Sandra Swanberg

iPad

Sandy — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:36:39 +0000

..is in Dallas! Sqwee!!!! So close yet so far away. Just maybe it will be delivered early. Wishing,hoping, praying. Hey isn’t that a song?

TGIF

Sandy — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:27:00 +0000

iPad is now in Anchorage! Yeah.

Didn’t get much accomplished yesterday either at work or at home. My laptop has some problems with VPN so I spent the better part of last night trying to fix the problem. I surfed the web for advice. Tried a few things and nothing worked. Oh well. At least it wasn’t my new laptop, then I’d be really grumpy. I’m scratching my head because I’m seriously contemplating turning on the sprinklers. Even after all that rain and snow, we haven’t seen a drop of rain in three weeks which is strange. Usually we are ducking in the hallway this time of year because of big spring storms. I’m thankful for the lack of nature drama especially with the folks in town but the cracks in the dirt now have me worried.

This weekend there’s much to do. I have to run a few errands and if I time them right I should be able to set aside a little time to walk the dogs in the park. They would love that.

Have a good weekend!

Lunch Time

Sandy — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:35:17 +0000

Yesterday I had a late lunch with some co-workers. One of them came in from NYC. She was in town for a business engagement but sent me a text asking if I wanted to meet up with her for some chow. We’ve worked together for a couple of years but all of our communication has been through email. It was so great to meet her in person and she is so interesting to boot. I met her boss as well who started the company she works for. All good folk and the five of us had a great time, even though the place I picked for lunch had lousy over cooked food. I got home later than normal and after picking up dinner, and then eating dinner, it seemed like it was time for bed already. I even think I fell asleep on the couch sitting up strait for a few minutes. Between the warm winds and pollen floating around I feel lazy.

The guy who is fixing my fence finished yesterday and he even took out the jasmine vines that caused part of the problem in the first place. It looks so good. But we over ordered on cement, so now I have two 80lbs bags to take back to Lowes. Oh that’s going to be fun.

Checked on the tracking status of my iPad and it’s in the process of being shipped but still hasn’t left China yet. Poop.

Spring Has Sprung

Sandy — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:20:12 +0000

The weather this weekend has been strange. A cool breeze from the north dances with the sultry winds of the south. Together they mix over Texas and a steady stream of humidity and dryness travel the sky, dropping pollen and sprinkling dust everywhere. My eyes itch. The dogs roll in the grass. Sneezes and sniffles are common place. Ah, spring has arrived.

Last weekend part of my fence blew down. The wind was gusting so strong I was surprised the trees in my backyard didn’t get blown to Oklahoma. So this weekend Dad and I went to Lowes to order all the fencing supplies and new panels to get it fixed. The guy who does all my honey-do’s is back in town (I’m so happy) and he’s going to get on it today. My mom is doing well. It’s still slow going for her but we celebrate each small success. I enjoyed the three day weekend and kicked it off with a mani-pedi on Friday. And Saturday spent the evening with friends and enjoyed a lovely Easter dinner. I’ve been toying with writing again-it’s been way too long since my brain has been used creatively. All my fault-I’ve neglected my muse and she could be on a permanent vacation for all I know. My inspiration has sprung from a Text Novel of all things. I can’t remember how I found out about them (maybe in a writer’s group email thread) but I tried one out and I can’t stop reading. Text Novel’s got their start in Japan. They are very short segments of a story sent via text. What’s so good about them is that because they are so short there’s no room for boring fluff, and each segment has to end in a way to make you want to read the next installment. I’ve been following a young adult story 13 to Life. This is something I normally wouldn’t read but it’s written so well I’m kind of consumed.

And that’s about it except to say that I broke down and joined the rest of the Lemming’s of the world and order an iPad. Squeal!

Relaxing

Sandy — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:11:29 +0000

Now this is the way to relax!

Weekly Round Up

Sandy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:37:39 +0000

I have to admit that last week went pretty well. Mom was moved to a rehab facility. They seem very nice and the place is immaculate. They have her undergoing aggressive therapy and even though by the time I see her she’s very tired, she looks and sounds good.

I had a great time at the dentist office too. I was getting two crowns and even though I was in there for about 3 hours it was fun. We were joking and cutting up. And there was no gas involved. One of his drills was even no match for my teeth when it broke. Okay so maybe there was a small issue with the drill to begin with, no harm done at all. I’ve known these folks for years and we all agreed it was nice catching up and believe it or not that was the best part of my day. The rest of it was fixing problems at work which let me tell you was more painful. I did major housework yesterday-dusting and vacuuming and even solicited dad’s help with the steam cleaner. He did a fabulous job. We had an assembly line set up. I’d vacuum and he’d follow me with the Shark Steamer. After that it was on to Walmart which is always a joy. I had to look for a few things that aren’t normally on the list, so that involved some searching high and low. Let me tell you that women’s underwear size 5 white briefs have gone the way of the Do-Do Bird. My mother is very tiny and there is thong, bikini, low rider but no briefs. I guess they think that the only people who can fit into size 5’s are girls and heaven forbid they wear granny-panties. I finally found one package. Whew. Now to switch subjects, I’ve also been waiting to hear from the rehab center about mom’s porta-potty. I heard one story that they had them there and another they needed it. So I’ve been driving around all week with this lovely throne. The good news is they had it taken care of all along. And that’s about it.

p.s. Glad to hear you are recovering nicely from knee surgery Jackie.

