Tonight I accompanied Abe on his late night inspections, and we practiced his GRE words. At the end of the trip, we played a story game. We each took turns writing a sentence using at least one GRE word per turn. Here are our stories:
“The nadir of my life occurred when I was 14 years old. It was already hard being a neophyte at the nuances of high school life, but to make matters worse, Tommy Brown, the seraphic school quarterback, was oblivious to my existence. I suspect my obsequious attempts to get his attention came across as officious behavior. For example, I offered to help him with his homework and brought him liberal helpings of homemade pie, but to no avail. Though our simple interactions must have seemed quotidian to him, a mere glance from Tommy would make the apex of my day. Thought I was undoubtedly a nominal part of his existence, he was the reason I got up in the morning. My friends tried hard to explain his disinterest in me, but I was obstinate in my obsession. Perhaps he was turned off by my noisome odor. At the time, I didn’t even know I smelled because my nose was perpetually occluded by allergies.”
And then, we learned the word, “numismatics.” It means, “coin-collecting.” Abe pointed out that each phrase has four syllables, and the world would be just fine if we got rid of one phrase. But we made a story about it anyway.
“I love numismatics! Although others might consider my hobby jejune, I believe anyone who can’t appreciate a fine coin collection is a Philestine. In fact, coin collecting is so thrilling to me, it obviates the need for any other hobbies. I have a coterie of friends who share my passion. We are such zealots that it would be impossible for us to abjure our love of coins. I keep my coffer of coins in a hidden safe because I fear that the mendacious mendicants who hang out near my house might try to break in and steal my collection. The hermetic seal on my safe is so effective that it would prevent those dissembling crooks from stealing my collection–even if they knew where it was.”
Yes, we are nerds.