[pianotech] good that it is rare

[pmc033 at earthlink.net]

	I agree totally with Mike.
 	I had a woman, a single mom, hire me to tune her piano.  I had been there
previously some years before, and remembered that she had several teenage
daughters.  They were, should I say, very friendly.  I guess they were just
glad to have a "man" in the house, if you know what I mean.  Anyway, when I
arrived at the house, the mom wasn't home, but only the daughters were
home.  I refused to enter.  Later the woman called to apologize, and
volunteered to pay for my visit, saying that she was also a businesswoman,
and could sympathize with my situation.  Though she sent the money, I never
heard from her again.  I felt sort of bad about it, but I also have made
the same vow as Mike.  Even if the parents are home, I will not allow a
child to sit next to me if the parents aren't in the room.  Better to be
safe than sorry.  I even heard a story (urban legend) that the husband hid
in the closet while the woman made advances on the technician, just to
provoke a situation.  You never know who is going to trap you, sue, or
whatever.  
There is ancient wisdom that says, "Never remain alone in a lonely place
with a woman, be she your mother, sister or daughter."  (Chanakya Pandit,
2500 years ago)  Even an intelligent man can be bewildered by the presence
of a woman.  In Indian culture, a man is taught to see every woman as his
mother, the only exception would be his wife.  That way, he may not become
lusty.  The term used to address her is "Mata" or "Mataji", which means
"mother".  It doesn't matter whether it is a child of any age, they address
them as "Mata".  
	Now, that is culture of India, not modern America.  We are almost always
alone with the woman of the house.  A good dose of caution is always a good
idea. 
	My $.02

	Paul McCloud
	San Diego


> [Original Message]
> From: Mike Kurta <mkurta1 at comcast.net>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 04/04/2009 6:38:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] good that it is rare
>
>     In 20 years of tuning, no one has made any advances to me or vice
versa. 
> However I have a rule about children.  If there is no adult present,  and 
> there is a child under 18 inside, I don't enter the home.  I'll wait
until 
> the parent comes home or schedule another appointment.  This is all
avoided 
> by asking when the appointment is made if an adult will be there when I 
> arrive.
>     I notice that more and more repair companies are doing this i.e.
cable, 
> utility, plumbers, electricians and painters, etc.
>     Mike Kurta, RPT
>     Chicago chapter 
>
>