Cory's Blog

            It is hard to say the name Zach Galifianakis without laughing. It is just a funny name, and last night, the comedian with the funny name and scraggly beard came and performed for us. You might be familiar with his line of work: a Comedy Central special, a role in the movie Out Cold as well as a few other television cameos. In any case, I was quite excited to get to see him perform.

            His performance came during Late Night Carolina, an event put on one Friday every month in the Russell House. It is a great opportunity to go and have some fun. Last night they had a “make your own music video” area, two caricature artists, and they opened up the game room in the Russell House for free. These were all on top of the “main event” of Zach’s comedy.

            The funny bearded man came on at about 11:30 and performed his funny shtick for about 45 minutes. During this time, he played the piano as he made social observations from his point of view, ripped apart Larry the Cable Guy and Dane Cook (sorry if you are fans of them, but either way, it was really funny!), and did a few “impressions” such as the pretentious illiterate guy ( I told you, I cant read.) It’s kind of hard to give you the full affect through the typed word, but trust me; he kept as all rolling in the aisles of the Russell House ballroom.

            In any case, it was yet another example of the great work Carolina Productions does of bringing in very entertaining performances. They have another couple of big names coming in the next couple of weeks, but you all will just have to wait and see what they are on my blogs. See what I just did? It is called a teaser, and it just keeps you coming back for more…hopefully at least. That’s all I got for you now, I have to go and enjoy this beautiful Carolina Saturday!

Posted by Cory at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Here’s a riddle for you: If Cory is American when he enters his physics test, and if he is American when he leaves his physics test, what is he while he’s taking his physics test? You want a second. Think about it. Here’s a hint: The theme is nationalities. Are you ready for the answer? If we are talking about today, then I would be Russian (Rushin’) as I took my test. Do you get it? It’s a play on words! Kind of lame, I know, but I still remember the saying/joke from my 6^th grade Algebra teacher, Mr. Weeks. Unfortunately, today during my physics test, I ignored Mr. Weeks’s words of wisdom and was a “Rushin’ Russian” and it cost me.

            As you can gather, I had my physics test today. I felt pretty good going into it. Our teacher gave us a comprehensive review on Tuesday, and Brad and I had been studying hard for it since. We must have gone over the review test about 10 times. We could have done it backwards and forwards. In any case, I felt pretty prepared for this test.

            When Dr. Johnson passed out the test, I was ready to go. I recognized every problem and worked my way through them one after another. I was definitely feeling good and zipping right through the test. It seemed that unlike most tests, every answer I got was one of the answer choices on the multiple choice test. However, my eyes played tricks on me on one of the questions.

            On one of the questions, I could have swore that I found the length of an object at near light speed (who doesn’t love relativity?) to be .33 meters. I saw it on the sheet of the test, and I saw the answer on my calculator when I worked it out, or so I thought.

            I didn’t think too much of it, because I had more questions to get to. After I finished the test, I went through and checked everything over. Again, I got the same .33 answer. Finally, the time was up and I turned my test in.

            As is custom, me, Brad, and our friend Mark, another pharmacy school student of the class of 2011, checked over our test outside the lecture hall in the Jones Physical Science Building. We went through, and things were looking good until I got to that question I had mentioned. I said it was .33, and they both said it was .033. I couldn’t believe it, so I checked it on my calculator, and thought I saw the same .33 answer. However, they both pointed out to me that my calculator said .033. I had missed it! I had rushed through and saw what I had wanted to see. I was, in fact, “Russian” through my test.

            I tell you this because many of you are concerned with not knowing what is on a college test and not doing well. However, being overly confident and knowing it “too well” can hurt you when you fly through things. My advice: take your time, be methodic, and double check you really see what you are asked or are putting as an answer. Nothing against those in Mother Russia, but try not to be a “Rushin’ Russian” on tests!

Posted by Cory at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            As many of you found out this weekend, I am not just a machine typing away for your enjoyment. Alas, there truly is a person behind these words, and I would like to thank everyone who came out to Scholar’s Day and got to meet me this past weekend. For those that came, I hope you enjoyed my “opening speech”. I guess I am kind of nuts, I actually enjoy speaking in front of large groups of people. In fact, I kind of like talking in general. Luckily, you all had lots of questions, so I got to do a whole lot of talking!

