I've been studying at work for the UFE the past couple of weeks. So far it's worked well, I've booked a meeting room in the basement, managed to avoid everyone I know, and gleefully taken a liberal interpretation of the corporate dress code.

Basically, it's an ideal set-up. A quiet room with no distractions and no interruptions. On either side of the room I occupy are more meeting rooms occupied by people wearing suits and having quiet conversations - an ideal atmosphere until today.

Around 3:30 today, for reasons I will never fathom, someone wearing a kilt walked into the meeting room next to mine. I didn't notice until he pulled out the bagpipes he had brought with him and started playing.

My first reaction was to turn around and give the person a dirty look. How dare they interrupt my solitude with that racket? The problem is that bagpipe players are quite used to dirty looks, which are basically an occupational hazard.

My next reaction is to try and wait it out. The problem is that the walls between rooms are not exactly the thickest, and my friend the piper appeared unhurried to go anywhere.

Lastly, I decided that now was as good time to go home than ever. As much as I appreciate bagpipe music, it does have a bad effect on my studies and ability to concentrate.

I guess the most important thing I learned today (other than the fact that you can't amortize cash) is that there are three stages of listening to bagpipes; anger, dismissal, and resignation. I managed to go through all three within five minutes.

I've also learned that you can never be to dismissive of the threat of bagpipe music interrupting your studies.