14 July 07

Raging Heat

Desert prisons during summertime provide plenty to write home about. Deaths here are up to two now. The murder of the Indian was followed by the death of an old-timer from pneumonia. TooTall had a heart attack. A life-support team took him to hospital. 105 to 112 degree temperatures have caused countless cases of heatstroke, including an old-timer who was extracted from the outdoor cage at the commissary station on a stretcher. A Chicano collapsed and was hospitalised.

The raging heat has served to increase the sadistic gleam in Iron Man’s eyes as he pushes us through outdoor workouts to our maximum endurance levels. He waited for the dog days of July to implement a week of “Torture Olympics”. Various timed strength and fitness events, during which I managed to do two hundred pushups in five minutes. A few of my neighbours said I’m getting "cut," and one said, “You’re not getting big, but you’re looking sexy.” You know you’ve been in prison for too long when you start appreciating men telling you you look sexy.

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