Strange beeping

I awoke this morning around 9:00 this morning. As usual on Sundays, I turned on my TV to catch "Meet the Press," and heard Chuck Schumer talking for what seemed to be the entire hour. Turns out it was only the first segment (about 20 minutes). That was weird.

About 20 minutes later, I finally got up to fix my breakfast. I took my stuff to the living room to watch some more TV .... and I kept hearing this strange "beep beep beep" every few seconds. Not constant, yet with some sort of rhythm. I could not figure out from whence it sprang. Stuck my head in the computer area? Nope -- it's behind me.

I heard it emanating from the secretary/credenza next to me. Opened the panel and sure enough -- Beep. Beep. Beep. I picked up the adding machine -- which was turned off. No beeping there. This was getting weirder and weirder. It was coming from a ceramic mug being used to house pens, pencils, and other assorted small office goods. There it was -- the source of the sound: my old metronome.

When I was in college, I decided that I was going to master the piano (funny how 15 years later, I've barely even played it, let alone mastered it). I never had lessons as a kid -- everything I know has been self-taught. But I decided I needed a metronome. There was a great music store just up the street from the college -- Fox Music. Now as much as I love record stores (they are still record stores to me, thank you), I love music stores even more. Files and files and files of sheet music, books and books of bound music for "Vocal - Piano - Guitar" ...... heaven. Pure heaven.

I found the metronomes. I kind of wanted a standard metronome -- you know, set the weight at a certain point, wind it up and watch it swing back and forth with a CLICK to keep the beat. Well, they cost a little more than I had expected. But I found an electronic metronome. Cute and compact -- could fit in my back pocket. Totally LED, with little dots that "swung" from side to side and a BEEP to keep the beat. Not exactly what I wanted..... but the price was right (I think it was like $14.95 -- under what I had budgeted). Of course I bought it.

I have used it on occasion. And I still want to officially learn to play. No time like my forties!