Prowling Familiar Territory

I called last night to make sure where I was at today. Lt Stoner looked and said I was in 4 house.

That's cool. I can do 4 house. Down there with Big Mess and Sgt Duck? Oh, yeah.

Burt when I got in today Lt Pinocchio points at me and says "The Hive. Bubble. Miz Maybe called out."

Oh snap. Back in the Hive again.

Ah well, it's the first time in two weeks. I can deal with it.

I had almost forgotten how much difference there is between the Hive bubble and the ones in regular housing units. In a regular house you are busier, but it doesn't matter so much there if you pop the wrong door. The inmate will either close it again or leave it open. Half of the time in a regular house, it doesn't matter.

In a regular house you sit at the panel with your back to the wings. I never really understood the thinking behind that idea. But also, in a regular house, everybody hangs out in the bubble so there's always someone calling out doors to open.

And in a regular house, there's very little room to move around in the bubble. It's packed full of lockers and filing cabinets and tables and things that they need to run the house on a day to day basis.

In the Hive you are by yourself up there. And the panels face the wings (well, they did, but the one is still broken and missing. How much longer?????) but you have to watch out yourself to make sure you have the right door. Because if you open the wrong one, someone might get hurt.

And there is very little stuff up in the Hive bubble. It's all down in the Sgt's office, where everybody else hangs out. So you have room to prowl back and forth, keeping an eye on things.

So that is what I spent most of my night doing. Prowling the bubble and watching over my crew and pacing back and forth and hoping I didn't screw up.

I had almost forgotten how nuts the place was. But it was nice seeing BG and Chucky and Windows again.

I believe it was Thomas Wolfe who said "You can't go home again." He was wrong. You can go there, but only for one shift and you're much happier when you get to leave again.