KEN'S BRUSH WITH FAME 2

In ken's own words:

 

when u lived where i lived the beauty drew films of all sorts.

i saw Steven Spielberg in front of the fireplace -while he was filming the redwoods for Jurassic Park - i think.

i had a drink w/ Alan Alda at the heritage house in little river when he filmed = same time next year = on the property i worked at. sandy Duncan -  Al - the owner of the Oakland raiders drew on the tablecloth & etc. [& was billed for the tablecloth]

a & b list folks have interacted with me & they are better for it.

i told u about Dylan & Bonnie Raitt at Jacks & the Orson Welles & the only one i would count as a friend was John Koerner [Bonnie's boyfriend at the time ] - we spent hours in days talking life & whatever & wherever our drinks would lead us.

out of all them - Carrie was approachable - kind & funny & sweet.

ps

Steve Young - the 49's quarterback also fit that description.

KEN'S BRUSH WITH FAME

Ken shared these amazing stories of the various celebrities he met while living and working in Eureka, California, redwood country, northern california:

Ken in his own words:

"i met Carrie Fisher in the mid 90's when she came on to polish the screenplay for 'Outbreak' which was filmed where i was living. i picked her up in a limo from a private plane & as i was putting her suitcases in the trunk she came over on the windy day - stuck her head in the trunk & tried to light a cigarette. i showed her to her suite [at the Eureka Inn] & she chose to sit on the floor - i think she told me she was triple jointed - honestly, whatever that means.

during that shoot i was in a small room w/ Dustin Hoffman - Rene Russo - Carrie & Wolfgang Peterson & Morgan Freeman - just for a minute while i delivered a msg to Peterson. i drove the catering van to the location & saw helicopters doing stunts thru the canyons. later i asked Carrie to sign an autograph for me & i don't know if i still have it but she wrote: 

Dear Ken,

                                         thanks for the best night of my life.

              love - Carrie.

i remember her - all these years later - as shining."

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2016

Ron and Pam called Erev Chanukah, "the Maccabbees ride again" as they drove to Paradise where Pam's family lives in California. We had a Chanukah party on Christmas day evening with Clarice, Rita, Laurie, Nina, Suma, Bette G. and Bette E. Rita made a beautiful display with white lights. I brought my Menorah and Bette G. brought hers, a beautiful colored glass modern menorah with bits of blue and aqua and turquoise glass, very beautiful. Laurie put a Happy Hanukah display on the opposite table and a good time was had by all. Bette brought Tiramisu that went really well with potato latkes, Rita's angel food cake and macaroni salad, sushi from Suma and of course we had good music, listening to the Maccabeats Chanukah videos on youtube. Ken called last Friday. He said he had just returned from the hospital, diagnosed with Pneumonia. Gai Gezinterai - go in good health. It is a tradition to sing Chanukah songs after lighting the menorah. Here is one of them.

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHANUKAH

On the first day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

A lemon with a glezele tea.

On the second day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the third day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Three pieces strudel

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the fourth day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Four sour pickles

Three pieces strudel

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the fifth day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Five cheese blintzes

Four sour pickles

Three pieces strudel

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the sixth day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Six shtickel kishka

Five cheese blintzes

Four sour pickles

Three pieces strudel

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the seventh day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Seven hot bialys

Five cheese blintzes

Four sour pickles

Three pieces strudel

Two potato latkes

And a lemon with a glezele tea.

On the eighth day of Chanukah

My true love sent to me

Eight lefels bicarb

And a lemon with a glizele tea.

Winter Sunset 2016, part of the Views From My Window Series

Sad news about Carrie Fisher. Her one woman show, Wishful Drinking is a real tour de force and hilarious. She could make fun of herself and her own challenges with mental illness, bi-polar disorder. The show ends with a sound of ambulance sirens, "Oh, there's my ride" as she was carried out of the theater on a stretcher. A lot of people will be missed this year, Glen Frey, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, i.e. the soundtrack of my generation. Wishing everyone peace, health and harmony in the new year.

ADDENDUM:
Debbie Reynolds gone too. I called it. As soon as we learned Carrie Fisher died, I knew her mother would be soon to follow. I saw Wishful Drinking as I mentioned above. The DVD came with Extra Features. One of them was an interview with Debbie Reynolds in her home. She was so gracious and funny. She also talked about her daughter's struggles with Bi-polar disorder and I realized she had educated herself about mental illness. I thought "what a supportive mother she was." She lived right next door to Carrie Fisher and the two were very close. No surprise the loss of her daughter was too much for her.

