happy spring training! (smileyjess)

long overdue update.

so i was in jail the other day. pegasus went on a "tour" of sorts of maximum security at the aci. it was terrible. the first thing i saw upon passing through the metal detectors was a plaque of names of murdered max security guards since the jail's opening. yeahhhhhh. and it was big too, about 4 feet wide and 3.5 tall. scary. then we were seated in what i believe was their cafeteria? and three guards showed us some weapons they have discovered, among them chiseled down shanks from the metal bar of a mop and pens with hidden razor blades. excellent. then four prisoners - all of them murderers - sat down and talked to us. all that separated us from them was a thin red line on the floor. at one point the walkie talkies of the guards got all staticky and they deciphered some sort of code. the prisoners stood up and were herded off to the side, and one of the guards locked them behind a door while another dude passed through with guns along his belt and pepper spray at the ready.

i kid you not.

then we walked around one of the cell blocks, passing more prisoners on the way. the cell block we went to was empty, and we were allowed to enter one. i opted to stand off from the side, which i guess means i can add claustrophobia to my list of diseases. (it should be noted that i did not touch any of the stuff the guards passed around and maintained minimal contact with my seat and the stairway railings and door handles. the prisoners are only mandated to clean their cells about once a month. that is disgusting. a lot of them have one or several STD's or scabies or lice. ::shiver::) people even went where the dudes shower. i was so repulsed i wanted to vomit.

afterwards we went back to school and had a discussion, at which time i discovered i was in the minority in feeling that the whole trip was a waste of my time. none of the stuff the prisoners discussed applied to me, and i think it was utterly stupid that we even had to go. people were trying to be all appreciative of the sociological aspect of it, but - for me - that is one sociological aspect i could have easily lived without. the whole thing weirded me out and i did not appreciate being yelled at by some 400 pound dude who was facing a life sentence plus 25 years because he murdered a few people and 'trainraped' women (and has the videotapes to prove it - buddha help him, he was proud of it) that he had drugged.

onto happier news! friday was formal night for the pep band. i have finally gotten around to uploading some pictures and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

my seenyaz.