Only At ADP

 Only at ADP do they schedule a tornado drill right in the middle of a hurricane.  

But that's exactly what they did.  They scheduled a tornado drill right in the middle of a hurricane.  Oh, and let's not forget the whole global pandemic thing going on, too.  

So, there I was at work, just a working away, in the middle of a hurricane, mind you, when suddenly the tornado sirens started going off, and the supervisors started yelling, "Go to the shelters!"  Then came the screaming and the running...

And the safety guy gets on the intercom and told us it was just a drill.  Could have mentioned that a bit sooner, doncha think????   

Anyway, we go to the shelters, and due to COVID protocols, they won't let us in, because there's no way we could stay 6 feet apart and all.  Good thing it wasn't a real tornado, then, huh?  Funny, if they were that concerned about us social distancing, they wouldn't be funneling 150 employees into the cage* at the end of the shift.  But I digress...

We milled around in the middle of the plant for a few moments, unable to actually go into the tornado shelters, wondering what was the point of even having a drill if we couldn't do the drill, then they gave the all clear and we went back to work.  And the day just went down hill from there. 

Actually, the day started off pretty low, and I have the cat to thank for that. Normally, she sleeps outside...or roams all night, I don't know which, but last night, due to the storm, I made her stay in the house.  She did not like that one little bit, and let me know in no uncertain terms that she did not like it.  All...night....long...So, I was tired to begin my day.  Tonight is going to be just as bad, because that storm seems to have stalled.  It doesn't look like it's moved but about 20 miles in the last 4 hours.  

Fortunately, the track shifted East again, and we're missing the worst of it.  

We've got a bit of upper level winds and some heavy rain, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. 

Then after work, I had a dentist appointment to get one of these broken teeth extracted.  What was left of it, that is.  He also looked at the other one, and said right away that it was something I'd have to go to an oral surgeon for.   That means I'll have to find an oral surgeon who can get me in before November, and won't require IV sedation.  

And that was my day...

But there are some positive happenings.  I'd meant to share this yesterday, but after finding the baby squirrel and taking him to the rescue place, the post just got a bit away from me, so I'm sharing it today.  

I have a new toy!  

One of the YouTube channels I follow, Learn Piano with Jazer Lee, did a video recently on metronomes.  This is one thing I have trouble with, staying in rhythm.  I've always played more by feel, than by counting, which I know I shouldn't do.  It may be OK with folk music, or improvisations, but there's no way I'm going to improve a piece by Beethoven or Bach.  Or even Mozart.    

I've tried to play with the metronome built into my keyboard, but am finding it very difficult to stay with the beat.  I'm not sure what it is, but I can't seem to pay attention to the ticking of the metronome and the music I'm trying to play at the same time.  If I turn the sound on the metronome up, it's distracting, but if I turn it down enough so that it's not a distraction, I can't hear it over the music.  The only way I've been able to play is to turn the metronome on, count with it a few moments, then turn it off and keep counting.  However, this doesn't stop me from speeding up as I'm playing.  

What to do?  What to do?

Well, Mr. Lee told a story about a student he was teaching who could not stay on beat, no matter what he tried.  They tried the metronome, and it didn't work for him, either.  In a flash of inspiration, Mr. Lee started tapping the student on the shoulder in time with the beat, and suddenly, he got it!  He was playing at tempo!

The whole point of that story was to introduce a metronome that you can wear.  It's the Soundbrenner Pulse, and that's what it does.  Instead of a ticking sound, it produces a vibration similar to your phone vibration.  I knew I needed to have one, and if you clicked on the link in the description, you'd get a 20% discount.  

It arrived Saturday, and to kind of get the feel of using it, I went all the way back to the beginning of my Michael Aaron course, and played through the primer. 

I still have to pay attention, but I think it's going to be a great help.  The cat, however, was unimpressed.  How do I know?  She turned the keyboard off while I was playing. 

That's some pretty harsh criticism, that is!

*The cage being the colloquial term we use for the turnstiles in front of the employee entrance/exit, because it really does look like a cage.