Solitary Man

[Wayne23]

12/14: 58-81 at Navy. OUCH! We fell apart in the 2nd half. We worked hard on a few things all week in practice and I didn't see any of them on the floor tonight. 22 TOs, they shot 57.9%, only +3 RBs. Not good.

The virus is now at 2 million cases worldwide and more than 100,000 deaths. We have our first case here in the prison, a guard.

[Wayne23]

12/21: 67-64 at William & Mary. We needed this road win. It wasn't easy. We were down 15 with 14:18 to play. At that point we finally put it together. We took our first lead with 2:38 to play and won it on a Kev Wilk three with 1.1 to go. 16, 6, 4 for Colt, 17, 3 for Jona.

12/22: Blockbuster from the prison board! They held an emergency meeting last night due to the coronavirus. 12 people here at Walpole now have it. They decided that every prisoner slated for release within the next year will be released early, in two weeks. Prisoners in here for non-violent crimes will be released in a month.

This means I get out on January 5 instead of April 24. Wow! I am making arrangements with a San Francisco lawyer, Lexi Gray, who works for Born Free to share her apartment. I have the money for the flight to San Francisco, and enough money to get started. This is amazing news and I'm kind of in shock about it.

[Wayne23]

12/28: 60-67 at McNeese ST. This is not a team we should have lost to. They're just not a good team. 19 TOs, some dumb fouls, and a key injury did us in. 17, 7 for Jona, 16, 4, 4 for Colt.

SG Kev Wilk hurt his back. It looks serious and the docs are saying he's out for about 6 weeks. Not good. SG Ausi Bron will start.

One more pre-conf. game.

I've been in regular phone contact with Lexi Gray, setting up details for the move. I've never met her. She sounds really nice though. The rent on her apartment is more than she can handle. Her roommate left to get married and she's been looking. She's very happy to have found someone. It's a large flat with plenty of room for two people to not get in each other's way. Sounds perfect.

Born Free will send someone to pick me up on my release date and I'll go directly to Logan Airport and fly to the West Coast where Lexi will pick me up. It's all pretty amazing.

[Wayne23]

1/4/2051: 68-85 at Troy. We were up 8 early and 4 at the half but it all fell apart in the 2nd- foul trouble, 20 TOs, terrible D (58.3%, 66.7% in the 2nd half), poor rebounding. Jona had 21, 4, but no one else did much and Colt had a career high 8 TOs.

We end pre-conf. play at a mediocre 6-5, with 4 losses in our last 5 games. We've had a starter out with an injury but these are not great teams.

Tomorrow is the big day. I doubt that I will sleep tonight knowing I'll be a free man tomorrow.

1/5: I'm lying in a real bed, in my own room, with no bars, no locks that I can't unlock, no guards... Unbelievable.

I was processed out, and shook the Warden's hand at the gate out of the prison at 1:04 p.m. Two representatives from Born Free had a car waiting for me, and they drove me to a diner where I had my first meal in freedom in nearly 10 years. They bought, which was really nice of them.

We then drove to a branch of the bank where I've been depositing my money so I could get some cash, then a clothing store where I bought enough clothes to fill a large suitcase. One of the people with me had lived in San Francisco for some time and she helped me to get weather appropriate clothes. Interestingly enough a major credit card company was willing to give me a card before my release. It was contingent on my being released and i couldn't use it before today, but it worked all day.

Then we drove to Logan Airport. I eventually hopped on a plane to the West Coast.

At 7:45 Pacific time Lexi met me at the gate, we put my suitcase in her car, and headed home. Home! What a gigantic word.

We spoke about all sorts of things, mostly about helping me to adjust to my new life, and some about work. Lexi and I will be in the same office and she will sort
of mentor me for a while.

Before I knew it we were... there's that word again... home.

Lexi is, I'd say, late 20s or early 30s, and she is lovely. I'm trying not to focus on that, but then I haven't seen a woman, except for the ones I saw in court, in almost 10 years.

