Cory's Blog

in case you were wondering, today is Wednesday. Sounds really simple right? Well, in some circles Wednesday is known as “hump day” or “the middle of the week” or, if you remember a classic blog from last year, it can also be known as “Banana Pudding Wednesday.” However, for the past three years during a glorious 4 to 6 months of the year, Wednesday has also been known to me and some friends as “holy cow did you see what happened on ‘Nip/Tuck’ last night!?” day.

lengthy name indeed, but true nonetheless. Before I came here as a freshman, I had gotten heavily involved in watching the controversial Tuesday night drama about two plastic surgeons. As luck would have it, Brad, who lived on my floor, also enjoyed Nip/Tuck. So, ever since freshman year it has been a Tuesday night tradition to sit down on and watch some “Nip/Tuck”.

year, it was exceptionally easy to catch every Tuesday night episode since we lived together along with my fellow pharmacy school companion Nick. However, this year, Brad moved off campus, and so watching every episode was a little more complicated. Oftentimes one of us was too busy to make the drive to each other’s respective place of residence. So, this year more than the last two Wednesday was all about debriefing the previous night’s episode.

, last week was the final episode of the season, and in true Nip/Tuck form, they left us with a “doosy” of a cliffhanger to keep us coming back for the next season. Not that they needed something like that to keep our attention, but it makes me pine for next year’s season that much more.

then, I guess I am just going to have to find something to do with my Tuesday nights and Wednesdays until next year’s season. Frankly, I am at a bit of a loss for what to do, but hopefully I can find something productive to occupy my time. Perhaps you have some suggestions? Anyways, take care!

Posted by Cory at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New England Patriots couldn’t do it. The Memphis men’s basketball team couldn’t do it. And, as of Sunday evening, the AC/GC intramural men’s basketball team couldn’t do it either. What is it none of these vaunted sports teams could do? Go undefeated on the season. Sure, the Patriots lost in the last game, and Memphis won a ton of games before going down to Tennessee last week, but even after two wins to start the season, hopes were high in the AC/GC camp that we could run the table.

hardest part about losing on Sunday was that it was to the historically most impossible team to beat made up of the intramural student supervisors. We have yet to beat them in basketball, and the string of losses continued for a third year now(although Somebody’s co-ed softball team was able to pull the feat off this year). Many on our team and in our fan base would argue that they only won because they got all the calls because of their positions within the intramural department. While the large number of fouls called against us didn’t help, losing our three point shooting touch and focus on offense didn’t help our cause either.

, since I am now on the “inside” of the intramural sports world now as an umpire, I realize that calling games a certain way does not really happen. In fact, I have had to umpire two games for the pharmacy fraternity, and believe me, after a few calls, I didn’t want to have to face them in the halls the next day.

, the point of all of this is that many on our team got so caught up with the fouls called and supposed “unfair play” that they lost site of what made us a good team. You cannot control how the refs call the game, but only how you yourself play. If we had done less complaining and more rebounding maybe we could have won. Instead, we were left with a one in the “loss” column, and a bitter feeling towards the other team (myself NOT included).

principle of controlling only what you can runs over into other areas of college life. I cannot control what a professor puts on his test, or how hard he makes it, but only how I prepare. So many people (and I mean a TON) get so caught up worrying about how a test will be, how hard it will be, and how much they “hate” the professor that they lose sight that they need to study. In the scheme of things, if a PhD in Biochemistry wanted to make a test none of us could pass, he could without a problem, but odds are he or she won’t, and all you can hope to do is get ready the best that you can.

, at least in my book, there were no excuses for losing other than us not playing well. Enough said. End o’ story. The same goes for all those tests. Ya, they are going to be hard, and studying for them can be no fun, but no use in worrying about something I have no control. I can control how I prepare myself. Until I write again, remember, “control the controllables” and lay off those referees and umpires. We’re doing the best we can! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you all can think back to last fall, you may remember I had a post called “Roasted”. It was about the fall social oyster roast between the campus in Columbia and Charleston that was held in Folley Beach down in Charleston. We had a nice tour of the campus, a delicious spread, and, my personal favorite, karaoke. Well, this Saturday, it was Charleston’s turn to come on OUR turf up in Columbia and see what life was like sitting in our seats and what we do for fun in OUR city.

