I loved the line about how they can't take the take you've put in. That and staying in mental and physical shape are amazing signs of perserverance. I look forward to reading what you did to keep that mentality.
One question... I imagined the cells would have walls that went to the ceiling. Were the ear plugs enough to sleep with so much shared space or did you excercise later to help rest?
Oh boy, they did not. I started listening to a lot of talk radio to sleep at night. Also I changed my sleeping routine so by the time 10pm came I was out like a light, plus I read a lot.