[CAUT] pin drop

[John Ross]

I gave up a university I had for 19 years, I thought turning 70, I should.
Last year I drove out, alone, to the convention in Anaheim.
3742 miles one way, and it took me 65 hours of driving time
This Summer I was called to fix a pedal on the CF at the university, and it 
came up that the contract had not gone out.
I was encouraged to put in a bid.
Mind you, only 40 pianos, works out to about 100 tunings a year.
I did submit a bid, got the contract, and I will be 72 in December.
As long as I enjoy going to work in the morning, I will continue.
I have cut down, and am more selective.
I feel sorry for those people, who dread going to work and can't wait for 
their retirement, or for the day to end.
No matter how much money you make, if you don't enjoy it, it is not worth 
the stress.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
To: <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 5:42 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] pin drop


So it's confession time huh?  I'm retiring from a full time position at SMU 
on February 1, 2010.  The job has not been posted yet, but will be soon (it 
takes a while for HR to jump through the legal hoops they need to jump.)  It 
is a great position working with some great musicians who are also great 
human beings.  It's just time to slow it down for me.

dave (70)

David M. Porritt, RPT
dporritt at smu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Susan 
Kline
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3:18 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] pin drop


>Everyone is getting fatter...

True enough! But maybe the demographic problem is with the
benches, not the students and profs. Were most of them bought
at around the same time? Maybe they all are getting decrepit
and senile at once?

Come to that, aren't most of the piano techs getting decrepit
and (hopefully not) senile in lockstep with each other? Who is
going to replace us in ten or twenty more years?

Shall we do a little informal CAUT survey --- how old is
everybody? Retirements imminent? Plans for how long to keep
working? (only if you feel like telling us, of course.)

I consider myself just passing through the outer fringe of
semi-retirement. I've cut back general work about 30%, but
still do all the concerts. I've started turning down (or
trying to pass on) work involving tilting pianos, upright
players still containing player actions, and square grands.
I do lots of small repairs, some repinning and rebushing now
and then, but full stringing and parts replacement I pass on
to someone who does it full time.

Susan Kline, 63