Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy!

I have friends in prison. Communicating with them is a bitch! They don't have email and you can't call them. The only way to communicate is through letters (or visits). But today I got a phone call from one of mine!

You may be asking why I have friends in prison. I started writing a book and I realized I had no idea what prison was like. Not wanting to commit a crime to find out I got online and found my friend on a Pen-pal page. Something about him made me want to write. We have been doing so for almost...wow, 6 years now. During that time we have become very close, we've published his autobiography, and now we're working on a law book. He edits my works and gives me great advice on my stories. He has given me invaluable insight to prison life. Finding him was one of the best things I could have done.

My friend is in for murder. He was stupid and admits it, he is not one of those that proclaims his innocence and hates the world. He knows what he did was wrong and he is sorry for it.

Three and a half years ago my friend was moved to a prison where he was placed in segregation. This meant his phone and visitation rights were revoked. Today he was moved to another prison and has his phone rights back. He called me! He called me! I was so glad to hear from him. We could only talk ten minutes, and every two minutes they broke in to tell me I was talking to a prisoner (duh!), but it was so good to talk to him again.

I am so busy today and feeling a little rough, I think I'm losing a battle with a cold, but hearing from him has made my day. PLUS my dad is coming into town today, so this is shaping up to be a pretty damn good Friday.