Back in the music business again! Today, after a hiatus of over three years, I finally have a piano to play on again.

When I sold my Urbana house back in September 2000 (expecting to graduate within the year), a friend who was helping me move expressed interest in my digital (electronic) piano that I had had since 1987 and dragged halfway around the world on several occasions. Thinking the instrument's electronics would fail any time, I thought it prudent to sell it while it was salable, so I got rid of it thinking I'd get a newer one in a couple of months via E-Bay, or some such place. Well, "a couple of months" turned into a couple of years.

It has bothered me for quite some time now that my piano skills, developed painstakingly over 14 years at my parents' expense, have lain dormant. Playing piano not only is something to do because I CAN, but because I NEED it. I need the mental diversion and psychological therapy playing piano provides me. It would be something like Michael Jordan never playing basketball again, even in his driveway. (Not that I'm anywhere near being the Michael Jordan of the piano!)

So, it has been on my mind to rent a quality upright piano (wouldn't want a low-down, corrupt piano!) locally for the few months I have left before graduating. I made a vow that after Christmas vacation I would seek out a rental piano locally as soon as I got back. Well, after some detours, I finally made the rounds of local piano retailers in town.

One place had lovely new and used pianos -some impressive baby grands that made me drool - but no rentals. I toyed with the idea of buying a piano (my long-term goal), but when I got home and looked at the limited space I could put one RIGHT NOW, I saw the wisdom in sticking to my original plan.

This past Wednesday, I stopped by a big general music store near Walmart in the mall that does it all: rents pianos, gives lessons, sells band instruments, drum sets, music, etc. They showed me a decent Yamaha digital piano that sounded like a grand (if you had your eyes shut), and I got all the way to signing my name on the filled-out rental contract, but they wouldn't hear of my leaving the "Soc. Sec." blank empty. "You have to give your social security number. It's the only way we can track you down if you default on your rental payments." I didn't like their tone, and I have become a rabid believer in financial privacy and avoiding identity theft. Financial experts warn consumers NEVER to give their social security number unless it is intrinsic to the transaction (buying a house, for instance). So, with very mixed emotions, I told them no, I couldn't go through with the contract if they held me to writing my social security number. "Do you want me to shred the contract for you, then?" the woman asked as I walked towards the door, piano-less.

Feeling down, but virtuous after my principled stand and sacrifice, I stopped at the last possible place, a somewhat dingy piano store "in graceful decay" in downtown Champaign called "The Piano People". I think the name was accurate, because with all the pianos open spilling their guts on the showroom floor, it reminded me of nothing as much as a busy car garage with expert mechanics at work. The place was obviously run by "piano people", tuners and technicians, not anal businessmen like the mall store. A pony-tailed young Asian man showed me the two acoustic pianos for rent, and at first glance I was dubious: acoustic uprights normally range from really awful to barely bearable. But playing on the shiny black one, a Samick, revealed a very warm, surprisingly good tone - with a hint of lemon and crisp oaky flavors ... Amazing! A little upright with a big, developed sound. I was sold. After my last run-in with the social security problem, I checked with tuner-salesman, since their form also asked for it. "Nah ... whatever." My kind of business!

After a few days of phone-tag with the movers, a truck backed up to the stairs in front of the house about 4:00 today (Saturday), and the man and his teen-aged son unloaded the Samick right into my front dining room, where it fit perfectly against the far wall. A piano to while away my spells of writer's block while I finish the dissertation in the months to come. A friend in need is a friend indeed! Sixty bucks a month well spent.

SCHOOL

Classes have started up again for "Spring" Semester (although the temperature is hovering around 20 degrees at the moment). I taught for the first time Thursday (Jan. 22). I have a current events class with about 20 Asian students learning English - Korean and Japanese mainly. With the presidential elections in full swing now, it's no chore coming up with "news". We'll even be having a Super Bowl party at my place Feb. 1 just to initiate them into the really IMPORTANT US cultural events.

More later.