Big moves this week at T.I…. at least in my little world in here. I got a new job… and not just any job… I got a job in Commissary (or as the guys in here call it… “The store”, “The Treasure Chest”, “The Market”, or my favorite, “The Canteen”). Unbeknownst to me until a few weeks ago (when I applied for the position)… a job in commissary is the most coveted job on campus. There are only 8 employees in there and the only time a position opens is if another guy gets released. Lucky for me, I have made a solid connection with one of the main dudes that has worked there for a few years and he recommended me to his (now our) boss when one of the workers was released on June 1st.
Our boss had me send in an application, interviewed me, looked up my case and history (this is important because you work with female officers so you cannot have any history of violence or sexual crimes to work in commissary) and I found out that I got the job! I can honestly say… I was pumped and proud of myself for putting myself in the position to be recommended and considered in the first place and then to secure the job… definitely brought a smile to my face. I was also simultaneously laughing because I find it hilarious that I got this sense of pride out of my “prison job” but this is the moment and situation that I am in so… perspective.
My first day was Monday. The night before was like the first day of school when I was a kid. Make sure my uniform is ironed and ready, tell my Bunkie to wake me up by 4:45am (if I am not already awake), have my coffee ready to go… I found it very interesting how nervously excited I was.
I woke up at 4:37am on Monday morning. Sat up on my bunk and stretched up there for 10 minutes (I do this daily to work out the “sleeping on the top bunk of a metal bunk bed” kinks) then quietly shimmied down. I made my bed, got dressed, grabbed my coffee and snuck out of the room by 5am so I didn’t wake up my snoring buddy ‘downstairs’. I watched the news until 5:25am when the officer let me head out to “short line”.
And here lies the first major perk. Short line is for “trust fund workers” aka commissary, laundry and outside crew (guys with a pass that allows them to work off campus). We get to go to chow early, get first dibs on food and drinks and have an entire 10-15 minutes to eat. This is a massive game changer. No long line, no rushing to shovel your food down to clear room for other guys, bigger portions, a few minutes of peace and quiet… ahhh… it is a treat.
After short line, I walk over to commissary and start work. We all get patted down and then let inside where we can take off our khaki shirts and are allowed to work in our work boots, khaki pants and white tee shirt. Good thing because I am moving and shaking starting at 6:30am sharp. Every day of the week, 2 or 3 units “shop” meaning they send in their shopping list the day prior and 1 unit shops from 6:30 – 9:30am and another from 10:30am – 1:30pm. Our job is to fill the “baskets” and organize them in a specific way so that as the guys are called to the window… their basket is there, full and organized for them to check out.
There are 3 “fillers”… this is my position. We get the shopping lists and proceed to walk the store and fill the baskets with everything that is on the list. We then place the baskets with the 3 “stackers”. The stackers stack the baskets in a specific numbered, color coordinated and alphabetically ordered manner behind the 2 registers. Then the 2 “pushers” can grab the basket and have the officer call out the name of the shopper then proceed to scan each item and “push” it down the chute at the window for the shopper on the other side to put the item in his bag and have his essentials for the week ahead.
As one of the fillers… I love it because we crank up some music in the back… have our huge stack of shopping lists and just start banging them out one by one… the faster and harder we work… the sooner we get done. I love jobs in which you have a task… you complete the task and you’re finished. Maximum effort = Maximum results.
One week down and not much bad to say about the new gig. Besides the fact that there are no bathrooms for us to use while we are working. So, we have to wait for an officer to have time to unlock the back door and let us go to the bathroom in another building. This is not the best situation for me who drinks a lot of water all day but don’t sweat the small stuff. Past that small issue, the guys in there are all cool and certainly the right group of people for me to associated with in here. The officers have treated me just a little bit better over the past few days and the time seems to fly by because I am constantly moving in there. All in all… step in the right direction on this winding road that I am navigating.
Let’s see what next week has in store at the local Terminal Island Canteen.