            I was happy to see so many prospective pharmacy students! I got to speak to probably 15 of you high schoolers who want to go on into pharmacy in school here. There were a lot of questions that were pretty common, so I will go ahead and address a few of them here.

            First, doing the pre-pharmacy work is hard. There is two years worth of pre-requisites before you can get into pharmacy school. A heavy emphasis is placed chemistry, biology, and some physics. So, if you are not a big science person, pharmacy may not be for you. Also, if you are not one those people who likes to “study”, “go to class” or “take notes” you may wish to look to a different major. In case you were wondering, that last sentence had just a hint of sarcasm. Nobody ‘likes” doing a lot of work, but if you think that you won’t be able to buckle down and take care of business, then especially you may want to look to another major.

            A second common question was how good your grades have to be to get into pharmacy school. I always like to say that they need to be very, very solid, but exactly how solid was a common concern? Well, the average GPA of my class of incoming students who got into pharmacy school was a 3.6. So, you want to be in that ballpark, but also remember you must take the PCAT. The average PCAT score was 75, just to let you know.

            A third question went something like this: “Cory, how can you be so involved, play so many sports, get into pharmacy school, all while being incredibly attractive and funny?” Alright, so maybe not that entire question was asked of me. Mostly the part about being so involved, doing all sports and getting into pharmacy school. Basically, it comes down to time management. I am able to do everything because I budget my time, pick the extracurricular activities that I feel are most important, and make sure to give myself extra time for school related assignments, tests or whatever else my teachers may throw at me.

            Those were three pretty common questions. I hope you all enjoyed my display, talking with myself and the other students, and Carolina in general. I really would love you to come here. I have made the most out of my time here, and I think if you do the same, you will find a happy home here at USC.

            That is all the time I have now folks. I got my first couple of comments, and those made my day. Thanks! Keep ‘em coming, and please, I welcome your questions as well. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

             The “F” word. I am not a fan of it myself. It just makes me simmer with anger when I hear it. Today was no exception. My honor society, Alpha Lambda Delta, was ready for our first round playoff dodge ball game, and nobody from the other team showed up! That’s right, that F word reared its big head; it was a FORFIET! I cannot stand going through all of the trouble of getting my team together on the right day and time to play, only to not have the other team even show up!

            Now, I must be fair, we have forfeited a couple of games this year, but at least I try to have the decency to call the intramural staff ahead of time to let them know we won’t  have enough players so they can call the other team and make sure they don’t have to show up. That is called a “default”. Not only do I save the other team the trouble of showing up, but our team doesn’t get counted with a forfeit, but with the “default”. The importance of this is if you have two forfeits over the course of the season, you don’t get to play in the playoffs. So, that etiquette lesson is just something to consider way down the road when you are a captain of your own intramural team here at USC.

            Besides my unsuccessful attempt at playing a dodge ball game today, Nick and I played some ping pong down at Strom since we were there anyways, and then I ran a bit. Then, I was back here to study for my sports psychology test tomorrow.

            Wait a minute! I am writing a blog and NOT studying for a test I have tomorrow. Relax, have no fear, it’s all about making the most of my study breaks, so I can entertain for my loyal readers out there.

            Speaking of loyal readers, I got to meet some of you prospective students at Scholar’s Day Saturday, and I will be writing a blog in the next couple of days addressing your questions, concerns, and about how much fun it was to meet y’all. Now, my study break is over, back to the world of sports psychology. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            One of my biggest worries coming to school was the big scary “typical” college tests that I heard about in high school. You know, the ones where it seems like everyone failed and the professor had no heart, and therefore, no curve. While that is a bit of an exaggeration, I was concerned what the tests would be like.

