Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 100
Time I woke: 3:30
Journal of activities:

I left my house early this morning to visit Fred Bigler at the Stanislaus Military Academy in Turlock today. We had a wonderful meeting. I arrived in Turlock before 8:00 am and sat at a local restaurant to review a manuscript that I wrote for a friend of mine. At 10:00 am I reported to the school and began an all-day event with Fred. He is the director of the program and he asked me to speak to the young people who are enrolled. They were all between 15 and 18 years old and they were learning the core values of leadership. I’m working to show Fred how he and his team can use the Straight-A Guide as a tool to help more young people embrace values-based, goal-oriented approaches to living. We’ll continue advancing discussions with other members of his team at the Stanislaus County school district.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Rainy in Modesto
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 9

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that I had a safe drive and a productive meeting at the Stanislaus County Military Academy today.

Appointments:

Today I met with Fred Bigler, Director of the Stanislaus Military Academy in Turlock today.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 99
Time I woke: 4:40
Journal of activities:

Today I worked from home on website development. We’re trying to get the MichaelSantos.org site ready for a wider introduction to potential clients. But Justin and I don’t have the budget to hire a team, so we must do all the work ourselves. We’re fortunate to have some help from my friend Tulio, and little by little, we’re making progress. The challenge is keeping up with all of the work. I’ll have to find a way to bring more stability to the project, but I think that I’m a ways away from that right now. I met with Rob Scerri today to discuss the developments of the staffing company that we’re striving to create. Soon I’ll schedule a trip to Stockton so that I can introduce Sammy from Fathers and Families to Ralph, the manager of the Stockton lumberyard. Soon we’ll begin putting people to work.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Raining in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 9

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that I have so many opportunities available to make sense out of the journey I served through prison, and I’m grateful for the love I have from my family.

Appointments:

I spent some time with my friend Lee Nobmann today, and I also met with Rob Scerri.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 98
Time I woke: 3:30
Journal of activities:

I woke very early in order to avoid traffic. I had an appointment scheduled in Monterey, California. Steven Farugie is a director with the GEO Group and I wanted to introduce him to our Straight-A Guide program. I left my house before 5:00 am so that I could arrive in Monterey before 8:00. I like to arrive at meetings early. That way I can sit in a restaurant and catch up on emails before the meeting starts. Today, however, I had a little complication. Around 6:00 am, when it was still dark outside, the freeway traffic was already moving at a snail’s pace. I was driving along, making good time toward my destination when I felt a jolt from behind. Someone had rear ended me. We weren’t going too fast, so no one got hurt. After inspecting the car, I weighed my options. Either I could wait for an officer to come and complete a police report, or I could forgive the accident and drive on. I chose to forgive the accident, thinking that the fellow who bumped me only scratched the bumper. In the dark, I couldn’t see more than the scratch. But when I arrived in Monterey, I saw that the collision had dislodged my bumper from the body of the car. I would have to bear the costs of repairing it. In an event, my meeting in Monterey went very well. After spending the day with Steven, he agreed to move forward and make a proposal to pilot our Straight-A Guide life skills program. We still must go through a series of approvals, but I’m looking forward to advancing the process.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Sunny, but cool in Monterey.
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 9

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that no one was injured when a Honda rear ended me on the freeway early this morning.

Appointments:

Today I met with Steven Faruguie and his team at the GEO Group in Monterey.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 97
Time I woke: 3:45
Journal of activities:

I woke to begin my work at 3:45 am. My first task was to update all of the daily logs that I write to record my return to society. I’m closing in on my first 100 days of liberty from the Bureau of Prisons and I count on these daily logs to record the journey. Soon I’ll break away to write a book about my first year in liberty and I’ll rely upon these journal entries as a resource. By 6:30 I left my house to begin my marathon. Rather than run to the park, I drove. That way I could store some grapefruit to replenish my fluids after the run. My friend Seth Nobmann joined me for part of the run. I ran slowly, taking five hours and 12 minutes to finish. Then I returned home to catch up with my SFSU responsibilities and to resume work on the marketing materials.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:30
• Lenght of time: 5.2 hours
• Miles run today: 26.2
• Weather: Foggy in morning, then beautiful and sunny in afternoon in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 1
• Cumulative miles since day off: 26.2
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 9

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that my life is filled with so many opportunities, with more opening every day.

