime juice for lunch (yuck) and now they’re on an orange kick. I wish they’d stick to the grape, cherry and raspberry.

Ida and I are getting along better than ever and I’ll miss her when she leaves, but not that mouth! If she can’t talk to me, she starts talking to herself. And when she’s not talking at all she’s sighing or rustling papers. I dread turning my radio off at times, knowing she’ll take it as an invitation to talk. Sometimes I just want to lie in bed and be alone with my thoughts, but then she cuts into them. Jail is no place for those who don’t like to chat and who don’t like people. The only one I like talking with is Tom, but of course, I’d talk to someone like Palma, too.

She says I may have second thoughts about having kids when it’s too late. It’s never too late for Invitro, but I doubt it. I know Tom would’ve been a good father, but I just don’t want the burden and expense. Life’s hard enough just taking care of myself, and I still couldn’t see myself bringing a kid into the world with it being the way it is. It’s no place for kids.

Still 3 more days left of this month to go. It seems to be taking forever for this month to end!

I miss hearing Christmas songs on the radio.

I wish I were in 203! It’s so much quieter and warmer in there. And not as bright.

God, I have mixed emotions about this place! I’ve met some interesting people and have no regrets about meeting Palma, Johnson, Rosa and Mary, but people, people, people! That’s all I ever see and hear and I just want to go home to Tom and never see another human being again!!!!! The fact that I’ve got to do the time I’ve already done all over again is so depressing. It feels like I’ve been here for a year!

During the evenings I really need the radio because it gets pretty noisy with people yelling through the vents. If there was ever a time I wished for two normal ears, it’s now. I don’t mind having to hold the left earbud up when I rock. I can rock on one arm. But when I’m writing or just lying around, it gets a little hard to hold the thing. If I’m going to be moving around I have to have only one in. I don’t hear out of my left ear like I do with my right, but I can feel the beat in the left ear.

I like how they’ve been offering Tylenol or aspirin on a daily basis. That’s less I have to buy, and I’ve been having to take pain pills almost every day. Jail is so hard and uncomfortable and causes a lot of aches and pains.

There is one way I can stop Ida from pacing without a word. All I have to do is go to the bathroom. As soon as I sit on the toilet, she goes and sits on her bed. She won’t stay there for long, though.