A Shout-out from Atlanta

[Jas]

First of all I have to say I'm a bit freaked out right now having found place, just reading some random post...  the memories are coming back strong!!!  

My name is Jason Harris - from the Greensboro NC contingency (Adam Braun, Jay Boone, Ben Davis, Toby & Sara Otterburn, Lisa Irving, Steve Cox) I was in from 6/87 - 5/88

I just wanted to say hey for now.  It's good to be here.
Love Ya!

[JDavid]

word.

You got out about a month or two after I went in.  I'm David Briley.  I doubt you remember me.  I remember three of those people you mentioned tho.  I hated them.

Joan Gutermuth was on 1st phase for a while during the end of your stay there.  I met her in February at $3 Cafe.  Now she hates me. I don't know why.  ::

[ This Message was edited by: JDavid on 2003-05-12 03:35 ]

[ClayL]

Hi!
This is Clay. I remember dang near all those people you mentioned. Good to hear from you.

CL

[ehm]

On 2003-05-12 03:31:00, JDavid wrote:

"word.
<

And I'll second that!

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
New voices are wonderful to hear here. So Sorry you were in the hell hole... but nice to see another make it to the other side!
Morli

[sammiegirl]

hello and hang in there you are in a good place and we are all going through it together I found this place about a year ago and being intouch w/people who went through this shit has helped me realise that I am not crazy and that it was real and that I now can heal with a little help from my friends
[email protected] email any time

[Tampa survivor]

Jason, welcome to the rippin wild joy of revisiting straight.  
I stared into my monitor for the first month, and thoughroly fell apart.  Reading old posts, remembering.....
I was in Atlanta when it first opened, as I was shipped north from St Pete for playing split from school, kick the oldcommer too much.
Stay with us.  We are one kooky box'o nuts, but we were there, and understand.
Nobody else does.
Bill
St Pete & Atlanta
12-80/12-82

PS  It really gets to me now, knowing that Jason went through his program so many years later than I.  Why did'nt we stop it when we got out...

[ehm]

On 2003-05-12 16:26:00, sammiegirl wrote:

"hello and hang in there you are in a good place and we are all going through it together I found this place about a year ago and being intouch w/people who went through this shit has helped me realise that I am not crazy and that it was real and that I now can heal with a little help from my friends

[email protected] email any time"

Your so cool! ::hatter::

[Jas]

Thanks for the warm reception everyone!  My head hurts.  So just a quick story...

About a year ago I was in Atlanta and took a drive out to 2221 Austell Rd with my bro and some other people.  As we got closer I could feel that same sinking feeling from ~15 yrs ago.   I guess the "Big Boys Toys" has moved.  I don't remember much about what the building looked like when we got there, everything was really a blur except the street sign at the corner.  I took a picture and then we left.  I wasn't very good company for the rest of the afternoon.  It really surprised me, the reaction I had and the isolation I felt after getting back in the car and knowing that everyone else had NO FUCKING CLUE!!! w/ the exception of my bro in that great example of family involvement - the sibling rap!

It feels good to be able to take that a step further...

PS it wasn't Steve, it was Ken Cox (my bad)

[ClayL]

I still have friends and family in ATL and go down to visit from time to time. To this day I cannot bring myself to go down Austel Rd. and I have been in the area. To me, there is nothing down that road except things I have no wish to repeat or be reminded about. Just thinking about it generates that same feeling one got just before open meeting review and wondering which one of the little nazi's narc'ed you out for something the little narc didn't feel good about. You know, the fucking music critics and such.

If I could afford to I'd buy the place, raze it to the ground and then salt the earth so nothing would ever grow there again.

I had forgotten about, "Big Boys Toys." Anyway, good hearing from ya'

Clay

[hedwigfan]

Have lived in Atl. for years and still avoid Austell Rd. at all costs. I heard the building got turned into some kind of police-sponsored rec room for teenagers (am not sure about it). To think about sitting all day long with no windows. People in intensive care units develop psychosis in no time because of the (often) windowless environment--wonder what kind of impact it had on us.

[JDavid]

Was Ken Cox a guy who played guitar?  Have you ever seen that picture in the Straight_Inc_Alumni Yahoo group called "Loop2.jpg"?  It's also in that other MSN group.  I've wondered if that's Ken in that picture.  

My first night in Straight was 2 oldcomers + me.  The Ken I'm talking about was my first oldcomer, so I have extra special angst toward him.  Luckily he stuck Sherife Shallon with most of the duties that night, so Sherife is the one I remember hating the most.  

Ken was one who you could tell he hated the program and everyone in it, including newcomers.  He probably hated his parents too.

I say I hate these people, but I realize I only hate them as teenagers who were forced to play this extremely twisted game.  I'm sure I'll never be friends with anyone who was an oldcomer on the guys' side while I was in there.  I'm sure I would rather not be around any of them ever again.  I was an oldcomer too for 1 week, so I at least I understand.

On 2003-05-12 23:51:00, Jas wrote:


PS it wasn't Steve, it was Ken Cox (my bad)"

[Jas]

JDavid-
I couldn't find that picture on the yahoo group but I don't think Ken ever played guitar.  He and I were druggie friends before we were in.  

I do have fond memories of Sharif.  We had dinner duty one day and some staffer had the idea that we should clean out the fridge.  We filled the garbage bags too full with those aluminum trays and they broke, spilling loads of chicken tetrazinni, brussel sprouts and various mixed veg. to the floor.  It was disgusting as hell but we took our sweet time cleaning up the mess.  ANYTHING to get out of a Ms. Milnichuck afternoon rap. :scared:

[JDavid]

Man that chicken mess was the most disgusting thing they gave us.  I don't think I've eaten anything more horrible in my life.

Months down the road, I wound up with Ken and Sharif at different times in a different host home.  It was the Whitcliff host home, which was a nice place to be even though the whole first phase life sucked.  So, tensions eased up a bit between me, Sharif and Ken afterall.  I was at the Whitcliff host home through Christmas, so it wasn't as tense as usual.  Christmas of '88 was almost like a drug.  Everyone seemed stoned.

I emailed you that picture I was talking about.

I can't remember Milnichuck, but that name sounds familiar.  Was she an executive?  I remember Ms George, Ms Mackle or Makey, Mr Mulinax and some other woman with frizzy hair & glasses.


[ This Message was edited by: JDavid on 2003-05-13 11:55 ]

[Jas]

Thanks for the pic,  I see what you mean.  It kinda looks like Ken holding Danny Forman a bit  -squint-

Milnichuck was the executive dir.  She was short, skinny, had long dark hair and spoke with an affected accent of some kind.  I don't remember seeing her so much except for open meetings and the occasional afternoon rap on mon. or fri. in the conference room where we had to sit on the floor for HOURS.  

Her MO was pretty predictable.  She would zero in on a few kids each time who she knew to have some deeper issues, and just gut them in front of the whole group.  Making them confront their molester or whatever (who would be in imaginary attendance).  I never saw such tentative movitating as in her raps.  You never knew what she had on you.

[JDavid]

Ken was carrying a guitar case my first night in Straight.  I remember saying somethin' about basses or guitars & stuck my hands up in the fretting/picking position & they both verbally jumped on me.  Assholes heheheheh.

I still can't remember Mulnichuck.  I am thinking she might have left right after I got there.