I'm an updating fool today. This is No. 3. It's the disjointed one.

Realization: Mixing M&M's and Reese's Pieces for that chocolate/peanut butter-in-a-candy-shell blend is tasty, but can make you sick by the time you finish off the two bags. This is the proper way to deal with a snack machine at work that lacks any kind of chocolate/peanut butter combo candy such as M&M's own peanut butter candies or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, etc. ...

I always run into the man who comes and restocks the snack and soda machines in the kitchen (he is, in some ways, a certain level of god), but I've never seen anyone come in to stock the ice cream machine ...

I don't like the thing on Diaryland on the buddy list page, just beneath the buddy list itself, where it says, "The following people have either added you as a favourite or changed their comment for you in their profile since last time you checked your buddy list:" because it's always just off the bottom of my screen, so I never notice when people add me to their buddy list. I always forget to scroll down and look at it. When I went to the part of my profile where I can see who lists me as a favorite, I discovered about six new diaries, but three of them haven't been updated in at least a month. So I went ahead and added some of the others so that I can see when they update and get to know them.

This also led me to look at those diaries that list me as a favorite with a comment. It's interesting to see what people choose to say when including you as a favorite. It says something about the overall gist your diary conveys. Let's look at some...

Emiline220 says: "'As amazing as the Grand Canyon is, it's probably just as amazing that gradually, over a...short stretch of a few hundred miles, someone driving east from Utah can go from the parched red rock desert to snow-capped Rocky Mountains in July.'" I like the method of quoting passages in descriptions of favorite journals. I do it because I consider it a way to explain what I like about my favorites in their own words. Not all the diaries I have listed have lines quoted, but I hope to fill in some blanks sooner rather than later.

Barenaked500 says: "'Almost as if on cue, when the band begins "True Reflections," the light show in the heavens picks up along with that on stage...'" Again, a quote. She chose an entry in which I wrote about a Dave Matthews concert in the rain at Giants Stadium because she was there. And soaked.

Dancingbrave says: "'Imagine, if you will, John Madden wrapped in the sheets, the perfect picture of a postcoital Jabba the Hut, as he rolls over to the edge of the bed, picks up the pen, and starts diagramming the insertion of the diaphragm on the TV.'" She just likes it because she was responsible for half of the entry. Misterzero uses the same quote.

Zzzoey says: "�Fasin." I have no idea what this means. Maybe it's some word the kids are using today that, though it has no exact translation into Real English, can be best compared to "Too cool for words." Or, "I do not have the brain capacity to fully understand just how profoundly wonderful this journal is."

Krakatua says: "Creative." Simple. Gets the point across. If she'd updated in the past six weeks, I'd have put her on my buddy list and seen what else she had to say.

Smart-sane says: "I don't know ... I like it!" This description, I'm sure, means, "I can't put it into words why I like this, but I do." That can be flattering. I particularly like her comments for Morganzola ("out-wits me every time") and Heather ("If only I was this brave").

Fabulousbum says: "Fellow Domer and great writer." I also like how she puts me at the top. Or how I end up at the top in the random organizing method that is the Diaryland buddy list.

Baggage says: "��Because he always has something to say." I like this one, and I liked his diary too. Sadly, he hasn't updated in three months, since the death of his mother. He always had something to say too.

Smoog says: "Every time I read his journal, Paul Simon's "Hit The Road, Jack!" plays merrily in the back of my head." Hmm ... have I taken the Kerouac/road theme too far?

We got a brand-new story at 9:35 p.m. on our closing night. Technically, it's supposed to be on the page and read over by everyone (and fact-checked) by 10 p.m.

One word:

HA!

And the air conditioning seems to have shut off.

I'll be happy to be out of here by Tuesday.

I'm serious.