WTF-Beta

I still work most days, just shorter hours - maybe 10-2, though this time of year I'm squeezing in some extra tunings. Here in Chicago, there is a pretty good mix of older and younger techs available, so I've suggested some of my clients farther away try other techs (I send a couple of names) as I reduce my daily travel distance.

I'm still picking up new clients, most seem to be finding me from Facebook local groups. I switched to an online scheduling system a few years ago and it has made my business life so much easier!

Yup, it is still published, but only to Piano Technician Guild members. I dropped my membership years ago.

There have been a few "tune-offs" over the years - some between equal temperament and alternates and others between competing electronic tuning devices. (I hosted/ran one of those for the Chicago chapter years ago, using a number of Baldwin school upright pianos - notoriously difficult scale design for devices to calculate a decent tuning)

One note about the first tune-off: I studied a bit with Virgil Smith and I don't think he ever 'just' tuned a piano he didn't also spend time with the voicing.

Had a multi-national Thanksgiving celebration hosted by our daughter, her husband and friends from a beach community in the Dominican Republic. Maybe 25 people up in a house in the hills overlooking the ocean. A little yoga, some guitar music, some pool time, some sun, a little rain and a mix of local foods prepared by a chef. Delightful time meeting their beach family!

No direct contact, but I do "see" him on Facebook fairly regularly

Isn't it part of the American dream to amass millions of dollars and then be able to retire? Perhaps she sees more power and joy being part of entertainment media??

It doesn't take that long to scoop up all the information wanted and leave "back doors" in place to further manipulate in the future...

Flux - Even though you used the rosin core solder, it is very helpful to clean the wires and soldering iron tip first so that the solder draws onto the surface instead of beading up. My dad used to tell me to "tin the wires first" - then a quick touch with the iron when twisted together and perhaps a bit more solder makes for a quick and neat joint.

(I would combinations of paste and liquid acid flux when working on brass instruments depending on the situation)

https://www.electronicshub.org/soldering-fluxes-types/

"Small business owners in some of Chicago’s predominantly Latino neighborhoods say business hasn’t bounced back since Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and his team of agents left Chicago last week."

https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/11/21/small-businesses-still-reeling-from-operation-midway-blitz

Once again, Republicans seem to only consider laws binding if they help themselves or can be weaponized against those they want to hurt.

The Chicago area recently had plenty of northern lights sightings, even in the city! I've been charting migraines as part of my treatment and noticed an uptick in frequency this last week. Diving down the interwebs rabbit holes, I came across a supposed link between increased solar activity and physical responses from some people - migraines being mentioned many times.

A little more whack-a-doodle than I normally entertain, but looking back, I could draw a connection to higher need for medication and heightened solar flare activity. Not 100% correlation, so I'm reserving belief at this time...

Anyone else run across this?

Well, except for the floor and curtains, it appears to represent things that could be done with actual staging??

How many are young girls? <run away>

I know a few that have joined the SoundsGood choirs. It appears to be just in the Chicago area. All levels welcome and they even have a group for memory-care singers. It is getting lots of seniors to sing again!

https://soundsgoodchoir.org/about/

How many sci-fi stories start with something like this?

"U.S. Border Patrol boss Greg Bovino, fellow agents to soon leave Chicago but could be back four-fold in March
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin insists “we aren’t leaving Chicago,” but the feds’ immigration campaign is expected to begin winding down. However, one DHS source said 1,000 agents could return in the spring, up from 250 now."

https://www.wbez.org/public-safety/2025/11/11/u-s-border-patrol-boss-greg-bovino-agents-expected-leave-chicago-soon

I really enjoy singing with choirs - for me, rehearsing is the best part and the concerts are the "have to" part of joining.

Ah, no I hadn't expanded that to see! Thanks

Techs usually are more concerned with how loud it can get while tuning. Peaks above 95dB are pretty common. Best advice is to learn to tune using ear protection!
I should really measure how loud some of the HVAC systems sound! Some are loud enough to make tuning difficult.

We got maybe 3" downtown.. Maybe a bit more to come. I think the wind veered a bit east and Indiana got most of the snow.

Chicago - "Dangerous to impossible travel conditions due to intense lake effect snow expected. Snow rates in excess of 3 inches per hour, localized total snow accumulations of 12-18 inches and northerly wind gusts in excess of 30 mph are expected."

3 tunings scheduled tomorrow - let's see if I make any of them!