Zeno's Bar & Grill

Back in the day, I used to sign my e-mails with a simple "bye". This was back when dinosaurs ruled the planet and only people working at universities had e-mail, which was accessed on engraved stone tablets. I figured that e-mail was kind of like a phone call, only written. No one had worked out the implications of "Chat Soon," much less "xoxo."

Ah, life was so simple. If only, I could have appreciated it. Now that e-mail is a daily part of life, so is the endless debating over how to close those messages. At least if you're an obsessive personality with too much time on your hands, like me.

Personally, I just can't type "love" at the end of an e-mail. I. Just. Can't. Do. It. My husband's family, however, always signs their messages "love." I'm waiting for the day when I get a curt "best" after all these years (people interviewed for a recent article in the NY Times were unanimous that "best" is one of the chillier closings, despite its apparent cordiality.)

And then there are messages that straddle the professional and personal. How to close an e-mail to a former co-worker who just had a baby? I went with All the Best, but after reading the NY Times article, I panicked that I'd been too formal.

Wouldn't it be nice to bring back those old chestnuts like "Yours Truly?" Somehow, though, signing off with "Sincerely" at the end of an e-mail just seems...well, insincere.

Maybe I should fall back on my favorite closure of all time, from the book "Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. She always signed her messages, "Love and Other Indoor Sports." We could abbreviate it to LAOIS as a modern day update. Do you think we can get it to catch on?

So, um...Talk Soon?
Melanie