I'm friends with convicts. Yes, I am. And you should be too. Some of the most interesting people I've ever met are felons. This is going to prove to the world what a spaz I am, but I'm saying it anyway: I sometimes make a list of questions to ask my con friends. I want to know what crimes they committed, why they committed them, what they learned in prison, what they want to do now that they're on the outside again, everything. It's like research for a paper I'll never write.
Besides that, I'm a better person for knowing these men. No, I didn't say that I feel like a better person when I'm around these guys, in the sense a girl might feel skinnier when she's around her chubby friends. Anyone who's spent time in prison has an appreciation for life that the average person can never attain. A sunset on the ocean's horizon is that much more beautiful. A day spent fishing is that much more thrilling. Not to endorse criminal behaviour or anything, but I must say that getting out of prison is kind of like being given a second childhood in a sense. When I'm around these guys, I'm overwhelmed by those things I once took for granted, and that's something I'd never give up.