My Fire Hydrant

[Updated March 20, 2010]

My first career was in opera as a Stage Manager. I think I was fairly successful — I always had a job. I was lucky to work for several wonderful regional opera companies: The Skylight Comic Opera (Milwaukee); The Virginia Opera; the Washington Opera (DC); Texas Opera Theater (part of Houston Grand Opera); Central City Opera; The Chautauqua Opera (NY); NYC Opera.

Sometimes I miss it. There is nothing more exciting than being in a rehearsal where you’re sitting up close and personal to the stage and you’re rehearsing something beautiful like “Tosca” and there are three or more world-class voices singing full out just for you. Your hearing is blown out just like if you were in the first row of a rock concert. I miss that.

But my second career has had its exciting moments too. I work for P&G Pet Care in Consumer Relations. We were The Iams Company before we were acquired by P&G in 1999. I never thought when I got my BA in Theatre that I would end up working for conservative big-business!

I started in the phone center — talking to consumers, answering questions, taking care of complaints. Then for a while I focused on our consumer email — again answering questions and taking care of complaints. Now, my job has evolved to where I’m surfing the net looking for ways to help our consumers. Just what I’ve always done, and yet, so different.

My second career has been deeply interwoven with my life as a pet parent — my dog Bailey came to live with me just after I started with Iams/Eukanuba. She took part in every workday, and she is a big part of my identity on the Internet. My sweet Bailey very gently took her final rest on January 15, 2010. I’m finding my way through my grief.

My life continues to be spent meeting the demands of my job, my family, and memoriesof Bailey-the-Bichon – not necessarily in that order. I work for P&G Pet Care (AKA The Iams Company), which is a very good thing because I love dogs.

This is my fire hydrant. Please feel free to lift your leg and leave a message.