DannyBoyinExile

After months of sweltering heat, where we all dreamed about it getting cooler – it got MUCH cooler, practically overnight! Before we could say Trick or Treat, we had HIGHS in the 40s, and temps in the 30s at night. I wasn’t exactly surprised, since I’d seen the extended forecast on the news, but clearly the administration here was caught by surprise, because we hadn’t even gotten our jackets yet!
They usually issue us jackets around October of each year, then what the State giveth, the State taketh away again, around April or so. I had to go to work in the mattress factory, which required going outside (in the rain!) in the low 40s. Then I had to FREEZE out there, until our boss was thoughtful enough to order jackets for all of us. (From the laundry, I mean, not Amazon!)
The next day was Halloween, and it was even colder! Ironically, I just refused the flu vaccine – and here I am, sick. I’ve been sniffling, sneezing, coughing and aching like a Nyquil commercial – but, alas, that’s not something we can buy here. They do sell a variety of over the counter medications and vitamins on commissary, but of course they’d be out of the ones I need. There’s no sense in going to the infirmary, because all they can really do is tell me I’ll feel better soon – and I don’t need to pay $13.55 for that nugget of medical wisdom.
There is no air conditioning on many of TDCJ’s prisons, but they DO have heaters – when they decide to turn them on… For some reason, they are reluctant to do so when it will only be cold for a few days, but I never understood that. I mean, it’s not as if the Warden has to personally turn it on (or pay for it!). He just picks up the phone and calls the maintenance department, who then turn on the heating system for the unit. True enough, it will have to be turned off again in a few days, which will require another phone call. I don’t claim to be TDCJ’s smartest inmate, but I do feel that when it’s in the lower 30s at night, with a Freeze Advisory, turning the heaters on just may be a good idea, and keep at least a few people from getting sick.
But it’s too late now – I’m already sick… So I’ll huddle up in bed, fully dressed, and wrapped up in my sheet and blanket like a burrito. (Or a blunt, if you prefer!) =~} And I’m STILL cold. A few months ago, we were praying for weather like this – and here it is! I’ll keep my head up, and try to stay in good spirits, until my good health returns. Since the best way to get rid of a cold is to pass it on, I might go to the dayroom and drink out of as many cups as I can! (just kidding) Like everything else in life, this too shall pass. So says DannyBoy.