ROBY'S YAHRTZEIT DECEMBER 17, 2016

 Tevet 11 5771 - Friday, December 17, 2010

Six years ago today, Roby passed away on Shabbat as it is tonight. I miss him and think of him often. Ken called this afternoon. Ellen sent a holiday card with her new address in Florida. It was 0 degrees here today. Laurie came over and we had chicken soup and quinoa. It's been a tough week here at 1550. A resident jumped off the tenth floor and killed herself. 58 years old. I have PTSD which triggered bad memories of Shirley and her sojurns in various mental institutions. That was Monday. Incrementally I am feeling better. I wonder what else Roby wrote in his Common Place Book. What was the purpose of a Common Place Book ? It's now snowing in Boston. Six inches is expected with temps rising to 50 degrees on Sunday.

Busy, busy, busy.....I am impressed with how he strove to remember.....post-its all over the lamp......scenes from Roby's office.......

LEONARD COHEN IS GONE

My laptop stopped working last week so I am using the computers in my building. According to the tech guy who came yesterday, my hard drive is corrupted, i.e. gone and so is the battery. Status pending on new computer/laptop. On top of the election debacle, Leonard Cohen is gone. It is a different world in every way than yesterday. My 90 year old neighbor, Bernice called to tell me about Leonard Cohen who we both loved. What a loss ! Although I read not too long ago that he said he was ready to go. I became a devotee in college at UMass. Then while still in my 20's I saw him play in a small club in Wash. D.C. I wondered if his voice would sound like it does on the records. IT DID ! I still have all the records/vinyl I listened to in the '70's; just need a turntable. We're having a beautiful Fall here in New England. Lots of yellows and oranges, not as many red leaves as we used to have.

Who By Fire

"Who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the nighttime,
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
Who in your merry, merry month of May,
Who by very slow decay."

Everybody Knows

"Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows..."

EREV YOM KIPPUR + RED SOX BASEBALL

Erev Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement. I lit my candles and four yahrtzeit candles, one for Roby, one for Shirley, one for Aunt Ruth and one for Michael. In the morning, I got a surprise when I left my apartment. My friend and neighbor Clarice left 3 beautiful, belated birthday cards on my door. She spent a lot of time using her calligraphy and drawing skills. 

It is a sad day in Mudville even though our beloved Red Sox went from worst to first +  won the ALDS. At the same time we were swept by the Yankees. Manager John Farrell  allowed our new alleged 'lights out closer' Craig Kimbrel to load the bases and WALK in a run ! Swept, but they celebrated anyway. Last night was Big Papi's last game in a Red Sox uniform. The applause went on well after the game was over which we lost to the Indians managed by our beloved former Red Sox manager Terry Francona who lead us to two World Series wins. He was fired by the brilliant Sox management, so he was hired by the Cleveland Indians and then proceeded to whip them into a play off season team. Plenty of former Red Sox are with the Indians now, Andrew Miller, Coco Crisp among them. We were swept by the Indians. The Boston Globe reported today that Dave Dombrowski announced John Farrell will be the manager next season. Well, we won the Eastern division, some fans would say, in spite of John Farrell. Too bad the kids underperformed in the post season.We enjoyed seeing Andrew Bientendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts do a hip hop dance on the field after a win before running back into the dugout. We'll get 'em next year....

EREV ROSH HASHANAH 5777/2016

Dear readers of the Sandler Family Archives blog. I haven't been posting much this year or last year. I am hoping to post more in the new year. Tonight is Erev Rosh Hashanah. Memories of Boby and Zaidy. My candles are lit, apples and honey await to be eaten along with chicken soup. Rosh Hashanah is coinciding with the last baseball game at Fenway Park of the regular season. We are playing Toronto, hoping for a miracle as the Sox are down 2-1 in the 9th inning as I write this. I'm thinking of Roby and Aunt Ruth and my mother. They all would be thrilled to know the Red Sox managed to stay at the top of the Eastern Division. We clinched it last week even though we just lost this game. The pre-game ceremony for Big Pappi's last game of the regular season lasted almost an hour. Boston named a bridge and a street near Fenway after him. Terrific player, watching these games has been bittersweet knowing this was his last year. He is retiring.

