Word nerdery and the joy of anticipation

Simonds Hall, Toorak Rd West

I went into the city today to do some Christmas shopping. I got sidetracked at Readers Feast and bought myself a new word book called I Never Knew There was a Word for It. It's a collection of expressions from around the world for "any feeling, act, object, animal or vegetable you could ever possibly need to describe".

From the back cover alone I have learnt the words fisselig (German for flustered into incompetence), noop (the point of your elbow) and crambazzled (a Northern England word for a man who's prematurely aged from drinking too much).

You know what this means? I'm going to be bombarding you with lists of my favourite new words soon. I haven't done that in ages.

I won't start reading it until after I've finished Anne of Green Gables. I've got to stop starting new books before finishing old ones.  

That reminds me...I have occasionally blogged about the pleasure of anticipation and I read this in Anne of Green Gables the other night, in a chapter headed 'The Delights of Anticipation':

"You set your heart too much on things, Anne," said Marilla with a sigh. "I"m afraid there will be a great many disappointments in store for you through life."

"Oh, Marilla, looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them," exclaimed Anne. "You mayn't get the things themselves; but nothing can prevent you from having the fun of looking forward to them. Mrs Lynde says, 'Blessed are they who expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed.' But I think it would be worse to expect nothing than to be disappointed."

I have requested a few extra days leave from work, which would extend my Christmas break from 10 days to 16. I decided I need the rest more than I need the money. I haven't had a decent break all year - and it's been a big year (the two weeks in New York was fantastic, but hardly restful). I've got my fingers crossed.