Tom has e-mail

Dear Friends,

For those of you who would like to communicate with Tom via e-mail, good news. You now have that option!

I tried it out last night. Just go to http://jpay.com and set up an account. You can then compose and send emails from that site for $.44 per page, and a page holds a lot of text. This is so much more convenient than snail mail, and Tom gets it more quickly, too.

You can even send attachments. This service rocks. Enjoy.

Traci

A Letter - December 13

Dear Traci and Rick,

How are you doing? I hope enjoying the holiday season. Thank you so much for the books you sent me last week. What a nice Christmas present. I'm really liking those two authors. It was such a nice surprise.

Did I tell you that I was moved to Trusty Quarters located just outside the unit? There are 60 of us in a giant warehouse type building--we each have our own cubicle with a writing table. All of us are Trustys. As you can probably tell I like it so much better. No bars!

This is my last week of class before we will break until January 5. I guess I will work mornings as well as afternoons. We'll be off the 24th and 25th and possibly 1/2 day on the 23rd. I'll be ready to get back to my routine though, but thankfully I'll have books to read. We're supposed to have "lock down" (rumor had it for today but it didn't happen). There was a guy who escaped and was later caught and they (Senator Whitmire) asked for a statewide lockdown. That usually means a week of nothing to do but read--so I'll be ready.

I made Mexican rice over the weekend with sausage fajitas with a guy who is here from Alamo. I got a bag of the instant rice, used a couple squirts of ketchup, added a chopped jalapeno and some salsa then added boiling water and voila--it looked good and tasted better. That combined with the sliced sausage fajitas in bbq sauce made us a nice meal.

Merry Christmas--write when you have time!

Tom

A Letter From Tom

Dear Friends,

I just this minute received a letter from Tom dated July 4. I'll share it with you here:

Well after two long weeks I've arrived--I'm at the Huntsville Unit AKA The Walls--the oldest institution in the state located in downtown Huntsville, population 65,000. I guess they call it The Walls because of the 40' wall that surrounds it. It is also the place where they execute the death row inmates and bury them (I'll get to that later). The place looks like an old college campus complete with red brick buildings and a courtyard with trees and flowering plants. The courtyard is actually one big recreation yard. I finally feel like I am where I am. There are no dorms, just rows with 2-man cells like in the movies. I feel a lot of history here. We are about an hour from Houston.

I was also reclassified--I received my S2 - Trusty status. This means I am allowed to work outside of the unit, and you know what...my boss at Lopez was right--what did they give me for a job? Groundskeeper. We go all over Huntsville mowing grass! I am a gardener. I thought I was going to die on Friday--it was 103 degrees. I am going to try to find something else but they tell me they give the Trustys those jobs where they can go outside. Groundskeeping also maintains the cemetery. I hear that there are two executions this month. Wow! A gravedigger, too. I'll keep you posted.

I'm guessing that they will put me back in school but school is on summer break for three weeks.

My new address is:

Huntsville Unit
815 12th St.
Huntsville TX 77348

I haven't received any mail here yet, so I don't know what's going on. Hopefully I'll catch up this week.

If you have the time maybe you can put most of this letter in the Blog. (Editor's note: done!)

Tom's Address

Dear Friends,
I posted a mailing address for Tom recently, but when I tried to send him books via Amazon today the address came back invalid. I did a search on the TDC website, and they have this address for him:

815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas 77342(936) 437-1975

That's where I sent the book order, so I hope it's accurate for a few days.

If anyone has different information, please let me know.

Tom's New Address - For 45 Days Or So

Tom Treu
1443944
21FM 247
Byrd Unit
Huntsville Tx 77320

Moving Day Has Come and Gone

Dear Friends of Tom,

I just received a letter from Tom dated June 21 with the following news:

"From what I understand I will leave here tomorrow (6/22) and go to Garza West, the following day I will leave for a place called Darrington and then on Wednesday I will leave for Byrd which I understand is in Huntsville."

Tom indicated that the Byrd Unit is where he will be "reclassified" and could stay for 45 days before he is assigned to another unit.

I will let you know if I have any more news, but I suspect this will be unresolved throughout the rest of the summer.

