you'll damage its inner scaring mechanism I've had to start saying my good-byes. And I forgot that it can be pretty hard. I've heard several people say "I'm going to miss you", and every time, I've dismissed the significance of my leaving with "I'll be back soon" or "I'm coming back, you know". But then someone says something that makes me realize that I'm really and truly leaving this life behind, and the sadness creeps up on me.

Today it was Mark. Since he's going away for a long-weekend fishing trip, he won't be here for my last day on Friday. So he generously took me out for lunch today. Mark's definitely my favorite co-worker from this place. Since he'll be reading this, I don't want to get too sentimental, but having someone like him to laugh with has probably contributed significantly to the maintenance of my sanity. We share a similar level of cynicism and sense of humour, so we've had some good fun, despite the many challenges that working in a law firm can present to one's enjoyment. dilly d has reminded me, on the few occasions when people have tried my patience, that "at least people talk to you". Yeah, we have a friendly bunch here.  | ¶ 9:01 p.m.