9.43 pm E.S.T - Just outside of Buffalo, NY
I had a full day of driving, managing over 550 miles, which is about as much as my brain and back can take anymore. Quite painless, actually, with good weather and light traffic. Once through Ohio, the scenery really started to change, and I regretted having my camera stowed in the back of the van. I-90 runs along lake Erie from Cleveland all the way to Buffalo, and along with picturesque views of the lake were many vineyards; I had no idea that grapes were such a big crop in this area of the country.
Tomorrow will end up being a rather short-ish drive of 5 hours or so, getting me to the Pittsfield area in plenty of time to scope things out in preparation for diving in to work on Monday morning.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Final push
Most likely, this will be my last post from the home office; on the road for the next two days, and then in residence near Tanglewood until mid-August. My intention is to keep updating daily, or as close as I can manage, but uploading may be spotty. Hopefully there will be accessible wi-fi somewhere in proximity to my digs or the music center itself, but I just don't know at this point.
The car is partially packed, as are the suitcases, and the cats are all-too-aware that something is afoot. At least V will be here to reassure them they haven't been abandoned. Errands have been run, supplies purchased, and arrangements made. Waiting for a couple items to finish in the laundry, and then the last items can be loaded in preparation for tomorrow morning's departure. It's starting to sink in that I'll be away from home for the better part of three months. Excitement, of course, at the adventure in front of me, but also unease at the change of schedule. However, there have been things about my recent schedule that are due for change, and this is a perfect opportunity to implement some new habits and discard some old.
Last load of laundry completed. Time to finish loading the car, and then to an evening of relaxing with my sweetie.
The car is partially packed, as are the suitcases, and the cats are all-too-aware that something is afoot. At least V will be here to reassure them they haven't been abandoned. Errands have been run, supplies purchased, and arrangements made. Waiting for a couple items to finish in the laundry, and then the last items can be loaded in preparation for tomorrow morning's departure. It's starting to sink in that I'll be away from home for the better part of three months. Excitement, of course, at the adventure in front of me, but also unease at the change of schedule. However, there have been things about my recent schedule that are due for change, and this is a perfect opportunity to implement some new habits and discard some old.
Last load of laundry completed. Time to finish loading the car, and then to an evening of relaxing with my sweetie.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A birthday, reading, and preparations
Today is mom's birthday, which also means it's one day short of mine. Good wishes sent flying her direction during the morning sitting, to be followed with a phone call later.
I was forwarded an article from the NYT Sunday magazine, called The Case For Working With Your Hands, by a Matthew B. Crawford, who has a book being released this week called “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work”, which, if the article is any indication, will be a very interesting read. The title has echos of the Pirsig classic, of course (and the author even runs a motorcycle repair business), but this seems more generally about the idea of learning "through the hands". It strikes me that this is what musicians do as a matter of course, which might go a ways toward explaining what has attracted me about piano technology; I've spent a great deal of time in focused practice, gathering information from my hands, eyes and ears in order to increase my facility at a task. Part of his thesis also seems to be directed against the established m.o. of colleges, which more and more is to prepare student for employment, and less and less about actual learning. He speaks fairly strongly against the management field in particular, as being populated by double-speakers who don't actually produce anything. The general tone against college education rankles a bit; I don't think all colleges and teachers are out to brainwash students, but there is certainly a fair amount of that going on. The article can be found here.
Otherwise, my time is being spent in preparations for my temporary relocation to western Massachusetts. There is an awful lot to do, when one is going to be away from home for 10 weeks. The living arrangements sound adequate, if not as comfortable as those to which I am used, and the work will keep me very busy, I'm sure. But little logistical things such as packing clothing for varying temperatures, deciding what tools to take, arranging for mail to be sent to the proper place, bills to be paid, and ensuring that communication lines remain open are all significant tasks. And then there are other little quality-of-life issues, such as deciding what music, books, and instruments will make the trip with me to occupy my relatively few leisure hours. Of course, as with any large undertaking, there is a dose of anxiety as well; last night included a dream of arriving at Tanglewood without any of my tools! All in all, though, I'm starting to feel very excited about the summer.
I was forwarded an article from the NYT Sunday magazine, called The Case For Working With Your Hands, by a Matthew B. Crawford, who has a book being released this week called “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work”, which, if the article is any indication, will be a very interesting read. The title has echos of the Pirsig classic, of course (and the author even runs a motorcycle repair business), but this seems more generally about the idea of learning "through the hands". It strikes me that this is what musicians do as a matter of course, which might go a ways toward explaining what has attracted me about piano technology; I've spent a great deal of time in focused practice, gathering information from my hands, eyes and ears in order to increase my facility at a task. Part of his thesis also seems to be directed against the established m.o. of colleges, which more and more is to prepare student for employment, and less and less about actual learning. He speaks fairly strongly against the management field in particular, as being populated by double-speakers who don't actually produce anything. The general tone against college education rankles a bit; I don't think all colleges and teachers are out to brainwash students, but there is certainly a fair amount of that going on. The article can be found here.
Otherwise, my time is being spent in preparations for my temporary relocation to western Massachusetts. There is an awful lot to do, when one is going to be away from home for 10 weeks. The living arrangements sound adequate, if not as comfortable as those to which I am used, and the work will keep me very busy, I'm sure. But little logistical things such as packing clothing for varying temperatures, deciding what tools to take, arranging for mail to be sent to the proper place, bills to be paid, and ensuring that communication lines remain open are all significant tasks. And then there are other little quality-of-life issues, such as deciding what music, books, and instruments will make the trip with me to occupy my relatively few leisure hours. Of course, as with any large undertaking, there is a dose of anxiety as well; last night included a dream of arriving at Tanglewood without any of my tools! All in all, though, I'm starting to feel very excited about the summer.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Jump start
Well - after more than a month, it's time to get this thing in gear again. As of today, I am officially self-employed as a piano technician, having passed my last day at the dayjob. As perfect as the job at Schaff was for that period in my life, it feels very good to be moving on to the next thing. The next week or so will be filled with tasks of all sorts in preparation for my departure for Tanglewood late next week. The plan is to have the computer there with me, allowing me to maintain the blog and the website while I'm in the Berkshires, as connections allow.
Lots to do, lots to do...
Lots to do, lots to do...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