Traci

A Visit With Tom - June 6

I visited with Tom on Saturday, June 6, and he asked me to share some information with you to help keep the blog fresh. He has just learned that he will be attending a "Cognitive Intervention Program" beginning this week. The course is three hours per week, five days per week, and Tom is looking forward to the change in routine.

I googled the term and found lots of reading about the Cognitive Intervention Program. It sounds like it could be an interesting course, and I look forward to hearing Tom's perspective on the new experience and reporting it to you here. The puzzling thing is the timing--since Tom was expecting to be transfered this month, it's odd that he's being enrolled in a program which he would be unable to complete if that happened.

The "hall monitors" in the visiting room continue to marvel at Tom's appetite during visits. The menu for this visit included four Diet Cokes, nacho cheese, two packages of potato chips, M&M cookies, a sandwich, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I'm probably missing an item or two, but you get the picture. It was a junk food orgy.

Tom mentioned how much he enjoyed the special visits with his parents and his Mother's Day visit with Maggie and her mom. Eric visited recently, as well.

Please feel free to post comments here. I will print them and mail them to Tom with my regular letter. Tom said to not worry about the lack of comments, because people tell him they're reading the blog, so I'm trying to follow his advice. However, if the spirit moves you to let me know you were here it would be terrific. Have a great week.

May 24

A happy Memorial Day to all! I haven't posted in a few weeks for a number of reasons. First...I knew Traci was going to be a little busy this month, but more accurately, the cost of stamps went up and the commissary ran out of the $.02 stamps! They now have the new stamped envelopes so I'm back in business. Although I am thinking of writing just a couple of times a week as I really don't have that much news to report on a weekly basis.

It was reported that Matthew and Maddie had a nice birthday party. My parents came from El Paso and spent the remainder of time with the kids. I'm certain all had a good time. I certainly enjoyed our two weekends of visits.

The weather has been a pleasant surprise this past week. Nice days and very pleasant nights. Unseasonably cool! Too bad that won't last.

Well, I think my time here is coming to an end! Last week I saw several guys who arrived a month or so before I did leave. I'm predicting that I will move on from here in the next month or so. So if any of you are planning a visit, now is your chance. Who knows where I will end up. Stay posted to this page and you will find out.

I'm back to working full time. The guy they hired to replace me was moved to another position so I'm back to working in the same job that I got when I arrived here in 2007. It sure will make the remainder of my time here go more quickly. I also completed another six months at my job, so I received another certificate to add to my collection. I think I'm now done with my certificates!

I saw a recipe in the May issue of Bon Appetit that someone should try and tell me how good it tastes. It is the cover recipe, which is Beef Shank & Sausage Ragu with whole grain spaghetti. I think regular spaghetti will be just as good. As well, short ribs instead of beef shank! Recipe is on page 92.

The recent issue of Saveur magazine had a recipe for Caramel Tart with Chocolate Ganache which sounded great. You sprinkle Grey Sea Salt on top of the chocolate ganache before serving. I wrote down the recipes for both so I can try them someday.

I just finished reading Angels and Demons last night. It was very good--a lot of action. All that was missing was eating a piece of pizza in the Piazza NAVONA. Buon appetito!

Until next time--

Tom

Don't Give Up

Dear Friends,
I haven't had a letter from Tom recently, so there have been no blog updates. As soon as I have something new I'll update the blog. In the meantime, you might try sending him a regular letter. -the ghostwriter-

A Recipe Tom Loved - Saveur Magazine

And here's a story to go with it. Tom read about this pasta in the magazine, and then "...they served us spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, and--are you ready--garlic butter (or margarine, from the color). That was the first time in two years that I was served butter. I scraped the meat sauce to the side and tossed the spaghetti with the butter.

Tom asked me to share this story with you along with the recipe from Saveur.

