Since i don't know how many SG folks know of my life or who in my life or whateverm i just need t o write that an old friend of mine, someone who's had a big effect on me, Seth Hancock.
I want to say, firstly, that Seth Hancock was a hell of a guy. I don't think i've met anyone, ever, who was as loyal as he was. If he liked you, he was by you for life.
That said, & i don't think i'll be reamed too hard for this, he could be the most annoying, obnoxious, & borderline psychotic person you'd ever come across. But that, the longer you knew him, made him loveable, for lack of a better word.
I first met him November fourth, 2003. Day after i arrived in Redlands. I walked into that big room, second day in hell, still blindly optimistic, & saw his greasy, coverall wearing, pock marked ass grinning like a madman sitting there, shining his boots. Scared the fuck out of me by bringing some harsh reality into things. I really don't recall what was said by either of us, but i do recall that i was fairly unnerved. He also educated me as to how mismanaged the establishment there was --first of many to do so over the course my tenure-- but since he came off like a lunatic, i didn't exactly pay close attention. But Seth was just being Seth. There's no other way to explain it. Seth was Seth.
Over the course of time, though, i learned to appriciate his unique...well, unique. After he was moved back to the main property, i saw him a lot more, & finally "got" his deranged appeal. It took awhile, but the more i learned about him, the more he seemed tangible. Meaning that i could actually get a read of some kind on him, or at least thought i could. That was part of his genius, i think: dude was a rubix cube wrapped in barbed wire.
Favorite memory of mine regarding Seth was a Group session one time. Last one with Mark "Fat Fuck Barrel Boy" Watterson, before he got fired/"quit". I like to believe i had a hand in that, thanks in big part to Seth. I was calling Mark, the only trained counselor in the place, out on all the bullshit going on inside the Benchmark system. Seth, who for some reason was in there this time with us, was hilarious. He was like a one man Jerry Springer audience, who Mark couldn't shut up despite trying repeatedly. It was amazing to watch this crazed Texas bastard just take piece after piece out of a trained counselor like he was a gigantic sweaty game of Jenga. Which made me more at ease to sound relatively intelligent in discussing my stand on their terrible gaps in reality. Can't say why, but i was able to come off wonderfully in between Mark yelling at Seth & Seth praising me as a Johnny Cash like figure (he called me his "Man In Black" repeatedly since, after the Cash song of the same name). That was when he won me over fully. From then on, i loved the guy. I looked at him as a friend, & he did likewise, which gave me a friend for life. Not the kind of person i ever thought would be a good friend, believe me, but i was pleasantly surprised.
I found out just today that Seth passed away. He once said that he wouldn't make thirty, & to be honest i believed him. You always believed him in some way, i guess, even if he was so out there he had to be at least half lying. Seth was a good guy who knew how flawed he was, which is more than can be said for many out there. I've got nothing but respect for him, & am sure he's in a better place now. Couldn't be worse than where he's been, you know? Dude had an effect on many, & whether you liked him, loved him, or hated him, you won't forget him.
I had not intended on writing this, but it ties in with something i planned on saying at some point, in fact making it more relevent: one of the big perks to me living in Sac is that it gives me a chance to do some of the things i've found it hard to do previously. One of these is the much anticipated story about Redlands. Now with much less distraction, i can focus more on it than i have since i left Redlands in the first place. So it's with a heavy heart & a middle finger that i let everyone know i'm able to devote time to it i couldn't before. I think Seth will enjoy it.
Later.
No one reading this on here knows the whole story, i'm sure, but i just had to write it again.
I want to say, firstly, that Seth Hancock was a hell of a guy. I don't think i've met anyone, ever, who was as loyal as he was. If he liked you, he was by you for life.
That said, & i don't think i'll be reamed too hard for this, he could be the most annoying, obnoxious, & borderline psychotic person you'd ever come across. But that, the longer you knew him, made him loveable, for lack of a better word.
I first met him November fourth, 2003. Day after i arrived in Redlands. I walked into that big room, second day in hell, still blindly optimistic, & saw his greasy, coverall wearing, pock marked ass grinning like a madman sitting there, shining his boots. Scared the fuck out of me by bringing some harsh reality into things. I really don't recall what was said by either of us, but i do recall that i was fairly unnerved. He also educated me as to how mismanaged the establishment there was --first of many to do so over the course my tenure-- but since he came off like a lunatic, i didn't exactly pay close attention. But Seth was just being Seth. There's no other way to explain it. Seth was Seth.
Over the course of time, though, i learned to appriciate his unique...well, unique. After he was moved back to the main property, i saw him a lot more, & finally "got" his deranged appeal. It took awhile, but the more i learned about him, the more he seemed tangible. Meaning that i could actually get a read of some kind on him, or at least thought i could. That was part of his genius, i think: dude was a rubix cube wrapped in barbed wire.
Favorite memory of mine regarding Seth was a Group session one time. Last one with Mark "Fat Fuck Barrel Boy" Watterson, before he got fired/"quit". I like to believe i had a hand in that, thanks in big part to Seth. I was calling Mark, the only trained counselor in the place, out on all the bullshit going on inside the Benchmark system. Seth, who for some reason was in there this time with us, was hilarious. He was like a one man Jerry Springer audience, who Mark couldn't shut up despite trying repeatedly. It was amazing to watch this crazed Texas bastard just take piece after piece out of a trained counselor like he was a gigantic sweaty game of Jenga. Which made me more at ease to sound relatively intelligent in discussing my stand on their terrible gaps in reality. Can't say why, but i was able to come off wonderfully in between Mark yelling at Seth & Seth praising me as a Johnny Cash like figure (he called me his "Man In Black" repeatedly since, after the Cash song of the same name). That was when he won me over fully. From then on, i loved the guy. I looked at him as a friend, & he did likewise, which gave me a friend for life. Not the kind of person i ever thought would be a good friend, believe me, but i was pleasantly surprised.
I found out just today that Seth passed away. He once said that he wouldn't make thirty, & to be honest i believed him. You always believed him in some way, i guess, even if he was so out there he had to be at least half lying. Seth was a good guy who knew how flawed he was, which is more than can be said for many out there. I've got nothing but respect for him, & am sure he's in a better place now. Couldn't be worse than where he's been, you know? Dude had an effect on many, & whether you liked him, loved him, or hated him, you won't forget him.
I had not intended on writing this, but it ties in with something i planned on saying at some point, in fact making it more relevent: one of the big perks to me living in Sac is that it gives me a chance to do some of the things i've found it hard to do previously. One of these is the much anticipated story about Redlands. Now with much less distraction, i can focus more on it than i have since i left Redlands in the first place. So it's with a heavy heart & a middle finger that i let everyone know i'm able to devote time to it i couldn't before. I think Seth will enjoy it.
Later.
No one reading this on here knows the whole story, i'm sure, but i just had to write it again.