For those who expressed some concern over my sudden and disturbing case of Pollyanna-ism, I am pleased to inform you that the dreaded symptoms have passed. No longer do I grin cheerily at the people I pass by on the street, and no longer do I feel the urge to give total strangers massive bearhugs. (Occasionally, still I smile at stray cats, but I always do that, so that doesn’t really count.) I’ve stopped feeling like a gameshow contestant or a toothpaste model or that other presentor on home shopping channels whose sole job is to exclaim “It can take out ALL of the stains?! That’s INCREDIBLE!” I don’t feel like Phoebe Bouffe, or Dharma, or Vanna White, (Sans processed hair and cocktail dresses). Yup. I’m back to being plain old me. Thankfully, my personality sustained no permanent damage, perhaps due to my sense of irony.

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