<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 9"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 9"> <link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C75C60.A864E9B0">  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue style='tab-interval:.5in' id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1>  <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> I replaced a flimsy Baldwin bench bottom (what OTHER kind of bench bottoms exist?) with a solid board from Home Depot, about the 20th time I've done such a job. The lady was very impressed, and brings me her kitchen cabinet drawer which was falling apart because the sides were STAPLED into place instead of screwed into place. She asked me if I could fix it too. I told her that woodwork was not my trade, but I would do it as a favor to her for a service charge.She agreed, and paid me on the spot even before I took it back to my shop. How many times have YOU been asked to do a carpentry or woodworking job? I felt funny doing non-piano work for money, as this compromises my professionalism and pride in my craft -- I feel like a jack-of-all-trades, which is definitely something I DO NOT want to be viewed as.<o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> Jesse Gitnik  NYC<o:p></o:p> In it since 1980<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p>             I had a lady ask me to help her move a bunch of furniture around AND flip the heavy mattress on her queen-size bed, which annoyed me considerably, but since she owned three pianos and had me tune them all, I obliged.  Besides, she was the type who I knew would become irate and never have me tune again if I refused.  She’s also got a few screws loose – a local “character” – and I figured, enhh, it’s just this once . . . . <o:p></o:p>             But yes, I’ve had customers ask me if I can also fix this or that.  I usually tell them I’ll come back another day with my handyman hat on and different clothes.  <o:p></o:p>             Then there’s the fairly frequent question of whether or not I work on organs.  I’m not an organ technician, so if it’s a pipe organ, I decline, but in homes it’s usually an electric organ and I have studied a lot of electronics and can usually figure out what’s wrong.  If I can’t, I give them the number of an organ technician.<o:p></o:p>             --David Nereson, RPT   <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>