Making a Point

     I just sent an email to someone from one of my doll groups who sent me a little something in the mail.  I vaguely remembered that I was going to get it; frankly, I'd forgotten about it.  It was a delightful surprise.
     My enthusiasm was over the top.  (Well, I was just a happy kid, what can I say?)  After my name at the end of my email, I wrote "who usually tries to be disciplined with exclamation points." Let me explain.
     I subbed a few years ago for a man who taught fourth grade.  His lesson plans were nicely detailed....except for one annoying habit.  After each subject detail, he put an exclamation point.  I didn't particularly notice this until the second time I subbed for him (tho even then I remembered it happened the first time).  I laughed it off.
    After many months I subbed for him again.  Yup, there were those annoying exclamation points.  I realized that I felt rather as though I was being yelled at.  Even writing this now makes me crack up.  So I started "watching" how people write. 
     An overuse of E.P.s generally makes me feel that the writer is 1) very passionate, 2) lazy in their writing skills, or 3) the great mystery?  That sounds harsh; it is more accurate to say that is what I've decided about my OWN writing.
    If you go back to previous posts here you will say, "Me thinks thou doth protest too much" as I tend to still use that old bat and ball at the end of too many sentences.  I do find, however, that I feel I am taken more seriously when the bat/ball are missing.
Just sayin'.