I dragged Day-Hay to work with me yesterday. She was less trouble than my desk�and the only trouble with my desk is that its drawers need cleaning. She sat in an empty office and read Tom Sawyer while listening to a tape of it. So much for my unofficial take-your- daughter-to-work day.

I came down to work early and Mr. Philately dropped her off around 8:30 in the morning. She had been at girl scout camp until Tuesday evening and I don�t work on Fridays so I figured she could just come to work with me for one day. Luckily, my office is remarkably kid-friendly. I counted on only being able to work for a little more than half my day but Day-Hay�s obviously matured. I left at my usual time.

I probably should explain that watching me work is often as exciting as folding laundry. When I�m not appearing in court (and I wasn�t today), I�m either reading or typing at the computer. Yesterday I tried to make a dent in 1500 pages of transcript that I need to get read in the next week or so. Only Mr. Philately could enjoy watching me do that�and only for a short time.

Day-Hay did do a bit of work for me. She loves to work the shredder at her dad�s office so I figured she could do a bit of shredding for me and she did. She didn�t do a lot because my shredder is noisier than his. Day-Hay only likes noise when she�s making it.

Because she behaved so well, I let her choose what we did for lunch. I told her we could either grab Subway sandwiches and go to Rainbow Summer (a outdoor music venue near my office) or go to the mall and have pizza. Good suburban preteen girl that she is, we went to the mall. We shopped a little and otherwise wasted a lunch hour on a temperate, sunny day. At least she agreed to sit outside on the upstairs balcony to eat our pizza.

While we ate, we debated the architectural merits of the blue federal building across the way. I strongly believe that buildings should not be blue. Day-Hay disagrees and backs her opinion with about as much logic as I use to back mine�none.

When we came back, I invited her into my office but Day-Hay returned to the pleasures of her book and a large wad of gum. (I loathe gum, which explains why she was sitting in someone else�s office. Once when Mr. Philately quizzed a much younger Day-Hay about the household gum rules, expecting to hear how she should keep it in her mouth and dispose of it properly, she rendered the rules as �don�t chew it near Mom because she looks for ways to take it away.� I do too. So much for Mary�s belief that she is the meanest mom in the world.) Day-Hay sat in her hideaway quietly for another hour or so until it was time to leave.

All in all, it was a good day for me. I just can�t understand why Day-Hay doesn�t want to do it more often.

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