Judith Latham wrote:
> I am not at liberty to provide the answer you seek. When I promise
> someone anonymity, I stay true to my word. I must confess; I've become a
> yenta. If I reveal my sources, who will confide in me?
I wasn't seeking an answer to anything, just commenting on advice
columns and wondering how they get their start. You mean you never
wondered about that? "So and So from New Rochelle writes_____________",
blah blah blah, and the advice columnist responds. But this is the first
edition of her column - ever. Where did the letter come from? I used to
enjoy reading some of those columns but lost my taste for it gradually
and then for good a few decades ago.
Speaking of advise columns, I had a friend in L.A. who hated having a job -
and I don't blame him - and he finally got his wish and got on local welfare
which put him up in a skid row hotel along with a monthly supply of food
stamps. A few years earlier he inherited 15 G's from a relatives and quit
working - and I don't blame him. But I knew it wouldn't last long. He was
an extremely frugal guy but was not living up to his normal frugal standards
when he had that cash.
Anyway, when he lost his small apartment and went through the welfare
application process he gave me a bunch of boxes of stuff to hold for him.
I myself was quickly approaching kick out time and told him so. I don't think
he cared. The boxes took up a lot of space. I was very judicious. I went
through the boxes, about 8 of them, throwing out stuff I knew for a fact
he did not need and would not miss. I pared it down to 3 boxes. One box
which I tossed in its entirety contained nothing but self help books, how to do
this, how to do that, how to manage one's life, blah blah blah. Dave knew I
thought that stuff was funny and he didn't mind me laughing because he knew
it was funny too. He was an admitted procrastinator. Your advise column post
reminds me of the self help books. The same kind of people involved in both
rackets, actually the same racket, trying to make more money than they already
have by telling other people how they can do it too. Funny stuff, but it got old
as humor tends to do sometimes. Hah hah hah