Friend Valentina came to help me clean up my office. After collating files and putting some unused things in an empty closet and rearranging and vacuuming, it looks much better--but all I managed to throw away was--A paper bag! One bag. Got to do better than that.

Then Valentina drove us to the Turtle Creek Mall in Hattiesburg. This mall has been there for years, but I've never been. I guess I'm not a normal woman. I don't like to shop. We went to Dillard's, a flagship store that takes up half a city block and browsed around. There was a costume jewelry display in the aisle, sparkly fake diamonds and gemstones, pretty to look at but I rarely even wear so much as a watch. I was disappointed the women's clothes were so unattractive. Who designs that stuff?

Then we went to eat at Logan's Roadhouse, a chain of restaurants with the hokey idea of having buckets of roasted peanuts on the table--you eat them while you wait for your order to come out--and throw the hulls on the floor. It just looks ooky--I wanted to get a broom and sweep that mess up. Whatever CEO thought that up needs to rethink this kitsch. Food expensive, poorly cooked, won't be back.

Interesting day, but what would have made me happy was finding a CD of the opera Porgy and Bess at the music store. Maybe I'll find it sometime.

susil