Maxine

I went away to visit family for a week and returned with a vicious head cold that has had me in bed for three days. My mind and body have not really been at Sage, but I still wanted to offer some thoughts.

To keep this entry Sage-related, I have to say that I'm worrying about the health of my office mate. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer in December and, as the prognosis promised, is not getting any better. I haven't mentioned that my office mate is an eleven year old Scottie dog named Maxine. I have had the privilege of bringing Maxine to work with me nearly every day for eight years. She greets every student at my door, snoozes on the couch while I teach and begs food from me when I eat at my desk. It a routinized life that seems to suit us both.

Maxine is a great mascot for each production I direct. She attends all rehearsals, but sits quietly while the cast works. When the humans go on a ten minute break, she goes to work--howling greetings, pattering around the stage floor, basking in the enjoyment of the company. Maxine is a real show dog, toe nails for tap shoes and a slick black coat.

I'm not sure I have an identity on campus without Maxine on lead. She gets all the greetings and I get the crumbs. I'm somewhat shy, so am very comfortable with this set-up. Maxine, my platonic wing-dog. It's been this way for eight years and we've fallen into a "Marley and Me" type of existence. Unfortunately, we all know how that story ends. This is where my mind is today. For now, I'm grateful for Maxine's time on the job and the friendly world she's opened up to me just by taking me along.