Cory's Blog

            Up at 6:30, to work by 8, and go hard until 6. Not exactly the easiest hours for a summer job, but someone has to help run orientation. That someone is me and 20 other of USC’s best and brightest who make up the Orientation Leader Team. Together we will be helping you have a happy, fun, and informative day at orientation this summer.

            As I have alluded to in a previous blog or two, we spent an hour and a half every Tuesday this past semester doing our spring training and getting the basics of the summer information down. However, this past Monday we moved into Capstone for the summer to start our “intensive training.” Now when I say intensive training, I really mean it, just look at the times I mentioned at the very beginning. We start early and go straight on through all day so that we can answer your questions, get you registered for class, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Are we exactly perfect yet? Not quite. Are we going to be absolutely perfect? Well, if it is up to our boss, yes, and I really think we should darn near it when y’all start coming this next Tuesday.

            Until then, we will definitely be continuing to work hard to get things down. One thing that needs mentioning is that if you have not yet registered for orientation, you need to get on the ball and do it! The later you wait, the fewer dates you can come with your specific major and the number of seats in classes fill up, so make sure to take care of that ASAP! If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. I mean, I am the expert and everything! Take care everybody!

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

            In case you missed it, I kinda, like baseball. Actually, what I was doing there was using “understatement”, just another tool in my writing bag of tricks. I, in fact, am a huge baseball fan. Anyways, I have not been to an Arizona Diamondbacks game since I initially left to head off to Carolina in 2005, and I always enjoyed visiting the ballpark and catching a game an hour and a half up the road in Phoenix. Here’s a quick fun piece of Cory trivia: I attended the first ever Diamondbacks game back in their first season in 1998.

            Well, the itch to see a game at Chase field came, and luckily my old buddy Andrew was up to go and catch a game. So, this past Monday, he and I loaded up his truck and headed North on I-10 to Phoenix. Of course, we had to stop and get a unique southwestern treat, that being “In and Out Burger.” Unless you have been to Arizona or California, you have probably never heard of this legendary fast food burger joint, but believe me, it was worth every bit of the two year wait since I last treated my palate to a “Double-Double” (that’s double meat and double cheese). Here’s a picture of me with my tray in eager anticipation. In and Out was so good in fact that Andrew and I stopped there on the way home too!

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/Cybershot%20017.jpg

            Delicious hamburgers and fries aside, we were up there to see some baseball! So, after our tasty pit stop, it was on the way to Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were taking on the Colorado Rockies, but it didn’t really matter who they were playing, I was just happy to be up there at the beautiful ballpark on a gorgeous evening. Here are a couple of shots of Chase Field. The first is the trademark pool, yes, that’s right, a pool inside a baseball stadium. I guess only in the desert!

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/Cybershot%20029.jpg

This next one is me at our seats in the left field bleachers with the rest of the stadium in the background.

http://uscbloggers.com/cory/Cybershot%20009.jpg

            It was such a nice night that they opened up the roof and we had a nice breeze keeping us cool the whole night. The game itself was pretty exciting, with the D-backs coming back to take the lead in the bottom of the eight and holding on for the win. Overall, it was just nice taking a real break for myself and getting the chance to hang out with one of my best friends back here at home.

            Just a quick note, with all this talk about seeing a baseball game, if you are wondering about catching a big league ballgame while you are on campus you are in luck. While we do have the Carolina baseball team in the spring, the Atlanta Braves are a three and a half hour drive from Columbia. I personally caught a game last August and it was not that bad a drive to and from campus. So keep that in mind if you are coming to USC and looking for a fun day trip on a Saturday or Sunday.  Anyways, that is all I have for y’all now folks, take care!

Posted by Cory at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quick question: when you were a kid, did you ever watch the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show? If you did, you probably got to see the cartoon with “Mr. Peabody” the dog and his friend “Sherman.” Together, they would travel back in time and visit some of the biggest historical events in the world’s history, often with hilarious results. To get back in time, they would travel in the WABAC (pronounced “wayback”) machine. Well, tonight, sitting in my old room, I took my own personal ride in the WABAC machine.