[Wayne23]

1/9: On the weekend Lexi showed me around the city. It's a beautiful city and there's a lot to see. We also went clothes shopping for the things I didn't bring on the plane, shopping at a mall for towels and household items I will need, and we went grocery shopping.

Jamie said there's no need for me to buy pots, pans, dishes... as she has plenty.

I always enjoyed cooking back in the long gone days before Walpole, and I did some at Walpole, since I spent years working in the kitchen. Lexi and I said that when we're both home in the evening we can take turns cooking. We talked, and we have very similar preferences in food. She has friends, of course, and she will spend time with them on some evenings and weekends, so I'll be alone for some meals, which is fine. She and I will take care of ourselves individually for breakfast and lunch.

I have a good size room. It has a bed and a dresser, of course, a large walk-in closet, and a desk for my computer.

Today is my first day at work. Lexi and I will travel together, at least for now.

"It makes no sense for you to get a car. First, you can walk to just about everywhere from where we live, second, we work together and work the same hours, or close to, and third, you will be able to save a lot of money."

I pay her for the rides. She only wanted gas money but I said I should pay the same mileage she gets when she uses her car for work. We compromised at somewhere between the two.

I met a lot of new people, including my supervisor, Jamie Welch. Jamie is really nice; I think I'll enjoy working for her. I met Jamie's boss, the head of the entire S. F. operation, and she seems nice, too.

There are 11 other attorneys, and maybe about as many office staff. I met them all but it will take a while to get to know them and to get their names straight. All but three of us are women, mostly younger women, say under 40.

I will continue with the work I was doing at Walpole but will also shadow Lexi for part of the day for at least a couple of weeks.

[Wayne23]

1/11: 64-78 at Winthrop. Not the way we wanted to start conference play. It will be nice to get off the damned road. 5 losses in our last 6 games. We were never really in this one. 20 TOs, -3 RBs.

[Wayne23]

1/14: 65-64 in OT at Central Florida. We NEEDED this one! Low scoring, sloppy, Colt fouled out at the beginning of OT, but we won. Dave Howe got the winner, a 12 footer from off a screen. He led us with 11 and 11. Colt had 15. Wolf and Jona had 11 each.

We're missing Kev Wilk, but it will be another 4 weeks without him, according to the docs.

My first week of work ended yesterday. It went well. I'm still getting used to being a free man, breathing free air, going where I please, when I please.

I almost asked permission to go to the bathroom one day at work, then i remembered that I don't need to do that any more.

Lexi and I are getting along really well at home. I'm trying to be sensitive about not crowding her, giving her plenty of space at home.

At work she's a great mentor. I'm doing some research for one of her cases. She critiques what I'm doing in a very positive manner, gives me useful suggestions, and tells me specifically what she needs me to look for, while keeping me up to date on the progress being made on the case. The rest of my work is going well.
I'm getting to know people; learning names, making friends...

There's no down side to being free!

[PointGuard]

There's no down side to being free!

Just wait until April 15 when you have to pay your taxes!

[Wayne23]

1/18: 60-58 over Boston College here. Another close one, TOO close for a home game. We never trailed but they got it down to a single point three times in the last minute. Each time they fouled us and we made the shots, then denied them an open three. 18, 3, 6 for Colt, to lead us. 17, 3, 4 for backup guard Cal Mond, who I just gave more minutes to in time for this game. He may start if he can continue this.

We're still turning it over too often, 15 this game.

I'm still enjoying my freedom. I've been going for evening walks after work, just enjoying the freedom to do so and taking in the beauty of this city.

[Wayne23]

1/21: 76-60 over Milwaukee here. We led all the way. Our 2 terrific frosh led the way- 21, 11 for Jona, 15, 3, 3 for Colt. +21 RBs, and only 11 TOs.

We're 9-6, 3-1.