American Idol Drop-Out

Sorry gang. I dropped out of the American Idol race. After waking up at 3:30 am, standing in line for 3 hours, and then spending hours watching the thousands of hopeful idols SLOWLY trickle through auditions, I decided to give up on the dream. Not that I really had much of a dream of being the next American Idol, but I did want to say I tried.

Anyway, of course, I have the worst sore throat ever. I have been getting more and more sick since Sunday. At 5am, standing in line, I really started to wonder what business I had auditioning in the first place, especially with an injured voice. Nearly 6 hours later, it just didn't seem like there was much point. We kept hearing our turn wouldn't be until about 8 or 9pm, a whole 10 additional hours! So, we decided to leave, right after the vantriloquist girl got her golden ticket. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you'll all see her on TV.

I can't say I wanted to leave. But I definitely did not want to stay until evening, only to barely screech out a few lines from "Killing Me Softly" or "Folsom Prison Blues." My voice definitely was not cooperating. It hurts and I feel just plain sick. Not a good combination with 12-14 hours of sitting in hard bleachers with thousands of people and only $7 hot dogs to eat.

So I apologize to all who have helped me, only to see me give up. I appreciate all the feedback, song suggestions, and words of encouragement. I'm not sure I'll live my life with regret, especially as I am not wondering what would have happened (I only saw maybe 5 golden tickets the whole time I was at auditions and there were some phenomenal singers). I do feel pretty bad, though, that I went to all the trouble only to quit. I've never thought of myself as a quitter. And even worse that so many people seemed so excited for me. :(

I guess we'll all have to find someone else to cheer for this season. Hopefully I'll feel better so I can go scuba diving this weekend.