The day began at around 1 in the afternoon with a relaxing lunch in our student study lounge in Coker Life Sciences. We then got a presentation about financial planning and building a resume. Both were very informative, and the financial planning one really caught our attention. Not to mention it got me thinking about retirement already. I mean, retirement? I haven’t even graduated yet and now I should be adding retirement to my list of things on my mind.

While the lunch and presentations were nice, the real fun began when we migrated over the Jillian’s in the Vista for the “social” part of the day, themed (to my enjoyment) “Spring Training: Play Ball!” The social was great because it got people from both campuses up and moving around and meeting one another. You notice I said “people,” not just “students.” You see, the social was not only for students but several faculty members made the trip up from Charleston and from here in Columbia as well. I must admit I was just a little surprised to see our Med Chem teacher rubbing elbows with us students (especially the day after our grades came out from our first test!).

The evening really got going when the trivia started. Everyone got into teams of 5 or 6, with the top three finishers getting some pretty nifty prizes. Everything from politics to movies was questioned of us, and while my particular team did not land in the top three at the end of the game, the evening of quizzing was still something I would like to get out and do again sometime soon!

With trivia behind us, it was time for the fan favorite of karaoke! Now, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the spotlight just a little bit, and so when nobody was brave enough to sing the first song, I got up on stage and stayed true to my Blues Brothers roots. It was no “Soul Man” this time, but a little “Everybody Needs Somebody.” The crowd response was through the roof. They were even throwing plush baseballs at me because they liked me so much! (At least that is what I have kept telling myself). Several other brave souls got up there and showed off their pipes before the night was done as well. I don’t know if they lived up to the standard I had set, but overall it was quite a sight and sound!

So, Charleston came, they ate, mingled, and even sang a little bit. I hope they had a good time as well. I know I certainly did. In fact, I can’t wait until our next social in the fall when we get to meet back up with our pharmacy peers to the South on I-26. Until then, I think I need to start working on my random trivia knowledge and singing voice! Take Care!

Posted by Cory at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Typically if you get a large group of 20-something college students together in a sports bar type restaurant, things have a way of getting a little out of control, dare I say wild. However, when you get a large group of 20-something pharmacy students together at say, Wild Wing Café, a sports bar that literally has the word “wild” in it, just a few hours removed from a Medicinal Chemistry test, things have a way of getting pretty, well, mild. I am not saying that pharmacy students are not a fun group of people, that couldn’t be further from the truth. However, a couple stress filled nights with minimal sleep has a way of putting a damper on any energy that could contribute to wild times. So, while it was at our first P-1 student outing of the semester, most of us in attendance kept it pretty tame as we enjoyed some time off over some delicious chicken wings. The class officers, myself included, picked that date (this Monday) specifically because we felt folks would be ready to get out and celebrate the end of our first Med Chem test being over. For the most part, there was a good deal of enthusiasm despite the low energy level, but illness and other commitments kept our total number to 21. Not a great turnout, but small enough to keep in close company and blow off some steam. One thing that these outings are designed to do is specially give us a chance to bond outside the classroom, and away from the rigors of all the work it entails. Getting to know some of our peers in a more relaxed setting keeps us all closer as a class, and maybe allows some people to mingle with others they may not normally have. Despite the low energy level emanating from the table, the hunger level was high, and Chad and I were especially glad when the 25-wing sampler we ordered got to the table. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, and we are already looking forward to our next P-1 outing. Now, I Just want to make it clear don’t let the title of this blog put a bad light on us pharmacy students. Just because we were tired and didn’t have a ton of energy THAT night doesn’t mean we don’t know how to have fun. In fact, we have already heard some suggestions for bowling, and if that sentiment continues, we may just have to go that way next time. Luckily, we don’t have to wait until our next P-1 gathering for fun outside the class. This Saturday, the Charleston campus comes up to visit us here in Columbia. Stay tuned for that folks! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After a grueling weekend of studying for the Medicinal Chemistry test I had yesterday, my body and brain needed a break. First, of course, I wanted to blow off some stress and get some exercise at the gym. Once that was over all I wanted was to take a nap. So, after a relaxing hot shower, I was ready for a mid-afternoon snooze. With some relaxing music on, the blinds shut, and the backs of my eyelids at the ready to be studied, I prepared to rest. Almost as instantaneously as my eyes were shut, I was brought back to consciousness thanks to the beeping of my phone! It was a text message from Chad saying that he and Ryan, another pharmacy school friend of ours, were heading out to play some catch down at the softball field. Did I want to come? What was I to do? I could ignore it and go right back to sleep on what was turning out to be a lovely Monday afternoon, or I could get my lazy butt out of bed and go toss the softball with my friends and soak in some sunshine. The choice, although my tired eyes regretted it, was to go toss the “pill” around (pill is a nickname for a softball, appropriate for three pharmacy students). The afternoon turned out to be perfect, with the only drawback being that the field was a little moist from the previous night and morning’s rain. That standing water couldn’t “dampen” our spirits though, as we proceeded to spend more than an hour outside talking about everything BUT pharmacy for a nice change of pace. You noticed how I said the afternoon turned out to be perfect? Well, it was for Chad and myself. It was not quite so good for Ryan who accidentally locked his keys in his car. Lucky for him, Chad brought an extra glove, and so we all just played catch while we waited for the person to come unlock Ryan’s car. Either way, it still turned out to be a fun afternoon, and all because I decided to get up instead of grabbing a few extra minutes of sleep on a perfect day. This just goes to show how much a simple decision can improve your day, your mood, and even your whole outlook. If you make just one choice to maybe go to a new club, or head out to the horseshoe instead of sleeping the day away, you could meet someone new, make a connection to a job, or just find a new hobby that you never would have. The possibilities are literally infinite. Personally, while I potentially may have only missed one afternoon of playing catch, it is a rare occasion that we can just enjoy a day off with our rigorous curriculum, and so to enjoy it is was very important. Plus, now I can make fun of Ryan until we graduate about locking his keys in his car. Until next time, get up and get out and take care!

