Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 50
Time I woke: 4:15 am
Journal of activities:

Early this morning I completed a monthly report for my federal probation officer. Each month I’m required to complete a lengthy document that provides my probation officer with an update. I don’t mind filling out the report at all, but the process is time consuming. After completing my report I went outside for my run and I completed somewhere between 13 and 14 miles. The ankle that I injured earlier this month felt much better. I could’ve run many more miles, but time was ticking and I could not afford to be away from my work for so long. I returned to work on several projects that I have in progress. I’m scheduled to deliver a speech at UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall on October 16. Today I outlined a speech on activism and I prepared a PowerPoint. Much work ahead. I also completed more work for my students at San Francisco State University.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:50
• Lenght of time: 2.4 hours
• Miles run today: 13
• Weather: Sunny day in Petaluma, cool evening.
• Consecutive days: 10
• Cumulative miles since day off: 90
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to God for helping me through each day, grateful for the abundance all around me, grateful for the perseverance to overcome the challenges that accompany my return to society.

Appointments:

Today I spent the day alone. Carole was with her children in Portland.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 49
Time I woke: 4:30 am
Journal of activities:

This morning I made more progress with an article that I’m developing. I also spent several hours in research to prepare for speeches that I’m scheduled to deliver in October. I’m scheduled to deliver one speech in San Diego and another the following week in Berkeley. So I have a lot of work ahead of me, making me feel somewhat fragmented with too many projects on my plate. The schedule may lighten up some next year, but only if my career begins to get more traction. Many challenges ahead.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:30 am
• Lenght of time: 2.5
• Miles run today: 14
• Weather: Light rain, cloudy in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 9
• Cumulative miles since day off: 77
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

Every day gives me new reason to thank God for blessing me with Carole. I miss her today because she has flown to visit her children in Oregon.

Appointments:

Today I spent some time with Tulio Cardozo, as he visited me to complete some work on my computer.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 48
Time I woke: 4:40 am
Journal of activities:

This morning I did more work to prepare for next Thursday’s class at SFSU. It will be the final class before I issue the midterm. The following Thursday I will travel to San Diego to attend a Violence Prevention Conference that The California Wellness Foundation is sponsoring. I have a considerable amount of work to complete before then, as the next week I’m scheduled to speak before a large group at UC Berkeley. So a lot of work ahead of me. I was happy to make progress today. I wrote the essay from which I will teach and I began preparing a PowerPoint presentation that will help the students follow my lecture.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:30 am
• Lenght of time: 1 hour
• Miles run today: 6
• Weather: Warm but cloudy in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 8
• Cumulative miles since day off: 63
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to have had my wife beside me for most of the day.

Appointments:

My wife and I joined our friends Lee and Melodee for dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 47
Time I woke: 4:45 am
Journal of activities:

This morning I woke up alone in a Stockton Hotel. I don’t like spending time apart from my wife, but I had to travel to Stockton yesterday for business and contribution. First I made a sales presentation to the San Joaquin Probation Department. Then I met with leadership at the Fathers and Families nonprofit. After that meeting I taught a class on the stock market to a group of high school students at a local church. Since I was scheduled to teach a second class this morning, I decided to sleep in Stockton last night.

I woke early to begin writing a summary of the class I taught at SFSU last Thursday. Then, in the late morning I returned to the church so that I could teach the second installment of the class. I didn’t return home until 4:00 pm. I spent the remainder of the evening mapping out the work I have ahead of me in the weeks to come. My wife returned home from work around six. She then resumed her studies in a desk beside mine while I wrote an article.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 5:00 am
• Lenght of time: 1 hour
• Miles run today: 6
• Weather: Sunny day in Stockton
• Consecutive days: 7
• Cumulative miles since day off: 57
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to have driven home safely from a night away in Stockton.

