Of Budgets and Earthquakes

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As Central City Opera's Festival Production Manager, I spend eachyear getting ready for our season, managing our current Festival, closing itdown and getting ready for the next one. Now that our 2011 Festival has finishedand all my production staff and interns have scattered to the four winds, thisis my time to start closing down the details of my 9th season with Central CityOpera.

Festival Production Manager Karen Federing and the 2011 Festival Staffers

First comes my drive home; I head back to the East Coast whereI've lived much of my life - most of it in New York City. Then I take a fewdays to unpack, regroup and readjust to sea level and the summer coastal humiditythat I've avoided by spending my summers in the foothills of the Rockies.

So Tuesday at about 1:52pm ET, I was working in my home office inMaryland (just 30 minutes northwest of Washington, DC). I was making budgetentries for my weekly expense report of remaining Festival expenses and lookingover photos of our sets this season so I can use them to advertise potentialrentals to other opera companies. And then the floor started to shake. And thenthe ceiling - which was really strange. I thought it was neighbor kids runningaround outside at first. And then I did what no intelligent Californian woulddo - I ran outside. No kids anywhere. The stairwell was shaking like mad as Iwent down the stairs and kept shaking as I watched. It took a few minutes toregister that I was experiencing my 1st earthquake. All I can say is that itwas a pretty unnerving experience - especially the feeling that my officeceiling was going to fall in, which is really what made me want to leave myoffice. When I went back inside, framed photos and knick-knacks had beenknocked from shelves and framed art was hanging lopsided - proof of a 5.8quake, to be sure.

I went back to my computer (where I'd been in mid-e-mailconversation with staff in our Denver office), told them what had happened, andwent back to work. But I also spent much of the day checking with family andfriends here and up in New York, and fielding text messages from all over theplace, sharing experiences and a sense of wonder.

It's pretty impressive to think we can stay this connected underduress. I was still living in New York City when September 11 happened, and Iwill say Tuesday brought me back to that day just a little - especially thedesire to reach family and share that we were all ok. But on that day, I could only reach my family right there in New York, not reaching my family in DC until much later in the day, which was quite terrifying. At least Tuesday, technology brought us all together.