Hello, Benjamin from Brothers Campfire here!
Last night, I provided security for deaf interpreters for a Toastmasters meeting in the prison.
It may also be known as a Gavel club, but I didn’t do my homework prior to typing. There are quite a few programs I work with.
The notable point is that we have deaf offenders speaking through interpreter on a semi public forum. It was pretty neat.
Prisons are hard for those that live there and those that work there. Sometimes , it is difficult to invest in the success of some of the darkest aspects of humanity.
The investment is necessary; these individuals are scheduled to be our nextdoor neighbors if the sentencing isnt for keeps.
I have personal opinions about sentencing, but they will have to wait until I retire to post in public. For now, I work within a system.
As I sit here sipping Folgers Dark Silk, it is hard to wake up fully. It was a long day yesterday and I couldn’t sleep past 0445 hours. The internal clock has a memory.
I will have to remember that I have an appointment tomorrow to chop down a dead lilac bush in exchange for a chainsaw, sight unseen, model unknown. This should be interesting.
It is an elderly couple, and if they decide to keep their tools, I am perfectly ok with it, but I wont turn down tools if they are practically being given away.
Last month, I gave away my lunch breaks to the Colorado Department of Corrections unwittingly. I was under the impression that I was getting paid to work through them and was informed otherwise. I like to choose the “free” work I do.
So, taxpayers everywhere, enjoy the 20-23 hours I donated. I did it for you, the public.
Well, that is all for now. Bleary eyed and frustrated, I will catch up with as many of your blogs as I can. I appreciate you all!
Author: Benjamin
Benjamin Thiel is a community leader, urban farmer, and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire. He might know a guy...
We appreciate your work. I am for long sentences for certain crimes paired with counseling, job training, and work to keep families together,
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I found Toastmasters, when the group ambiance is set correctly to ‘Da Rules’ of intention to learn about speaking, expressing, communicating better’ to be immensely helpful to me and hope that it is the same such thing there and glad to hear it is available to prisoners – I’ve worked through lunch much during my life – especially when working jobs that were funded by taxes paid by the GP (general public) whether they personally ever felt like they benefitted from it or not – sometimes I got caught taking lunch at desk and logging out, but still working – but that was ONLY a problem when leadership had demanded work, while being ‘on lunch break’ and got caught/audited by Fair Wage and Labor – LOL – – We all do what we can, where we can and in public services folks depend upon to ‘take care of it/be there for them if ever they need’ but forget about or whine about why tax $ are being wasted on ‘this/that’ – to me? Easier to just work throug lunch, for free, so I know in my heart, “Well – ya are a griping about your taxes but it sure wasn’t ME taking long lunches/eating on per diem, on your dollar for the year that made it’s way to where I worked – ” – LOL
I am envious about your good attitude when working through lunch without pay!
Started my working life in manual labor, min wage, front line service jobs – where the rule was, ‘the minute ya fixed something to eat’ the ‘rush’ would inevitably start – I worked jobs like that for so long – I found myself ill suited at places I worked as a temp where I had to take 15 min break at 10AM and 2PM and do full hour lunch precisely 12-1Pm – about drove me nuts – 😀 Guess I got either trained or ruined, early on! 😀
ha ha! That is the way of it!
I tell yoo what [read in your head with slow, southern drawl….] if ya find yourself on slow shift, as a tipped employee, with low meal allowance, and slow day? All ya gotta do to meet your daily income ‘have to make’ level is: Order meal that is affordable, once your one meal allowance money taken off – go off floor to light a cig and prepare to eat – and about the time the cook says ‘order up, come get your meal’ three tour busses pull up all on 30 minute meal/bathroom break, or the roads finally close and the place fills up with folks screaming for service, info, etc. And, if ya just sigh – put out your cig, put your meal into a box in the fridge for when you go home – and walk back onto the floor with a smile, some hustle and thick skin for folks not happy over this or that? Ta-DA! $ earnings needed/quota met for day – true story – just like if it’s dry and drought horrific – I can bring on the rain simply by washing my work truck, making it and my house windows sparkle – and ta-da! Rain, hail, possible flash flooding (if I cleaned them really, really good!) and mud that makes my farming/ranching neighbors cuss by day three of working in it – we all have our ‘gifts’ – Me? Murphy’s (of Murphy’s Law) Red -Headed Stepchild – – but – well – what ever works to highest benefit of many – right???? 😀
This is hilarious! And, what you did last night, I could not have foreseen those words together in that format. Best luck helping the couple