Sandy Andina: Blog

No, not the answer to "How much of a brain does Sandy have left?" but rather random musings that I need (or think I need) to share.  This was inspired by the profound existential questions posed in last weekend's "Ask Uncle Fungus" on Penguin Shoeshine Theater. Herewith I channel my inner Andy Rooney.
1.  Why are shampoo and conditioner manufacturers suddenly using smaller and smaller type on their labels these days? Is it a generational barrier akin to the infamous near-ultrasonic "mosquito" ringtone? Yes, I have reading glasses. No, I don't wear them in the shower, when I need to read the bottles. (And which poltergeist has been swiping said glasses and weakening the prescription)?
2.  Why are restaurants so dark at night?  The better to confound us geezers with the small print on the menus (are they in cahoots with shampoo manufacturers)?  Nothing says "I'm still vital and relevant" like whipping a lighted magnifier out of my purse. (Say what you will, but you [...]

Good news and not-so-hot news:
Good news:  OUR NEW CD IS HERE!!! See my News/Journal (or the Sandygram you may be receiving imminently) and www.andinaandrich for the details of how and where you can hear and buy it.  First official airplay will be this Tues. 6/29, on Lilli Kuzma's "Folk Festival" show on WDCB-FM 90.9/www.wdcb.org between 7-9 pm CDT (we're on at about 8). And the first CD release party we've scheduled will be in Madison, WI, on Thurs. Aug. 12 at the Brink Lounge on E. Washington St. just n. of downtown on the edge of the Willy St. Corridor.  (That is not to say that we won't have one earlier in Chicago, if we can get the right date and venue--we have a few in mind and will be contacting them ASAP). Details as they happen---keep abreast of them at www.andinaandrich.com, as well as on Facebook and MySpace.
Not-so-hot-news: those "notes" you hear "from my knees" are creaking & groaning. Last Mon. night, doing nothing out of the ordinary, I managed to [...]

(English majors and teachers:  yes, I know that at first blush, the "What" in the title seems as if it should be "Who." Bear with me for a moment).
Once again, I have a pocketful of rants (not to be confused with a boxful of letters, which belongs to Jeff Tweedy). I've been spending an inordinate (some may say frighteningly obsessive) amount of time over on Facebook, managing friend and group requests and invitations, juggling chats, updating status/gig dates/new songs, and too often stumbling down into the rabbit hole of very long political discussion threads. Today I found myself in such a thread; what made it different was that I was the only person posting to that thread who wasn't several steps to the right of Newt Gingrich.  In fact, one poster lists himself on his profile page as "right-wing extremist;" honesty and accuracy is particularly refreshing these days.
The thread started off with the usual black-helicopter/tinfoil-hat stuff about FEMA concentration camps. (Back [...]

I had planned to shoot my mouth off tonight about obstructionist legislators, prevaricating PACs establishing the Tea Party Express purely to profit their PR firms, and even about how Organizing For America is a grassroots way to combat the effects of the Astroturf groups and try to stanch the inevitable hemorrhaging of Democratic Congressional, Senate and gubernatorial seats this November. I was also going to comment on the calm, articulate, passionate and sensible speech by DNC Chmn. Tim Kaine I attended tonight and contrast it to the bizarro parallel universe that his home state Virginia (or at least its new executive branch) seems to have become overnight. (My sister in Arlington brought me down to earth by reminding me I voted for Blago.....twice).  I was going to comment on how CA seems hell-bent on digging itself into further fiscal ruin with a proposition to require a 2/3 plebiscite before gov't units can run electric utilities (a la Seattle City Light, which when I lived there [...]

We are coming down to the home stretch of the marathon run towards the first step of health care reform. Conservatives (and those who believe them) are decrying the bill's deficit spending during a recession.  But there is evidence of plenty of questionable expenditures that, had they not been made, might help fund reform, create jobs, lessen the deficit, or even pay our military personnel something more closely resembling a living wage.  We've all heard of the hundred-dollar hammers and thousand-dollar toilet seats, as well as five-and-six-figure office redecorations.  But this latest one takes the cake:
Today I got a letter from the Census Department.  Now, as a good citizen, I've seen those cheery TV spots reminding us to respond to the 2010 Census.  OK; though ads don't come cheaply (even if airtime is granted to Uncle Sam for free PSAs, someone's taxes are paying those actors, techs, and writers as well as the costs of even digitally transmitting the ads to [...]