May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a good + sweet year. My friend Paula sent me the above colorful, collage new year's card. The Hebrew common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is Shanah Tovah (Hebrew: שנה טובה‎‎) (pronounced shana toˈva]), which translated from Hebrew means "[have] a good year". Often Shanah Tovah Umetukah (Hebrew: שנה טובה ומתוקה‎‎), meaning "A Good and Sweet Year", is used.

Cousin Ellen emailed to let me know she is moving back to Florida, going home. All the best, good luck and good health to everyone in the new year.

RED SOX TOP OF THE EASTERN DIVISION

Great catch last night by rookie Andrew Bientendi at Tropicana Field...he has great moss ! Finally, we are not in the cellar as in the previous two seasons. The outfield does a dance at the end of every game we win - Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and now Bientendi. That's a good sign - "cowboy up" .....we have the 'Kevin Millar' factor...

	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston	70	54	.565	-
Toronto	70	54	.565	-
Baltimore	68	56	.548	2.0
NY Yankees	63	61	.508	7.0
Tampa Bay	52	71	.423	17.5

YAHRTZEIT FOR SHIRLEY AND AUNT RUTH

shirley's yahrtzeit is 8 Tammuz according to the jewish calendar which starts tonight at sundown...
aunt ruth's yahrtzeit is 5 Tammuz...
somehow there is a certain symmetry to the two sisters passing away so closely together although they weren't close in life. 


and with aunt ruth's passing, that is the end of the first generation American Sandlers...  ruth, roby and shirley....when I started this blog in 2009, seven years ago, the first generation was alive...now they are all gone along with my oldest and dearest friend Michael.

RED SOX MEMORIES
Looking back: Aunt Ruth and I used to talk on the phone for hours. Sometimes when the Red Sox were playing I would call the whole game play by play for her and she loved it. She was just as excited about the Red Sox as Roby and I. It was fun for both of us. 

AUNT RUTH PASSED AWAY

I just got a telephone call from Ken. His mom, Ruth Weissman passed away peacefully at 5:20 PM on July 11th, three days before her 95th birthday. She will be cremated and Ken arranged to have her ashes scattered far from the shore of the Atlantic ocean. Everybody knows she went on dozens and dozens of cruises. Eventually she stopped getting off the ship when they visited foreign ports - all she wanted to do was be on the water.

Ken shared a memory. While living on Greendale Road in Dorchester, his parents got divorced when he was 9. He told me she cooked him his favorite meal, fried chicken, potatos, salad...."she had the ability to be a kind woman. She had her own needs and now she is dead."

I have a lot of photos of Aunt Ruth and will post some of them.

 b. July 14, 1921 - d. July 11, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERNICE

Happy Birthday and congratulations to my Aunt Bernice on her 88th birthday ! Thank you for your insights, caring and sending me a lot of family photos and other Sandler family memorabilia, i.e. Zaidy's glasses and watch. It means a lot to me.

In 1990 Bernice and Roby invited me to visit. We went and visited aunt Ethel (Rutstein) where this photo was taken. I have more photos from that visit which I will post.

SHIRLEY

Four years ago today, June 27th, Shirley passed away. According to the jewish calendar, her yahrtzeit is July 13th. Barry came out of the woodwork after four years two weeks ago. He told me he went to the cemetery and it took him an hour to find her grave. I asked when he went and he said, "Ironically I went on Father's Day." (You can't make this stuff up) That must be the second time he was there. The first time was the day of the funeral, a sweltering 90+ degree day in July, graveside service. It was so hot the air was shimmering while we huddled under umbrellas for shade. Suddenly, just like in a Sergio Leone movie, I see Barry, held up on each side by his neighbors stumbling towards us. He was totally drunk. He had to be held up. He could not walk. What a scene. Wherever she was, dead or alive, drama ensued. I had to lean against a nearby gravestone not to just faint dead away. Under extreme stress, I told the rabbi to ignore him because this day was about Shirley. He brought the drama to the funeral.

The day of the anti-Semitic incident, June 21st, I emailed Barry about it. The response I got was:
"I am drunk." Watching Bladerunner." There has been zero communication since. It is sad. Very sad. What a waste. After two rounds of Detox, two rounds of Rehab...four years ago his doctor told me if he starts drinking again, he will die. I check the Obituaries daily.

