And none of the songs are about her shoes

Here's my really good reason for light coverage this month and next month: I'm in rehearsal now for Here Lies Love, a song cycle about Imelda Marcos written by David Byrne, with musical contributions by Fatboy Slim.  It's premiering at the Adelaide Arts Festival (that's in Australia for the geography dunces like me).  I'll be singing the Estrella songs (Imelda's family's maid/her childhood companion) and the fabulous Dana (pronounced Dah-na) Diaz-Tutaan of ApSci will be singing the Imelda songs. David Byrne will be singing all other roles for this concert version.

That's why I'll be in Adelaide from March 5-15.  I'm looking forward to some on the road adventure.  I will actually try to bring the iBook, digicam, etc. so I can realtime blog while I'm over there. I'm coming armed with restaurant recs and internet acquaintances' phone numbers.  Aren't you sexcited?

I can tell you my Mae is.  I actually put off telling her for a long time because I figured she'd freak out about me having to take unpaid leave of absence from work for it.  She is wholly unimpressed by my singing career -- in fact, she's way more proud of the fact that I settled down and got a real deal 9-5, Monday-Friday cubicle farm job.  She doesn't understand why I like being a singer, even though I inherited my singing voice from her.  She once said to my cousin, "They work so hard, Lynda, but why?"

So last Sunday, during our weekly phone call, I broke the news to her:

ME: So, um, Mae, I'm going to take a little time off work because I'm going to be in this music theater piece.  We're going to Australia.  It was written by someone who's pretty famous, but you probably wouldn't know who he is. 

MAE: Australia?

ME: Yeah.

MAE: [Pause] Do you get your own hotel room?

ME: Yeah, actually.  They pay for the airfare and everything.  It's pretty fancy.

MAE:  What size bed do you think you'll get?

ME:  Well, I'm sure it'll be at least a full, but more likely it will be queen.

MAE:  So you think I could stay in your room with you?

ME: [taken aback]  Yeah, of course.  I'm sure they wouldn't say anything.

MAE:  I wonder if they'll let me take time off work if I ask now.  I wish you had told me earlier so I could go with you.  How come you didn't tell me before?

ME:  [pleasantly surprised] I don't know...I thought you would be upset about my having to take time off work.  And you never seemed interested in my music before--

MAE:  Well, I don't have to listen to the music, I just go sightseeing.

ME: Oh. Of course.