I'm sure a lot of people use their lunch break as an opportunity for playing tunes. I found a little room with a desk, chair and tons of machine manuals. It's basically storage for the Maintenance Department in the Factory. The acoustics are decent with the tiled floor and it's pretty warm. No one can hear me play (thank god!) due to some machines running outside the office. For me it's my sanity break. I've thought about smuggling a pillow into this little room for naps and recovering from the late night session........but that's another topic for another time
Anyone else want to share their hide-outs or methods of getting some playing time in during work? I know a school teacher who plays his pipes during lunch and the kids love it......
i'm still in school so i generally just take myself off to an empty classroom. am also trying to arrange some lunchtime sessions with this accordian player as well.
I back away from the computer and sewing machines (slowly, so they don't notice) and go upstairs to the living room. I used to have an instrument down here by the computer, ala Sensei Harmon's suggestion, but discovered that if I picked it up, I never put it down again (5:00!? How did it get to be 5:00!?)
My husband shudders at the thought of me working from home.....I would probably never work....I have zero discipline when it comes to accounting.....big sigh!.....but maybe if I was doing something cool and creative it would be different. I wish I could sew or make things........Zina, that sounds great!
*Sounds* great, Joyce, but there's a lot to be said for someone else more or less forcing you to work! There's times I really can't motivate, and it'd be much easier to go off to the office and leave it behind at the end of the day...grass is ALWAYS greener! Heh.
Max, I'm really behind on answering e-mails, I'll get to yours soon, I promise!
Outside in Grant Park in the summer months with me pal Kevin, fluter extraordinare, and occasionally in the stairwell during winter months. The acoustics in the stairwell are the best however we sometimes have to step aside for traffic.
Well... all I can say is that it's better than not playing at all during the work day....plus you get adjusted to the time restriction if you do it everyday : )
I find that when I only have an hour at lunch to play, I really focus and make good use of the time. I always feel like, wow I played a bunch of tunes!......later, when I play at home, I have all kinds of distractions which don't exist in my little closet..........
Joyce - thanx for the encouragement. I spend nearly all of my free time practicing and playing sessions, but every little bit could help. Perhaps when the weather's better I might bring the Beast with me to work on a regular basis - I commute on public transportation 40-45 minutes each way.
our tech lab where we have drill presses and stuff to keep mechanical engineers happy. The pipes sound good in there and some actually peek inside to see what cat died.
I guess if you don't have a ton of free time outside of work, sneaking in some tunes at lunch can be very helpful....but if you are playing that much, cthuilleannpiper, I wouldn't worry about lunch.......
I personally feel the need to play at lunch for a variety of reasons but I'll spare everyone the gory details : )
I'm actually taking a break right now from my little closet to get some playing time in before the session tonight......I usually brush up on the tougher tunes that I know the boys will play.....ok back to solitary confinement
I practice in a small "day chapel" in the back of the main naval chapel on the site where I work.
It's not entirely convenient, though. I use a brass mute, as there are offices in the same building and I've no idea how far sound carries and I can certainly hear some of the office telephones ringing. I also have to keep a weather eye out for anyone who might wander in for some "quiet time".
(And for three weeks before the official thanksgiving service for the troops' safe return from the Gulf, attended by the PM and everybody who was anybody, I was overrun daily with cleaners, light bulb replacers, paint toucher-uppers, teams of chaplains, furniture rearrangers, electricians, plumbers, you-name-it. I felt like putting a hat out.)
In a former life I worked in what used to be a crossbar exchange factory - mechanical exchanges took up acres of room so the building was two-thirds empty, had wonderful acoustics and you could easily get miles away from everyone and make as much racket as you liked. *nostalgic sigh*
Ah, Joyce ye'd be a fierce tirrible woman aaltogether. (Read: great woman, really!) I used to do a fair bit of pracko in a big lecture theatre at the IOP but usually early evening - I found the accoustics too echo-y which doesn't give one much feedback on rolls on reels, etc (as if that were my strong point!) Lunchtimes are normally reserved for running, but since laterally I've been often running to and from work (maybe 3.75 miles each way) I'm not left with much excuse, except working through the lunch break - I'm one of those unfortunate misanthropes who actually enjoys what I do -- geek geek geek. Hey, I'm looking forward to meeting up with some "the session" heads this weekend - inc. nell, so I want to hear stories from Dun na Gaedhal, if that's how it's spelt!
