Another Day At The Office

I can't really practice in my current shithole condo.  Okay, shithole is an exaggeration.  For DC standards, the place ain't that bad.  It's two bedrooms, one bath with off-street parking for $2300/month.  It would be a great place for one person, or for a couple that has never lived in a place where $2300/month will get you a mansion (e.g. Louisville).  At any rate, practicing is -- uncomfortable.  The walls are thin and I know that my neighbors can hear me.  I, personally, wouldn't want to hear a 7th grader practicing his/her flute, so why should I subject my neighbors to the annoying sound?  Oh, to be more self-centered.

But practice I have (a little bit).  The tuner is chafing my craw.  It's telling me I'm not in tune, which is highly insulting.  I play the most gorgeous sound I can muster with my out-of-shape chops, look at the tuner, and it says I'm 30 cents sharp or flat, depending on the note.  Well, excuse me for living.  What to do?  As far as pedagogy (or auto-pedagogy?) is concerned, is it better for me to check myself constantly with the tuner, or should I just use it a bit at a time and do the best I can in between?  I worry about forming bad habits, but demanding perfection this early in the game is frustrating, to put it simply.  I will ask a teacher as soon as I start taking lessons, which likely won't be until April.  

On my current housing situation -- it's changing for the better next month.  Keith and I have a contract on the lower unit of a two unit condo in Shaw.  It's a Victorian row home built in 1900.  The interior has been completely renovated.  The home has four levels, and we'll have the bottom two.  I figure I can play to my heart's content in the lowest level and I shouldn't bother my neighbors.  I hope not, anyway.  

My day at work lacked unpleasantness, which is a positive thing.  (The absence of negative in my line of work is, by default, positive).  An attempt was made to drag me into some office drama regarding a patient and one of my colleagues, but I deflected it, more or less.  

Here's a picture of the flute I'm testing, as promised.