Xial Lunashine - ConcertinaWired

Hey, hi, I'm Jayel! I'm a justice-impacted BIPOC enby held hostage by the Department of Corrections in Florida. For now, this feed references my blog, Concertinawired.com, where I talk about prison and reforms.

It's breakfast time. What day of the week is it again? The days carry on the same way each day, unless someone gets into a fight, goes to prison jail, gets shipped, goes home, or there's a death on the compound. concertinawired.com/2026/10/16

Hey, real world? Are there zucchini crisps/chips out there? As an alternative to potato? Are they healthier per serving? Are they expensive? Easy to make yourself? Come in flavours?

People here notice when I'm really out of sorts, it seems. I'm touched. Several in Horticulture asked if I was OK Friday. I'm really, really not, but I can't be fixed in Florida. So, I deflected to an adjacent truth: I *was* thinking about an 8oz bag of tortilla chips. #hungry

Have you ever hallucinated that you were hallucinating? That's me on a very exhausted Saturday morning. Power's out because of Isaias; we're on generators, and Wi-Fi is on to keep tablets unlocked.

If there were a way for a prisoner to elect to receive an enhanced medical formulary with a broader scope of meds, that would be amazing. But that causes stratification: have-meds v. haven't-meds. Guess prisons just need a better formulary? #abolishprisons

Brave faces crack. Scared faces crack. Silent faces crack.

Two years ago Securus offered inmates free "eMessaging stamps" to contact loved ones in the event of a major weather event. Jump-cut to right now, and the radio silence, combined with the loss of the weekly free phone call is telling. concertinawired.com/2026/10/10

I'm in our Horticulture course here at Blessington, and there is a LOT of book work that we get to do. I've reached one of the later units in the class, and we are tasked with *drafting a résumé* as part of the work assignment. concertinawired.com/2026/10/07

I'm anticipating a move, a road trip from Blessington to elsewhere in the coming month. Like most prisoners, I will be expected to carry all my own stuff... concertinawired.com/2026/10/04

This one's short, by sole virtue of my muse being stomped upon by Securus' JP6s tablet (may the newer EVOTAB arrive before July 2028). concertinawired.com/2026/09/24

Speaking to a few residents who have been here at this camp for longer than I have, they explained that we who may be passing through once had access to microwaves in the dorm wings. However, the microwaves were being replaced almost daily for some reason. concertinawired.com/2026/09/09

Thinking about it, the garden really just amplified my desire to support others, to help others grow around me even here in this place. It feels less like a prison for that sunny hour or so that I'm outside in the mornings.

What would be cool is if someone donated $300 worth of plant seeds to a local prison horticulture program with a caveat: Write what you learned about the plant, and about yourself through the plant.

Tuesday: Watching "World News Tonight with David Muir", we learned that Dolly Parton has passed away. I was amazed at the sadness that spanned this dorm at that news. You will be missed, Dolly. o7

Some weeks ago, during my tiny prison sangha's Buddhist Study time on a Friday, I brought up a thought that had been making my mind *itch*. Our goal, at least in some Buddhist traditions, is to alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings, correct? concertinawired.com/2026/08/24

Blessington's Food Service Department, operated by Trinity Services Group out of Oldsmar, Florida, are in violation of Florida Administrative Code Title 33-204.003 (6)... concertinawired.com/2026/08/16

To Do: Find out how to write a Petition to Initiate Rulemaking. I have three, maybe four entrées: 'cheese', PB, beans, egg. Regular diets rotate much more. Need a rule that says better veg*n options required.

Why aren't cargo ebikes a big thing? If I were a welder, I would make it a thing. :)

I wish for right-sized transportation to take over America. If you're 100 miles from a city, a big truck makes sense for your hauls. If you're a mile away from everything, drive something smaller.

It took coming to prison for me to open my third eye, to see a truth I was missing. We are, as a societal whole, coddled into believing that the only way to have food is buy it at a store. Not true: Grow a pear. :')

Get a pallet, some landscape cloth, heavy duty staples. Build a vertical planter. Put some LED grow lights on timers. Congrats, you can grow stuff in your apartment. Really.

How do we destroy our own topsoil? Pump it full of chemicals, give it no time to rest, discourage everyone from growing their own food. Talk about AI (Artificially Induced) Slop, sheesh.

Every day I garden, I get my missing Vitamin D3. Every day I don't garden, I miss out on synthesizing something good for my health. This upsets me and my delicate balance.

