lol, j/k of course. Here's how it really went down.
I got fed up, I quit. PV and Showers made it clear that I was welcome back, if I wanted to. I think they sensed (rightly) that I was approaching my mod duties too seriously, had burnt myself out, and that I might return after a break. PV invited me to participate in the discussions about new mods and then opened the new mod forums to me.
Over the intervening month, I had time to "recover," so to speak, and to get back to being my old self on the forum. I thought about how I had approached the task, and how I had made things more onerous for myself than I needed to. Most of my annoyance was self-created, as it usually is. I played around with the idea of returning, and I developed some rules for myself, so that if I returned, it would be in a different, less serious and diligent way. I have a problem with over-responsibility in my life, and I needed to back off of that. The list of rules is sitting on my desk next to me right now.
Eventually, I felt confident that I could return without repeating what happened before. Having 4 new mods also reassured me that I wouldn't get into the same rut. Having access to the mod forum reminded me how I liked being a part of those discussions. So I asked PV if he'd take me back as a mod, and he accepted without any discussion. That's about it.
I think I can see the upsides and downsides better now. I like being a mod, but I wouldn't have a problem giving it up, either -- there is more freedom in being a normal member.
Anyhow, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.