Pick a card, any card

"What are your five?"

Ask this of any opera singer and they'll rattle off a combination of English, French, Italian, German names. It is the audition package. Never are all five heard but any of the five could be heard starting and stopping at any point the panel chooses.

The audition season is like an absurd game of Texas Hold 'Em. In this version, you can choose your hand to select the strongest combination of cards possible but you're never allowed to see the flop. You ante and check, bluff and raise hoping that their cards will complete your hand; praying to win the pot. Sometimes you win! Othertimes you turn the cards over only to discover they were playing Pinochle the entire time. Damn. You've lost time and money but hopefully learned something about yourself and how to play the next round better.

Pinochle or not, I'm working on my Five. "Come Scoglio" from Cosi Fan Tutte is looking like my Ace this season.