Charlie Sheen, The New York Times and Me

Still smarting from the whole Charlie Sheen prehab coinage kerfuffle, I decided to get proactive while poking a little fun of myself.

I realize that it doesn't matter if I coined the term prehab in regard to Charlie Sheen's latest "preventative" trip to rehab. Nor does it matter that Sheen's first wife, Donna Peele, has collected my initial post, along with several others about her ex's exploits, on zimbio.com.

This little drama has played out solely between my ears. I missed out on a mention on Gawker and The New York Times. Who cares? Prehab was coined years ago on The Onion, anyway. So that term wasn't mine to claim.

*****

Back to the proactivity part. I'm happy to say that Urban Dictionary has accepted my new entry into the lexicon:

Me-tox:

When you need to go to detox to get over yourself.

Example: " X is so full of herself, she needs to go to me-tox."

It not only applies to me in this situation but also originates with me. Feel free to use it any time you like. But if you're a news outlet, for God's sake, please give proper attribution!

More Sheen-ography:
Charlie Sheen Doesn't Need Rehab!
I Could Have Been in the Times!

I Could Have Been in the Times!

Okay, not to sound all cranky, but when I posted my story about Charlie Sheen's prehab on February 23rd at 6:14pm, I topped Google search. My brother emailed to tell me I appeared to have just coined the term.

As it turns out, Gawker had just put up its own post, Charlie Sheen and Wife Battle to See Who Can Do Rehab Better, with no mention of prehab. Later that evening, a commenter named GlasgowRose used the term. On February 24th, Gawker posted a piece called Prehab Is the New Rehab and yours truly went straight back to the bottom of the barrel.

So more than one person had the idea. So what? I had it first but I can't expect to go up against a site like Gawker when I'm such a tiny blog. I did comment on Gawker that I had written about it, too, and was happy to be in good company. Gawker has comment moderation and I didn't make the cut.

But then, prehab showed up in the New York Times yesterday, in an article titled Why His Face May End Up In Webster's. It gives GlasgowRose credit for coining the term. Aarrgh! I crossed the finish line first, no big deal in the blog world. It's not like anyone stole the term from me. The timestamps are on my side but I can't complain without seeming like a desperate hanger-on, a liar. But The New York By God Times? I could have been mentioned there?

Gawker has now posted yet another story, this one called Gawker Commenters Are Now Coining New York Times-Approved Trend Terms. One commenter laments how uncool it is to be mentioned by the Times. Another one points our that The Onion coined the term in 2005. That should make me feel better. It does a little: again, I feel like I'm in good company.

I know, I've got to get over myself. Metox, maybe?


Original post:
Charlie Sheen Doesn't Need Rehab!