Posted by Cory at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So maybe I spoke, er, wrote too soon. Maybe I rushed to judgment. And maybe, just maybe, I, Cory, was wrong. So anyways kiddos, awhile ago, I wrote a little blog called “So You Want to Be a Pharmacist” and in it I mentioned something along the lines having to enjoy your high school chemistry class to be a pharmacy major, or something to that affect. I received a concerned email from Brooke who said that her chemistry class experience wasn’t the best, but was it ok if she still wanted to be a pharmacist? My answer, in short, was of course it is ok. Allow me to explain.

Right now I am taking a break from studying for my Medicinal Chemistry exam tomorrow. “Medchem” as it is often referred to is traditionally one of the hardest first year classes. I have been studying since my last test ended Wednesday. Studying Wednesday night, Thursday (yes Valentines Day) night, Friday and Saturday. Anyways, you get the idea. Most of our class has been doing likewise, and I can assure you that nobody seems to “enjoy” chemistry right now.

This fact made me realize that what I said about “enjoying” chemistry is all relative. While you don’t have to be a chemistry, a biology, or even a science nerd, you do have to be willing to put in the time, effort, and at least be able to “tolerate” chemistry and your other sciences. So, if you have a bad experience in a certain class, by all means do not let it deter you if your dream is to be a pharmacist.

As I was saying, I enjoy chemistry, on some level at least. I certainly do not enjoy it a ton when I have to spend all of my time learning the intricacies of acid/base reactions and how it affects drug absorption, but I can definitely tolerate it, and the reward at the end of it all is on my mind during those long days and late nights studying.

So, if you are not the best chemist in the world, or if biology is not your strongest subject, do not fret it. If pharmacy, or anything else is what you want to do, then go for it! We will all have bad experiences in classes along the way, at least I know I certainly have, but being able to persevere and get through it makes you a stronger student, person, and it makes that reward at the end all the more sweet. I hope this has helped some of you wary folks out there, and in the future, I will try and “think before I type.” Take care!

