Feeling: liberated
Listening to: What You Own - Rent
Reading/Watching: The Graduate

So the Choir Director of Asshattery called me this evening before rehearsal, saying "I assume you won't be attending rehearsal this evening. And I assume you still don't plan on attending Christmas Eve."

When I confirmed it, he started to talk about how this holiday was extremely important, and if I was going to miss it, there wasn't much point in my continuing with the choir. Rather than being intimidated or changing my mind, I spoke my piece (the piece I've been churning over and over in my mind for weeks but never delivered). I even had the presence of mind to wish him well in finding another soprano who better fits his specifications (no personal life, no other conflicting job or social engagements, clear vibrato-less voice of a twelve-year-old boy, perfect pitch, punctual, never needs to breathe ever, and can sing louder than a sixty-foot-tall organ, still with no vibrato. Oh, and did I mention willing to work for half the payrate of previous gigs?).

So I'm not sure if he fired me or I quit, but either way, I don't work there anymore.

This is the first time I haven't had a church singing job in over three years. I'm not even sure what I'll do with myself on Sunday mornings.

Maybe I'll sleep in. Or even (gasp!) attend my own church. Voluntarily. And sing for free.

After the phone conversation, I sent him this e-mail:

"Asshat,
(okay, so I didn't call him that, but I have a code name for everyone else, right?)
I'm not sure if you want to consider this a firing or a resignation, but please convey my regrets to the choir. I greatly enjoyed singing with them. They are a very warm, welcoming bunch of people, and I will miss them.

I am sorry for leaving you so in the lurch for Christmas, but I was given the impression (by you) that for the past nine months I have only been an understudy to (other soprano's name) to begin with. And since I was never officially "contracted" to sing for you (at the beginning of Lent you said "show up on Sunday and we'll see"... I never received any commitments beyond that), I did not realize that my missing this one religious service would create such a problem. For all the concerts and other Sunday services, I was there whenever humanly possible. For emergency funerals, I left work early, and rescheduled plans on numerous occasions to be available for the choir.

However, my family does not live in Schoolville. They are in Hometown, and they celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve, with gifts, a large dinner, and of course Midnight Mass. This year is especially important, because my aunt was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and has just completed a round of chemotherapy. Christmas will be my first opportunity to see her since the diagnosis. When I received the news about her the day of our Saturday rehearsal, I notified you that I would not be in town for Christmas. I am sorry that this is a deal-breaker for you.

If you could mail my December paycheck to me, I would appreciate it."

So. Yeah. I feel pretty good right now. Mon coeur wanted me to drop one of my three jobs, anyway.

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