Jess outlines her own 'euphoric' delights

By Jessica Wolf

State Press Magazine

eu ^. pho ^. ri ^. a -- a feeling of vigor, well-being or high spirits.

With all the "ecstasy" talk in the news these days, I've been thinking a lot about this word, it's definition and the role it plays in our lives.

Everybody's felt euphoric at some point. Falling in love comes to mind......or celebrating a major accomplishment, etc.

But -- I believe that it's also the little things that can induce euphoria on a daily basis. (And no, I'm not talking about things that come in the form of a tiny pill.)

I sat down with myself and really thought about this and came up with a few examples of things that tend to make me feel one or more of the above descriptions......four interesting little personal psychological tidbits that are completely unrelated to each other or to my life as a whole really.

The first three I've known about for some time. The final one I just discovered this past weekend.

So here goes...four things that make Jessica euphoric.

COFFEE -- It's not just the caffeine addiction, although I will admit that does play a big role in my coffee euphoria. It's the smell of it, the anticipation of it, the taste.... it is much more than a beverage to me which is why I get so crabby when I get a bad cup. It can literally ruin my mood for at least an hour.

And coffee is often a philosophical trip for me, if not a religious experience (depending on how hung over or tired I am). Think about it -- there is something infinitely satisfying about preparing then drinking your coffee every morning. (Or in my case, afternoon and evening as well.) It's the comforting ritualistic nature of the act and the beverage itself....I know I may be going a little overboard here, but I'm trying to make a point. Basically coffee = euphoria. (For me.)

WORDS -- I love them. I can't get enough of them. The bigger and more multi-syllabic the better! (I hope you'll find the sesquipedalian examples scattered throughout this article perspicuous and enlightening. And... though I am particularly pertinacious on this topic, be assured I am not an overweening sciolist. I actually do know what these words mean and how to use them.)

I like "P" words. 'Perhaps' has always been a big favorite.

Another big favorite is 'conundrum' I like the way it feels on the tongue. -- especially when it is coupled with the word 'quite.' You know, "you've got quite a conundrum on your hands there." Something like that. 'Quagmire' is another excellent one. And I've always been enamored with good old 'dilemma'. (I seem to get off on words that imply confusion....hmm, interesting.) I also love 'melancholy', 'gallimaufry' and 'ideological'. (These also happen to be good descriptors of past writings of mine.)

Here's a new favorite. Try 'sciamachy' -- "an act of fighting with shadows or an imaginary enemy." I just learned it the other day, and realized it's something we all find ourselves doing from time to time.

But I especially like adverbs -- you know words that almost always end in "ly." And I especially like them when a boy is saying them to me (if you know what I mean, wink wink)

C'mon, say a few with me...... A few like clearly, apparently, vicariously, relatively, evidently, ultimately, inexorably, surreptitiously, ineluctably, ostensibly, Kafkaesquely....ok stop now. Whew.

Yeah that's right. Kafkaesquely. It's a thing. Don't ask.

MEN IN DRAG -- (You had to know something twisted would come out of this!) I discovered the euphoric quality of this particular image the first time I saw Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

This little quirk of mine only intensified last summer when I saw European pop star Jason Donovan live on stage as the svelte, supercilious, soi-disant (it's French, look it up) Dr. Frankenfurter.

There's...just...something...about a guy prancing around in high heels (better than I ever could), his heroin-addict thin legs twined in black fish-net stockings attached to a black leather garter belt, leather panties and corset.

Good grief, but that gets to me! Every time I watch the movie -- you know that scene where Frankenfurter is coming down in the elevator? All you see is a long black cape grazing the white, sparkly, chunky heel of his shoe. -- It never fails....the music pounds and that heel thump, thump, thumps the ground in time and I'm left breathless in antici....................pation!

Oh yeah. That's the stuff right there.

TANGY TAFFY -- You know, the rectangular slab-o-sticky-ass-sugar that you can buy at Circle K? They come in a variety of fruity flavors. Now there's even Sparkle Tangy Taffy. A girl I work with was eating one the other day and as I watched her, I flashed on a pleasant childhood memory.

Every Tuesday afternoon during summer vacations my younger sister and I would walk to the corner Circle K and load up on these particular treats, as well as Lick-A-Maid, Sixlets and Laffy Taffy cubes. We'd fill these big handbags with the stuff, grab our little brothers and like-aged next door neighbors and go to the movies -- sneaking in our stash of sugary snacks.

I've eaten one of those damn Tangy Taffy logs every day for the past three days. It's euphoria a la déjà vu!

There you go. A few of my personal non-alcoholic or illegal stimulant euphoria-inducers. Maybe you can think of a few of your own. Perhaps you should think of a few of your own.

I'll tell you why I think you we all should -- with one more vocabulary lesson.

PANACEA -- "a remedy for all kinds of diseases or troubles."

I would venture to say we could all use a little remedy for our troubles from time to time, if not daily. And I believe that a little meditative, self-induced euphoria can be good for us. It can be our panacea.

There are many more panaceas in my personal cache of internalized euphoria. The few I've mentioned here simply scratch the surface.

I'm wondering though....I think I'll have to indulge in the ones that won't rot my teeth.

So at least by this column's standards that means I'll have to either drink even more coffee, begin using a whole lot of big words all the time or make sure I take my boyfriend on a little shopping trip to Frederick's of Hollywood!

Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.....

spm editor hopes she has not committed any solecisms in this article. feel free to let her know if she has via e-mail at jessica.wolf@asu.edu.