Appointments:

Today I ran with my friend Seth Nobmann.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 96
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

I had planned on running a marathon distance today, but my friend Lee Nobmann told me that he was going to visit his new ranch. He is populating the ranch with cattle now. I spent more time during the early morning hours refining the brochures that I began to create. Then, at 5:30 I had a telephone conversation with my friend Hilary. She lives on the East Coast, so the time  zone wasn’t bad. I’m working with Hilary to create a program that will help others understand strategies for overcoming struggle and adversity. All of this work brings me a sense of fulfillment, as if I’m playing a small role in helping others understand that they too can become something more than struggles and complications that surround them. At 8:00 am I drove to my friend Lee’s house and we made the trip to his cattle ranch. I had hoped to take pictures of the livestock and land. Unfortunately, I forgot my phone at a restaurant where we stopped on the way to the ranch so I couldn’t snap any pictures.  We visited his properties, watched the ranch manager transfer two bulls from one ranch to another, then rode around in an off road vehicle to inspect the land and all of the livestock. The time I spend with Lee helps me a great deal because we discuss strategies I can pursue to build my business. On the way home from the ranch we returned to the restaurant to pick up my phone.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to have spent a day with my friend and mentor, Lee Nobmann.

Appointments:

Today I spent the day with Lee Nobmann.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 95
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

I worked from home all day today. In the morning I took a break from my work to run 12 miles, but other than that I was at my desk working on the computer to create graphical brochures. I’m writing the brochures for different audiences that I want to reach. The audiences that may have an interest in products and services that I provide include the following: prisons, schools for at-risk populations, universities, businesses, and government organizations. I must make the brochures colorful and interactive in the sense that recipients can click on a link to visit different YouTube presentations if they want to watch my presentations. I made some good drafts today. But I will want to tweak the brochures a few more times before I begin to send through email to hundreds of people. We’ll see what happens from the effort, but I’m hoping to find some qualified leads that may have an interest in the products and services we’ve created.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 8:30
• Lenght of time: 2.2 hours
• Miles run today: 12
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 2
• Cumulative miles since day off: 24
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that I’m learning new computer applications that will help me begin to reach a wider audience.

Appointments:

This evening my wife and I had dinner with Lee Nobmann.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 94
Time I woke: 5:00
Journal of activities:

Carole and I were happy to arrive home safely last night from our trip to Indianapolis. Upon landing, I returned a call to my probation officer, Christine. Christine had been scheduled to visit my class at San Francisco State University as a guest speaker. We had planned Christine’s visit more than three months ago. She called to apologize and to give news that her supervisor would not allow her to attend my class. Apparently, the supervisor thought that Christine’s presence in my class would present a conflict of interest. News that she wouldn’t attend disappointed me. The students and I would have appreciated her presentation. Fortunately, Christine helped by presenting a substitute speaker. Sharon Alberts retired from U.S. Probation relatively recently and she agreed to attend our class. I hadn’t met Sharon before, but I was very happy that she agreed to help our class understand the duties of a federal probation officer. Prior to beginning the class I met with Karina Ioffee in the SFSU office assigned to me. Karina is a reporter for a San Francisco public radio station and she has been working to produce a story about my return to society and my role at the university.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 8:30
• Lenght of time: 2.2 hours
• Miles run today: 12
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 1
• Cumulative miles since day off: 12
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to have returned home and to have had opportunities to make further progress with the career that I’m building.

