Having a bit of fun here [!!Excessively Verbose Post Warning!!]

en·nui [ on wee ]
noun
Definition:
boredom from lack of interest: weariness and dissatisfaction with life that results from a loss of interest or sense of excitement
[Mid-18th century. from French from Latin in odio (est) "(it is) hateful"]

I am having an amazing amount of fun with word definitions of late. I was recently reminded, through a very circuitous routing of trains of thought, of one of my favorite words. Ennui. It is such a useful word, really, especially to those of us who are prone to some degree of depression.

The favorite use of the word ennui from my cloudy memory is in Edward Gorey's poetic story The Gashlycrumb Tinies. The relevant line is "N is for Neville who died of ennui." This link to the story is a totally unauthorized excerpt, I must admit. But there it is.

But wait! There's more! I have a challenge for my readers. Those of you with blogs of your own please post an entry on your blog in which you use the word ennui in context within the entry. No fair writing "This weird blogger chick wants me to use the word ennui." That doesn't count.

Some days it doesn't take much to entertain me. Ur-Spo wrote about happiness on his blog recently. In my current ennui, being in the doldrums of summer, I am proud of myself for finding these snippets of happiness. Or am I creating the happiness? Recognizing it? Whatever. It works for me. That the air conditioner is working makes all this possible. Bless you, Saint Willis Haviland Carrier, the foundation of my he-ro worship.

If you take up the gauntlet of the ennui challenge, please indicate so in the comments of this post or send me an email. Thank you.

Random things that amuse me

I like words. I like to play with words and word meanings in and out of context. Not too fond of structured word games, though. No Scrabble, word search puzzles annoy me, don't even talk about crossword puzzles. I like the words that live around me, and I have loads of fun rearranging those words to change emphasis and meaning. I've been seeing things and thinking of things recently that amuse the hell out of me.

-The local Chrysler dealership has a fancy electronic marquee out front and they're featuring some of the employees. I saw this while driving the bus the other day and it entered my brain in another context. "Leroy is your Hot Rod Specialist." Hey, Rod, know anyone named Leroy? This fella' might be looking for a good time.

-I got an email from my aunt the other day. She was telling me about plans for her day, which included a trip for my uncle to a gathering of like-minded buddies. She wrote "Uncle B is going to a meeting of a paddling group tonight in (name of city)." *Gasp!* I had no idea my relatives were so kinky! Wait, they aren't. Y'all, this is an indication that I may be spending a lot of time reading your blogs.

It turns out that my uncle is only interested in kayaking. Is it wrong that I am relieved?

-You know the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves? Well, I was doing that sort of punctuation rearranging in my head. Here's the before and after:

Somewhere, Joe is tying up loose ends.
Somewhere Joe is tying up Loose Ends.

I swear, y'all, sometimes I just can't help myself. (hehehehehehe)