To the hells with the idiots that decided 1-day drafts are fine on these Securus tablets. I lost a nearly finished blog about my hearing loss, and will have to retype it if I want to post it. My fiefdom for the word processor Ashland students get access to on this same hardware.

I've learned that depending on what criminal offense one has committed and served time for, one cannot visit many other countries around the world. Punishments should fit the crime. I don't think this one does, by a long shot, for many people in America. concertinawired.com/2026/08/07

Sunflowers are important to attract bugs that prey on garden pests. Sunflowers are considered a threat to security in this prison. Figure that one out!

Y'know, if I could figure out which genetic markers to edit to increase my own patience and bump my metabolism up by a notch or two, maybe I would work food service here for a week. And get fired for having standards. 🤣

I keep waking up so confused. Common theme? Where is the tofu I know I JUST bought? Why is there someone snoring in here? I'm awake. Where am I?? ... oh. Blessington. :|

So, I found out what was plaguing my cucumber buddies in the garden, and I could not be sadder. I had brought up an issue with some white patches on the leaves last week, but no-one quite listened to me when I showed them said splotches (so I felt). concertinawired.com/2026/07/27

I know, a somewhat puzzling opener for people who know me on a personal level: I don't care much for (generally speaking) watching sports. concertinawired.com/2026/07/21

Today was actually a good day in the garden. No-one got strip searched (like we all did Friday). concertinawired.com/2026/07/20

Hi, readers, a friendly reminder: when you are working in your gardens, remember to thoroughly wash your hands and under your nails when you finish. concertinawired.com/2026/07/19

When I was many, many moons younger, like half my lifetime ago, I once said, > I would never work for a company like America Online. As the housing bubble imploded in the States, I worked at a call center... supporting AOL customers. concertinawired.com/2026/07/18

A twisted aside, this blog post came to mind as we were watching a *The Farmer's Dog* commercial here in the dorm, and one of us remarked: > Man, dogs eat a hell of a lot better than we do. concertinawired.com/2026/07/14

A bit of a read today, as I recover from the touch of Heat Exhaustion from working my garden this morning. I actually need to applaud Blessington staff here for acting quickly on what they were recognizing as heat exhaustion far before I would detect it. concertinawired.com/2026/07/10

Read me out on this. When you are locked up in something for a period of time, you try to find ways to change the rules so that they benefit you while you are there. concertinawired.com/2026/07/06

Last week was a short week for us in our vocational courses, leading up to America's 250th Birthday. We had two days of classes, then what should be a four day weekend starting on Thursday. This break is not so good for us in Horticulture... concertinawired.com/2026/07/05

I've had some time to mull over the ox-bike dream I've had, and I've managed to whittle it down a fair clip from that magical, mystical tiny house hauling machine I wanted to something more practical and practicable in our current *whatever this is*. concertinawired.com/2026/06/26

I propose a *Bring Your Own Device to Prison* policy. Each person can bring or have shipped in a laptop with a screen not to exceed 15", or an eBook reader. No cellphones at this time as we test and tune for this. concertinawired.com/2026/06/25

I crave salad, in quantity. What do we not get in prison? Salad, in quantity. You MIGHT get an ounce of iceberg lettuce and carrots if they feel generous, haha! Half pound salad, please!

I have an essay I've been pressured into writing. It's due by Thursday, 25 June, on perseverance through adversity. 700-1200 words; I will have to hand write this because I'm no longer in the tech class. This is going to bite.

24,229. That's how many ebooks we have on our Securus tablets in Florida. Most are from Project Gutenberg, with a little Cory Doctorow and Ann Wilson dusted in. Our library does not change. Pathetic, really. A blog, soon.

Raise your hand if you believe a corporation with shareholders should ever shoulder responsibility for holding custody of people adjudicated guilty in a court of law instead of the state whose courts rendered the sentence. concertinawired.com/2026/06/15

Have you ever wanted to just disconnect from the flight response that the amygdala provokes in your body? Have you considered how much more you could get done without wanting to duck & cover under the nearest solid thing you can find? I know I've wanted to. concertinawired.com/2026/06/14

In this issue of Concertina Wired, Xial puzzles about what Securus has against anthropomorphic ants. concertinawired.com/2026/06/13

Today's Wednesday. The folks at Blessington decided to retry our graduation ceremony. That means I got to walk across and be congratulated, too, because I completed my Tech Support Services vocation. concertinawired.com/2026/06/10