nonplus /vt. / to put at a loss as to what to think, say, or do. bewilder. to render utterly perplexed. puzzle completely. baffle. astound. dismay. daze. boggle. flummox.
nonplus /vt./ 1. I almost didn't go on Spring Break. The to-do list almost won. Given the perfect time we enjoyed and the joyful decompression that occurred, I am completely nonplussed as to how this can be. How can I let any "list" win over this kind of joy...and yet it seems to more than I would like. I am nonplussed at this obvious character flaw.
nonplus /vt./ 2. We drove to Santa Barbara on Wednesday, arriving in LA about 1 or 2 in the afternoon...well out of the "rush hour traffic" window and yet, I was nonplussed to find myself in the midst of this:
nonplus /vt./ 3. Last night I watched Masterpiece Theatre's version of Emma. And was nonplussed to find that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I had planned to. I think I just really and truly dislike Emma herself and am nonplussed at how and why Mr. Knightley falls in love with her. And then this morning I found this: "Prior to starting the novel, Austen wrote, 'I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like.'" Job well done.
nonplus /vt./ 4. The weather is starting to heat up already here and that means the scorpions are starting to reappear, nevertheless I was still nonplussed to see this one scurrying across my kitchen floor yesterday morning...it had been so long since we had seen one I was beginning to think we had them all eradicated. Unfortunately, this is not the case. (Kel, in case you were wondering, this is one for the "con" column.)
nonplus /vt./ 5. My washer has been on the fritz lately. It washes just fine but then gets confused when it's time to rinse. In its confusion, it stops and wonders what to do next. In order to get my laundry done, I figured out a way to trick it into thinking it's washing when it's really rinsing. This means a whole little "protocol" that has to be followed in order to do a load of laundry. Annoying, but clearly cheaper than calling the repairman. Then this morning, I was utterly nonplussed to discover that the washer has overcome its confusion and was cheerfully running through all the cycles with no problem whatsoever. I am all bafflement at this happy and fortuitous turn of events.
nonplus /vt./ 6. The only bad part about our California roadtrip was the price of a gallon of gas. (Not to mention the price of 78 gallons of gas.) I was nonplussed at the cost to fill my tank, but luckily this was offset by the benefits of filling "my other tank." Nevertheless, after 1100 miles, the rest of my March budget is clearly a bit nonplussed at what's left. Budgets rarely understand psychological needs...they are somehow always ridiculously consumed by the physical needs of food and shelter and clothing.
nonplus /vt./ 7. Olivia has been lately begging to "do some knittin" (her words). Somehow this little activity has never made it to the top of my to-do list and so last night after Easter dinner, my mom got out the crochet hooks and patiently taught the girls how to chain. Though this has resulted in mostly nonplussed expressions and piles of knotted yarn, the girls are loving their new "talent" and have grand plans to knit their American Girl dolls scarves and sweaters for the coming summer.
nonplus /vt./ 8. I think our bunny, Pepper, was nothing but nonplussed on Saturday afternoon when the girls dressed her for the Easter egg hunt at my parents' house. Oh the humanity.
Actually it could have been worse. Luckily for Pepper, they were nonplussed to discover that their little doll shoes wouldn't stay on.
