<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Wimblees@aol.com wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>When I first heard about university technicians, I thought to myself, how can taking care of 75 pianos be considered a full time job. Now, after three months on the job, I'm asking myself, how in the world can one technician take care of 75 pianos?</blockquote> Grin... welcome to University Life Wim... I'd say you have your hands full with 50 instruments. Heck even if you are just to keep them all in tune pretty much all the time you are going to be a busy bee. Add on action maintaince and action rebuilding and you are a full time employee no problem. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  When I accepted the job here at the University of Alabama, I was looking forward to spending time some quality with Jan, working in the yard, playing racquet ball, golfing, taking a weekend to go to the beach, and doing a few extra tunings. I've been here 3 months, and with only 72 pianos, I'm already three years behind. I find myself working more than 8 hours a day, and sometimes more than 5 days a week. What hasn't helped is that for the past 25 years, the pianos were "tuned" and most of them have been "repaired," and some have even been "rebuilt," but certainly not up to university standards. There is lots of catching up to do.</blockquote> Get kontroll over your situation, dont kill yourself, and accept that you have only 8 hours in a day and are only getting paid for 5 days a week. Its reaaaaalllllllllllly easy for us to start thinking about not having enough of them in good enough shape often enough... but hey... their is only so much a fella can do and if you'sa doing your best... well thats plenty good me thinks. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  I am starting to keep track of my hours, so that I don't work more than 40 hours a week. I am very lucky to have a very appreciative faculty, and an even more appreciate department chair. I'm left alone, and I can work any time I want. No time card to punch. My office is next to the piano faculty studios. It's big enough to rebuild a piano in, with a large window, overlooking a grass yard, with large trees with squirrels climbing up and down. And one of the most enjoyable benefits of working at the university is attending the numerous recitals and concerts by the faculty and students. (I've not been to a football game, but maybe that will happen next year.) I'm not complaining, and I'm not asking for advice, I'm just expressing my thoughts. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening. I know someday the honeymoon will be over, but for now, I'm enjoying every moment.  I love my job Happy Thanksgiving. Wim  </blockquote> Golly Wim... I AM pleased that you are doing so well and are feeling so good about your new piano life. I felt absolutly awful about your store, even tho we dont see eye to eye on Petrofs, and even tho I dont know you personally.... I dunno.. one just gets to feeling an afinity for folks on these lists... or what. Anyways.. didnt mean to throw a bunch of advice at you so much as to cheer you on. You seem happy and thats just great. Thanks for a very nice post Wim. -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A>  </html>