I have admit he was good. My wife dragged me, practically moaning to see this inspirational speaker, Dr. Ray Guarendi. And I'll admit, I mildly somewhat enjoyed him. I'm still trying to digest his act, which seemed to be part Bill Cosby, part Harrison Ford in Witness. Maybe that's not it. But he was really funny. Told a lot of stories about his family and did great imitations - ala "the Coz." He also was selling his book and tapes.
He is some kind of psychologist, so maybe he really knows what he's talking about when he gives parenting advice. And he's got like 9 children. All adopted. All, or most it sounds like, from misfit beginnings. He pretty much based a lot of his material on these kids. He kept talking about the tax breaks you get for adopting in December - which seemed to make sense - but what about the money you make by using these kids to give you credibility and provide you with material? I just didn't say that. I'm sure he's a great guy. He was really funny.
He spoke at the St. Joseph's Parish Center, which is an arm of the right-wing, true believers church in Erie. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but it just conflicts with my wiring. But this Guarendi didn't come off as too right wing, except for some of the discipline measures he was suggesting for children. "The total blackout"- that was his favorite tactic is seemed. He bragged about coming down like a hammer. Cutting off the kids finances, communication, entertainment, forcing them to work, to write essays, all sorts of evil punishment. (That's where I got the Amish take from.) And it sounded like it was working. Pretty cool. I'm not saying I have the constitution for that, but it was working for him.
He also used one of the truisms that I used to preach about child raising. You're bigger than the kids, God made you that way, so take advantage of it.
Of course, the screaming liberal that I am, I believe there are many ways to skin a cat, but he had some good food for thought. In fact, here's a link to his site. Check out his photo. Kind of looks like Corey Pavin. He made one comment about his wife telling him to get out of the 1970s. Well, that 'stache - beautiful. Go Dr. Ray. Oh yes, did I say he seems to actually have a real doctorate.
As far as the SoCo goes, I'm reaching a new low with my drinking and guzzling cheap whiskey. Every time I sip this, I recall my New Year's Eve Party and those heathens/friends/relatives were slamming my good Irish whiskey on their way to astronomical numbers of shots for the night. I can still hear the clink of the empty bottle as it landed in the waste can and the slightly less loud sound of the splash from my tear that followed it in. Maybe I'll reload when I get paid.
Cheers, fears, beers, and leers,
Ralphie
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Is it just me or are the billboards on the west side of 12th street strange? There is one offering $5,000 for unborn children. One reminds me to hold but not shake my baby. One tells me that Walmart = China. Finally, I saw one today which informed me that personally owned guns prevented 2.2 million crimes last year.
On the one hand, it strikes me depressing that in an underutilized industrial area such as 12th Street that even the advertising seems to given over to pointless moral posturing. On the other hand, the ads are also somewhat endemic of what appears to have been occurring in other parts of the country. I believe that the book "What's the Matter with Kansas" may be enlightening. I never read it, because I think I already knew the answer. Unfortunately, it looks like Kansas is getting closer to town.
Stan:
Haven't seen this billboards yet. I'll make sure to keep my eyes open for them. I guess the question I have is, what is more pointless, a sexy lady in black dress advertising whiskey or smoking a cigarettes, or people trying to hit you over the head with religious/political values? In some ways, I'd actually be encouraged by the move towards the latter. It seems to be a step above the commerical pollution that previously populated billboards.
I wonder which one of the following I fall into: "heathens/friends/relatives".
I was at the party, but I must admit, I do not remember much after 10:00 p.m., even though I did manage to stay on my feet until 12:30 a.m.
Yes, per our phone conversation, Jim - though I can't quite call you a heathen - you are certainly a friend and outlaw.
Ralph
Post a Comment