<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Tom, I tune 10-11 pianos in the local retirement/nursing home.  I work with the person in charge to get me into the areas when residents are not there, or at least will not be disruptive.  I also hope we can avoid other interruptions, such as chimes for fifteen minutes broadcast from the chapel across the campus or the morning retirement community news broadcast, which is piped everywhere. If I were to encounter a situation like yours, I would probably try to contact the person who hired me and inform them that I can't concentrate on my work under those circumstances, and try to work out a better time for the next tuning.  If I had only one piano at the nursing home and there were no acceptable alternative, I can politely refuse to work for them again. I try not to have strong negative thoughts toward these residents.  Hopefully I will never enter my childhood to that extent, but who knows?  I may be one of them myself one day. I wouldn't consider this topic OT.  Working under difficult circumstances is very much part of our work. Regards, Clyde Hollinger, RPT Tvak@aol.com wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Today I tuned a Wurly spinet 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 doing 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, someone 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 made it too difficult to hear. These people in the twilight of their lives had returned to a state of childhood, where their only concern was themselves. I always try to do the best job I can under any circumstances, whether it be noisy kids, barking dogs, no light, whatever...it doesn't faze me.  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.  I tuned it where it was; as quietly, and quickly as possible, and headed 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 animosity.  They made me feel in no uncertaint terms that I was intruding. I know these people have problems much more severe than my own.  This is not a happy time in their lives.  This post is not meant as an indictment 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 their 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 fellow with a beautiful 1915 Steinway Louis XIV grand.  I think it was rosewood. Tom Sivak</blockquote> </html>