Sandy Andina

Well, it's been one helluva year, and 2021 is slowly getting better. Emphasis on "slowly." Remember my previous 2011 post "I Want MY Country Back?" Well, first in 2016 we lost it, but finally on Jan. 20 of this year we got it back--contentiously, at times violently, and with our democracy ever more fragile. I am cherishing what we have, because due to the rise of "alternative facts"-worshipers and conspiracy-theory "Q-koos" (feel free to use that epithet, I won't copyright it), we may lose it again come…

Been a long time since I last updated this blog; I see the previous post was “Part 1: the Personal,” so I’m following through on my promise to address current events, “the political.” This has been a year of crises, tragedies, and terror…but enough about Donald Trump.

Seriously, though—there is so much to be said about this election and various other events that I’ve noticed the emergence of a pattern of modern mythology. (I might veer into mentioning candidates, but I will try to be a bit more, uh…

Yikes--has it really been two years since I posted an entry here rather than in the “news” section? (At least I finally updated that, as well as my calendar--where new dates are popping up again like the chives and crocuses in my garden; unlike the latter, which have been quashed by critters and caprices of winter, I hope nasty little life surprises don’t snatch them away like they did late last spring). 

If you hadn’t checked back on this site (or Facebook, Acoustic Guitar Forum, Bonesmart or BCO) in the…

The best is the enemy. No, not just of the good…but of everything worth pursuing. Or is it?

Recently, there was a spirited discussion on a folk music listserv about the merits of talent-buyers using a particular electronic-press-kit-parking/gig-listing website as their gatekeeper—at a cost to the artists both of membership and in most cases, per-application fees for gigs and contests. Recently, the efforts of and services rendered by the site had begun to deteriorate severely, to the detriment of all, but…

Back to Bed came by on Friday and put the bed up on blocks; Carrie rearranged the items on our nightstands so we could switch sides. She brought my clothes back upstairs, and I laid in a supply of Norco for the upstairs bathroom. Have been sleeping up there since Friday night.  Tricky part is I'm supposed to make only one trip a day upstairs & downstairs (plus perhaps one pair of climbs outdoors)--so I have to get washed & dressed and then head downstairs and stay there till bedtime. The water pressure…

My decision yesterday to wean my Norco down from 1-1/2 #2s every 5 hours to a single #2 plus a single 500-mg. Tylenol on the same schedule was not a success.  It was sort of a smackdown by my pain, which sought to remind me that if I wasn't its proactive boss it would usurp the role.  Bob suggested that for the sake of my kidneys I should take the Tylenol only every 6 hours, certainly complicating my meds schedule and giving me one more reason to keep an eye on the clock. I began with the 7 pm dose…

Well, the PT came over today. Took awhile to make progress, due to not having a session over the weekend, but with a lot of sweat and pain we made it to 115 degrees of flexion while still maintaining full extension.  Got SOME answers--basically, that everyone heals at their own rate. Some folks at this point are still on Oxys along with Norco at this point; a minority are toughing it out with Extra Strength or Arthritis Formula Tylenol (actually, generic, since brand name Tylenol's been withdrawn from…

This has been a weekend of perplexity.  There is such a thing as too much information, especially when so much of it is contradictory. "Rest up, save your strength," say some.  "Make sure to prop ice your knee and your foot up higher than your heart," say others. I DARE you to do anything constructive or interesting--such as read, go online, talk comfortably on a phone or watch any TV not mounted high up on a wall when you're flat on your back. "Don't spend too much time sitting." Really? How much is too…

In less than half an hour, Fri. the 13th will be over.  It's been a suitably weird day.  I took my pain meds last night at 10:45 and fell asleep while watching a DVRed episode of "NYC 22." Turned off the TV to sleep, and then about 1 am Gordy came in from a long night of rehearsals and wanted to shoot the breeze. Fell back asleep about 2. Next thing I knew, Heidi jumped on my bed just as the insanely loud clock-radio-CD player Bobby had set as an alarm woke me up....at 6:45. Ruh-roh:  I wasn't in a lot of…

Thurs. 7/5

I get up the deck stairs and am greeted by Gordy and the kitties. Matthew tries to escape--he seems to be his old self again. Gordy informs me that Matthew is actually allowed to go out, nibble grass and roll in the schmutz for a few minutes, so long as he supervises.  Carrie shows me where everything is, and goes home till tomorrow morning.  Feels weird to be nearly alone. Make myself a cup of coffee--first in two weeks--and make a mini-pizza from foccaccia, basil and provolone. (The other 3/4…