A Case of Vocab-Deficiency

There are two things I can count on while I'm back at Columbia: 1) crappy asian take-out and 2) self-induced stress from severe procrastination. While my stomach has slowly accustomed to the former (by accustomed, i mean not eating), I am still fruitlessly trying to overcome the latter (and by trying, I mean reading a line or two during tv commercial breaks).

Life (really by no fault of mine) has thus become hectic. As I can no longer escape the prospect of graduation (only 1.5 semesters to go)--and subsequently, idling musings of what to do with my life post Columbia--suddenly, I found myself in a bulky grey suit ( complete with an unmanageable belt...and even more unmanageable hair), interviewing for Bain & Company (a consulting firm that must've been stoned to give me an interview in the first place). Jittery from all the Ricola cough drops I've been sucking, I approached my interviewers with firm hand shakes and hearty introductions; from there, all went blank.

Interviewer: According to your resume, under your interests, you have listed, 'prescribing pseudo-psychiatric solutions for distraught friends'. Could you please elaborate?

Me: Um.. yes. I have been known to be a... *searches for correct word*... "mediator" of sorts among my circle. Yes, that's right... I like to think I can help... *searches for correct word*... "allevi-ameli-orate" their problems....

Interviewer: Okay...... let's move on to a case, shall we?

--Strike One--

What am impression I must've made. I responded the interviewer's question by just rewording what I have already written in my resume. To make matters worse, the best words I could come up with after the dreadful long pauses were "mediator" and "allevi-ameli-orate". The second isn't even a word... a semblance of "ameliorate" at best.

Nice going Bubba.