The Original Fettuccine Alfredo

Rate this recipe | See Reviews

SERVES 4 – 6 Mixing the ingredients on a warmed platter will help them melt quickly to make a satiny sauce. For the best results, use dried pasta, which doesn't break as easily during tossing as fresh egg pasta does. 1 lb. dried fettuccine 1⁄2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks) 1⁄2 lb. finely grated parmesan (about 3 1⁄4 cup) 1. Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, cut butter into thin pats and transfer to a large, warmed platter. Drain pasta, reserving 3⁄4 cup pasta water, and place the pasta over the butter on the platter. 3. Sprinkle grated parmesan over the pasta and drizzle with 1⁄4 cup of the reserved pasta water. 4. Using a large spoon and fork, gently toss the pasta with the butter and cheese, lifting and swirling the noodles and adding more pasta water as necessary. (The pasta water will help create a smooth sauce.) Work in any melted butter and cheese that pools around the edges of the platter. Continue to mix the pasta until the cheese and butter have fully melted and the noodles are coated, about 3 minutes. (For a quicker preparation, bring the reserved 3⁄4 cup pasta water and the butter to a boil in a 12" skillet; then add the pasta, sprinkle with the cheese, and toss with tongs over medium-low heat until the pasta is creamy and coated, about 2 minutes.) 5. Serve the fettuccine immediately on warmed plates.

When Pigs Fly - May 2

When I sat down last week to write this I don't think many of us had heard of Swine Flu. A week later (less than) we are totally absorbed in Swine Flu. They cancelled visits this weekend. (If anyone tried, I hope they called first.) From what I understand, they cancelled almost everything. I don't even know if we'll be working this week. Two of the maintenance bosses called in sick last week because they had flu-like symptoms. I hope this "pandemic" ends quickly as my parents are planning to travel to visit me and the kids for their birthday May 17. We'll see.

I finished "Death in Vienna" by Daniel Silva. I guess I would rate it a 6 on a scale of 1-10. He has had better! Then I started a book by Lee Child called "Bad Luck and Trouble." I like the Jack Reacher character. However, I can't read them back to back, but it is nice to read one every once in a while for a change of pace.

I understand the kids took the TAKS test last week. Hopefully everyone passed. Just think--only four more weeks of school left. Where did the year go?

My sincerest wishes for a Happy Mother's Day to all! Have a great day!

Tom

Message of the Week - April 25

It is the last week of the month--I can't believe how fast the time is going. I think we may have had our last cool front--It seems everytime I see the news/weather it will be hot and humid for the next seven days. Oh, to have air conditioning again. At least the maintenance office has air conditioning and a fan.

My parents are planning to visit sometime in May. Along with paying me a visit they will spend some time visiting Maxwell, Matthew and Maddie. Matthew and Maddie will be turning 10 on May 17. I wonder what they will be doing for their birthday.

I finished two books this week. Silent Witness by Richard North Patterson was the first book with his character Tony Lord. The storyline showed how he and Stacy Tarrant got together. The other book I finished was The Woods by Harlan Coben. It too was very good. It wasn't the usual Myron Bolitar novel. However the main character, Cope, was a good read.

Tonight I started a new Daniel Silva book called Death in Vienna. It has his usual character Gabriel Allen, and so far it is taking place in Vienna.

I saw a recipe for a Straberry Crumb Cake in the April Food & Wine magazine. It looked real good. I wrote the recipe down in my journal so if anyone wants it let me know!
editorial note: it might be this recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/warm-strawberry-crumb-cake

That's all for this week. Please pass the address around as I look forward to receiving any kind of mail.

Thanks all!

Tom

Ways to Communicate

I spoke with a blog follower today who asked a question about blog comments. She asked if it was possible to post a comment that would not be posted to the blog but which would be forwarded to Tom. The answer is yes, and here's how it works.

If you post a comment and begin it with "For Tom only" I will not post the comment for everyone to read, but I will print it and send it along to him when I send the other blog comments. Because I am moderating the comments before they are posted, I have the ability to keep your communication private, or at least semi-private, since there's no way I can avoid seeing it. Your secrets are safe with the ghostwriter, though.

Another post from Tom should be up by Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Letter From Tom: April 18, 2009

Hey--
I hope everyone had a nice Easter! Mine was good. We got to feast on "one" fabulous rib.

The week went by quickly. They hired someone to take my place in Maintenance, so I've spent the last couple of weeks training him. This way they will have someone in place when I leave. I don't have as much to do now. It seems I have more time to read.

Speaking of reading, I just finished The Messenger by Daniel Silva; The Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke and Outside Man by Richard North Patterson. The Messenger was really good--a very quick read. While I enjoyed The Carrot Cake Murder, I really liked the recipes that are included in the book. I look forward to reading one of her other six mystery books because the recipes sound so good.

