Exactly!!! I scrapped for 16 years in an area with too much competition...(Seattle...Puget Sound area) Too much for a newby to compete with some of the best techs in the country. Just look at the list of names in the Seattle Chapter, Puget Sound Chapter and Vancouver BC chapter just to get started. They are all great comrades of mine and even had the great advantage of studying with Steve Brady. I miss them all, and now I'm a somewhat bigger fish (not the biggest! I think that goes to Richard West!) in a smaller pond in Nebraska, but took their willingness to help a "new guy" get things figured out, and apply it here as best I can, and I think I add to the mix here with gaining respect. THANK YOU ALL MY FRIENDS IN THE GREAT NW!!) I find the faculty here very warm and welcoming to my work. Only a few are a bit too much in their own head, so I just let that water run off my back. It's dirty and I don't want to drink it!! One will find that anywhere; college setting or not! I found some people in my former very rural area somewhat gruff and "know-it-all" too. Let it slide...that's their deal. For the most part, especially the piano faculty, we are all now, great comrades and deal with the sole purpose of being here...to educate new and budding musicians. So close, in fact, that I visit their homes, not only to tune, but have a scotch and cigar with some of them. I also tune the Dean, Vice Chancellor's home and other high end folks in leadership here. I also have great relationships with many grad students who look out for the pianos as well and inform me of problems. Some can, and do, go so far as to retreive the dredded pencil/pen from the action, or just tell me when a string breaks. It's all in positive attitude as I see it. If you stink a bad attitude, your workmates and anyone, for that fact, will smell it and run away. Sometimes, it's not about pay, (although I agree, it needs appropriate adjustments), but mental "fitness" is needed to be a great CAUT. How one treats faculty/staff/ leadership is at least as important, if not more, than the day to day customer. Anyone agree with this? Best, Paul Paul From: <johnparham at piano88.com> To: caut at ptg.org Date: 08/12/2010 02:19 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] apology (was Re: U. of Northern Iowa position) List, I am not a CAUT technician, but I am recently a full-time technician, so I sorely understand the growing pains of a young business and the dedication it takes to be self-employed with no regular paycheck, no benefits, and no building to go to that conveniently has all the pianos I have to work on. For me, I have to go out and find my work every day. A CAUT position would be a small miracle right now. Here's a non-CAUT perspective: if a CAUT position is so bad, leave and find your own work. Respectfully, John Parham > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [CAUT] apology (was Re: U. of Northern Iowa position) > From: tannertuner <tannertuner at bellsouth.net> > Date: Thu, August 12, 2010 2:58 pm > To: caut at ptg.org > > > And, this is why the CAUT employment situation will never change for the better. It's not a chip. It is identification of the problems we need to fix. But, leave us alone. We like our lives the way they are. And that's why these job openings come open and nobody with skills wants them. > Jeff > > --- On Thu, 8/12/10, tnrwim at aol.com <tnrwim at aol.com> wrote: > > > > Jeff, with all due respect, man, as several have indicated, you do seem to have a chip on your shoulder, and it comes across loud and clear.You can make excuses 'til the cows come home, but you're barking up the wrong tree with your criticism. Take a hint and back off on this rant. It's not appreciated. > > Wim > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu> > To: caut <caut at ptg.org> > Sent: Thu, Aug 12, 2010 5:24 am > Subject: [CAUT] apology (was Re: U. of Northern Iowa position) > > > Jeff and all, > My apologies for the overly snappish and personally critical tone of > this post. > Fred > On Aug 12, 2010, at 8:22 AM, Fred Sturm wrote: > > > On Aug 12, 2010, at 7:38 AM, tannertuner wrote: > > > >> I think to a large degree you miss my point. > > > > > > Jeff, > > As I wrote, I was certain I wouldn't change your mind. I am quite > > convinced you will persist in the same attitude you have displayed > > for the past many years on this list, and it is an attitude that > > would certainly dissuade me from considering hiring you for a caut > > position. I don't care what physical skills you have, I wouldn't > > want someone with that attitude around. Someone with zero respect > > for the enterprise of the institution, and with an enormous chip on > > the shoulder, is not really an asset. > > > > Regards, > > Fred Sturm > > fssturm at unm.edu > > http://www.createculture.org/profile/FredSturm > > http://www.youtube.com/fredsturm > > http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/FredSturm > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > Fred Sturm > fssturm at unm.edu > "I am only interested in music that is better than it can be played." > Schnabel -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100812/a6676e48/attachment.htm>
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