Posted by Cory at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All of my life I was on the other end of the spectrum. I was the one shaking my head in disgust. The one rolling my eyes with contempt. The one who would ask, “Where did that miss?” just to be smart. I speak, of course, of my prior life playing baseball in high school, specifically my interactions as a pitcher with the home plate umpire. Those umpires weren’t always kind to me, and in return, I may have been a little harsh back at them. The thing is, I never really realized how hard calling balls and strikes really is. That was, until last Friday, when the shoe was on the other foot. The reason? I started working for intramural sports as an umpire for slow-pitch softball. I figured that since I have played for nearly three years now, umpiring wouldn’t be too difficult to pick up. Plus I was looking for a little part time job. However, it has proven to be challenging, even for a crafty veteran of the softball scene like myself. Lucky for me, in my first game Friday and two more last night, the job has gone pretty smoothly. I haven’t had any major complaints, the games have gone well, and I have had some fun with the players. The hardest part has been calling balls and strikes. I personally like having a big strike zone and making the hitters swing a little bit, but I am still wary of exactly how big it should be. Also, you would think judging those big, slow, floating pitches would be easy. On the contrary, I find myself straining to judge the trajectory and where it lands. I do feel that despite still learning how to umpire, I am slowly improving game by game. Now, this wouldn’t be a “Cory-esque” blog if I didn’t make it relatable to you. You see, a lot of you coming here will be seeking employment to pad your wallet with some extra spending cash, and working for intramurals is just one example of a great place to look: on campus employment. Everything from the library to the Strom, and even the dining facilities offer employment. The best part is that they realize you are students and as such are quite flexible with hours. Some jobs may even allow you to study while on the clock. Not too shabby if you ask me. So, should you decide to get a job when you come here, remember to consider on-campus employment. It is flexible, fun, and if you are like me, you may even gain a new perspective: such as sitting BEHIND home plate instead of throwing to it. Until next time, I am OUTTA HERE! (That’s a little umpire pun for you). Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a rule, I like to “race out of the gate” when it comes to my tests. Basically, I try to get off to as strong a start as I can so that it makes me feel at least a little less stressed about the rest of the semester. Well, last week was my first Patho test, and it covered an insanely large amount of material. Was I able to get off to a good start? The answer, in short, was yes. Despite the large amount of information, my stack of flashcards that seemed to cast a shadow over me, and a pretty severe lack of sleep, I was able to get an “A.” Not a high A, as would have liked, but an A is A I suppose (can I buy a vowel please?). I cannot say enough how important it is to get off to a good start academically, be it in a single class, or your first semester. Especially when it comes to getting into Pharmacy School, you only have three semesters of GPA that get looked at, and getting off to a bad start can make life pretty hard. Maintaining a good GPA or class average is much easier than trying to pull one up. You see, that first semester gets calculated into every subsequent semester, so those poor grades will always be there to haunt you. A good start, on the other hand, is always there to help keep your GPA where you want to keep it: high. Getting back to individual classes, I have also been able to maintain a descent start in my compounding lab as well, but my real challenge comes over the next seven days with three of my most challenging subjects: Pharmaceutics, Biochemistry, and the “Gorilla” of the semester, Medicinal Chemistry. As usual, I began to prepare early for these exams, but even with that, having other commitments in class, and only so many hours in the day leaves me hoping that I will be able to understand all of the material in time. The hardest part is having the Pharmaceutics and Biochem on back-to-back days. A very important skill in college that is great to learn early is to be able to budget your time so that you can study for multiple subjects at the same time. However, that is all I have time for now, as I must be off to the Library, or maybe the Barnes and Noble Café to keep plugging away. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While not the most fiercely competitive guy in the world, I do enjoy a good competition every now and again. Lucky for me, yesterday I got to take part in two competitions: one at which I was just getting my feet wet, and the other with something I have a tad more experience (please note the intended understatement). First, I shall speak of my “less than perfect” performance in the patient counseling competition put on through my pharmacy organization, ASP. Before I begin, I am sure many of you are wondering what is so competitive about counseling a patient? Well, as simple as it may sound, there are several parts to counseling that as a pharmacist you must be excellent. Simply knowing all of this information (and it is a lot!) does you no good if you cannot explain and apply it to your patient. So, in order to encourage patient counseling skills, ASP puts on this competition. Basically, I got a prescription, had five minutes to review its information, side effects, etc., and then had five minutes to counsel my “patient” based on their other medications, allergies, and other variables. I will then be judged (at a later time via video) about what I did right and what I did wrong. My counseling experience is pretty limited, so I was at a disadvantage, and while I am not trying to make excuses, I will say that I didn’t think it went spectacularly. Here is where my “less competitive” side comes out. Although it did not go great, I am all right with the experience because it allowed me to see what I need to work on, and I definitely need to work on my patient skills. It will give me a chance to grow, but not performing great still stung a little bit. My pride was wounded; I had some doubt in my mind, and all of this before my next competition of the day. How was I to handle it? Lucky for me, the second competition was one that I thrive on: slow pitch softball! And thrive I did, or shall I saw we did as the men’s team “Goat Riders of the Apocalypse,” made up mostly of P-1’s here at the College of Pharmacy, dominated our way to an 18-2 mercy rule drubbing! Alas, I found something to feel good about (not to mention win!) at the end of the day. Not only was the game good as we severely beat the other team, but it was a lot of fun getting together with my fellow pharmacy peers outside the four walls I see them in daily. So, at the end of the day, I felt like I did poorly at one competition, but was able to thrive at another. One out of two ain’t too shabby in my book. However, as I get a little older and closer to being a pharmacist in the “real world”, my patient counseling skills are going to have to take precedence over my fielding and hitting skills. Until then, I will walk the line between balancing a future career and current intramural sports team on a weekly, if not daily basis. That is all I have for now sports fans, but stay tuned for another softball related blog: from another point of view. Can you feel the teaser? Take care!