SIT-IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ANSWER THE CALL - SHAME 

This is historic. A sit-in in the House of Representatives over Gun Control. The Democrats are quoting the Bible. They are attempting to use Shame to pass a law on Backround Checks. Republicans are absent. Clearly the NRA is painfully powerful. The sit -in was initiated by Congressman John Lewis, Democrat who crossed the bridge in Selma, Al. It is so surreal. What's amazing to me is the powerful impact women in the House who come to the microphone are having. Many of them are talking about their personal experience of losing a child who was killed by a gun. It is horrible. They come across as incredibly authentic. Not corporate. To be fair, male Representatives are speaking also and some are effective. When women speak about losing children it is very powerful.

"Let's do the job America elected us to do. "  Wow !
When it's coming from the floor of the House, it's quite incredible. It's gone from Stephen Colbert to 'Reality.' (?)

Look at all the women at the sit-in ! There's Elizabeth Warren, my hero....

 This is political theater at it's finest. June 22, 2016, days after the full moon + the summer equinox, elected officials in the House of Representatives are actually doing their job. I can't believe they're not on summer vacation. I never thought I would see anything like this. Look at all the women, there's Sen. Elizabeth Warren sitting next to Rep. John Lewis.

NO FLY NO BUY
If you are on the terrorist watchlist you cannot buy a gun. The Republicans refuse to vote on that issue ! It is refreshing/heartening to see some of our fearless leaders try to enact this commonsense policy. And it is frightening to see how powerful the NRA is. Capitalism Run Amok.

ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENT 2016

21ST CENTURY ANTI-SEMITISM

This was different, unsettling, disturbing and potentially dangerous. I was picked up at Heartbreak Hill Running Shoes in Newton, less than 30 minutes from my home in Brookline. It all went downhill when the driver asked where I was going. When I said Brookline, that set him off. It was all about 'the Jews' after that.

6.21.16
Veterans Taxi Newton
RIDE I.D. #

RE: ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS BY DRIVER
To whom it may concern:

I had a Ride pickup scheduled for 3:28 pm at 638 Comm. Ave. in Newton. Specifically the location is Heartbreak Hill Running Shoes. The driver arrived early. I was thrilled.

Once inside the vehicle to go home at 1550 Beacon St., Brookline, the driver started talking about Jews. "Did I know that Jews have all the money ? Did I know that God gives money to Jews ? Did I know that Moses got the slaves out of Egypt but not the black slaves ? Are you Jewish ?"  I said yes. He asked me if I had money. I said no. I wrote my name in hebrew on a piece of paper after he said the Jews don't believe in the Bible/Torah. I wrote the whole alphabet down in hebrew. He said it was similiar to Arabic. He said, "Oh I see it's written from left to right, like Arabic. He looked at the alphabet and said, " I see a letter nun. Arabic has a letter nun."After that, he changed the subject.

I was terrified, frightened. I felt like leaving the vehicle and probably should have but we were in a residential section - how would I get home ? I sat in the vehicle hoping he wasn't going to hurt me. I asked him where he was from - he said Kenya. He said his name was CC - seesee. I don't know how to spell it.

I would say this is the worse thing that ever happened to me in Boston re. anti-semitic remarks. He was speaking in a normal tone of voice.

I am shaking. I am 65 years old.  I did not feel SAFE. I have PTSD. This was a trigger and will take awhile to shake off.

Shaken,
Carol S. Miller

 ADDENDUM: I reported this incident to the Brookline police and the ADL on July 28, 2016.

JUNE DRAMA + REDSOX

Shirley's English calendar yahrtzeit is June 27th. Her upcoming birthday is July 5th. Her Hebrew yahrtzeit is 7 Tammuz/July13th. I can feel the energy changing as we approach the Summer Solstice. And sure enough, Barry Marc Silverman has come out of the woodwork after four years of silence, i.e. estranged. Last night I got a phone call and he left a message. "I was thinking of Shirley, clutching a book she gave me by H.G. Wells and 'for some reason' I thought of you. You can choose to call me back or not. The book is Seven Novels by H.G. Wells." Well, she passed her love of science fiction on to both of us. Both of us watched Them, Day of the Triphids, and The Day the Earth Stood Still with her. Michael Rennie, the most dapper, elegant E.T. of all, dressed in silver lame....I still love it.

