Kiss Kiss

I’ve noticed a new phenomenon on email of late. As a freelancer I spend a lot of time building my work relationships via email rather than on the phone or in person as busy news and editorial staff are hard to catch and being word orientated people it’s kind of an unwritten rule that email rules.
Being a tad afraid of the telephone this suits me just fine, only thing is lately I’ve noticed that the employees of a certain large news corporation have all taken to signing off their emails to me with a little kiss ie: x. While this seemed kind of sweet coming from the Editor who I work with regularly and share all kinds of work related trials and tribulations, I then contacted the features Ed last week who I’ve talked to once or twice in my life online and he signed off with an x as well. Today I had my first and only communiqué with their office assistant and she signed off with not one x but two xx’s!

Is this weird? Or am I just uptight? Did they all have a meeting to decide they would all sign off emails like this or is there something about me that makes outpourings of alphabetical affection irresistible?

I don’t know the answer – but all I know is I can’t quite bring myself to do it back.