I don't get excited by the prospect of clowns, but they've never bothered me. As a kid I was enthralled by the balloon animals, and as I got older and more into gymnastics, I was interested by their tumbling and acrobatics. Now? I can take them or leave them; I'm equally capable of hugging one and of ignoring one.

Have you ever been to Cirque du Soleil? I wonder if the clowns there would/do provoke the same reaction, as they're more about the acrobatics, mime, and physical abilities than they are about big shoes and squirty flowers. Hmmm . . .