Faculty Recital? Oh crap...

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from the head of the piano department at my community college.  She was the one that originally called last year, when E was 10 days old, to ask me if I wanted the job I currently have.  She's an excellent person and musician, and I love our working relationship.  She's also been at the college for 30+ years and knows all the ins and outs of the place.  That definitely makes my life easier to navigate some of the stuff there!  In any case, Head Lady calls yesterday afternoon to ask me if I'd be interested in playing on the piano faculty recital at the end of March that they are having.  I was really taken aback - I've known that this recital was happening since June, was hurt that it said "all piano faculty" when, in fact, it was not "all" of us, and was super hurt that I'd not even been asked to participate.  So, I asked her "why are you asking me now when the recital has been on the books for almost a year?"  Fair question, she said, and she was sincerely apologetic about it.  The other four faculty members are there during the day, so they always see each other, talk, and do things together.  They neglected to remember (at the time) that they also now have an evening faculty member who is stuck at home taking care of her children during the day.  When she realized yesterday that I wasn't on the program, and that I'd never been asked, she said she felt incredibly awful (I believe her).  She asked me if I'd be willing to take over her part in a 8-hand piano piece (4 performers) because she just had too many things on her plate this semester.  I said I'd take a look at it and then get back to her. 

So...potentially, I'll be performing at the end of March.  That means that I've got to get my @$$ practicing, arrange babysitting so that I can attend a few rehearsals at the college, and manage to somehow remain fresh with the music and playing while missing a week in the middle of March because I'll be out of the country.  Somehow, with that missing week, I've got to come back and perform a week later!  YIKES!  Well, we'll see.  Head Lady says this is an arrangement of Stars and Stripes Forever (Sousa), and I think I know the one - it's fairly straight forward.  Ugh, I can't believe I agreed to look at it with less than two months to go...

Anybody want comp tickets to watch me freak out?