Here in the SK household, we are trying to implement social distancing as much as possible. I had plans for some musical gatherings during spring break, we had planned to go out to eat for our anniversary, etc. etc. And now we've canceled all of those things.

But what about some of the more "frivolous" questions, that NYT and WaPo are not discussing?

1. I really want to get my piano tuned. Esp. now that I won't have any social gatherings, I'd love to do some music videos to share with friends. But I think they would sound a lot better if I got the piano tuned first. However, I have a feeling Mr. SK would be very against having the tuner come into our home at this point...
Also, our piano tuner is definitely over 60 (I don't know how old, but older than me, and I'm 51. Anyway, it seems like maybe it would be better for him as well, since coming to our house might expose him to something.

2. I really need a haircut. And starting 3/23, I'll be teaching online, so it's not like I won't be "seeing" anyone.... My next appointment is 3/24. Should I cancel or not? My hairdresser is probably my age.

Both of these questions (hairdresser, piano tuner) also involve small businesses/people in business for themselves. My decision not to do my usual service will lower their incomes.

Maybe this isn't a frivolous discussion after all.

I'm guessing that the piano tuner is easy. Don't play the piano for a couple of days so if you were to be carrying the virus silently anything on the piano proper would likely be dead by the time the tuner got there.

Stay at least six feet away when he's there. Leave his payment on the piano.

And if you're worried about him coming to your house, just leave the piano alone for another couple of days after he's there. And wipe off any surfaces he might touch (faucet in bathroom if he washes his hands, door knob, etc.)

As for the haircut, I went last week but was very hesitant to do so; it was one of three trips I made out all week. My hairdresser happens to be Italian and has many friends and family back home so she was well aware how serious this is. She's a few years younger than me but no spring chicken. And of course she has contact with a lot of people.

She was being careful to wash her hands a lot. But she wasn't wiping down the arms on the chair her clients sit it; I suggested she start doing that. She has a lot of elderly clients and wants to keep them healthy.


As I told her when I left, I figure if I can't come back for a while I'll just trim my own hair. So what if it doesn't look perfect...she can fix it when everything blows over.

But then I'm the totally fashion-backward, non-makeup wearing, middle-aged and looking it type, so how I look doesn't affect me a whole lot. I'm my Dad - some of my everyday clothes have little patched holes in them.....

Agree on the piano tuner with appropriate precautions.

And I’m getting my hair done on Thursday. It’s a big airy salon with lots of room between chairs, and not all the stations have workers anyway.

No longer going to the gym; I went last Monday and decided it was too many heavily breathing people sharing space and touching stuff.

Went out for coffee on Friday (adorable coffee and pastry) and that’s probably the last time for a very long time.

AM, that is the coolest tray! I love it!

I'm still tuning... and hoping people will still schedule!

That being said, I come in the house with gloves on and a wipe in hand to touch the doorknob. Set my toolbag down (which was wiped down before entering) and wipe down the bench - all sides that might be touched. Open piano as needed, setting things aside. By now the bench is dry so I can sit and wipe down keys and any area that my arms might touch. Now I can unglove and tune as normal. At the end, reglove and wipe keys and anything I may have touched. Pack up and head out...

Yes, I'm more comfortable if people stay away while I tune, and pay electronically - or leave a check on the table or by the door.

Steinway is recommending hydrogen peroxide to wipe down keys. The alcohol-free sanitizing wipes work well for me and if dirty, I have disinfecting Windex which cuts through the crud... There are some reports from Yamaha that using alcohol on keys can lead to fine lines developing on the plastic.

Hope you don't mind...Thought I'd pop this NPR piece about how to clean stuff into this thread...

https://www.npr.org/sections/h...es-how-to-clean-them

this trick for keeping your hands away from your face;

quote:

Your face offers multiple entry points for the virus. So every time you touch your eyes, nose and mouth with grubby hands, you risk infection.

"If you have touched a table or a doorknob or some surface contaminated [with the virus] and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you have a chance of inoculating yourself with the virus," Kuritzkes says.

But, as a matter of habit, most of us touch our faces multiple times an hour without even realizing it.

So, here's an idea. "After you wash your hands really well, touch a piece of raw onion," says Catherine Belling of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. With this strong smell on your fingers, "you'll notice when you touch your face," she says. Sure, it may make you a tad antisocial, but it could be a good way to train yourself to touch less.

the antisocial part helps with social distancing...

I am so frustrated with the whole doorknob and surface thing. OK if you live in a little apartment; how about a 3-story house? Take a guess at how many surfaces there are, and what qualifies as a surface. It's like counting a jar of jellybeans.

We wash our hands when coming in from outside or from driving somewhere, and maybe a few more times a day. Hope that works.

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
I am so frustrated with the whole doorknob and surface thing. OK if you live in a little apartment; how about a 3-story house? Take a guess at how many surfaces there are, and what qualifies as a surface. It's like counting a jar of jellybeans.

We wash our hands when coming in from outside or from driving somewhere, and maybe a few more times a day. Hope that works.

I’m hoping this is good enough, too.

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
I am so frustrated with the whole doorknob and surface thing. OK if you live in a little apartment; how about a 3-story house? Take a guess at how many surfaces there are, and what qualifies as a surface. It's like counting a jar of jellybeans.

We wash our hands when coming in from outside or from driving somewhere, and maybe a few more times a day. Hope that works.

I figure all-or-nothing is the way to go. Since it is not possible to sterilize everything in a large home, I have decided to sterilize nothing. I follow my usual procedures: Wash hands before cooking or eating and after toileting.

That will have to be sufficient.

Ron, everyone, thanks for the replies!

For now, I think I'll postpone my haircut and tuning

We'll see how things like in another two weeks. Sigh.

Cindy, we haven't really sterilized surfaces etc. We have been in the habit for years of washing our hands as soon as we come home, and then of course after bathrooms and before meals.

And there's only the two of us, so I figure our house is probably fine.