Espresso Metro

Just about every morning, between going to the gym and my first appointment, I stop at Espresso Metro for a cappucino. This cafe is on the edge of the Sacramento City College campus and it's the only place in town whose clientele includes both college and neighborhood folk. (Rachel and Jennifer hate it when I say "town and gown"!) If it's Monday through Thursday, I buy the San Francisco Chronicle and read the op-ed page and the chess article. I try to solve the chess problem and then play through the daily game on my PDA's chess program.
This picture shows a coffee cup's-eye-view of the counter.
Added bonus: the cafe offers free wireless Internet. The router is on top of the cabinet right under the light in this picture.

Why I Wear Earplugs

From the etymology site World Wide Words.

Tuning deprivation?

On January 10, I'll start on an eleven-week tour. That will be, among other things, eleven weeks without tuning pianos. I wonder what that first tuning will feel like? Will my toolbox and car feel familiar and cozy, or will I want to throw everything out and buy new things? What will I have forgotten, and what new ways will I stumble into?
I was trying to set up TrueSync on my new laptop, and failing. I think it's about time to retire Sidekick and Truesync and get a new calendar program.

This is what I look at all day: my PDA running the tuning software. It also has my calendar, my address book, email and Internet (when there's Wi-Fi around) and some fun games. Every morning I use the chess program to play over the game in that day's San Francisco Chronicle, and I also play Soccer Addict at odd moments.  

The Big Nut

My customer got this enormous nutcracker at Sam's Club.

Interruptus

Yesterday I had a customer who didn't answer the doorbell at 11:30 in the morning. As I always do in these cases, I pulled out my cell phone and called. She answered and said she'd come to the door. It took her about three minutes. When she opened the door, I could see that she'd just thrown some clothes on and her hair was disheveled. When I came in the house, I saw a man standing in the next room... and realized that I had interrupted them having sex.

The castle

Some rich eccentric is building this castle in Fair Oaks.
I also almost tuned the wrong piano today. I showed up at the address in my appointment book; the woman who answered the door didn't know about the appointment, but that often happens. I put the muting strips in the piano but waited until she called the homeowners on the phone. It turned out that I had gone to my customer's old address. Fortunately, the new house was only a few blocks away. They thought it was funny and told me stories of when they'd showed up at the wrong time or place. Once, in Madrid, they went to the airport a day early.