Logophile (Word Nerd)*

Okay, I admit it. I'm a word nerd. I love everything about them. Have you read my latest poem? (see Word Shower) You should have heard me trying to explain my feelings about words, in words, to a writing group last week, as I solicited feedback on the poem as I worked to revise it. I described my love of words by telling them if I could, I'd gather up a giant bowl of words and just jump in so that I can soak In them. Can you believe that? Thinking back I'm a little embarrassed. But I meant it, and I still do. I love words.

                     Come on, you know you want to jump in my word pile, don't you?

     Have you tried Wordle, Tagxedo, or Word Salad? Fun stuff! (Not a paid ad by the way.)

It's not that I have this overly extensive vocabulary, though I'm always trying to build a bigger bank. Did you notice that incidental alliteration there? See, I love it! It's not just the meaning of words. I like their physical characteristics too. I love Scrabble, Boggle, and any such games with rearranging letters and creating words. Come to think of it, word games are pretty much the only kind of game I play. I also love the sound of words. My husband, who works in irrigation, laughs because I love the word nozzle. I like the way it sounds and feels when I say it, and when he says it. I'm also particularly fond of words with the hard c (or k) sound, like irk, clodhoppers, and cacophony. The second two are also examples of how much I love clumsy, multisyllabic words. More syllables makes a word sound more fun. But then again, irk is also an example of how a small three letter word can be powerful enough to provide specific meaning. 

It's also a natural part of my teaching, to teach kids about the roots and affixes in words, not so much because it's in my lesson plan or the curriculum, but because it makes sense and it's fun. If a student learns that circumference comes from circum- meaning around, and fer- meaning carry or bring, then they can easily remember that if you bring your pencil point or compass around the circle, you will be measuring circumference. Then later they might see that transfer, which comes from trans- meaning across or over, and fer- meaning bring, means to bring or carry something over from one place to another. Soon they can pick apart words they already know and make meaning of their origin with morphemes. This is the kind of teaching that integrates content areas as supported by the Common Core and historically great teachers around the world. The domino effect is never ending! But I digress...

My love for words seeps out the classroom and library doors into other aspects of my life. Take everyday objects in my house, like two of my three favorite coffee mugs. The first, a graduation gift from my two awesome sisters-in-law, has a song lyric. The song lyric is one of my favorite ways to "collect" words.

These words happened to be apropos for a gift celebrating my doctoral graduation. The first cup of coffee I had in this mug has been equaled by few! Or how about my second favorite mug. I happened to be in Dunkin Donuts one day purchasing a gift card for someone. I didn't need a new mug for my already overflowing kitchen cabinet. But there it was, adorning text. Words. I had to have it. Now it's one of my favorites. 

But it's not just the java you know. I've found that in general, I'm attracted to design that involves words. A couple of weeks ago, I decided that we needed a piece of artwork for the wall of our living room. It's quite expansive and begs a large piece or a grouping of several pieces. See what I mean?

Not wanting to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on high-end artwork for a house we plan to put on the market later this year, I decided on a trip to the local Hobby Lobby. Whoa, be careful in that store! I walked up and down the aisles looking for a beautiful painting or hanging wall sculpture, and I kept texting pictures to my husband, asking for his opinion. I was dismayed as he shot down almost anything I thought I liked, though I'm not sure why, because I really didn't see anything I loved. Hence the asking for his opinion. But in between messages I found myself gravitating to different aisles. You guessed it. The ones with words! There were several. You know the ones I mean. Wall to wall pieces of fun fonts, catchy sayings and quotes, and a lot of things that make you leave saying, "Pfft. I could make that myself." But I was in heaven! They had them for the family room...

For the bedroom or office...

They even had them for the kitchen!

True confessions, I bought one.

I realized that I have no sense of artistic appreciation. Where was my artist sister to help me pick out some real art (She'd probably laugh that I would consider the possibility of finding "real art" at the Hobby Lobby)! I even sent her a picture text of this piece while I was there. I knew I had nowhere appropriate to put it, but I knew she would appreciate it as much as I do!

This is where our interests cross. She the designer, and I the writer, criss cross at the intersection of type, font, copy, text, whatever you want to call it! I even emailed her to find out the correct term for this piece I'm writing.  She is a graphic designer by trade, and also teaches college level design courses, one of which is typography. I'd like to sit in on that course sometime. 

I never got a piece for the living room by the way. But I did come home and think about words. Every single room in my house has something on the wall to read. In my bedroom, a series of three lines from a Robert Plant song lyric that I hand painted as a gift to my husband, and a sign over the corner of my side of the bed, with the now almost cliche, Always kiss me goodnight. In the living room our ketubah (Hebrew/Jewish marriage certificate) hangs, and in the hallway there is a small framed heart beside a photo of my grandparents. They were married for 62 years, and the heart says, Happiness is being married to your best friend. Our wedding photo is just below. 

In the dining room there's a decorative, painted metal sign that says, Family, a journey to forever, and the family room has an embroidered piece of artwork that says, Money can build a house, but love builds a home. In the kitchen there's a simple sign that says Giggle, and the piece below made as a gift from my mother-in-law. I'm still looking for just the right spot to hang my new Mom's Diner sign.

The bathrooms too sport signage in the beach shack theme. 

And if you're kind enough to come visit and stay with us overnight, you'll be treated to what I always hoped would be a soothing, relaxing treat in our guest bedroom. Complete with reminders to dream, to be free, and feel welcomed in our home. I used two of my favorite books for decoration... More words!

But why in the world do I like words so much? I don't know. Words are abound throughout my home. I like being surrounded by them, I feel comfort in being enveloped by them. Maybe they empower me. Maybe they give me voice. Maybe it's just that there are so many things you can do with them. Who knows. But I have a question. Honestly, if I filled my swimming pool with words, and invited you over for a pool party, would you come over and dive on in?

*  logophile

— noun

1. a lover of words.