Anyway, the take-home message here, is, yeah, I can see me bringing in a spare simple system, Boehm, whistle and D/G - yes, I do have spare instruments in each of those depts....Hmmm...OK ! I'm gonna go for it - righht cycling in tomorrow!!
I'm retired, so the title of this thread doesn't really apply to me - and anyway, when I was at work the possibility never arose or was considered, so it certainly would never have been allowed.
It reminds me of my schooldays. Our chemistry master used to lock himself in the chemistry lab lunchtimes and scrape away on his violin to his heart's content (yes, he really did scrape!). Then one day he came out of the lab to find a notice saying, "Wife and 7 children to support, please give generously". End of lunchtime scraping.
Trevor
For a while I was practicing in one of the basement rooms of the natural food market where I work. But after a while I stopped becuase it was really dusty and as the warm months approached, hot as well.
So now what I do (although not in winter) is come in a hour early before the store is open sometimes and practice in the department where I work, among the bottles of herbs and vitamins and lotions and toothpaste, etc. Besides, I find that when I actually eat lunch on my luch break I am a happier (and less hungry) person.
I use to practice on the bench outside our county courthouse...until one day I was playing this little D fife, heard pounding, and a bunch of office workers were giving me the bird and looking quite malevolent in the window just behind me. This led me to: 1) Not play the fife downtown - it's sound really carried and 2) find a nice picnic table near the edge of the street I could play my flute at. Between the lower pitch of the flute, and the distance between me and any office buildings, it's worked out well. Except in weather like we've been having where we haven't seen above freezing in over 3 weeks and ofter are in the single digits (farenheit) for days in a row. The Seery can handle it, but my the vibrato is terrible when you're shaking that much.
Work is so much more annoying when I can't play tunes half-way through the day!
I play outside at some stone tables when the weather is good, and in the large carpeted training room in bad weather. I use a heavy practice mute. At a previous job, I played on the empty top floor of the parking garage, next to the railroad tracks. Not only did I not need a mute, but I could march in time with the tune, and I made great practice. At night, I could play in the 3 story atrium, with marble floors and glass walls.
Out in the cemetery. I do onsite stone engraving in Los Angeles. Usually have a fiddle with me, so at lunch time I serenade the deceased. They don't seem to mind.
Ran-
I work in a clinic and the only place which is free is the bathroom where we teach clients how to practice good personal hygiene... but again, it is fully tiled and has fab acoustics and no one seems to mind.
I have often thought of taking my concertina to work if I could just find somewhere to play at lunchtime.
Unfortunately I've yet to find such a place. I work in a big State Government office in the middle of the city, so playing in the building is out. Although there is a large park next to the building, it is always full of people unless it's raining, so I guess the hunt continues...
I used to commute a couple of hours to work - each way. I got stuck on the motorway so often that I put a D whistle in the door pocket and in the times that I was stationary, I would try to play along with my favourite CD's. After a couple of months of commuting I had learnt so many tunes without ever really having to study.
So if anyone wants to here Britney Spear's "Give it to me one more time" on the whistle give me a shout!!!!
Since a it would be too difficult to play a 38 string harp in the front seat of my truck, I recently took up the mandolin to have something to play at lunch. Pickup trucks are NOT the place to play a flute, terrible acoustics . I sit in a park parking lot, and noodle about after finishing my lunch. Great brain-break from work!
Bruce
Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I'm sure a lot of people use their lunch break as an opportunity for playing tunes. I found a little room with a desk, chair and tons of machine manuals. It's basically storage for the Maintenance Department in the Factory. The acoustics are decent with the tiled floor and it's pretty warm. No one can hear me play (thank god!) due to some machines running outside the office. For me it's my sanity break. I've thought about smuggling a pillow into this little room for naps and recovering from the late night session........but that's another topic for another time
Anyone else want to share their hide-outs or methods of getting some playing time in during work? I know a school teacher who plays his pipes during lunch and the kids love it......
Joyce
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by JMH
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
i'm still in school so i generally just take myself off to an empty classroom. am also trying to arrange some lunchtime sessions with this accordian player as well.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by NickPhelan
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I back away from the computer and sewing machines (slowly, so they don't notice) and go upstairs to the living room. I used to have an instrument down here by the computer, ala Sensei Harmon's suggestion, but discovered that if I picked it up, I never put it down again (5:00!? How did it get to be 5:00!?)