In the food section of the Houston Chronicle (Don gets it & gives me the Wednesday food section from both that paper and the Victoria Advocate) there was an article about using fried eggs on the top of various dishes. Lately I've seen this in Bon Appetit and Food and Wine magazines. But the Houston Chronicle has a photo of three fried eggs on top of a sausage & pepperoni pizza. They say the creaminess of the egg combined with the cheese is fantastic. I can't wait to try this on top of a Gio's pizza. Someday!

We went to the commissary this week and that is always something to look forward to. I had a pint of Moolenium Crunch - Blue Bell. OH, so good.

Last night I made my version of "Frito Pie" (OK, Mike from San Antonio made it). Recently I've been craving chili, especially since the commissary has been out of "Chili No Beans" for the past two months. I'm glad it is finally back in stock. I also tasted some enchiladas that Bryan from New Orleans made. He makes them with rice and they were quite good. It is amazing what you can come up with using just hot water to cook and make things warm.

I'm going to end with a "Rhyme" written by my neighbor SWAT. He is from Houston and has been a part of the recording industry prior to me meeting him here. SWAT stands for the area of Houston he is from but his real name is Jesse Brown BKA (better known as)

Going through dis struggle bein' true to da game

My family also hurtin' by da choices I made

It took some time to overstand

Yeah, it's been a waste

Days turn to years

Still watchin' em fade

Can't blame no one else for bein' lost in my ways.

Been learned to live with regrets

In control I remain

NOT. Into. Games. Gotta. Advance. Strong

Doin' my thang

Hard

Prayin to God

Hopin' dis change come soon

Similar to a theater near you

It's notta film fool

You might assume right

dis is Treu life

with many consequences to your actions true right

Presume life is a lesson that you're not taught but always tested

Show and prove which dis essence comin' from

When these gates open wider than a female mouth

I'm comin' on.

J-Styles

B.K.A. SWAT

MySpace.com/chozzenfew

Until next time--

Tom

From the blog ghostwriter (moderator)

Hi, Friends of Tom,
I'm glad you've discovered the blog and have begun to comment. You'll grow to love this communication tool, I'm sure. There are a few little things to know, just in case you're not an experienced blogger.
I have enabled comment moderation, which means that your comments won't be posted until after I've reviewed them. While I know that no Friend of Tom would ever say anything inappropriate, the blogosphere is wide open, and anyone can view this blog and make comments right now. That's why there may be a delay between leaving your comments and when they are posted. I'll try to be vigilant about posting your comments with twelve hours of your posting.
If you have any photo files you'd like for me to post here, please email them to me at twickett@gmail.com.

Happy Easter from Tom - April 12, 2009

With the help of Traci, we are going to attempt to post this (a message) once a week or so and see how it goes. Bear with me during this process as it will be a "work in progress."

Unfortunately, I am going to be gone a little while longer. Although Arnold and Bobby tried, I was set off for another year. I will go through the process again in December. As we get closer I'll enlist your help to write letters of support and then to make phone calls. Arnold spoke with a Mr. Morales who didn't seem to budge. We'll hope and pray for next year.

I am coming up on two years (so much for four months!). Oh, well! And my time here at Lopez will be coming to an end. In the next month or so I will be leaving here and will be sent to another facility. I'm hoping the change and the move will help the long, hot summer go by a little more quickly than if I would have stayed here. We'll see.

Hopefully by putting this on the internet I will be able to reach more people (as I still haven't gotten used to writing letters) and will save on postage. Also the reverse will be true for those who don't like to write letters, get a stamp and mail a letter. A simple stroke on the keyboard can get me a message.

Wish me luck and I'll wait to see how this goes. I hope blogging will make the next year go by quickly.

Take care and thanks!

Tom

Welcome to my blog

I hatched this idea today while visiting with my friend Traci who will serve as my ghostwriter and translator. The idea is that I can write a letter of general interest, send it to Traci and she will post it here to share with all of you.

I hope you will enjoy the blog and that you will comment frequently. Traci will compile the comments every week and send them to me, so if you've always wished I had email this will be the next best thing. There is a rumor that I might have email within the next few months, but who knows whether or not that's a reliable rumor. :)

Watch for more news soon.