How did I survive? Visits from my mom, dad, grandmother, and wife were all I had to look forward to. Keeping my mind active was my salvation. Since I wasn’t in the hole for violating prison rules, the strict guidelines for prisoners in solitary were relaxed a little for me. I could read books and magazines, write letters, listen to my Walkman radio (favorites: KNX 1070 News radio and classic rock). But writing was difficult because I was allowed only a short pencil, too stubby to use for more than a few minutes at a time.