Visit from a Straighling Twilight Zone Style

[85 Day Jerk]

The year was 1988, almost 10 years out of Straight, and my damn mind was collapsing all around me.  I had done gone through a world of shit, mostly by my own hand, my family did not know how to deal with me anymore.  

I had complely gone off the deep end of the pool of reality and was now in an observation ward of Pinellas Emergency Mental Health Services.  I had gone without sleep for 5 days and my mind was begining to crumble.  There was a large glass window at the face of my room and I can swear that I saw the faces of two former clients of Straight looking in on me.  One of the faces looked like Marie Ward who had been a former staff member, and the other looked like 'Norm'.  I did not know what to make of this.  I seem to remember 'Norm' coming into the room and trying to say something comforting to me, but all I could remember was my spouting off at some money owed to me from some asshole roomates that were freinds of his that had owed me some money.      

This must have hurt this person severely, by such a statement, because I never heard from this person since.  That guy was there on his own behalf, one of the only "Post Straight" people to ever give a damn about me and I blew him off, in a state of drug induced dementia.  

By the way, Marie Ward is now Marie Sterling and owns several apartment buildings.

[Woof-a-Doof]

Again 85DJ, your posts encourage me to pry into my memory bank. I worked for PEMHS (Pinellas Emergency Mental Health Services) for almost 6-7 years. I worked primarily on CSU (Crisis Stablization Unit), I also worked ACU (Acute Care Unit), Admissions/Security and the Suicide Hotline. I worked there during the time period you made reference to. Prior to that I worked for what was then Horizon Hospital, again on the Crisis Unit. Since that time I have worked in almost every Psyhic Unit in the County including DETOX (Operation PAR).

I have had the good fortune, or misfortune of meeting several people over the years entering these facilities that I personally knew from the Straight days. More often than not, I was not remembered by them, but I knew them. Although it was not frowned upon by these employers to approach these folks and bring up the subject...I learned from experience it was best left unsaid. I don't know if I am the "Norm" person you were reffering to or not...It kinda scares me to think that I was that person...because I don't know of anyone else that worked at PEMHS around that time that was from Straight. Was this "Norm" person visiting you?

For the record---I was never on Staff at Straight. I did try however with the encouragement of Cris Cassler. He egged me on for months and months, he would pick me when his "rap's" would run amuck, for whatever reason I was always able to "connect the dots" and convey whatever it was he was unable to articulate. I will never forget around the time I graduated, 7th stepped or whatever...He pulled me into the Staff Office and informed me that I was declined...meaning I would never be on staff...I was devastated. Dave McAdams (one of my newcomers) was in the room at the time, I guess to keep me from going balistic. I rember swallowing the lump in my throat and saying something to the effect of "Well, thats cool...but we can still hang out or whatever" to which he replied..."Not a chance in hell" and then told DaveMc to escort me off the property...WTF?

Dave Mc and I were real close, he spent a long time in my home as a newcomer. I remember him trying to comfort me, saying to me "You just wouldn't fit in...there is too much crap going on with staff, alot of back bitting and power struggles...they would eat you alive". Looking back, I know that to be true...I would not have survived and I would have been in a constant state of struggle with them.

Funny you mentioned Marie Ward, I can assure you she never worked at PEMHS. I had a major crush on her. One time Marie Ward, Sue Cookson (both old staff), myself and Chuck C. (who you know) all went out for night on the town in a Limo. We convinced the Limo driver to take us thru the parking lot of Straight building on Gandy Blvd. Gawd, what a fiasco that was. We suspected there would be opposition from the Parking Lot Patrol, we figured 3-4 of the group members would somehow give us a ration of shit buit never expected what happened. It was horrifying.

We first met the first wave of opposition by the 3-4 group members we expected, but by time the Limo had circled the building, 30-40 ppl (group members and adults) had gathered in the parking lot. The Limo was surrounded. The driver, who I knew (non-Straight affiliated) had a look of horror on his face as he looked back into the passenger area of the Limo. He was screaming, "What the hell is this", needless to say he was livid. While he was contemplating our safe passage out of the parking lot, the mob of 30-40 people that had surrounded the vehical began to beat on the car and pound on the windows. I have heard celebrities talk about the fear of being attacked by a mob, and I can tell you first hand...It was a horrifying experience.

The Limo driver asked us to get out of the Limo and explain to the people who we were...Yeah right! I remember leaning thru the window seperating the driver and us in the back and pleaded..."Just keep driving us out of here, I will pay for any damage to the car". He was scarred shitless to, but before I could get out of that seperating window he dropped the gearshift into Drive and the car began to inch it's way thru the crowd.

He drove to the parking lot of the Pinellas Square Mall and we all were in a semi state of shock. All I remember is that none of us could say anything but "Oh my God", "What the F*ck?", "Jeeeesus Christ" etc. We all apologized to the driver the best we could....but hell, he was still miffed. Fortuantely the car was not severly damaged, aside from some serious dents in the doors and quarter panels of the car. It took several months to pay for the damage.

I haven't thought about or mentioned that incident in god knows how long and I am left now just shaking my head...crazy, crazy, crazy

I would say thanks for the memories...but the jury is still very much out....you know what I mean

In Peace

[85 Day Jerk]

Yeah, the person was you, Woof.  As I think back on it now, there was a tech lady named Teresa who had the same frame and hairstyle as Marie.  I guess after seeing you in the window my mind conjured up her image as a halo effect on Teresa's face.  I remember that the unit was freezing cold and I was standing on the footrail of my bed pulling wires out of the ceiling when you and another guy came in and asked me politely what it was I was doing.  We recognized eachother and talked for a bit, and then I became angry over the raw deal I went through with that apartment at Tanglewood and you and Chuck C. taking my Torino out without my permission and barely leaving me enough gas to get to work on. (You know, the good ole days) Teresa had gone out of the room and came back with a blanket and smoothed things out between us.  She gave me a cup full of warm milk.  I never did go to sleep and finally got permission to sit in the day room and read until sun up.  

I entered the unit on a Tuesday afternoon and stayed for 10 days.  It was the building that was near 58th street behind Horizon Hospital.  I did not see you after that first night.  They had me whacked on Halperidol by Wednesday evening and I did not wake up until around noon that Saturday.  I had an adverse reaction and almost had a seizure, but Nancy jammed a needle full of Cojentin in my ass with seconds to spare.  That was pretty trippy.  You were always okay in my book, but you went to that Thom Howard Academy and lived on the beach so we never got the chance to hang out that much.  Are you the guy that ran into K-pickle recently?

[Anonymous]

All these names bring back too many sick feelings and memories..............shit

[Anonymous]

Dave Mcadams Had a killer collection of Led Zepplin albumns.(Never gave them up to the program, hehe)