HEARD IT ON THE RADIO

Last night I woke up about 4 AM and realized I'd had enough sleep. It was time to get up and do something. Anything really. So I went to Rite Aid and bought some Bran flakes. I knew from the website it was on sale. Not that I needed them right then and there. It was just a destination. The streets were cold and empty. Just my style. I was free to do what I wanted to do. That was the whole point.

In prison, when you wake up at 4 AM and realize you're no longer tired, there's not a lot you can do. You can't leave your 50 square foot cell. And your bunky is asleep. So milling about is out of the question. Paulie (Manafort) used to turn on his reading light and read the bible. Me? I read over 100 books in prison. But late at night, that wasn't for me. I listened to the radio. That was my other escape. In my 311 days at MCC, I heard maybe a total of 15 new songs I knew I'd want to view and listen to on You Tube over and over again when I got out.

CRAPPING IN THE JOINT

Unlike state prison where inmates frequently have their own cells (however spartan), federal inmates - and especially those at MCC - aren't offered that luxury. You're either in a dormitory - or in my case, a unit with 46 two man cells which feature bunk beds and literally 40 square feet of space in which to move. Club Med it ain't! 

And because the prison administration recognizes how uncomfortable and old that can get in a hurry, they'll let inmates move around with relative impunity in the interest of not having one prisoner slit the throat of another (something that's happened in the past). As a result, I had 6 different cellies (also called bunkies) in my 311 days at MCC.

OWNING YOUR CRIME

EXCERPT...Paulie (Manafort) used to get up in the middle of the night, turn on his special prison reading light, and dig into the bible. And I'd wonder "Is this his way of acknowledging his crimes? Is he saying 'I'm sorry' to God?"....