             I got thinking about my “pre-college” fears this week because of the Organic Chemistry test I had today. The first semester of freshman year, I often fretted, got nervous, and seriously worried about almost every test that I took. I would doubt my abilities in the days leading up to it, worry about if I did bad, and had all kinds of negative thoughts. Well, this semester, I seem to have gotten a better attitude about test taking. For example, we had a very difficult test today, and while I was concerned and did study quite a bit for it, my performance on it was not going to be the end all of life, at least in my eyes.

            Basically, this semester (so far at least), I have learned to approach tests more objectively. I know that I have to take them, so there is no point in worrying because I can just take that energy I would spend fretting, and use it to focus and study more. In the end, I stress less, and I have performed even better on my tests. Really, the most anxiety I feel is right before the test is handed out because I just want to take it and be done. It sounds weird, but I actually relax more once the teacher hands out the test and I can “work my magic” on it.

            So, what is my advice to you as incoming freshman about taking tests? No matter where you decide to go to school, the idea is the same. Make sure you prepare early because if you have questions, you can clarify them easier a couple of days before the exam rather than scrambling to try and email your professor the night before. In the end, waiting too long will make you stress more.

            As far as mental preparation, I know that most of you are super bright and smart, and are used to dominating your high school tests. I know because I was in a similar situation where I had had success throughout high school (although I didn’t quite “dominate” them all, as I am sure you all do). I wasn’t used to not knowing everything on an exam. Well, Cory has had an epiphany: I don’t know everything! What I’m saying is that no matter how hard I prepare, there will be something on the test I don’t know, and that is normal. We are human, and even the professors don’t know everything. So, while it is nice to strive for perfection, do not let not knowing everything and not getting every question right get you down.

            That is my advice/epiphany/insight into the realm of college tests. All you can do is prepare yourself that best you can, and usually the rest will take care of itself. That’s all for now everybody. Take Care!

PS If you are going to be at Scholar’s Day this Saturday, stop on by my table and say hey. I would love to get some face to face feedback from you!

Posted by Cory at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

            My favorite kind of pie is apple I think. Yep, Dutch apple pie with a little vanilla ice cream suits me just fine. I got served some pie last night, but it wasn’t for dessert. It was in my shag class, and it was a heaping slice of “humble” pie.

            You see, I have been doing pretty well in that class. The steps and turns have come fairly easy to me. Although I have been challenged in learning them, it has still been a lot of fun. However, last night, we were working on our “pivot”, and I just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. I did just fine in knowing the rhythm and how to turn on my own, but when I got with a partner, I just wasn’t smooth, as the teacher says.

            My problem seems to come when I am supposed to be spinning on my left foot. Even though I do spin, apparently I bob up and down, kind of like a pogo stick. The basic problem is that it just doesn’t look good, or at least good enough for our teacher.

            I think the worst part of it was she would walk by, and I would try it, and I still was not getting the hang of it. She watched me quite a few times and couldn’t quite put her finger on what my problem was. So, the whole time, my poor partner had to stand there and listen to the teacher and I try and figure out my problem. She was really nice about it, but it was still mighty frustrating.

            I left class feeling a little dejected, because even though I legitimately had tried my hardest to learn the new move, I was still not getting it. My reign of dominance over beginning shag has fallen, and now I have to practice practice practice to get back up with the rest of the class.

            That, my loyal readers, was my serving of humble pie last night. I have to say that it was kind of bitter, and definitely overcooked. I am off now to practice my pivot, and hopefully next week I can proudly write that I am back on my shag game! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Did you ever have to run the mile for PE class in high school? You know, four times around the track, record your time, and go play some dodgeball. Fun stuff. Well, if this school year can be thought of as a “mile run”, I am getting onto that last lap.

            Today was the first day of class after spring break, and, in seven “short” weeks, summer will be here. This morning, the alarm went off at 7 AM sharp, and I was up and out of bed, raring to go! Well, I don’t know if the exclamation point was necessary, or accurate for that matter. I wasn’t exactly bounding out of bed. Still though, for all of the whining that I heard from people in class today (for example “I wish it was still spring break” and “If I close my eyes, its still feels like I am at the beach”) the truth remains that the last leg of the semester will go by and in a flash and class will be done for the year.