Barry and Michael, Chandler Hovey Park, 1980's, Marblehead, MA


On a more positive note, the Sox beat the Mariners; we are one game out from first place in the Eastern Division. 

PARAMETRICS

Michael designed this grid using the Pythagorean Theorem in 1988 while we were going to graduate school at UC Berkeley, Architecture Program. It is beautiful. He had it made into pads and sold them in the Art Supply store in Berkeley. Now I only have one page left (and it is wrinkled, I feel terrible about that). I had asked him if he had anymore left. He said yes but he didn't remember where he had stored them....) I wonder if Photoshop could clean it up. I am investigating.

MICHAEL ROBINETT WEBSITE HOMEPAGE

Michael Robinett

michael-robinett.com

---

Architecture, Urban Design, Interior Design, Web Design, Research & Development

---

Technical Consulting

The Institute for Surface Structures

Architectural Photography

Copyright 2015 Michael Robinett

MICHAEL ROBINETT, ARCHITECT

Mike created a website for himself and for me. His
was michael-robinett.com and mine was carol-miller.com. He took care of the whole thing. The websites were hosted by Network Solutions. I paid for both websites to keep them going. Unfortunately, even while paying for the websites, Network Solutions dismantled them. I later found a website devoted exclusively to angry clients who also had very bad experiences with the company. I took screenshots of Mike's home page and mine. I am now looking into other companies to put my website back up. Unfortunately, all of Mike's files are on his computer which I do not have access to. He was very gifted. It is a great loss not to see the hundreds of projects he worked on - all his drawings were works of Art.

This is not the best image of this beautiful drawing of the site plan of the Pyramids of Giza with dimensions and equations. I need to get better software. I saved it as an html file and then turned it into a jpeg. Unfortunately the text got smaller. I am working on it !

The pyramids of Giza are aligned with the Constellation of Orion. Archaeologists are still studying them today and revising their original analyses. The pyramids of Giza were an earthly representation of the Belt of Orion. For more information click here.

Michael and I loved to watch Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. According to "Ancient Astronaut Theorists" perhaps the Egyptions from 2450 B.C. received technological knowledge from Extra Terrestrials. What else could explain their construction ?

MICHAEL'S YAHRTZEIT

Michael Robinett, my best friend of over 30 years passed away, or as my good friend Ron likes to call it, 'metamorphized' one year ago today. In his honor and his memory, I am posting some of his beautiful drawings. I haven't touched the blog for six months in 2016. It's very hard to get used to the new reality, no Michael and I completely lost my focus. My job now is to publish all his drawings of the Mishkan and the Temple of Solomon. Below is a measured drawing of the plan of the Temple of Solomon in cubits and feet. He read the Book of Kings where all the dimensions are written. I asked him if he could put it in cubits and feet for clarity. And he did it. I asked him to superimpose the drawing on top of his Pythagorean grid and he did it. It is stunning. The Temple plan is based on the geometry of the Pythagorean theorem.

He created a website for me, carol-miller. com. He put my text and a lot of his drawings of those two temples on it. More on the now defunct website in the next post.

HEAVY MACHINERY

On May 4th, 9:43 a.m., heavy equipment was parked on Beacon Street. View from my window.

FEBRUARY SNOWSTORM 2016

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS VIEWS FROM MY WINDOW

SNOWY GOLDEN SUNSET  4:50:41 PM

SNOWY SUNSET 4:50:17

PINK + GOLD SNOWY SUNSET  5:05 PM

SNOWY PINK SUNSET  5:08 PM

2.5.16 12:32  PM  Reduced Visibility

2.5.16  12:42 PM

2.5.16 12:43 PM

WINTER SUNSET

Facing south from my window, a winter sunset with pink in the sky at twilight time. 5:09 PM.

Facing west, 5:11:01 PM

5:11:10 PM

BOSTON VISIT

I learned from reading Julian's blog that his wife Maren came to Boston for a work conference. She went to Fenway Park. Julian is the son of my cousin Ellen Slane.

ROD SERLING

We still love watching the Twilight Zone marathon on New Year's weekend, 2016. When I was a little girl, Shirley and I loved watching it. When we went to Boby's house on Friday nights, Zaidy liked to watch the Friday night fights which came on at the same time as Twilight Zone. To his credit, my Zaidy compromised with me. One week he watched the fights and the next week we watched Twilight Zone. The show is still relevant after 50 + years. He was such a good writer.