Day 37

I was over at the chaplain's office for about 90 minutes, mostly just talking about what I'll be doing with my time there. I'll be doing a few days each week. A welcome break.

Day 36

There's nothing like a bit of escapism. So far today I've watched two prison movies. Namely Chopper, with Eric Bana(na), and Mean Machine, with that fine actor Vinnie Jones.

Day 35

Alex, the prison chaplain came in to see me again about the job in this chaplain's office. I start on Wednesday.

Day 34

Had a visit today from my mum and a couple of relatives. During the visit one of the officers removed my crutches, presumably to stop us from filling them with crack cocaine while no-one was looking. Muppets.

Day 33

I have developed a theory. I believe that our TV companies have formed some sort of alliance with the pub and club owners of the land, whereby the the TV people fill their weekend schedules with such unutterable drivel that people feel compelled to leave the house and seek refuge in the pub.

Day 32

I heard some sort of scuffle outside my door today. From what I could gather, someone fell - or was pushed - down the stairs, propmting many threats of phone calls to lawyers.

Day 31

The prison chaplain, Alex, came in to see me today. He's been making arrangements around the job we discussed, and hopefully the job would start next week. I might even get a pass, allowing me to roam around the prison unescorted.

Day 30

With nothing better to to, I slept for most of today. I'm still waiting to hear back about the job in the Chaplain's office.

Day 26

Received two letters today. One from my mum enclosing this photo of my dad with Max. I always liked this picture.

Day 25

Was over at the health centre today today to get the dressing on my heel changed. I have a fairly disgusting wound which is refusing to heal, presumably as some sort of ironic statement. Apart from that I spent most of the day sleeping. I'm hoping to hear something about this job in the chaplain's office soon - I could really use something useful to pass the time.

Day 24

We're allowed one hour each day of outdoor exercise. This mostly consists of walking around in a rectangular-shaped circle. In the summer this might be OK, but today in the ferocious winds and relentless rain, I decided to stay in.

Day 23

It's 4:30pm and already it's dark outside. The wind is blowing as if its last chance. I think it might be raining, but the windows are so dirty it's hard to tell. The razorwire is glistening quite nicely.

Day 22

Had a visit from the prison chaplain today. Apparently there might be a job for me in the chaplain's office - he has this idea for a prisoner information service, maybe in the form of a Powerpoint presentation. He's going to get back to me with more information later in the week. Sounds good to me - it's got to be better than being cooped up in here all day.

Speaking of which, I got through all of six movies today: Patriot Games, The Siege, Last Dance, Primal Fear, Planet of the Apes (the Tim Burton version) and Presumed Innocent.

Day 21

The end of my third week in here seems about as good a time as any to start keeping a diary. Why am I here? As the result of a catastrophically stupid piece of driving. I can't undo what's done, much as I wish I could.

I continued working right up to the day before I appeared in Glasgow High Court to learn what my sentence was to be. Three years. It would have been four, the judge said, if not for the fact that I put in an early guilty plea.

And that, in short, is how I ended up here, in the Bar-L. Or, as the tabloids like to refer to it, "Glasgow's tough Barlinnie jail". After the rough first night spent under close observation, and having convinced all concerned that I'm not a suicide risk, I was moved to a cell in one of the mainstream halls for remainder of the first week. Since then, I've been moved again to another hall, where I currently have a cell to myself.

I have a TV, kettle and a flushing toilet. All of these are recent innovations at the Bar-L.

I'm allowed three visits per month. My mum and a couple of relatives came today. The visiting area is surprisingly (almost) pleasant. It's different from what I imagined, based on what I've seen in movies and on TV.

A letter arrived from my employers today. They have - unsurprisingly - terminated my contract, but have instructed me to contact them on my release to see if there is a suitable vacancy for me to return. No promises, but I guess it's better than nothing.

Earlier this evening one of my neighbours decided it would be a good idea to set fire to his mattress.

Personally, I prefer less dangerous pastimes. I've been watching a lot of movies on TV. Today I got through Last of the Mohicans, Rules of Engagement, Mission Impossible 2 and Dreamcatcher. Well, what else are you gonna do when you're locked up for 22 hours a day?