            So, it looks like I am just going to have to suck it up, grin and bear it, and just finish strong. No use in getting lazy now, I have worked pretty hard the first half of the semester to put myself in a good position to keep the grades up.

            This little self inspirational moment has reminded to let you all know something: don’t let “senioritis” get to you! I know that while I am close to finishing the school year, you all are almost done with high school! After four years, you have gotten this close to finishing, so try not to get soft. Keep going to class, work hard, and stay out of trouble. Try to set the tone now for how you will start next year. Besides, it would be a shame for you to get this close to graduation only to mess up with just a little time left.

            So, I am off of my little soapbox for the day. Take care, work hard, and if you take care of your business as I plan to in the classroom, I can count on seeing you next year!

Posted by Cory at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            I think my week down here in Hilton Head has made me spoiled. I have had a chance to rest, eat great, and, most importantly, gone out in the sunny, warm weather to the beach. Well, today, the forecasters are calling for rain, and it is cloudy out. So, it looks like no beach for me. The worst part is that even though it is pretty cloudy, every now and then the sun peaks through, as if to tease me. I get my hopes up, and then wait a few minutes, and the clouds come back and hide the sun’s warmth and rays.

            At least I made it out to the beach three times this week, which is still pretty good. The water was still too cold to go in, at least for me. All week I have seen people dancing around in the waves, and they must be crazy…and most likely tourists. Tourists must feel like since they came a long way for vacation they not only need to go to the beach, but go in, even if the water is still 55 degrees.

            I know how cold it is from experience because last spring break Nick (my roomie) and I went in, much at the urging of Nick’s girlfriend Melisa. Well, she got Nick to go, and he wasn’t going to go it alone. Long story short, I think we were both shivering the rest of spring break.

            This year, there were no shenanigans in the ocean, just some running, reading, and soaking up some rays. Some rays is the key. I made sure to double down on the sunscreen since I have a tendency to burn pretty easily.

            I did see something interesting yesterday though: I was running up the beach when I looked out to the shoreline and noticed a guy dancing, just him and his headphones. He was doing a pretty good robot up and down the beach. I have to admire him though, not only did he have some sweet moves, but he also didn’t even care about all the people staring at him!

            So, like I said at the start of this blog, while I did have some good times at the beach this break, there will be none today. Not to worry though! I will be watching basketball until my eyes fall out! Take care everybody, and I will be posting again when I get back to the “real world” of school.

Posted by Cory at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            I love Cinderella, and while the Disney movie is great, I am talking about Cinderella’s, as in low seeded teams that go deep in the NCAA basketball tournament. That’s right folks, it’s time for March Madness! Personally, I am ecstatic that this time of the year has come. I have always loved filling out my brackets and testing my knowledge of college basketball against my friends, family, and basically anyone who will fill out a bracket.

            Unfortunately, this year, the Gamecocks are not in the “Big Dance” nor are they in the NIT to defend their back to back NIT championships. The streak will end at two, which is still quite impressive. Now, while USC won’t be competing for the NCAA or NIT championship this doesn’t mean I don’t have a favorite going into the “madness.” Growing up back home in Tucson, Arizona basketball is like what football is here at school. Basically, it was big time, and the town would shut down when they had a game in the Big Dance. This year is no different. They are in the tournament yet again, but the expectations aren’t quite so high. It’s still alright with me; I will still have a team to root for.

            Even if I didn’t have a team to root for, I always enjoy watching underdogs beat the higher seeds. It makes for a fun and interesting story, not to some mention for some exciting games. Unfortunately, the “glass slipper” typically falls off and the higher seed usually wins. While this is the case, I can always root for some games that go down to the wire. Even if a team I am pulling for is winning by a ton of points, I almost wish that I could see a close game with a buzzer beater rather than a blowout. Either way, the tournament always is entertaining, and I am just lucky that it falls during spring break this year, so I won’t have to miss a moment of the first round action!

            Hopefully, next year the Gamecocks will be making an appearance, and will wear the glass slipper of the “Cinderella” and ride it all the way to the final four. That is all I have for now, I am off to watch some basketball and enjoy the last few days of spring break!

