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I have recently come to the conclusion that I’m not as young as I think I am. I’ve heard that working with seasonal interpreters helps keep you young. I’m now thinking they are great at making you feel old. It is possible to stay young at heart and hip, right?
I have a brother who is less than half my age. I think it is awesome to have a little brother, Lee, who helps me “keep it real.” Right now he is blushing after my mentioning him and the phrase “keep it real” in the same sentence. On several occasions I have had conversations with Lee immediately following a conversation with a seasonal interpreter that I didn’t fully understand. Sometimes you just need a translator. I’m a good actor, so I pretend that I know what they are talking about, and then I ask for a clarification of terms from Lee before embarrassing myself any further. This keeps me from finding myself in a strange location, using phrases inappropriately or ordering something for lunch that is not fit for human consumption.
Let’s face it, I’m out of touch. But I’m willing to work at relating to this younger generation even though most of my connection to pop culture is filtered through episodes of Hannah Montana and SpongeBob SquarePants. It is not uncommon to hear me say things like “Oh, sweet niblets” or “Ah, barnacles.”
The moment that you have to ask someone what “woot” means or what “goml” means in a text, you are officially un-cool. If you don’t know what a text is, don’t worry about your standing in society because you are ahead of Paul.
Thankfully for people like me there are websites out there like Trend Central and Trendwatching that also help keep me up to date. Both are worth subscribing to and are efficient at keeping you down with the current nomenclature. (If you ever use the word nomenclature, you are un-cool.) Trend Central puts out an annual list of terms that are gaining popularity in the types of places that use slang and that rarely ever discuss the serial comma. This year’s list has some keywords that could be used in or related to the community of IBD and interpretive design.
Epic Fail: n. a frequently used term in the video game community that quite simply means you really messed up and/or something/someone is an utter failure. The logo that I just spent 26 hours working on for the NAI Region 6 Workshop in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, February 28 – March 3, 2011 was an epic fail (not that I am resentful).
Geequals: n. two people who are equal in depth of arcane knowledge. Paul has no geequal.
Alt-worthy: adj. A term used to describe people or things considered to be cool or trendy. People whose computers have a full ALT key and not a function key are alt-worthy.
‘Kward (kwerd): adj. Awkward. Most of my conversations (outside the topics of Star Wars, baseball and type), primarily with the opposite sex, are ‘kward.
Jam It: v. a retort used to tell someone you do not like what they are telling you; similar to “shut up.” It is not uncommon for readers of IBD to say “I wish you guys would just jam it about Helvetica!”
Unicorn Puncher: n. a term used to describe someone who, in the face of cute overload (whether it be in a blog or conversation), undermines their adorableness with something gross. After carefully choosing the perfect typeface, that unicorn punching editor, suggested the use of Papyrus.
Gen Pop: n. term used to describe the general population when “bridge and tunnel,” yuppies, tourists or “undesirable” individuals “intrude” upon an event, outing, club or local restaurant. I was once a member of the general population while being detained for questioning, ever since then anywhere I go I feel like part of the gen pop.
G.O.M.L.: v. acronym for the phrase “Get on My Level;” said when one person both wants to imply that someone else can’t keep up and wants to urge them to catch up. My wife is constantly telling me to turn off the computer and GOML (which I found extremely hurtful as I first translated it as get out of my life).
Curl: v. a new way to crop your pants without cuffing; best for skinny jeans, curling is when you roll the bottoms of your pant legs very tightly two or three times, creating a delicate cinch above the ankle. I don’t know how to use this word in a sentence for the simple fact that I have never worn skinny jeans and I can’t believe that anything will ever be cooler than pinch rolling your pants.
Guacamole: n. money, cash, or funds. Working in the field of interpretation the only guacamole that I see is literally guacamole.
Post-Zuckerberg: adj. term used to describe the era of Facebook ubiquity. Dad, I would have called to tell you Happy Birthday, but in this post-Zuckerberg world I thought that commenting on your wall was enough.
Blow the mind of the Millennials you know by dropping some of these words/phrases into you daily conversations to prove that you are hip, relevant, and current. Improper use or the use of too many at any given moment could have an adverse effect.
Shea, I take issue with the definition you include here of curling. Everyone knows that curling is the art of wearing funny pants while rapidly cleaning an icy surface with a broom with a team of like-clothed friends.
Shea, your logo design was not an epic fail. It was our epic ride on the procrastination halfpipe. We pulled a double corkscrew switch McTwist, I’m telling ya. Life has really gotten in the way lately, right yo?
All of the Olympic jargon has gotten me confused.
Paul: I don’t know much about hockey or the NHL.
Team Mate: You want to me to meet you at McDonalds with wine? I’m not so sure that is legal but thank you for the words of support. IBD may have not been the best place to air my damaged ego, I’m here to do whatever it takes to please the team and move on to the next step in planning. That is as long as it doesn’t involve Papyrus or changing what I have submitted.
see, i guess i’m not young anymore either because guacamole is that disgusting mushed up avocado with a squirt of lime juice. i don’t want my money to be mushed up with a squirt of lime juice! although…the lime might help sanitize it from all the other grossness on money…maybe i will GOML (or yours) and use that term! yay for learning something new! thanks shea!
oh, and when did pinch-folding pants ever go OUT of style?
For me pinch-rolling went out of style with the necessity of loose fit jeans. All of the extra fabric that made my rolls look goofy and thick along with goofy and thick glasses.
This was a great article. And if you want to feel old … turn on MTV and realize you have no idea who the artists are. Heck, I am old enough to remember when if a young one said something was “bad,” that meant it was good.
I talk about the famous people that were guests of William randolph Heart’s on my tours. I mention Cary Grant, or Clark Gable, or Harpo Marx, or Carol Lombard, or Winston Churchill, or Charles Lindberg, etc. and most of the folks look at me with the deer in the headlights stare.
This getting old stuff is no fun. And all of you are way younger than this old man, so not complaining yet.
I really wanted to write Epic Fail on an interpretive product I was critiquing last week, but I decided that’s not very positive, provisional and specific.
I was feeling old today. Some of the kids I used to babysit are getting married, have real jobs, and have children.
I feel younger just reading that.. Mostly because I knew what most of those were already.
Thanks!
Cathy: It makes me feel better to put something like “epic fail” into comments, wait a day or so and then come back, delete it, and put something more positive, provisional and specific.
Brandy: If you knew the majority of those terms then you are much more hip than me. I love the word “rad”
Tartar Sauce! I have my own wookie and a growing list of big words I’m not supposed to use so as to hide my geekiness. I feel you.
I am now wracking my brain to find a way to use “unicorn puncher” in a sentence!