- and I live in hope that I will catch up, if not with Squarespace's calendar, at least with my own agenda. So here's a line I picked up from a recent essay in the TLS (Times Literary Supplement):

"For the incurably listless, what is supposed to save time quickly becomes another way of wasting it."

That's by Will Rees from his review of a book by Brian Dillon, Essayism. The introduction to this book about essays cites James Boswell commenting on the short-form periodical essay, new at the time (late 18th century) - "one of the happiest inventions of modern times". He goes on to detailed praise of the usefulness of such 'light' essays, specially of their therapeutic potential. For Brian Dillon, the essay can be the cause or cure of depression (he's covering his tracks) and that is supposed to explain why a number of essayists (his list) - like Robert Burton, William. H. Gass, Joan Didion, Georges Perec- "have been prone to PARATAXIS, to abandoning themselves to the sheer joy of listing." WOW, did you get that? I just looked up that word yesterday. (see blog below)

Dillon may be talking about essays. I'm talking about blogs, lists and all. Blog or fog? At times lately I have indeed had a fog in my head (and a miasma over it) but I've been trying to write my way out of it. Dillon experiences it, too, apparently. He asks,"Was it possible I could write out of the fog itself, out of confusion, disarray, debility?" I hope so.

I'm counting on it.

I think I've forgotten what it's like to feel well, so I'll just have to fake it. In my absences I have continued to read, though not as much (sleeping a lot) and I have collected more words you may or may nor want to share with me.

parataxis [noun, mass noun ] Grammar: the placing of clauses or phrases one after another, without words to indicate coordination or subordination, as in Tell me, how are you? Contrasted with |-ˈtaktɪk| adjective, paratactically |-ˈtaktɪk(ə) adverb ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Greek parataxis, from para- ‘beside’ + taxis ‘arrangement’ (from tassel ‘arrange’).

hypotaxis [|noun [ mass noun ] Grammar: the subordination of one clause to another. Contrasted with parataxis.DERIVATIVES hypotactic |-ˈtaktɪk| adjective ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Greek hypotaxis, from hupo ‘under’ + taxis ‘arrangement’.

NICE TO KNOW BUT I DON'T THINK I'LL USE THAT.

horripilate noun, literary: the erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear, or excitement - : a horripilation of dread tingled down my spine. DERIVATIVES horripilate, verb, my skin horripilated ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from late Latin horripilatio(n-), from Latin horror ‘stand on end’ (see horrid) + pilus ‘hair’.

I NEVER KNEW THIS. I LIKE IT. WE CAN USE THIS ONE, CAN'T WE?

ostinato noun (pl.ostinatos: a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm. [ as modifier ] : the cellos have the tune, above an ostinato bass figure. ORIGIN Italian, literally ‘obstinate'

USEFUL?

auragraph No entries found, but I know what it is. I'm still reading that diary by Jean Pratt, up to the 1950s now, and the auragraph was a fad, a track of graph of a person's aura. I doubt it ever made its way ito a dictionary.

enantiosemes: Also no entries in the online dictionary but I noted when I read it that it means words which have the same form but contradictory meaning.

I'LL BUY THAT because I remember that TweedleDum and TweedleDee are enantiomorphs, twins that look alike but are contradictory (in appearance., mirrors of each other, and in their contradictory speech.). Have you ever read Martin Gardner's "The Annotated Alice"? That's where I learned that.

terrane noun: Geology: a fault-bounded area or region with a distinctive stratigraphy, structure, and geological history. ORIGIN early 19th cent: from popular Latin. Compare with terrain. OKAY: terrain |noun: a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features: they were delayed by rough terrain. ORIGIN early 18th cent. (denoting part of the training ground in a riding school): from French, from a popular Latin variant of Latin terrenum, neuter of terrenus (see terrene) . OKAY, BUT THIS IS THE LAST ONE... terrene adjective archaic: of or like earth. terrene dust.• occurring on or inhabiting dry land. a terrene vertebrate.• of the world; secular rather than spiritual .ORIGIN Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from Latin terrenus, from terra ‘earth’.

Oh my, words do lead one on, don't they? But I'm going to bed now.