            I was sitting here watching Law and Order when I heard fireworks going off. These loud booms, along with making my dog go crazy, reminded me that it was my old high school’s graduation night because they end the outdoor graduation with fireworks. The fact that today was graduation really hit home because it took me back to two years ago getting ready for my graduation. For me, it was a hectic time because I was getting ready to fly out to South Carolina to spend the summer working and living with my aunt and uncle. I was trying to pack up to leave, finish my finals, and say goodbye to all of my friends!

            Looking back from where I am sitting right now, these two years have absolutely flown by, and it seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my cap and gown waiting to get my name called. Then, just 24 hours after tossing my cap into the air, I was in Hilton Head, South Carolina getting ready to start my “new life” waiting tables and getting ready for my freshman year at USC. I guess I am just living in the past, but tonight really took me back.

            Anyways, I would like to give you all some advice as graduating high schoolers getting ready to “take on the world.” If I were you, I would definitely enjoy the time you have left at home with your high school friends because you never know when you will get to see them again after you part ways. There are friends I had for years that I haven’t seen in two years because of our different schedules of when we are home. Also, enjoy the little things about home, be it your dog or your favorite meal your parents cook because I have really learned to appreciate those little things when I get a chance to visit home.

            That is all the advice I have for y’all. Remember to just have fun and please be safe in your last few days in high school. Now it is time for me to get out of the WABAC machine and zoom on forward to the present day. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Captain’s Log: Day 8. I have been home in Tucson for a full week now, and things are hot and desperately dry. Please send water and sunscreen…

            Sometimes it really feels like things couldn’t be any hotter and dryer, but in all seriousness, I actually like the heat and it has been great being home. The consensus I get from folks back in South Carolina is that since I am from Arizona, I have grown up with a simple “dry heat” meaning that it doesn’t feel as hot as the humid climate back at school. To this I say “false.” I have a rhetorical question for you: your oven is a “dry heat”, so when you cook with it, does it not feel very hot? Exactly. In my book, hot is hot, whether it is the hot and dry of Tucson, or the hot and humid of Columbia. Get this, I got to come back home on the first day that the temperature hit the century mark in Tucson this year. How about that? Lucky me!

            Aside from talking about the weather, what have I been up to you ask? Well, since getting back in town last Thursday night, I have attended out my old high school’s state championship winning softball game, played racquetball with my pops, went to our Triple A baseball team’s “Two Dollar Ticket Tuesday” game, enjoyed lunch with my Poppa, caught up with some old friends, and spent some quality time with my family (including my faithful sheltie Bruiser). Oh, on top of that, I have definitely been enjoying some home cookin’ and food from my favorite local eateries. As you can tell, this trip back home has been chocked full of activities, but it has to be as I only get two weeks before I head back to Columbia for orientation.

            While my trip home has been brimming with stuff to do, it has also been relaxing as well, which was definitely something I needed after another hectic semester of classes. I personally believe it is important to take some time off for yourself because the year can be a grind, and you need a chance for your body, and more importantly, your brain to take a breather. For me, it has been amazing having time to play some videogames, watch my favorite TV shows, hit golf balls,  and just do nothing without any worries about the next test or paper coming up. However, I think I am nearing the end of my “doing nothing” rope, and have had enough down time! Luckily for me, I will be back working at school in a week and half, and I will be plenty busy.

            For now, I think I am going to head out, but not before I drink about a gallon of water and layer on the sunscreen. One must stay hydrated in the dry desert heat! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            You guys and gals still in high school have something that those of us in college seemed to have forgotten about. Can you guess what it is? I’ll just go ahead and tell you because I don’t have all day! I am talking about yearbooks! I can still remember senior year getting all the big signatures and messages to last a lifetime! Alright, I must admit,  it wasn’t that important, but it sure was fun. So enjoy it while you still have the chance!

