I love what I do.  I love being on stage, however small the role, however unfulfilling the vocal line.  I am acutely grateful for being employed full-time as a singer.  However there are times when you think, oh DAMN it, that's annoying!

I had such a time yesterday, when a very prestigious agent telephoned to ask what I was doing over the weekend.  Um, I said, I have a performance of My Fair Lady on Sunday night.  Damn, says he, was hoping you could jump in (einspringen - literally, to jump in - i.e. to substitute at short notice for a colleague who is ill).

One of my favourite roles.  I would have LOVED to have sung it.  Good money.  Great theatre.  Brownie points.  Etc etc.  However, a contract is a contract.  And it is at this point that the Fest contract is important.  I reckon they trusted me enough to give me the contract.  In return, I naturally respect my contractual duties.  (And yes, I did snark a little to colleagues about this, and one person in particular asked why I couldn't just call in sick for my small role here and hotfoot it over there to garner the glory... Simply not possible.  Apart from moral considerations, I would be perpetually anxious that the admin staff would talk to each other (and they do, they DO!  Of course!  I would too, absolutely.)  I will however admit to a little healthy gnashing of teeth and kicking of walls...)

So am very grateful indeed to the friends who have invited me out for a walk tomorrow, before the evening performance.  I suppose I should have remembered what serious walkers they were when I accepted the invitation.  But a lovely message, received during the opera tonight, reveals their intentions to pick me up WELL before most of the world is even conscious... HELP!  And if, in one of those Agatha-Christie moments, should I never be heard of again, well, please, dear friends, direct your attention to M&M and their sinister obsession with the beauty of the Rhine view... ;-)  If nothing else, I should sleep well tomorrow night!  Hooray.  We have a Konzeptionsgespräch on Monday, and it would be a shame to snooze through the whole thing!