A woman I work with (also named Susan - there is an entire generation of women heavily populated with that name) complimented me on my perfume today. Although I wear perfume every day it's exceptionally rare to hear a comment about it. In professional environments we've become stifled in our ability to offer comments of any personal nature because of the suffocating effects of political correctness and the omnipresent threat of workplace harassment claims.

I wear a perfume called Organza by Givenchy. It’s a very light floral fragrance, good for summer use. I was the first perfume I ever bought solely due to one of those little scent strips in a magazine. I ordered it online and have been using it for the past year or so. I’ll cycle back to a fragrance called Sung when the current bottle is gone. I used to wear Obsession in the winter – a rich, heavily spiced scent that had a tendency to become overbearing in warm rooms. I wore White Diamonds for a while, but have no memory of whether it suited me or not. A few years ago I tried something called Sun Moon Stars because it came in the most beautiful deep blue bottle embossed with celestial symbols. It was a sad case of the product not living up to the potential of its packaging.

My mother wore Chanel No. 5 and occasionally Arpege (“Promise her anything, but give her Arpege” – the catch phrase lives on long after the perfume has evaporated). (I just learned from Lanvin’s website that Arpege was created in 1927, reformulated in 1992, and has head notes of Bergamot (also in Earl Grey tea), heart notes of Jasmine and Coriander, and base notes of vanilla and sandalwood – you can find anything on the web.) I remember smelling the Chanel on her clothing after she died. I’ve read that scents can evoke the strongest memories – recollections long buried – which is certainly true for me.

Books: In a letter today the library admonished me for not returning The Da Vinci Code on time – apparently it’s in high demand. It was described today in the Inquirer as "without doubt, the silliest, most inaccurate, ill-informed, stereotype-driven, cloth-eared, cardboard-cutout-populated piece of pulp fiction I have read," according to British thriller writer Peter Millar, writing in the Times of London.

Music: Loudon Wainwright III has a new CD out, from which I heard a couple of songs today, including one with his daughter Martha. If I can get to the music store over the weekend, this will be top on my list to buy.

Cats: Tabitha spurned small-tin-of-expensive-cat-food today. My refrigerator is filling up with the meals she rejects.