The Dynamic Duo

Recap:
UltraMom, after living in the same small town in Idaho for 30+ years moves to a slightly larger small town in Nevada. UltraDad has given up farming and is driving a big, big truck for a mining company. UltraParents buy a house, and UDad gently hints (repeatedly) that it would be nice if UMom contributed to the family paycheck. A job opportunity comes knocking on the door: Matty is an educator who works with inmates at the nearby minimun security prison and used to work with UDad’s sister, Pat, teaching at the local high school. The prison storekeeper is leaving, and Matty hears that Pat’s sister in law is looking for a job. About 4 months later, UltraMom has landed the job, even going to Emerald….....................er I mean Carson City to fill out necessary paperwork. And now….........the job begins!

I arrived at my first day of work with a little trepidation. I had been out to the prison, or Conservation Camp as it is called, before, but never as am employee. I approach the front gate. What is the procedure? Does a guard come out? Is there some way I phone in? Finally a prisoner sees me, alerts a guard and I’m in. Jackson, the prison store-keeper trainer appears, having driven from Reno that morning. “So, didn’t your key work on the lock?” So that’s what that key was for. The camp commander had handed me a set of keys on a pink beaded alligator keychain when I ran into him in Albertsons last week, but no instructions had been given.
The “store” is a long, very narrow room lined with merchandise, with a desk/computer at one end. This is my domain. I am introduced to Joe and Carlos, my two inmate store clerks. Jackson and I exchange a bit of small talk; it turns out he was raised in Idaho and that we graduated from the same high school, though me much earlier than he. I mention the ages of my children, and he says,”But you’re hanging in there.” I feel like I should break out the cane, walker, and hearing aid.
Jackson has only been on the job for a month, coming out of a position of management in the Gaming Industry near Las Vegas. I am the first storekeeper he has trained. This can be both good and bad. The good thing is that he is very gung-ho and tries to be very thorough. The bad thing is that he is very gung-ho and is a little too thorough. I am quickly in “information overload mode.” When he leaves the room, my clerks tell me,”It’s not as hard as he’s making it sound. We’ll help you a lot.” I feel slightly encouraged.
This week I will be working 40 hours. Over the next several weeks, I will gradually taper down until I am working my regular schedule of 20 hours: 5 hours, 4 days a week. When I go to lunch this week, it is so nice to be able to be home after a 7 minute drive. In Idaho, my job was 1/2 hour away. Of course, usually, I won’t even be going to work until after lunch, but still the short commute time will be a plus. The main thing for me to learn, besides basic procedures, is the computer. The computer is ancient, and the keyboard is so old it is missing what are now standard keys. No “Escape” (Calgon, take me away!), no CTRL, no Page Up or Page Down. The computer is “down” on a regular basis, and at first we thought this was going to be the case on my first day of training. But after a few shut downs and ups and a few helpful tips from Joe and Carlos, we were up and running. Same thing with the printer, a huge, old tractor feed machine. The inmates are not allowed to use the computer, but after being there so long, they notice the tricks that make it work. Maybe a good thing we had so much trouble; I think it may expedite new equipment installation, which has been in the works for a long, long time. When the computer screen comes up, I am pleasantly surprised. It is the same system we used at the bank, the good old AS400. Of course, it is a different data bank, and vastly different options, but many of the basic commands are the same: F12 to go back a screen, F3 to exit.
We, or rather Joe and Carlos, do a compete store inventory. We run through ordering, shipments, and store days. It’s not a store like you and I would shop around in. There is a store list posted with items and prices. Inmates fill out an order form and deposit in a drop box. I input orders, the clerks pull items, and when the customers come to the outside window, they show ID and pick up their order, the amount haviing been deducted from their account. If an item is out of stock, or the inmate hasn’t got enough money in his account, tough luck. At the end of the second day, some things are making more sense, and some things are still a bit opaque. I tell Jackson that I think my brain is full. He laughs, and we soon knock off for the day.
Thursday afternoon, Jackson leaves and I am on my own. Joe and Carlos are infinitely helpful, but if it’s computer input related I have to wade through the manual. I meet a few of the guards and talk to the caseworker, the only other female there on a daily basis. I even receive an invitation to a Christmas party at the “Command Post” in a town, about 40 minutes away. The job is SO different from anything I have ever done before: if I even leave to go to the bathroom, the clerks have to leave too, and I lock the door. I leave the prison and go home at the end of the day; they are already home. At some point I will be required to attend a week-long training mostly dealing with how NOT to allow yourself to be compromised by a prisoner. But, on the whole, I am feeling good about the job.
Now, its my first weekend, a Saturday. Days off are definitely more appreciated when they don’t occur every day. Lots of things are on my agenda; go to Elko and finish Christmas shopping. Take down the pilgrims and orange candles and put up the Christmas tree and sparkly lights. Get the last couple of packages together and in the mail. Spend some quality time with Murphy and Polly, and have a scrumptious dinner waiting for UDad when he gets home a little after 8 pm (He had to work today). Packages have been arriving, including one very intriguing one from Japan, and kids should be arriving later next week. None of my kids have ever been to prison. LIfe is good.
UltraMom