I lightened up the gray background of the forum as I was starting to agree (somewhat) with Me Again. The medium-dark gray was a little harsh and didn't really set right with me. While this lighter gray may not have put the smile back, I think it's easier on the eyes. The really dark gray I used on the website would have been OK except some of the text would have been unreadable.
I tried putting the smile back in by using the light yellow background. While that is a "sunnier", warmer image it didn't feel quite right. I'll work on it some more after I return from my spring ride.
The
website retains the dark gray background for now.