<HTML><BODY>
<div> Hi Diane,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks for the advice and wishes.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I do try to take care of myself, but sometimes it's hard to turn down that extra job at the end of an already tiring day. Turning down money is an acquired skill that requires discipline....:-)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I always give myself a break on Wednesday morning and early PM, and go for a long bike ride with a bunch of friends. Keeps me fresh, and fitter for work as well. That's the HUGE upside to self-employment: self-scheduling! It far outweighs all the negatives. It allows me to go to my 6 year old's school functions and other activities as they come up.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanks again,</div>
<div> </div>
<div style="CLEAR: both">Dave Stahl</div>
<div style="CLEAR: both"> </div>
<div style="CLEAR: both">PS Are you still selling the earplugs?<br>
</div>
<div> ----Original Message-----<br>
From: dianepianotuner@msn.com<br>
To: pianotech@ptg.org<br>
Sent: Sun, 8 Oct 2006 10:24 AM<br>
Subject: RE: A downside to self-employment<br>
<br>
<STYLE>
.AOLPlainTextBody {
margin: 0px;
font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;
font-size: 12px;
color: #000;
background-color: #fff;
}
.AOLPlainTextBody pre {
font-size: 9pt;
}
.AOLInlineAttachment {
margin: 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader {
font: 11px arial;
border: 1px solid #7DA8D4;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .Title {
font: 11px arial;
background: #B5DDFA;
padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a, .AOLImage a {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: none;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a:hover, .AOLImage a:hover {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: underline;
}
body {
background-color: white;
font-family: "Verdana";
font-size: 10pt;
border: 0px;
}
p {
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}
img.managedImg {
width: 0px;
height: 0px;
}
img.placeholder {
width: 275px;
height: 206px;
background: #F4F4F4 center center no-repeat;
border: 1px solid #DADAD6 !important;
}
</STYLE>
</div>
<div class=AOLPlainTextBody id=AOLMsgPart_0_bbe518bf-8cab-49a9-86f3-eed058ec5500>Dear Sunday Sofa Spud, <br>
<br>
Actually, that's the upside to self-employment---that you can learn what your limits are and respect them. And the sooner the better. I've had a lot of trouble learning that lesson, and it continues to cause me problems when I forget to take care of myself. <br>
<br>
I just spent four months of not tuning at all. The pain in my hands, arm, shoulder, lower back--- ALL WENT AWAY! What an eye-opener THAT was! <br>
<br>
I hope you feel better very soon! <br>
Diane <br>
<br>
Diane Hofstetter <br>
<br>
<br>
----Original Message Follows---- <br>
From: <A href="mailto:piannaman%40aol.com">piannaman@aol.com</A> <br>
Reply-To: Pianotech List <<A href="mailto:pianotech%40ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>> <br>
To: <A href="mailto:pianotech%40ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> <br>
Subject: A downside to self-employment <br>
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 01:44:26 -0400 <br>
<br>
You don't get paid when you don't work. That's the big downside. Vacations we generally tend to account for, but it's hard to plan sick leave. <br>
<br>
I probably should have taken this whole week off. I had a couple of nights of fever and chills, and was feeling weak most of the time. But like the stubborn ox I am, I pushed through what I thought was a cold, capped by a 4 tuning-with-some-voicing Friday that included a fair amount of driving. I ended up in the ER that night with chest pain. Turns out it was a mild case of pneumonia, not a heart issue. <br>
<br>
Do others of you notice a difference in sound perception when you have a fever? Even pianos that I tuned that passed every interval and etd test available to me sounded unpleasant and off. <br>
<br>
Next time, I'll listen to my body when it screams, "take the time off." It would be a lot more costly to end up in the hospital for a long stretch than to miss a few days of work. <br>
<br>
Be Well, <br>
<br>
Dave Stahl, Sunday Sofa Spud <br>
<br>
Dave Stahl Piano Service <br>
650-224-3560 <br>
<A href="mailto:dstahlpiano%40sbcglobal.net">dstahlpiano@sbcglobal.net</A> <br>
<A href="http://dstahlpiano.net/" target=_blank>http://dstahlpiano.net/</A> <br>
________________________________________________________________________ <br>
Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. <br>
<br>
</div>
<!-- end of AOLMsgPart_0_bbe518bf-8cab-49a9-86f3-eed058ec5500 -->
<div class="AOLPromoFooter">
<hr style="margin-top:10px;" />
<a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol" target="_blank"><b>Check out the new AOL</b></a>. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.<br />
</div>
</BODY></HTML>