            What is my point about all this yearbook nonsense? Well, I honestly just wanted a chance to use the term “H.A.G.S.”, short for Have A Good Summer. It was a classic way to tell your friends you cared in their yearbook while keeping the signage time to a minimum. I honestly want to just take this opportunity to tell all of y’all to have a good summer!

            It is your last summer before college starts, so have some fun; maybe get a job to gain some valuable experience not to mention spending cash! Most importantly, enjoy yourself because I can honestly say the summer before freshman year was so exciting because of the nervousness/excitement/unexpectedness of what college was to bring to me.

            Whatever your summer plans consist of, enjoy yourself. Now, in case you were wondering, here are my summer plans:

            First, I am going to spend the first two weeks back at my home in Tucson where I will be sending you guys updates and hopefully putting up some pictures of the desert landscape and some of my local favorite places to eat and hang out, just to give you another little window on the world.

            Following my sojourn in the desert, I will actually be returning to campus (luckily not to take classes!)  to work as an Orientation Team Leader. I did it last summer, and it was a blast, and I am hoping for M.O.T.S. (Short for “more of the same”, I am kind of on an abbreviation kick in case you couldn’t tell). How will it be just as awesome? By getting to meet all of you fabulous incoming freshman.. So when you come on down for orientation, come say hey to me, I definitely would like to meet y’all!

            Following my work at orientation, I shall be taking some “Cory Time” as I spend two weeks on a vacation as a gift to myself for getting into pharmacy school. I will spend a week in upstate New York with my father’s family enjoying a family graduation party for my cousin, the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, and of course, Grandma’s cooking! After my time in the upstate, I am heading to Chi-Town, aka Chicago. I plan on meeting up with my parents there and catching all of the glory of the Second City, but most importantly FINALLY GETTING TO SEE A CUBS GAME AT WRIGELY FIELD! In case you couldn’t tell, I am pretty excited about this.

            Finally, when I return from all of that vacation fun, I will have about three weeks before I move in. This time is a wild card, and I am not sure what I will end up doing, but either way I will be spending my time in Hilton Head with my Aunt and Uncle preparing myself for my first year of pharmacy school!

            So, that’s the plan as it stands now folks. Let me know about your summer plans if you are so inclined to, and like I said, say hey at orientation, it will make my day to meet a real life reader (that is not my Mom) who can critique my work! Take care everybody, and…

                                                H.A.G.S.!

Posted by Cory at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            For the last two years I have spent what seems like an eternity in one classroom. I speak of the large lecture hall in the Jones Physical Science Building room #210, or PSC 210 for short. I remember the first class I had was my second semester of freshman year chemistry 112 class. This year I had the privilege of having both my Organic Chemistry Physics classes there as well. We are talking almost five hours a week spent in one class. Luckily I didn’t sit in the same seat in each class, that would have been boring or something!

            PSC 210 is where the majority of introductory level sciences classes are taught. Everything from Biology 101, to Physics 201, even Geology 101 had a class in there. Basically, if you plan on being a “sciencey major” expect to spend some time in the big 300 person lecture hall. Even if your major has nothing to do with science, if you end up taking a science related class, you could spend some significant time in PSC 210.

            I know what you are thinking: “Cory, 300 PEOPLE!? That’s a lot! Won’t I get lost in a class that big/” Have no fear, most big introductory lecture classes, even those not held in PSC 210, are typically broken up into smaller sections with Teaching Assistants who hold recitations to go over complicated material. Also, what is nice a bout PSC 210 is that the teacher has a microphone, a giant overhead projector, and about 8 whiteboards that rotate up and down on the walls. Plus, while it technically holds 300 people, rarely will it be full up with students as some choose to “take the day” from classes occasionally.

            However, since I have spent the last three semesters in this one room, I was ready to leave. I had my organic chemistry final in there Tuesday, got up, and bid the room adieu! It is time for nothing but pharmacy school classrooms for the next four years! Hopefully I will grow fond of those walls! Take care y’all!