Stuff

Sandy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:21:55 +0000

I don’t think I know if I’m coming or going these days. I could be doing both at the same time. Hee.

Birthday celebrations are over, mom seems to have stabilized-she’s in a rehab center to help get her strength back, and there’s still a pile of work on my desk that’s getting handled very slowly. We are expecting some sleet tomorrow morning but I doubt that will happen. We will get the rain today but I just don’t feel Mother Nature’s presence in ice form coming our way. Call it intuition. Saturday I will have to stay at home all day. The cable guy is coming out -yes my favorite people. When they installed cable for two other rooms in the house they ran the wire underneath the awning in the front of the house and then down past a window. It looks horrible, and my house now has the appeal of a backwoods shack. I gave them a piece of my mind when I called but the guy really didn’t care (can’t say I blame him he’s just there to take the call). He held firm saying the window for fixing such things is between 8a-8p. Good grief. I really should take a picture and post it, then send it to the BBB if anything just to make me feel better. What has me so irritated is the installation guy never offered me an option of where to string up the new cable and instead made the decision. Like I wouldn’t see this? Come on people. He could have run it through the attic but no that was more work. Thank goodness I’m on blood pressure medication.

It’s off to the dentist this morning for crown work, then off to work-work. On my return I swing by the rehab center and pick up dad and see mom. Then its home for dinner which has been around 7:30. If I stay awake past 9:30 it will be a miracle. Happy Thursday.

Maybe Something Useful

Sandy — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:08:30 +0000

Boy did I fall asleep quick and hard last night-on the couch. I think I scared my dad when came out into the living room this morning. I guess he wasn’t expecting a big blob on the couch to be moving and telling him good morning. Hee.

I’m enjoying thawing out from the big freeze. This past week we’ve been in the 40s and 50s and it feels like spring. On Monday we are meeting with the rehabilitation staff to get a status update on my mother. So far from what I’ve seen she’s made progress everyday in speech, occupational and physical therapy even though she was too tire to do physical therapy yesterday. So I expect they will say she is progressing well and is moving in the right direction for home healthcare.

Today we have lots to do, go to the hospital and run some errands to the bank and grocery store. Lore, Dad and I will meet Cherie and Jackie for dinner later on after another trip back to the hospital. Tomorrow cable is coming out to install another connection so my folks can have TV in their temporary quarters. I have some work-work to do as well. And that’s about it from here.

I do have some helpful links to share. These were on the news the other night and are store coupons that you can print out and use. Although I still see more coupons in the Sunday paper, these might come in helpful when you don’t get the paper.

Smartsource.com

Shortcuts.com

Cellfire.com (this one is kind of neat since you can download the coupon to your grocery store rewards card or cell phone)

I’m Back

Sandy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:38:03 +0000

So I think you all know about my mom, that she lost her balance while vesting me, broke her hip, and has been in the hospital since December. The good news is that she may be released sometime late next week. It’s been a long and painful road for her but I’m so happy that she is getting better every day. My folks will be staying with me for awhile until she is strong, and well enough to travel back home. I’m no longer a couch potato running errands here and there, going to the hospital, and of course working my fanny off. I also got sick myself during that time and I’m still recovering ever so slowly. On the work side we still don’t know what the status is of our employees in Haiti which has me worried. The good news is that the airport wasn’t damaged as badly as first reported, but the estimated fatalities are jaw dropping, between 40K-50K. My heart goes out those people. In other news Libby had a little infection in her bottom and had to where the cone of knowledge for a few days. Poor thing. But she was a trooper and seems to be on the mend. Sherlock didn’t like the cone of knowledge either since he likes to bite and like her ears (I don’t know why he has that fetish and yup, even the vet can’t figure that one out). So having been cut off from ear access, I came home one day to find the cone of shame severally pock-marked and chewed up! This weekend is going to be filled with errands, going to the bank, grocery shopping, and a little work-work. But on Saturday all of us are going to our fave Italian restaurant to celebrate Lore and Cherie’s birthday. Jackie, Cherie’s sister is going in for knee surgery the following week so we are celebrating early. I have a big meeting today that I prepared most of yesterday for that cropped up at the last minute so that threw a small kink in my goal of getting somewhat caught up. Oh well. That’s the way it goes right? I’m seriously thinking about writing again. Might as well do something productive right? Well happy Friday y’all! Let me know what’s going on with you.

Long Time Blog’n

Sandy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:10:55 +0000

I know , I know, I’ve been on hiatus. And I’m sorry. But things have kept me busy–both work and personal stuff. But don’t worry. I have a new look and I’ll be back to blogging soon. Stay tuned!