Appointments:

Today I met with Jerron Jordan and his group of students at a church in Stockton, where I taught a second class on understanding the stock market.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 46
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

This morning I left my house early in order to go for a long run. I had to drive to Stockton for an important sales call with San Joaquin County Probation officials. The drive takes longer than two hours. I wanted to leave my house by 7:30 to ensure that I would have plenty of time to arrive for my 11:00 am meeting. I was meeting with the chief of probation and several deputy chiefs of probation to pitch the idea of the county using our Straight-A Guide reentry program. I spoke for one hour, following a precise agenda. I specifically wanted to gauge the county’s idea on becoming a client for transitional housing. The county rejected the idea for becoming a client of a transitional housing project because it was building its own project. Ms. James and her team asked that I present two formal proposals and I am thinking about how I will  write the proposals.

The challenge I have in writing the proposal is that the county wants me to deliver the services, but since I live more than two-hours driving distance from the jail, it would not be feasible to teach a one hour program, five days each week in that facility.  So I have to think the idea through. I will wait to submit the proposal until after Justin, my partner returns from his honeymoon. Following my meeting with the probation department I met with the Fathers and Families organization. It’s an impressive nonprofit that Sammy Nunez, a former prisoner began nearly a decade ago. We discussed the possibility of working together to create job opportunities. Then, I met with Jerron Jordan’s group called The First 50, which is a teaching organization for teenagers. Since I was scheduled to teach a second class on Saturday, I slept at the University Plaza Hotel that evening. The trip cost me more than $200, but I don’t know whether I walked away with a sale.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 4:30 am
• Lenght of time: 2 hours
• Miles run today: 11
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Stockton
• Consecutive days: 6
• Cumulative miles since day off: 51
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful to God for all the blessings in my life, especially the strength God provides to rejuvenate my energy when I’m down.

Appointments:

Today I met with leadership from San Joaquin County probation, including Stephanie James, the chief probation officer and several deputy chief probation officers. Then I met with Jerron Jordan, who leads a nonprofit in Stockton. Following that meeting, I met with Sammy Nunez and his team of leaders at the organization known as Fathers and Families. Finally, I met with a group of teenagers so that I could teach a class on financial literacy.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 45
Time I woke: 4:15 am
Journal of activities:

For the first time in longer than two weeks, I woke without any pain on my ankle. I left the house early so that I could squeeze a long run before I would have to drive to San Francisco State University to teach my fifth class. I always look forward to spending my Thursdays at the university library, where I work quietly. Today I knew that I would have to work alone because Carole was scheduled to work at the hospital. My run went really well. I ran 12 miles, which was the longest I’ve run since my injury and I felt fine. I returned home and got ready, then drove into the city. A reporter from Germany met me at the university to interview me for a German magazine about my experience of talking at the TEDx event last spring. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on preparations for my class in the evening. I looked forward to a vibrant discussion with my students. Two guest speakers were scheduled to join me, and both had served long stretches of time in the juvenile justice system. Unfortunately, when I concluded the class, I walked away feeling dispirited, as if I let the students down. I have high expectations of inspiring the students to want to learn more about the criminal justice system, but in order to reach my goal, I must work harder with more extensive preparations and class exercises. I learned from the class I led tonight, and I’m determined to improve. Business Insider published a wonderful article about my friend Greg Reyes and me today.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 4:45 am
• Lenght of time: 2.2 hours
• Miles run today: 12
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 5
• Cumulative miles since day off: 40
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that the pain in my ankle subsided and that I’m feeling closer to a full recovery.

Appointments:

I met with a journalist from Germany today and also with all of my students. I also had two guest speakers attend my class. One was DeAngelo Cortijo, the other was Frankie Guzman.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 44
Time I woke: 4:00 am
Journal of activities:

Each day brings me a little closer to the launch of my career. Carole and I woke early today to begin our work. Rather than going to run early, I waited. My ankle is still recovering and I don’t want to injure it again by stepping into a pothole. Although I like running very early, I’ll refrain from running when it’s very dark. We enjoyed a quick run at the park at 6:30, and afterward I spent the rest of the day writing in our home office. I wrote one article for my website to help offenders who are going into the system; I wrote two other articles for publication, but those articles will appear in other publications. Then I worked to launch the new website for our foundation and michaelsantos.org.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 6:30 am
• Lenght of time: .5 hours
• Miles run today: 3
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 4
• Cumulative miles since day off: 28
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful for every blessing in my life, and I have many more blessings than I can count.