Posted by Cory at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            With the season changing, and spring making itself more present every day, there is something that you should all be aware of, should you decide to come to school here of course. It is something that I was used to, and if you are from the area, or any other moderately warm climate, you shouldn’t have a big problem adjusting. Although I was used to it, it is still something I must deal with.

            What is this that Cory has babbled about for a paragraph already? I am talking about the difference between the night and day temperatures. Now, I know you are thinking that a simple thing like night and day temperatures isn’t a big deal. However, these days, the highs are getting into the middle 60’s to mid 70’s range (as all of you up North in the frigid freezing temperatures shake a frozen fist at me). However, night can still be quite chilly. In fact, this week, it has gotten downright cold.

            Monday and Tuesday, the lows got into the low 30’s. So, for each of my 8 AM classes, I had to bundle up and tough it out. The thing is, by the time I got out at 9-ish, it was already almost 60. So, the bulky sweatpants and hoodie were making me sweat! I just couldn’t win. I could freeze on the way to class, or fry on the way from class.

            My solution: layering. Simple? Yes. Effective? Yes. I still see some people, after experiencing the mild temperatures from the previous day, try to walk to class the next morning in sandals, t-shirts and shorts, only to shiver all the way there. Yet, others seem to think that we are in a cold snap, and are bundled up in the sunshine of midday. They haven’t gotten the concept of layering.

            Aside from the layering, it is always important to check the weather, as it seems to change here on a dime. One day could be sunny and 80 and the next could be 45 and pouring buckets. My advice is to be prepared, and wait a little extra time to put away those winter clothes, just in case we get a freak cold snap. It happened to me last year after spring break, and I was caught out in the cold, literally.

            So, I hope this blog has been of some help for you. Now, I am off to a few more classes, and then spring break. I will try to write a couple of times, just to keep y’all on updated on what’s going on. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Last night, Carolina Productions put on an event that hit home with a lot of us who have grown up watching Fox cartoons on Sunday nights. That is to say they had Mike Henry, a writer and producer of the hit television show Family Guy. Since I am a fan, I decided to truck it on over to the Russell House Ballroom to see what one of the masterminds behind the hilarious comedy was all about.

            He was introduced by first showing a video of some of the characters whose voices he does. In case you are familiar with the show, he is most known for his voice of “Cleveland” and “Herbert.” When he came out, he gave the standing room only crowd a few of the voices we love to warm us up. Then he went on to explain as well as show a video of the process of coming up with and producing an episode of Family Guy. I did not know this, but it takes up to ten months to produce just one half hour show! I knew that producing a show took a lot of work, but the amount of revisions and rewrites they have to do; in addition to syncing with the animation was pretty incredible stuff. He even gave us some sneak peaks at some surprises for next season!

            Now, aside from the typical explanation of the show, Mike gave us his life story of how far he has come from working at the Gap in Hollywood to pay his bills as a struggling stand up comedian, to his now successful life as a hit TV show producer, and how he wishes to eventually get into movie directing, as that is his true passion. What was really cool was how he had worked in an advertising firm, but hated it so much that he quit to move to California to pursue his dreams. This was the basic lesson he left us with: to go after what you truly want to do. Although it is a fairly simple and common message, it is always useful to reinforce it when you see someone who truly follows that belief in their life.

            He ended with a question and answer session, along with a “Go Gamecocks” in each of his signature voices. Along the way, he kept us all laughing with his stories from inside the writers and, of course, his hilarious voices.

            This event is just a scratch on the surface of what Carolina Productions does, as they get great entertainment all school year long. For example, every Thursday through Sunday they have a double feature movie in the Russell House Theater in addition to the events they put on throughout the week. About once or twice a month you can expect a “big name” event as well. In any case, they do keep a high level of entertainment on campus… just in case you were wondering. That’s all I got for now folks. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            “Blatt PE Center, 2 PM, you bring your crew, I’ll bring mine.” These were the “friendly fighting words” from Mike, a guy in my Organic Chemistry lab. He and I both have had some classes together since we are both pharmacy majors, and we both play on separate intramural basketball teams. So, it was set up, Brad, Nick, Sean and I met his team at Blatt today for a tune up for tomorrow’s intramural game.

