The other day, I fell victim to the Snack Machine Demon.

You know it -- it's that little gremlin, that Whammy!� that pops up every now and again that, once you've put your money into the machine and pushed the letter-number combination that's supposed to make your Peanut M&M's fall, turns the coil just enough to keep the M&M's securely stowed in row E, slot 5, with no chance of you shaking the machine with enough force to get the bag to fall.

I went out to the front desk to ask Jean if she had the key to the snack machine -- since the vending company has given her a key to the soda machine; that one is often unreliable, it being the old-fashioned kind wherin the sodas and waters and juices are lined up on a slanted shelf and slide out the front and fall to the bottom, all in plain view, when you buy something. She didn't, but she said she could give me a soda instead. Not chocolate, but still sweet. I managed to enjoy it nonetheless.

But now the M&M Gods have smiled upon me. Come to think of it, it could be the Shrek Gods or the Dreamworks Gods, depending on who is responsible for publicity for the "Ogre-sized" M&M's promotion. One of the mysterious packages I opened today -- everyday, the mail at work is a surprise; it more than makes up for the lack of excitement in the mail at home -- contained a package each of the plain and peanut Shrek 2 Mix of ogre-sized M&M's. And just as I've finished my lunch, too.

Excellent.