The thing about singing

is that it's really G.. D... expensive.

So, I need to rant.  It is very difficult to plan your travel stuff, when you find out about auditions you've been granted less than two weeks in advance.  Which, I suppose, is one of the many fabulous reasons singers:
a.  move to New York
b. have enormous credit card debt
c. decide to stop trying

Here's how the whole thing went down:

1. I send company application and check by their posted application deadline one month ago.  Company had posted that the auditions would be held in New York two weeks after the app deadline.

2. I don't hear back by the date of the auditions (which I had kept free in my schedule), so I figure they didn't want me for any audition.  Okay, I'm cool with that.  I'd rather that than be led on and asked to audition even if you know there are no openings for sopranos.

3. Then I see in my bank account the check has been cashed.  Which, I have to say, I was a bit miffed about.

4. A week later, I get an email asking if I can audition on a totally random Sunday afternoon, and by random, I mean one that wasn't posted in their web listing.  And one on which I have an orchestra rehearsal for my current production.

5. I write back, politely thanking them and asking for a different time in light of my conflict.

6. They write back with another conflicting time, I write back asking for something more specific.  They are nice enough to accommodate me.

7. I realize at this point that I'll have to leave at like 5 in the morning if I want to make it in time to warm up and things.  Not a good scenario to sing well.  And I wouldn't have time to fit in a voice lesson or anything.

8. So I start looking for cheap hotels.  There are none.  And by that I mean no cheap ones.   There are also no bus tickets that fit my extremely small window of time to get back in time for the orchestra rehearsal.  I buy a train ticket instead.

9. I spend more than I should ever have on all of the above, to make it all happen somehow any way because I would feel really bad about myself if I didn't do something with singing this summer.  I am now broke.