The moment prison released Dad in the bus station parking lot.

Hi everyone, sorry it’s been a while since my last blog post, I’ve been busy writing my book! I know some of you are very curious how a convicted murderer adjusts back into society, so thought I’d share some tidbits with you.

We took Dad to Good Neighbor restaurant in Studio City on the way home. It was the first time he used a bathroom alone in 17 years and was in there for quite a while. The waiter startled Dad at the table when he came up behind him, and asked him what he wanted to eat. Usually it was a prison guard coming up behind Dad telling him to go back to his cell. Dad thought the coffee was amazing and asked for a refill. He only had instant coffee with luke warm sink water in the slammer.

Dad is very concerned with his appearance and likes being well dressed. He had me take this photo and get it printed to send to his inmate friends so they could see what he looked like on the “outside.”These are what his friends look like still on the “inside:”

Dad’s good buddy, Catfish, doing a life sentence for third strike.

Dad’s on his fourth parole officer, they keep getting reassigned for various reasons. I met his last parole officer who came to the house a week after Dad’s release. Dad spoke nonstop for about 25 minutes, mostly filling him in on how he’s maintained his innocence. His P.O. said he hasn’t had a case like this before. Dad interpreted this as his case being “special.” I reminded him that O.J. and Scott Peterson are “special” too.

Everything is overwhelming for Dad! He’s obsessed with Cheerios and offers me a bowl when I visit. He is still adjusting to natural light, food choices, technology, TV shows, the advancement with cars, especially all the buttons on the steering wheel. He called me from his new car via bluetooth to my car and thought it was a miracle!

When Dad was in prison he said he wasn’t going to get an iPhone when he was released. After seeing everyone looking down on their iPhones he decided he wanted in on that too. He’s already upgraded his phone from an SE to a 7+! I’m still teaching him the difference between a tap, a swipe, and how to text. In the beginning he told me something was wrong with his phone because his texts only sent as invisible ink. Upon examination, I discovered it was in fact user error. I quickly bought him an iPhone for Dummies book.

After 17 years in prison, Dad continues to ration everything. If you give him a paper towel, he’ll fold and divide it into 4 pieces, using one at a time. He also refers to a knife as a shiv.

Dad doesn’t like living in Mom’s place because he feels it’s her house and not his. I asked him if he wanted to go back to his “house.”

Dad took his first trip out of the county and state since 2000. We road tripped to Arizona for my aunt’s 80th birthday and my cousin’s wedding. Dad told his parole officer his plans for the trip and mentioned seven places he wanted to hit as part of his trip. His parole officer said he could pick two. Sometimes I think Dad sees parole as a suggestion. I took this pic of him to use as blackmail in case he gets unruly, I’ll tell his P.O. we went to Mexico for kicks and giggles.

I love my dad and I’m glad he’s out, even though he’s still a major pain in the ass. Oh did I happen to mention he hired an attorney to get his case overturned because he doesn’t want a felony on his record. To this I say Godspeed and please don’t spend my inheritance!

Ventura beach, one week after Dad’s release. He couldn’t take his eyes off all the bikini-clad ladies!