Excuse-moi?

It's come to my attention recently that in some social circles I've been dubbed "Debbie Downer." If you've never heard the term, it's been just hanging around the block for awhile but it's also associated with a SNL skit starring Rachel Dratch. It's famous because everyone finds it impossible to keep a straight face and missed lines abound. Lindsay Lohan runs off the stage near the end to presumably laugh uncontrollably backstage. The actual skit itself doesn't seem that funny to me but hey, I don't want to reinforce my new moniker.

Wait a second. If it may please the court, "I object!" I am not a downer. Not by a long shot.

The whole Debbie Downer thing is supposed to "refer to someone who has a persistent need to add bad news or negative feelings to a gathering, thus bringing down the mood of everyone around them." I'll admit that sometimes I'm prone to follow up ridiculous suggestions with things like "WTF, why would we do that?" but I'm hardly a good mood suppressant.

I've known a few true Debbie Downers in my time and I'm too tactful to be one of them. I think I do an excellent job of keeping my pithy negative comments to myself. Sure I may think horrible things all the time but I save it for the de-briefing okay?

More fun is a new term we've been using. Fussy Buddy. This one is a future classic and usability is off the charts. There are a few types of fussy buddies. For the most part, they're the ones who need too much information or things are just never right. They're detail orientated, anal, and hard to please. All in the worst ways. "It's too crowded in here, it's too hot, these drinks suck, I'm not having fun." Hanging out with these people you just wish they'd go with the flow sometimes. Shit's not going to be perfect, just deal with it. Create fun. Or carry an iPhone. Whatever.

Lately, another distinct type of fussy buddy has reared its ugly head. We'll call it the run-on fussy buddy. Instead of actually committing to an event, they'll ask a string of questions like "what's going to happen, who's going to be there, will it be fun, when are you going, are you there yet, is it cool, should I come." By the time they make a decision you want to toss your phone into the nearest ocean or the event is already over.

You can really only be a successful fussy buddy if your fun level is off the charts. Some of the people I love to hang out with are fussy buddies, but that's cool because they're so fun it's totally worth it to bring out their best. Fussy buddies who are also Bobby Borings should be exed off the friends list.

I think I already discussed this elsewhere but hanging out with Palak & Co. a few weeks back gave us possibly the word of the year. FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. As in "He'll show up because he's got a serious case of FOMO."

And while Daily Candy's Lexicon has really fallen off over the years, I'll be using this one. (S)hetox: Taking a break from romance and its attending insanities.