24 Comments Posted by LST69

This is among my first comments/posts, whatever, to Opacity. I want to apologize in advance if it becomes longwinded (Again). I have wanted to address a more or less recurring question that comes up; Why did they just leave that equipment there?

I sort of have an answer based upon my own experience. I spent quite a few years working for the government(well 18+)so my thoughts about this are based on observations, as well as hands on.

Ok, here goes (IMHO). When the government (state or federal heretofore referred to as Gov cause I am lazy sometimes HEH HEH insert Govt worker joke here) purchases, equipment they contract from company X for Y number of (lets say pretty institutional gray desks.) to be manufactured and shipped to warehouse Z for distribution to various facilities. Now imagine that the Gov contracted with X to produce Y=20000 desks per year for five years (Please, Please just making a point) you end up with a lot of desks right? Now all the pretty institutional green offices will be supplied with pretty gray desks plus a few left over. (Whew, am I long winded or what?) Getting long, time to shorten. Five years is over new contract for 100000 fake wood desks to replace gray ones, warehouse full of fake wood desks, old facility closes, the hell with grey, we'll use fake wood at new place, just leave the gray ones there we'll get them later if we need them. (Although they almost never do.). This applies to a lot of different stuff. I must admit though it was a lot more common 15 or 20 years ago (Age of abandonment of the buildings Motts photographs for us.)


Ok sorry way long.

Motts keep em coming just be safe man.

Umm....Grifspop. That is most defiantly a super high capacity soap dispenser...well....I may be off the mark. It might be just a sooooper soap dispensing light fixture.

*Mumbles nearly incoherently "Man why did I put up that first comment/post, now my fingers are going to just get carried away"*

I AM a recreational Opacity user I aint no junky, I can stop, sure I know I can.

*trembles* Anytime man, I can Stop sure

Sorry I cannot possibly reveal the top secrets of the "handy" light fixture's principle of operation, or weather or not it exsists at all. It must remain unknown ~Me for all time. (unless you can treach me the pirate dance). ^_^

Lynne never stand silent, patients/clients/residents, need an outspoken advocate such as yourself to make sure that they know someone really cares.

I have always been moved (guess you can say) by your comments. You TRY to remind people that there are those that care.

I dunno what to say really but your posts/comments, really hit home with me, make me remember that not every one in your tough field is totally burnt out.

Keep it real Lynne

"I've noticed alot of these abandoned asylums and such are very pretty architecturally but the beauty has been made poisonous with all the tragedy..."

Lunar, a lot of these old buildings were, well, just built that way. It has nothing to do with "tragedy and human misery" or anything. Years ago this is how they built almost any building. I applaud Mr. M for perseving these small architectural details from the past, it is truly a lost art.

*Blushes*
I don't know if I deserve my own soap box just yet guys :-)

Maybe a handy one?

Well..desk chair type things anyway....

HEY A not so lonely chair ;-)

I lurk no more. Motts I love yer pics man, if you don't Photoshop them other than B+W, man have you got an eye for capturing lighting, composition, depth of field contrast, you are my hero, truly a photographer to try and emulate *drops to knee, bows head*.

Ok, now that that is out of the way. If I'm out of line here as a newb I'm sorry, but I have read a great deal of this site (I even get soap dispenser/light fixture) and I can no longer just, well, not comment.

I want to try and respond to the people who constantly, CONSTANTLY, say "Aww that's such a sad/horrible/cruel place to have been in." Yes it can be sad, very sad, but to someone like myself who has been on BOTH sides of institutional life, I get kind of riled up when some people that have no REAL idea of what goes on inside these places lump all of the staff at these facilities into the same categories, cruel/heartless/abusing/uncaring/thoughtless/inhuman, monsters. Damn, that just makes me sooo angry! Yes, there are bad staff at various places, like bad employees in ANY industry/company, and THEY ARE ALWAYS,ALWAYS, IN THE MINORITY(sorry for the shout but can't make my point any other way)!!!

Man, if it weren't for some AWSOME staff..*sigh* my life probably wouldn't be what it is now, and I'm talking about..more than 20, yes more than 20 years ago, SUPRISE, there were enough CARING people waaaaayyyy back then (before some commenters were even born) to make a huge difference in my life. People like Lynne in other words, people who really try to make a difference inside, as well as out, trying to get others to understand that the MAJORITY of caregivers, really do care about the people in their care, and they do make a difference, every single day.

That part said, I sort of get a kick out of comments about the above picture being way creepy, hideous, whatever. Firstly overcrowding could be a reason for using a basement room; secondly this painting was done years ago when that room was brightly lit with electric light, and had not been abandoned for years and years. Plus the staff member or resident who painted it was not Mikey Anjello. It was an attempt to brighten a drab space. Now it is a sad reminder of the past which Mr. M has captured most perfectly.


So sorry for the rant, I think I found Lynne's soapbox under a lonely chair.

Lynne You de Man... um well umm you know what I mean ..*blush*