Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Sniff On My Costa Rican Chalet

Word. 

A couple of months ago, the folks at People StyleWatch Magazine asked me to contribute some new buzzwords for 2013.  Despite what my husband may have told you, I take direction just fine and was delighted to comply with their request.  




The one they liked the best was "Unreal Estate":

February 2013 Issue - On Newsstands Now!
 
Unreal Estate - The coveted homes that viewers of reality real estate and home-design shows love to fantasize about.  A person’s portfolio of unreal estate allows her to live vicariously in amazing properties all over the world – an experience which she very much enjoys.

Many thanks to the People StyleWatch editors for sharing my contribution with their readers - and for plugging The CHICKtionary!


Just for fun, here are some of the others... 

Pinhole - Someone who leaves snarky, unwelcome comments on others' Pinterest posts.   

"I can't believe some pinhole mocked the motivational
poster I added to my Inspirations Board."

Blingosaurus - A woman whose embellished accessories, multiple layers of clothing and painstaking gait associated with extremely tall shoes give her the substantial, armored presence of the now-extinct land animals that roamed the earth millions of years ago.   

"When she added the studded hobo and the fur-trimmed
pashmina and the statement necklace - that's when
she entered blingosaurus territory."

Keyboreding - The practice of killing time by aimlessly surfing the Web, social media sites, blogs, etc.  Keyboreding involves hopping from one site to another in a manner that begins randomly but soon transitions into a strategic, scorched-earth search for information about exes and others of romantic interest, including photos of their (hopefully) trollish spouses.   

"Okay, I have to make plans for Sunday or else
I'll end up spending the day keyboreding."

Toddlerazzi - The crush of aggressively doting parents wielding iPhones, cameras and other recording devices at any child-oriented location or event.   

"I went to my niece's recital and could not get anywhere
near the stage thanks to the crush of toddlerazzi."
 
Gracebooking – The practice of using your Facebook account for humanitarian causes, particularly those to which you have a personal, first-hand connection.  

"Well, I've helped get a puppy adopted and
I've raised donations for the senior center library.
Feeling pretty good about my gracebooking today!"

Selfie - An iPhone photo of oneself with the objective of looking hot, and which is immediately posted on Instagram or Facebook.  The selfie often employs a variety of hotness-enhancing techniques, including mood lighting, strategic framing and duck face.

"Just discovered that the light in my bathroom
is perfect for taking selfies!"  

[Full disclosure:  I did not coin "selfie," but it made me laugh so hard I had to include it.]

Selfie Fatigue - 1.  The frustration experienced by a person who has exhausted the repertoire of poses for new selfies.  2.  The frustration experienced by those in the social media world who are sick and tired of looking at your endless barrage of selfies.  

"Okay, that's the last duck face of Camille's that I can handle.
My selfie fatigue has driven me to unfollow!"

Smacdown - The competitive comparison of one's Apple products - particularly the iPhone and related accessories - to someone else's.   

"Ouch, Jason just lost a smacdown with his girlfriend's ex.
I told him those ear buds were so 2011."

Skypographical error – When you accidentally “misdial” on Skype, leading to a number of potentially uncomfortable and/or humorous scenarios.   

"Thanks to a Skypographical error, I just had
an awkward half-hour face-chat with
the needy ex-roommate who stole my pants."

Wi-gration - The act of wandering from spot to spot in search of WiFi (or an improved WiFi connection). People in the process of Wi-gration can be seen stalking through coffee shops, malls and other public spaces while staring intently at their electronic devices for evidence of connectivity.  
 
"When word got around that the connection
seemed to get stronger beyond Gate 32B,
there was a mass Wi-gration through the terminal."