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
My husband shudders at the thought of me working from home.....I would probably never work....I have zero discipline when it comes to accounting.....big sigh!.....but maybe if I was doing something cool and creative it would be different. I wish I could sew or make things........Zina, that sounds great!
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by JMH
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
"but discovered that if I picked it up, I never put it down again (5:00!? How did it get to be 5:00!?)"
LOL, the same goes for me. I'll take a break from school, and tell myself, "only half an hour or so" but it doesn't usually end up being that short.
Gee, I wish I had a teacher that played pipes at lunch!
-Max
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
*Sounds* great, Joyce, but there's a lot to be said for someone else more or less forcing you to work! There's times I really can't motivate, and it'd be much easier to go off to the office and leave it behind at the end of the day...grass is ALWAYS greener! Heh.
Max, I'm really behind on answering e-mails, I'll get to yours soon, I promise!
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
my car....
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Jreidy
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I'm sure I could find a quiet corner somewhere in the office building where I work, but I'd find it difficult to stop once I got started.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Outside in Grant Park in the summer months with me pal Kevin, fluter extraordinare, and occasionally in the stairwell during winter months. The acoustics in the stairwell are the best however we sometimes have to step aside for traffic.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Robby B.
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Well... all I can say is that it's better than not playing at all during the work day....plus you get adjusted to the time restriction if you do it everyday : )
I find that when I only have an hour at lunch to play, I really focus and make good use of the time. I always feel like, wow I played a bunch of tunes!......later, when I play at home, I have all kinds of distractions which don't exist in my little closet..........
Joyce
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by JMH
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
My last reply was to cthuilleannpiper.....
Robby - that sounds cool
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by JMH
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
In a gazebo, on the far side of a walking/jogging trail we have going around a lake in the back of the building. But not in the winter.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by glauber
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Joyce - thanx for the encouragement. I spend nearly all of my free time practicing and playing sessions, but every little bit could help. Perhaps when the weather's better I might bring the Beast with me to work on a regular basis - I commute on public transportation 40-45 minutes each way.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
our tech lab where we have drill presses and stuff to keep mechanical engineers happy. The pipes sound good in there and some actually peek inside to see what cat died.
RobbyB -sent you an email
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by I_Fel
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I guess if you don't have a ton of free time outside of work, sneaking in some tunes at lunch can be very helpful....but if you are playing that much, cthuilleannpiper, I wouldn't worry about lunch.......
I personally feel the need to play at lunch for a variety of reasons but I'll spare everyone the gory details : )
I'm actually taking a break right now from my little closet to get some playing time in before the session tonight......I usually brush up on the tougher tunes that I know the boys will play.....ok back to solitary confinement
Joyce
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by JMH
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I practice in a small "day chapel" in the back of the main naval chapel on the site where I work.
It's not entirely convenient, though. I use a brass mute, as there are offices in the same building and I've no idea how far sound carries and I can certainly hear some of the office telephones ringing. I also have to keep a weather eye out for anyone who might wander in for some "quiet time".
(And for three weeks before the official thanksgiving service for the troops' safe return from the Gulf, attended by the PM and everybody who was anybody, I was overrun daily with cleaners, light bulb replacers, paint toucher-uppers, teams of chaplains, furniture rearrangers, electricians, plumbers, you-name-it. I felt like putting a hat out.)
In a former life I worked in what used to be a crossbar exchange factory - mechanical exchanges took up acres of room so the building was two-thirds empty, had wonderful acoustics and you could easily get miles away from everyone and make as much racket as you liked. *nostalgic sigh*
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Tish
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Ah, Joyce ye'd be a fierce tirrible woman aaltogether. (Read: great woman, really!) I used to do a fair bit of pracko in a big lecture theatre at the IOP but usually early evening - I found the accoustics too echo-y which doesn't give one much feedback on rolls on reels, etc (as if that were my strong point!) Lunchtimes are normally reserved for running, but since laterally I've been often running to and from work (maybe 3.75 miles each way) I'm not left with much excuse, except working through the lunch break - I'm one of those unfortunate misanthropes who actually enjoys what I do -- geek geek geek. Hey, I'm looking forward to meeting up with some "the session" heads this weekend - inc. nell, so I want to hear stories from Dun na Gaedhal, if that's how it's spelt!
