A little humour here

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Dear list:

I put a great deal of effort into the preparation of my class on Advanced
Tuning. To give you and example of how stressed I was about it, I had my
usual shower just before going to the airport in Phoenix. By the time I
arrived at the hotel in KC my body odor was worse than I had ever noticed
before (OK, maybe some of you have wanted to say something about it before
but were too chicken hearted to do it). Even after my shower, my body
chemistry was still in a different mode.

My first half of the class went without any hitch. During the one hour
break between the two morning sessions, I completed the tuning of the 
Coleman Pure 5ths tuning so that we could evaluate it in comparison to
the FAC tuning on the other identical piano.

Right after the evaluations, three officious looking individuals entered
my class, came right up front and asked me to step aside and told me to
"shut up" (actually, they politely pleaded with me to be quiet). Can you 
imagine someone coming in and commandeering a class like that? It had to
be someone with a strong military background because I am ordinarily a very
strong person (Oh well, odor isn't eveything). This astute gentleman began
reading a litany of some kind, actually it was a proclamation. 

As many of you know I have been referred to often as Dr Coleman on this 
list. Occasionally, I have demurred that I only have a degree in BS (and I
don't mean Barbra Streisand). Actually it's a Batchelor of Arts degree with
a Major in Music and a Minor in Math.

As this fearless leader began nervously reading this proclamation, his 
cohorts in crime began dressing me in a manner fit for this dignified 
occasion. The reading went like this:

                         KNOW ALL YE
by these Presents that the Piano Technicians Signified below
and Representing the Full University of Piano Technology,
                 The College of Hammers and Tuning
and With no Authority whatsoever Do Hereby Confer Upon
  
                James Coleman, Sr., RPT

                     the Degree of

          Doctor of Real Piano Technology. PTD
          [Doctorium Pianotorius Technocratici]

Said Title and Degree to carry all the Rights, Privileges
   and Deferential Treatment appertaining thereto

       Signed this 19th Day of July, 1996


(This was followed by signatures of 32 two individuals who
would virtually make up a list of Who's Who in PTG)


While all this reading was being delivered in solemn tones, the 
cohorts dressed me in a black robe (Kmart special), The colors
fitting the degree, and a cap with tassle already attached on 
the left side. Now that cap was special. It was an official
Harley Davidson Motorcycle cap with a tag pinned to the top of
it (Mini Pearl style) certifying that this is indeed an official
cap.

Well, to say the least I was flabbergasted, however, "motor-mouth"
came to the rescue and I was able to continue my class, non-plussed
and I even finished on time (which for me was a first). Since that
auspicious occasion a few choice individuals have greeted me as
"Doctor Harley."

In another post I will give some of the details of the Coleman vs
Coleman tuneoffs which occured in my class that day.

Jim Coleman, Sr.