Let's Catch Up

Hello again. It's been a while, I know. I need to find time to do my blogging but I've really been struggling. Okay let's see. Where should I start to catch you up? How about Wednesday last week. I woke up for morning practice and while walking to my car almost fell flat on my face! An unexpected, or at least I wasn't expecting it, freezing rain storm had passed through over night causing the driving to be quite slick. I managed to get out of my neighborhood and that's where the trouble started. Not only did I slid while trying to turn out of my neighborhood, but as I was driving a salt truck was sliding toward me. We all know my little car would be no match for a large truck like that. On top of that, my car was having issues with the defrost at that point and it was still raining so the ice was covering my windshield to which I reacted by pulling my car over to the side of the road. I was scared to get out and scrape them off again, so naturally, I called my mom. Sorry about that 5 am unwanted call, Mom and Dad. At this point I'll admit I was crying and my mom told me not to worry either her or my father would come get me. So, I sat there waiting for someone to come and take me home and I'd just crawl right back into my warm bed. That's not exactly what happened but nonetheless shout out to my dad for saving me. Ten minutes later he came to my rescue! I didn't see it, but he told me later that night that he actually fell while trying to get to my car. God bless the fella. He cleared the ice off my windows, and said he'd follow me to the pool and the continue to go to work. Unfortunately, that didn't help for long. The ice covered my windows again causing me to drive with my head half way out the window, yes, it sounds funny but let me tell you it was COLD! Anyways, school was cancelled that day, obviously. Friday and Saturday I had a swim meet. I felt pretty good about how I did, winning four out of the five events I swam.

And That brings me to today. Right now I'm at the library because our computer isn't working. You know, I expected more from librarians. Not to be rude. I finished Hole in my Life and started reading The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini. I'm really into the book, too. I have to say thank you to you, Mr. Hill. You've given me a reason to read again. That sounds really inspirational and all but I literally mean a reason. I have to do it. But I'm not complaining, I've branched out alot. So anyways, librarians. I asked this lady to help me find some books because I thought she might have some good suggestions, being surrounded by books all day all. But no, she told me to look at some paper and follow what it told me to do. I was hoping for a lot more, to say the least. But it's okay I'm sure the Homestead lady's will help me.

Okay, readers! Final summary of Hole in my Life. Jack goes to court with his lawyer and the court finds him to be very "uncooperative and unwilling to tell the truth", as the book later quotes. The judge rules the case a 5010B and the gaurd takes him to a holding cell. On the way out, his father walks in and he wears anguish and pain on his face. Jack learns that 5010B is a youth sentence which meant he could go to prison for 60 days to 6 years. He is transferred to what is like a mid way prison, before he goes the his actual prison. There, he sees the aftermath of his friend's Lucas's rape during their first night in prison. Lucas was a man who Rik, Hamilton, and Jack sold drugs to who got caught. Its one of the many eye opening stories of the book. Once he gets to the actual prison, the doctor sees lice in his hair, which turns out to be the biggest blessing. He is "forced" to stay in a bright yellow hospital cell, but we find out that being in that solitary cell was what saved him. The day he is free to go back into population, he asked the doctor if there are any openings to work at the prison hospital. It turns out that the last X-ray tech had tried to escape that day and was now in what they called "the hole", or the bottom level of the prison were the worst criminals went. So Jack is given the job which means he gets to keep his cell. He learns a lot working there and gets to see first hand what prisoners can do to eachother.

Now you probably want me to skip to the happy ending and his release from prison, and I'm not going to argue with you. Here it is straight: He creates his own type of escape plan. No, not the kind where he digs a tunnel through the wall and breaks out. He proposes to his case worker, who in turn relays the deal to the judge that if he gets into college, he can get out before his two year sentence ends. The court agrees as long as he gets a job and has a place to live. Both of the arrangements are made and he is released. Jack goes to college and works at a Christmas Tree farm. The end of the book is... ironic in a way I guess. He ends his story telling the reader about the similarities he notices with prison life to his new life. Just small things, like how when he works as a night gaurd at the college he has to punch his time card, and he always yells, "COUNT" just like they did in prison. The other last few pages are the same. They talk about how he doesn't want to undig all the bad he used to have in his life leaving the reader satisfied and optimistic.

Like I just said, I felt good knowing that he stayed on the right path after his release. It seems to me like he managed to do what he always wanted to: go to college to become a writer. I'd like to think all prisoners turned out this way. But they don't. They aren't the lucky ones. The ones who have lice and with a strike of luck end up staying away from the corruptness of the prisoners. And in a way, he manages the prisoners dream, escape.

Goodnight everyone!