Appointments:

I enjoyed lunch with Lee Nobmann, today.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 43
Time I woke: 5:00 am
Journal of activities:

After a busy few days in Los Angles, I had to catch up with my writing today. I drafted an article for The Daily Dot and wrote content for the Michael G. Santos Foundation website. I’m looking forward to launching the new website tomorrow. The new website will show the different products and services we’re offering to help more offenders prepare for law-abiding, contributing lives. The Straight-A Guide video product is now packaged and ready for clients to begin using. Facilitators may use the Straight-A Guide video product as a resource to help those in their facilities understand how to pursue self-directed strategies that lead to law-abiding, contributing lives. We’re also preparing to launch a staffing company, and that program continues to advance. I have a lot of work ahead of me, and each day brings me a little closer to completion.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 7:23 am
• Lenght of time: 1.2 hours
• Miles run today: 6
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Petaluma
• Consecutive days: 3
• Cumulative miles since day off: 24
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful that I am nearly fully recovered from my ankle injury.

Appointments:

Today I worked from home, but I took a break to go out for dinner with my friend and mentor Lee Nobmann.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 42
Time I woke: 3:45
Journal of activities:

Carole and I woke early to work on our mutual projects from our guest room at the Hotel Angelino. With my ankle feeling better, I returned to the treadmill and I ran 8 miles. After the run I went to the pool and swam for an additional 50 minutes, which really felt wonderful. Justin and his wife came down to the pool to join Carole and me for about an hour. Carole and I checked out of the hotel around 1:00 and my mother met us. We drove to the Westin hotel near the airport for lunch, then my mom dropped us off at LAX at 3:30. Carole and I sat side by side working on our laptops until our time for departure in the early evening. We are scheduled to return to San Francisco around 9:00 pm. Our trip was really wonderful.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 8:30 am
• Lenght of time: 2 hours
• Miles run today: 8
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny in Los Angeles
• Consecutive days: 2
• Cumulative miles since day off: 2
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m so grateful to have enjoyed a magnificent weekend with my wife in Los Angeles and to have seen my mother and grandmother and the many friends who attended Justin and Sandra’s wedding.

Appointments:

Today I spent some time with Justin and Sandra and my mom.

Links to publications:

Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 41
Time I woke: 3:30 am
Journal of activities:

Carole and I stayed at the Hotel Angeleno, near the Bel Air area of Los Angles. We checked into our room yesterday afternoon, then left for a magnificent dinner in the Los Feliz area. Redemption Foods catered the affair for more than 40 people who were in town to celebrate Justin’s wedding. We returned to the hotel last night around nine, and slept well.

When I woke this morning, the swelling on my ankle had subsided and I decided to give running a try again. I ran 10 miles on the hotel’s treadmill, followed by another hour of swimming in the pool. Around 3 p.m., Carole and I boarded a shuttle bus that carried us to the Stephen S. Wise Temple, where the wedding ceremony and reception took place. The couple really invested themselves to make a spectacular, memorable event. Following the ceremony, we attended a lavish

reception that began with trays of catered hors de oeuvres served to all of the guests as we waited for the newlyweds to join us. For the formal dinner, guests were seated at large round tables covered with white linen table cloths and an elegant presentation of fine china, glassware, cutlery, and flower arrangements. The tables were beautifully decorated, and dinner was an endless course of delicious food. Carole and I danced for the first time as a couple during the reception which was really special for us. Unfortunately, all of the movement aggravated my injured ankle and I couldn’t dance as much as I wanted. But the wedding was really special, and we will always remember the event.  We returned to the hotel around 9:00 pm, tired and happy.

Exercise Routine-

• Time: 8:30 am
• Lenght of time: 2.5 hours
• Miles run today: 10
• Weather: Beautiful and sunny, but windy in Los Angeles
• Consecutive days: 1
• Cumulative miles since day off: 10
• Pushups today: 0
• Cumulative pushups for month: 0
• Annual marathon tally: 6

Gratitude prayer:

I’m grateful for every second of liberty I have, and I’m grateful that Carole and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Los Angeles.

Appointments:

Today Carole and I attended my friend Justin Paperny’s wedding and we met more people than I can count.

Links to publications: