I got this email today from a reader of my MONK books. I’ve changed the names, but otherwise I haven’t edited it:
I can’t help but recognize your name. Of course Goldberg is rather common in L.A. Do you recognize the last name of Sandstrom? Howard or Betty or Steve? They lived on Sherbourne in B.H. Then, after Papa Bob died Grandma moved to a "blue" apartment at (I think Rodeo and Olympic), after that on Palm Drive near "little" Santa Monica and Doheny. Steve was my father. Grandma also mentioned a Joe Swanson and Mike Berger several times. I brought lox and bagels to Esther Berger (his mom) when she was in a nursing home in Reseda, but never had any reason to meet Mike. Grandma was just getting up in years and I lived in the Valley at the time. I am estranged from my used-to-be immediate family so when a name rings a bell I so try to connect. I know so little about my father. I have no idea how well Mike knew him.
I wrote back and said that I don’t know any Sandstroms…or any of the other people she’s talking about even though I, like them, am one of the millions who live in Southern California.
How many people in the U.S. have your name?
Check it out here: http://ww2.howmanyofme.com/
(Hint: According to that site, there are 32 people named Lee Goldberg.)
268, but only one other is a SAG member. I even got his W2 by mistake once. Sadly, he was doing worse than I was at the time.
Yeah. Great site. Thanks.
According to it, there are 19 other guys with my name. But when I Google myself, guess who’s number one? And two. Yeah, me baby. With a bullet. Wow. Fame at last.
There are a million stories in the Naked City…. This was one of them…..
I put in my fiance’s name, and it says no one in the United States has her name. She is made up and so is our love 🙁
Actually I have some Goldberg cousins in southern California; but I don’t think you’re related to them. Thank God. 😉