Appointments:

Today I met with Sharon Alberts and her daughter Ellen, and also with Karina Ioffee.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 93
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

Carole and I slept in a wonderful hotel called the DePauw Inn, but neighbors in an adjacent room woke us in the middle of the night. They were drinking and very loud, so the management moved us to a different room at 1:00 am. I woke at 4:00 am to catch up with my daily journal entries. Then Carole and I went to the dining room for a buffet breakfast. After breakfast we returned to our room to complete some more computer work. At 12:30 we both attended a class with Professor Bordt. She asked me to speak with the students about my writing career in prison. I told them how I began to write in prison and I explained the reasons why I perceived writing as such an essential part of my life. Through writing, I could transcend the boundaries that confined me and connect with people in society. Writing made all of the difference for me as a long-term prisoner, keeping me busy and shielding me from the idleness that derails the adjustment patterns of so many others inside.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Cold but sunny in Indianapolis
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to have received such a warm reception from the many students and faculty at DePauw University in Indianapolis.

Appointments:

Carole and I met with Professor Rebecca Bordt and her group of students for a one hour session.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 92
Time I woke: 3:15 am
Journal of activities:

Carole and I had to leave our house very early this morning in order to ensure we made it to the San Francisco airport in time for a flight to Indianapolis. The flight turned out to be an extraordinary opportunity. The man who sat beside me initiated a conversation about flying. I asked what he did for a living and he told me that he was a United States Senator. Wow! I introduced myself to Senator Mike Johaness, from Nebraska, and we enjoyed a two hour conversation. Besides serving as a U.S. Senator, he also served as governor of Nebraska, so he led a distinguished career as a law maker and the chief executive of state, but he also served as Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush. I appreciated the opportunity to share my views on mass incarceration and I learned a great deal from listening to the senator.

Carole and I landed safely. Professor Rebecca Bortdt picked us up at the airport and drove us to the Inn at DePauw, the hotel on campus. We didn’t have much time, before we had to attend our event. I spoke inside of a beautiful auditorium to a crowd of about 60 people, so it was a smaller venue than I anticipated. The advantage was that we could have a more intimate conversation. I really enjoyed participating in the event. Our hotel accommodations didn’t work out so well, however, as a group in the adjoining room woke us up with a party. Carole and I had to move rooms in the middle of the night, but that worked out fine. Every day is a new adventure.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: No exercise
• Lenght of time: No exercise
• Miles run today: 0
• Weather: Cool and damp in San Francisco, Cold in Indianapolis
• Consecutive days: 0
• Cumulative miles since day off: 0
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m so grateful that God blesses me with new opportunities. Today Carole and I left our home early to board a flight for Indianapolis and we arrived safely.

Appointments:

I met United States Senator Mike Johaness while on board a flight to Indiana, where I later met several people who attended a lecture I delivered at DePauw University.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 91
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

This morning I work early because I had a lot of work to complete. The hospital census count was low so Carole didn’t have to go into work. I went for a 13 mile run in the morning and I ran at a slower pace than usual. When I returned home I had to get ready for a call that Professor Peter Leone scheduled for me to speak with his students at The University of Maryland. They are undergrads who are enrolled in a social justice course. I spoke with them through a Google Hangout, which allowed us to record the event on my Google channel. Here is the link for anyone who would like to watch.

I got my haircut today, then I worked the rest of the day preparing for my trip to DePauw University tomorrow. Carole and I are excited to visit the school and make a presentation.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:30 am
• Lenght of time: 2.5
• Miles run today: 13
• Weather: cool, damp in morning, but sunny
• Consecutive days: 3
• Cumulative miles since day off: 51
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 8

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to God for blessing with so many opportunities to grow and learn and contribute. Each day I have more challenges to work through and as i work through them, I feel a real sense of meaning.

Appointments:

Today I had a wonderful appointment with Professor Peter Leone from the University of Maryland so that I could speak with his students about my journey through prison. I also visited a hair salon for a haircut.

Links to publications: