<HTML>Tom, Your post was quite moving.  Thanks for offering us a glimpse of so= mething that we all hope we don't have to see from the inside. Dave Stahl In a message dated 10/13/03 7:10:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Tvak@aol.c= om writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-= LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Today I tuned a Wurly spine= t in a nursing home.  I have never experienced such negativity anywhere= in my brief (6 years) career as a tuner.  There were about 10 patients= of the nursing home in the activity room where the piano was and as soon as= I walked in and introduced myself to the attendant, a chorus arose. "He's not going to PLAY the piano, is he?" to which the attendant would = reply, "No, he's going to tune it."  Five minutes later, "What's he doi= ng at the piano?  Is he playing it?"  "No, he's tuning it."  = And as if there was a tape loop set up in the room, five minutes later, some= one else would ask, "What's he doing at the piano?  Is he playing it?" =  "Does he have to play the piano?"  "Why can't he stop?" I tuned as quietly and quickly as I could. Then they started a game of BINGO.  I'd respectfully pause as each = number was called, and then resume striking keys and tuning, but after every= number, someone would yell out "I can't hear because of that piano!"  = One lady threw her BINGO board on the floor and refused to play because I ma= de it too difficult to hear. These people in the twilight of their lives had returned to a state of c= hildhood, where their only concern was themselves.   I always try to do the best job I can under any circumstances, whether i= t be noisy kids, barking dogs, no light, whatever...it doesn't faze me. &nbs= p;Never before have I felt like I just wanted to get out of there as quickly= as I could.  I didn't adjust the pitch, it was about 10 cents sharp. &= nbsp;I tuned it where it was; as quietly, and quickly as possible, and heade= d for the door.  It probably wasn't a very stable tuning: I didn't feel= like I could really strike those hard blows without garnering more animosit= y.  They made me feel in no uncertaint terms that I was intruding. I know these people have problems much more severe than my own.  Th= is is not a happy time in their lives.  This post is not meant as an in= dictment of their behavior.   Rather it is about my reaction to it= . This experience made me realize that I have gotten used to people being = happy to see me.  I come on time, I provide a service that improves the= ir lives in a small way, I'm polite, and everyone comes out ahead.  Day= after day.   I enjoy the general pleasantry of my daily existence.  Without this= nursing home appointment I don't think I would have been cognizant of that,= having become accustomed to it.   I went to my next appointment and met the most delightful old retired fe= llow with a beautiful 1915 Steinway Louis XIV grand.  I think it was ro= sewood.   Tom Sivak </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>