Anyway, the take-home message here, is, yeah, I can see me bringing in a spare simple system, Boehm, whistle and D/G - yes, I do have spare instruments in each of those depts....Hmmm...OK ! I'm gonna go for it - righht cycling in tomorrow!!
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I'm retired, so the title of this thread doesn't really apply to me - and anyway, when I was at work the possibility never arose or was considered, so it certainly would never have been allowed.
It reminds me of my schooldays. Our chemistry master used to lock himself in the chemistry lab lunchtimes and scrape away on his violin to his heart's content (yes, he really did scrape!). Then one day he came out of the lab to find a notice saying, "Wife and 7 children to support, please give generously". End of lunchtime scraping.
Trevor
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
For a while I was practicing in one of the basement rooms of the natural food market where I work. But after a while I stopped becuase it was really dusty and as the warm months approached, hot as well.
So now what I do (although not in winter) is come in a hour early before the store is open sometimes and practice in the department where I work, among the bottles of herbs and vitamins and lotions and toothpaste, etc. Besides, I find that when I actually eat lunch on my luch break I am a happier (and less hungry) person.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Andee
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I use to practice on the bench outside our county courthouse...until one day I was playing this little D fife, heard pounding, and a bunch of office workers were giving me the bird and looking quite malevolent in the window just behind me. This led me to: 1) Not play the fife downtown - it's sound really carried and 2) find a nice picnic table near the edge of the street I could play my flute at. Between the lower pitch of the flute, and the distance between me and any office buildings, it's worked out well. Except in weather like we've been having where we haven't seen above freezing in over 3 weeks and ofter are in the single digits (farenheit) for days in a row. The Seery can handle it, but my the vibrato is terrible when you're shaking that much.
Work is so much more annoying when I can't play tunes half-way through the day!
Eric
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Jayhawk
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I play outside at some stone tables when the weather is good, and in the large carpeted training room in bad weather. I use a heavy practice mute. At a previous job, I played on the empty top floor of the parking garage, next to the railroad tracks. Not only did I not need a mute, but I could march in time with the tune, and I made great practice. At night, I could play in the 3 story atrium, with marble floors and glass walls.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by russellrapport
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Out in the cemetery. I do onsite stone engraving in Los Angeles. Usually have a fiddle with me, so at lunch time I serenade the deceased. They don't seem to mind.
Ran-
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Ran
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I work in a clinic and the only place which is free is the bathroom where we teach clients how to practice good personal hygiene... but again, it is fully tiled and has fab acoustics and no one seems to mind.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Fionafiddler
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I have often thought of taking my concertina to work if I could just find somewhere to play at lunchtime.
Unfortunately I've yet to find such a place. I work in a big State Government office in the middle of the city, so playing in the building is out. Although there is a large park next to the building, it is always full of people unless it's raining, so I guess the hunt continues...
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by Ptollemy
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I used to commute a couple of hours to work - each way. I got stuck on the motorway so often that I put a D whistle in the door pocket and in the times that I was stationary, I would try to play along with my favourite CD's. After a couple of months of commuting I had learnt so many tunes without ever really having to study.
So if anyone wants to here Britney Spear's "Give it to me one more time" on the whistle give me a shout!!!!
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by mikemcdaid
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Dont know about play at work, but I practise all the time at work ...... in my head.
Learn new tunes or sets and sing them to yourself at work.
# Posted on February 4th 2004 by geoffwright
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
I'm thinking os a career change. I'll get a job as a barman. Great for lunchtime and after-hours sessions
# Posted on February 5th 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
What a great idea - becoming a barman!! Why don't we just get a few likeminded individuals together and buy our own pub - running our own sessions!!
# Posted on February 5th 2004 by mikemcdaid
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Mind you, lads & lassies, that'd mean having a RESIDENT bodhran player, begob!
# Posted on February 5th 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: Where Do you Play at Lunchtime while at work?
Since a it would be too difficult to play a 38 string harp in the front seat of my truck, I recently took up the mandolin to have something to play at lunch. Pickup trucks are NOT the place to play a flute, terrible acoustics
. I sit in a park parking lot, and noodle about after finishing my lunch. Great brain-break from work!
Bruce
# Posted on February 5th 2004 by bpfrocket