Posted by Cory at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Let me to begin this one by apologizing for this long absence in my activity. As you can imagine, it has been quite the busy week for me. This past Monday and Tuesday were my two most difficult finals: anatomy and organic chemistry. So I have been pretty much g getting ready for those, but I also had to say adios to my friends who I won’t be seeing until August! Oh, and by the way, I have had to pack and clean up the Woodrow Apartment to be ready to leave. Add all of that up and you don’t get a lot of fun blogging time. So, I will have posted three to kind of catch you up from three different perspectives. Hopefully you have some time to read up on them and see what your buddy Cory has been up to!

            As the title alludes to, this post is about my last day of packing and getting ready to leave. A common problem, especially for out of state students, is what to do with all of that stuff you have accumulated over the year, because trust me, it wont fit in whatever you brought it in, be one car or two. The choice for many, including myself last year, was to use a storage facility to keep my stuff in. However, this year, Brad got a house, and he let me keep my possessions there for the summer.

            Since he let me keep my stuff there, I gradually packed items and sent them over to his place all last week. Unfortunately, only so much could be done until we were totally finished with our finals. So, as soon as we finished our Organic Final Tuesday, it was first off the Russell House for some celebratory Red Velvet cake, and then it was packing time!

            I spent about an hour packing all of the things I am leaving here in Columbia over the summer and we filled his and my car up to the brim, which really isn’t saying much about mine since I drive a tiny little Pontiac Sunfire. The worst part was toting all the boxes, bags, and oddly shaped items down three flights of stairs. Luckily, we were able to handle the task, and we took our little two car convoy over to his place.

            Unloading was definitely easier since Brad’s house is only one story, and we had the job done in no time! I was done with my packing up! A couple words of wisdom: First, check out these vacuum sealing bags that you can pick up from Bed Bath and Beyond, they save a ton of space by sucking all the extra air out of your clothes and sealing them safe until the fall. My other tip is just to start organizing early and doing a little every day. It makes life much easier than putting it all off until the end.

            We spent the rest of the day cleaning the joint up and just taking in our last night in Columbia with Nick, Melisa, Sarah, and Kathyrn with Arrested Development on DVD.

            That is all of my packing tales, but I have a couple more posts for y’all to check out too. Take care and happy reading!

Posted by Cory at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Here I sit on the second night of finals having been studying since last Saturday. I have seen my friends take two and even three finals over the last couple of days. Some of them have completely finished. I am sure you are hurting to know what finals I have taken so far. Here is the answer: none. Zero. Zip. That is correct; I am playing the finals waiting game. I do not have to take one until Saturday.

            As weird as it sounds, I wish I had them earlier. Although I wouldn’t have as much time to get ready for them, I would be able to just get them over and done with. While it is a luxury having more time to prepare, I also have more time to think and worry about them as well. I think the hardest part is watching my friends take their finals and show their excitement over summertime while I am stuck studying away.

            All is not lost though! I have had plenty of time to get to the gym and get my heart pumping for a day of hitting the books everyday this week. On Tuesday, which was “reading day”, the whole crew went out to Monterey’s Mexican Restaurant for Nick’s birthday lunch. It was a welcome distraction from the monotony of studying. By the way, for those of you wondering what “reading day” actually is: it is a day with no classes meant to allow us students to get a chance to study before finals start the next day.

            Anyways, aside from the gym and reading day birthday lunch, as I said before, I have worked in healthy a mixture of studying in my room, studying in the packed library, and my personal favorite: studying in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore Café.  Variety is the spice of life? Well, it is not exactly the most exciting existence, but it passes the time until I can finally take these finals and get on with summer break.

            I am sorry if this blog seems a little all over the place, but I guess all this growing knowledge in my head has taken its toll on my writing skills, but I will be back and stronger than ever in a few days, so have no fear! Until then, I’ll just play the waiting and studying game. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)