SO the Olympics has, after what can only be described as a glorified Coldplay concert, finally come to a close.
With the torch extinguished, I have to admit that I can look back over this summer and say, as many have before me, 'we done good'.
Previously an Olympic sceptic, I dreaded the idea of spending a summer having to settle for watching the velodrome when my favourite BBC dramas had been barged out of the equation.
Don't get me wrong, I love sport, but watching faceless athletes roar around a sweaty stadium in specially controlled temperatures? Not for me.
However, as autumn begins and flags go down, I have to accept that London 2012 has (just about), managed to convert me.
To get my head around this, I have come up with a number of reasons explaining why my cynicism is down to a bare minimum.
1 I have made up for lost time in year 9, where listening was just not the thing to do, and have finally learned about the Industrial Revolution.
Apparently it was all very dramatic and a lot of people danced.
I actually managed to come up with the relevant date in a recent sixth form discussion having watched the opening ceremony. Cheers, Danny Boyle.
2 Despite the absurd amount of money spent, I can hand on heart say there really were some priceless moments.
For me, Britain winning gold in the dressage, or 'equestrian ballet' as the nation now knows it, was especially satisfying.
Most of us can't dance as well as those horses!
The gymnastics and diving were also outstanding to watch, as well as the mighty BMX-ers.
Apart from anything else, who knew our country was hiding so many very eligible bachelors?
Add this of course the ever-beautiful David Beckham suited and booted, driving a speedboat down an illuminated River Thames at night, and it's a wonder A&E's nation wide weren't filling up with fainting women.
3 'London's going to be packed, Stratford horrific, the tube's a living nightmare'. In fact, miraculously, none of this happened.
Having visited London at the time of the Olympics, it has to be said that the atmosphere on the underground was one of smiles and mutual belonging, something I have never seen before.
I'm not blind enough to assume this will continue; one thing Londoners are best at is avoiding eye contact, but it was nice while it lasted.
As well as this, to my delight, Soho and the usual tourist hangouts were EMPTY.
I could literally skip down Oxford Street, and the queue in Topshop was just a fraction of the mile-long affair that usually has to be endured.
Okay, so this was bad for business, and the economy didn't exactly get the kick-start that Mr Cameron had hoped for, but once again it was nice while it lasted.
4 Out goes vajazzles, in come running shoes.
The Olympics has managed to create a new type of celebrity, the type that are actually legitimate role models for children.
With trash mags brimming with which z-lister went out looking rough on a Sunday, and fame-grabbing dummies 'accidentally' leaking sex tapes in order to sign up for the next reality show, watching Jessica Ennis selling skin products all over the television is actually very refreshing.
There are new idols to look up to, new personal stories to relate to, and kids doing the 'Mobot' instead of the 'slut-drop'.
Whether this is for the long term is again doubtful, but the aftermath of London 2012 has brought more than just a boost in gym memberships to the country.
If kids can be inspired by anything, it's the Olympics.
5 The ample opportunities to laugh at London's mayor.
Whether it was the overly long floppy fringe that bounced when he sneezed, or the enthusiastically crazy head-bopping witnessed by the nation when the Spice Girls reformed, or the pronouncement at the Olympic parade that "paroxysms of tears and joy on the sofas of Britain not only inspired a generation, but probably helped to create one as well", the Capital's mayor at least added some comic relief to the proceedings. Good on him.