I opened the newspaper this morning to the headlines, “Hawaii residents most short of Z’s” which says that people here are the most sleep-deprived in the nation. That’s due to the fact that many residents hold down more than one job due to the high cost of living. Carl and I are part of this majority, with six jobs between us, if you count two of them as being part-time church musicians (he as the cantor and I as the organist). On a “normal” night we get about 6-1/2 hours of sleep a night.

At choir rehearsal last night we reminded everyone about next week’s schedule: Tuesday night is Bach B-minor Mass rehearsal; Wednesday is Ash Wednesday; and Thursday is regular LCH Choir night. That means we’ll be out three nights in a row.

But this is only the beginning. The fact is that we’ll be out three nights in a row during the entire Lenten season, because Tuesday nights are Bach B-minor Mass rehearsals; Wednesdays are Mid-Week Lenten services with soup, salad and Vespers following; and Thursdays are always LCH choir rehearsal nights. Don’t feel sorry for us, though, because we’ve done this before — the schedule is the same as in the years we performed the St. Matthew and St. John Passions.

I’m guessing, though, that our sleep is going to be a little more deprived than usual. For you see, after a rehearsal or concert, both of us are keyed up and “play the music in our heads” long after we’ve left the LCH campus. Oh, well!  that’s the price we pay for working in music. Who needs sleep anyway?