a scan a day

general sherman, c. 1967

My Mom’s dress is HOT.

Easter, 1965

My dad sent over some scans yesterday that are so amazing I can’t even believe they’re real. (The colors!) My mom made my dress. I’ll bet those sleeves gave her fits.

Russ, 70s, Tokyo

At our home in Den-en-chōfu, about to enjoy a delicious breakfast. My parents both worked full-time when we lived in Tokyo so we had a housekeeper (Kitsutani-san!) who took care of most of the cooking & cleaning. However, I did most of the shopping. Things that weren’t delivered by the grocer (like these cornflakes here, & other dry goods) — produce, meats, baked items — were picked up at different shops around the neighborhood.

Before we moved out into the suburbs, we were right in the heart of the city, in the Roppongi district, a few blocks away from the Hotel Okura (where we lived for the first two months we were in Japan while we waited for our shipment — i.e., furniture — to arrive). It was a fantastic location — in a tiny compound with four or five large — by Japanese standards — 2-story homes. We were only there for a year, though — the compound was bulldozed to make way for a shopping complex & we moved out of the city & into the ‘burbs.

nice purse, redux, c. 1964

Here’s the other one for comparison.

I still love little purses.

That face! (I know it’s mine, but it still kills me.)

grandma, christmas, 1966

My last scan got me in hot water with someone very dear to me. Well, not the scan, it was the accompanying text. (In my defense, there is an enormous difference between ‘horrific’ & ‘said something horrific’.)

Love you!

Family Vacation, Punta Baluarte, Philippines — Spring ‘78

I’ve mentioned before that in most of our family photos someone was always mad about something — it’s my turn here. My mom’s smiling. She probably just said something horrific to me. My mom & I, we had a somewhat contentious relationship for the first 45 years or so. It’s much better now.

Early 80s, Clayton, Pre-Prom, American School in London

(or What Does This Button Do in PhotoShop?)

That’s Clayton on the left. As far as fashion goes, everyone is so on the mark it’s almost as if they’re in costume. How adorable is my brother’s date? — look at her long red nails — I remember when I used to have those.

That’s a hand-woven Picasso rug that my mom bought in Hong Kong back in the 70s hanging above them on the wall. Once so special it was treated as “art,” it now lies on the floor in my living room & has been thrown up on more times than my mom probably ever dreamed possible.

yes, you CAN have a pony, c. late 60s, early 70s

I loved my stuffed pony.

I’m having a hard time imagining my mom picking out that lamp. I might be misremembering this, but I’m pretty sure a mock-up of the Declaration of Independence was printed just below the eagle there. (If it wasn’t, it should have been.)

Happy 4th!

Jaleel White, mid 90s

So, if you’ve been keeping up, you know that I worked on this show for a while. Three seasons, actually. (By the way, if you wrote to the Family Matters production offices & requested an autograph from Jaleel in the mid-90s, it was probably signed by the lovely & talented PA, Meghan O’Sullivan — as this one was. It wasn’t that Jaleel didn’t want to sign autographs, it was more that Meghan loved getting away with doing it herself. She was also the best female prank phone caller I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and that’s including the folks I know who do it professionally. Nor was she a random prankster — she specialized in calling your exes, and oh, she was goood. I imagine there are at least a few dozen men who are still out there, wandering around, to this day puzzling over that long ago phone call, late one night.)

FM Trivia: Season One, Episode 12: Jaleel’s character, Steve Urkel, is introduced. Originally a one-off guest starring role — Laura Winslow has a date with a nerd — 12-year old Jaleel got such a tremendous reaction from the studio audience, the producers brought him back again. And again. And again. If you were thinking that this might have caused tension on the set as the focus of the show slowly started to shift away from the adults in the Winslow family & began to center more squarely on Urkel & his antics — well, you would be right.

The New Monkees, Sanno Hotel, Tokyo, 1976

Ha! Found ‘em. Right where I thought they would be, too.

The funniest thing about these autographs is what’s on the other side:

Apparently I didn’t have a blank piece of paper on me but I did have a book with 2000 Insults (for all occasions). Because you never know. Right?

(see)

another party at grandma’s, 1971

My recollection of this is hazy, because it’s a long time ago, but the wall across from Grandma’s bar — near the lady in the black pantsuit — was filled with personal notes & drawings from friends. And they weren’t tacked to the wall, but were actually written & drawn directly ON the wall. I vaguely recall my mom insisting that she cover this wall whenever her grandkids were visiting — whatever was there was not suitable for young eyes, but she didn’t always cover it, and I used to read it sometimes.

I know, pics or it didn’t happen. But sometimes, the memory is all we have.

Happy Father’s Day!

Dad, Maui, 70s. We had some pretty great vacations when we were growing up, thanks to this guy.

playing with dolls, c. 1965

Some things never change.

Note: Haven’t exactly been keeping up over here at ASAD. I got a little overwhelmed with the amount of pictures, letters & assorted memorabilia I need to go through & I became paralyzed. I had to put it all away until I am able to get more properly organized. Regular posts will resume anon.

90s

This cartoon broke my heart, so I kept it.

90s

Rachel Arieff was another client during my agenting days. I always liked her, & I always liked this picture. I googled Rachel to see what she’s doing now & apparently she’s HUGE in Barcelona. Weird.

I loved her impression of herself working a 9-5 office job. She’d put a plastic bag on her head, tighten it around her neck & then collapse on the stage, feigning suffocation. Killed me every time.