            Now, this game didn’t count for anything in the standings, but there was something much more important than that on the line: pride. I think that playing for pride actually elevated my game a bit today too. We started off slow, and were down 6-1 (playing by ones and twos), but came roaring back and won the game 30 to 19. We then played another team in a game to fifteen and beat them. Then, Mike’s team was back on the floor, and we dispatched them 15-13. Finally, in our fourth game, we hung on to win 15-12.

            Four games. One day. As I sit here, I am quite exhausted indeed, but it is a good feeling. As a team, today was good for us because we played great together. I was passing the ball, Nick had some great dunks and blocked shots (it helps that he is 6 feet 7 inches of fury), and Sean and Brad were nearly unconscious, making almost every shot that they took. If this is any indication of how we will play tomorrow, I would say we don’t have much to worry about!

            Another great thing about today was that we played in the Blatt PE Center, which is a favorite of mine. The Strom gets all the attention because it is newer and “nicer”, but the Blatt still has a huge weight room, and a bunch of basketball and racquetball courts that are less crowded than the Strom’s. While you can reserve a racquetball court at Strom to beat the crowds, you have to play onto a basketball court, but like today at Blatt, there was no one there but us, so we had our free reign of the court. But if we had to play our way onto the court, it wouldn’t have been a problem the way we played today anyways!

            I guess what I trying to say is that here at USC you have a multitude of options as far as athletic facilities, and I am very happy that I “discovered” Blatt. Unlike most students, I work out there more than at Strom, and I enjoy the freedom and fewer crowds. So, keep in mind that you have fitness options when you are making your mind up to come here, or when you do decide to come here. Also, beware me and the boys of the AC/GC intramural basketball team, because you just might get your pride hurt!

            “Blatt PE Center, 2 PM, you bring your crew, I’ll bring mine.” These were the “friendly fighting words” from Mike, a guy in my Organic Chemistry lab. He and I both have had some classes together since we are both pharmacy majors, and we both play on separate intramural basketball teams. So, it was set up, Brad, Nick, Sean and I met his team at Blatt today for a tune up for tomorrow’s intramural game.

            Now, this game didn’t count for anything in the standings, but there was something much more important than that on the line: pride. I think that playing for pride actually elevated my game a bit today too. We started off slow, and were down 6-1 (playing by ones and twos), but came roaring back and won the game 30 to 19. We then played another team in a game to fifteen and beat them. Then, Mike’s team was back on the floor, and we dispatched them 15-13. Finally, in our fourth game, we hung on to win 15-12.

            Four games. One day. As I sit here, I am quite exhausted indeed, but it is a good feeling. As a team, today was good for us because we played great together. I was passing the ball, Nick had some great dunks and blocked shots (it helps that he is 6 feet 7 inches of fury), and Sean and Brad were nearly unconscious, making almost every shot that they took. If this is any indication of how we will play tomorrow, I would say we don’t have much to worry about!

            Another great thing about today was that we played in the Blatt PE Center, which is a favorite of mine. The Strom gets all the attention because it is newer and “nicer”, but the Blatt still has a huge weight room, and a bunch of basketball and racquetball courts that are less crowded than the Strom’s. While you can reserve a racquetball court at Strom to beat the crowds, you still have to play your way onto a basketball court, but like today at Blatt, there was no one there but us, so we had our free reign of the court. But if we had to play our way onto the court, it wouldn’t have been a problem the way we played today anyways!

            I guess what I trying to say is that here at USC you have a multitude of options as far as athletic facilities, and I am very happy that I “discovered” Blatt. Unlike most students, I work out there more than at Strom, and I enjoy the freedom and fewer crowds. So, keep in mind that you have fitness options when you are making your mind up to come here, or when you do decide to come here. Also, beware of me and the boys of the AC/GC intramural basketball team, because you just might get your pride hurt!

Posted by Cory at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Warning and Disclaimer: To those of you who are either “macho men” or females who think that dancing is for the weak and “uncool”, you may wish to turn away, or change web pages now:

            Last night, I went out shagging with my friends Jenna and Jessie. Now, I have been in my shag class here at USC for about two months now, and I really wanted to go out and try my moves. Luckily, last night was a bye week for the softball team, so it was out we went!

