<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=white> <DIV> <DIV>Been there, done that, got the souvenir T-shirt.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One time a lady rolled up next to me and kept requesting various songs. I could not seem to get through to her that I was playing the old Chinese song "Tiu Ning" ... after awhile, she said, "Okay, I'll sing it for you" and began singing old songs, not very prettily but plenty darned loud.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Alan Barnard</DIV> <DIV>Salem, Missouri</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=deanmay@pianorebuilders.com href="mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com">Dean May</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 02/04/2006 10:48:53 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: tuning environment</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I tuned a nursing home once where the room was full of old people, like they usually are. This time there was a grouchy woman sitting behind me who loudly complained about my playing the whole time I was tuning. She was swearing at me! She kept saying her nephew could play a lot better than me. I just agreed with her. ;-)</SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Of course there were some sweet ladies there as well who pulled me aside to apologize for their fellow resident and thank me for playing after tuning. </SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P> <DIV> <P class=MsoAutoSig><B><FONT face="Bradley Hand ITC" color=navy size=6><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: 'Bradley Hand ITC'">Dean</SPAN></FONT></B></P> <P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Dean May</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy">             cell 812.239.3359</SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272</SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Terre Haute IN  47802</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>pianolady50@peoplepc.com<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Saturday, February 04, 2006 9:13 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> re: tuning environment</SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I tuned a console piano that was in the lobby of a nursing home.  It was remarkably quiet.  Except....one resident was pacing the length of the hallway that intersected the foyer and each time she passed me would try to sing along with the tuning.  *Try* being an important word!  I found myself working extemely quickly while she was "away" and only pretending to tune while she "sang".</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And on free food...always carry a ziplock bag in your tool kit!  I tuned and repaired a nearly beyond hope piano for a customer just before Thanksgiving.  I was almost finished when she entered the room with a huge slice of homemade pumpkin pie for me.  Yep...all natural (oh no).  Made with her homegrown pumpkins and lots of honey.  Thank goodness she left the room!  It had to be the worst pie I had ever tasted.  I can manage to eat most anything if need be, but this was not swallowable.  Slipped that enormous slice into a ziplock bag and closed up the tool kit with it squished inside!  Ziplock bags - never tune without them!</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Debbie L.</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>