            The place to be if you want to shag on Thursday nights is Jillian’s. It is located in the Vista, and is about a five minute car ride away from campus. I went once last year, and even though I didn’t know how to shag at the time, I still had a blast. This year, things were different.

            What makes shag night so great is that although many USC students go to have fun, there are several “old timers” there who like to relive the glory days of their youth. Now, I thought that I was a pretty decent shagger, but when I got there and saw what those old men could do, I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated. There was an older gentleman there who had some great advice that eased my mind. He said that it doesn’t matter how good the other dancers are, the point of going and shagging is having a good time with the person you are dancing with. Those were some wise words, and with that, I was out on the dance floor!

            Impressed is a word that both Jessie and Jenna had to describe my shagging skills, and while it is fun to practice in class, it is even more fun to just get out there and let it flow with your friends. While I was not perfect, I sure acted like every turn and move I made was planned like I knew what I was doing. The thing with shagging is that as long as you make it look smooth and cool, it doesn’t matter exactly what you are doing. So, as the night went on, I kept trying some new things, and we all were having a good time.

            So fellas, and ladies for that matter, if you are coming from out of state, I have some advice for you: when you get here, find someone who knows how to shag, and learn from them, take the class if you can, and get out to Jillian’s or any other place that has shagging. Learning the “native dance” of South Carolina (shag is the official state dance) will definitely come in handy if you want to meet new people, or just have a good time. I had a blast last night, and here’s the thing guy: girls like the guys who can take the lead and dance well. That’s right, being able to dance is definitely cool!  I had waited all semester to finally go, and while I am still not a master of my shagging skills by any means, I still had a great time! That’s all I have for now. Take care, and remember practice up those moves, so you get on out to Thursday night shagging when you get here!

Posted by Cory at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

            Today in organic chemistry and physics, there seemed to be something that was missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Was the professor forgetting to tell us something? Did we miss an assignment? Then I looked around and saw what was missing: the students! See, we had a quiz in Organic Chemistry on Tuesday, so everyone knew they couldn’t miss it, but it seems the post quiz feeling was that we wouldn’t get one toady. Since the class starts at 8 AM sharp, folks just decided to catch some extra Z’s instead of learning about E-Z isomers.

            The same situation can be said for physics: since we had a test on Tuesday, people decided they needed a break today, and the class was conspicuously smaller in size. The row of people who normally sit behind me didn’t care to show up. I can’t say I was heartbroken; they usually just blab on and on all through class and make it hard to concentrate. Another factor may have been the rain too. I notice that classes seem to be a little less crowded on those rainy days.

            These two examples show something that really hits incoming freshman like yourselves: mom and dad and the teacher aren’t going to make you go to class. Only you can make yourself go to class. This can be difficult, especially when a lot of the larger lecture classes, like my science classes I had today, don’t take attendance. You could show up for the first day, the tests, and the final if you wanted to. Some people go that route, and they do pretty poorly. Basically, the lesson to take away is that it really is important to go to class. Personally, if I miss a class, I feel like totally on the outside of what is going on.

            However, let’s say you come down with pneumonia like I did last year, and are forced to miss class, most professors will understand. Your health is concern number one, and getting better is the most important thing. So, that is pretty much the only time you will have an excuse to miss class, barring some huge unforeseen family circumstance.

            Getting back to class though, if you do miss a day, make sure you have a friend, or anyone you know for that matter, who takes good, NEAT notes. I take great notes, but as many of my friends say, it looks like I scribble in Arabic half the time and I even have trouble deciphering what I write.

            So, long story short: go to class. It seems simple enough, but when you get other distractions, such as staying up late, going out, or if you had that intramural championship go until 11, just try and tough it out, especially if its pouring rain outside like it is today. You will be better off for it, and will probably get a better grade.

            As for me, I have my one 8:00 AM Friday class left tomorrow. I will definitely go to that, and then I can enjoy the weekend! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)