Posted by Cory at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So pharmacy school can get a little “dry’ sometimes I must admit. It is not always the roller coaster thrill ride I may make it out to be. Sometimes class, on top of being pretty darn difficult, can get tedious and monotonous. Between four days a week of the intricacies of disease in Pathophysiology (at 8 in the AM mind you), and learning about Organic chemistry’s a new and more challenging cousin, Medicinal chemistry, it can be a little tough to keep your attention going strong. Lucky for us pharmacy students, this semester we get to take what is called “Compounding Lab.” You see, before the big ol’ drug companies started making your prescriptions, all of pharmacy was compounding. With compounding entailing have your pharmacist sitting behind the counter and making all of your drugs by hand with a mortar and pestle. So in compounding lab, we get to make all of those cool drugs with our own two hands. While challenging, it is a nice break from the drudgery of the day-to-day lecture routine. This week we actually got to make our first “drug.” The lab was learning how to make capsules by mixing the powder with a dye and filling them by hand. I was just mixing lactose and a blue dye, but it was still an interesting experience. I mixed that lactose and dye until I was literally blue in the fingers (mostly because all of the dye got on them because of my poor “rookie” form). When it was all said and done, I had 24 hand made lactose capsules that looked great, although I couldn’t actually ingest them due to the insoluble dye. Despite the inedibility, I insisted on taking them home to show off to my friends, and eventually send back home to Tucson so my parents can put it up on the fridge. Why you ask? Do you know how long a piece of my work has been on the fridge? We are talking an entire decade at least; I need any excuse I can get to show off my work. Until next time, I will be working on formulating suspensions and solutions, as well as trying not to spill any product on me! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love old cowboy and western movies. Maybe it was because as a young lad in Tucson, my grandfather often had a good ol’ fashioned western with The Duke (that is John Wayne in case you were wondering) or Clint Eastwood on the TV. Maybe it was because I grew up hours away from where a lot of these westerns were set. Maybe it was because of living about an hour away from where many of these films were produced in Old Tucson Studios. Or perhaps it was because westerns are totally awesome movies full of action, suspense, and the “good vs. evil” genre I love. Oftentimes in those movies the hero would be defending a town from some evil bandits. One of my favorite shots was when our here would be peering off into the horizon, waiting for the bad guys to show up. Suddenly, he sees the dust from the bandits and their horses off in the distance, and he knows trouble is-a-comin’. The scene can go from quiet and peaceful to distressful and action filled in a flash. Well, right now I kind of feel like our cowboy hero. Round’ these parts, life has been pretty quiet and tame, but not for long. I can see my personal dust on the horizon. Only I am not fighting bandits, or some bad guy named “Tex”, but instead face a long arduous road filled with tests, a new job (stay tuned for that!) and other organizational commitments that will keep me pretty occupied until about, oh spring break. As I said, life has been pretty quiet, without any major tests. However, starting this week, I have a two-two-one schedule of tests for the next three weeks (sort of sounds like a basketball defense, not a test schedule). This week is our first pathophysiolgy test on Tuesday, followed by Clinical Applications on Friday. In between there is softball, Out of State Mentors, and a patient counseling competition I entered through one of my pharmacy organizations. Lucky for this cowboy, I have been to a rodeo or two in my day, and while I know it will not be easy, and sometimes it may not be fun, I know that I can saddle up and do what I need to, defeat the bandits, and somehow try to find the time to save some poor young cowgirl who has been ruthlessly tied to some railroad tracks by our evil doing bandit. I hope my complicated western metaphor has not thrown you for a loop, but I thought it would be a fun way to put into context that life really starts to get busy now. So I best go saddle up, take care of my business, and try to ride off into that sunset, “pilgrim.” Take Care!

Posted by Cory at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What do everyday normal guys like myself talk about when there isn’t a lot going on? Well, we usually look up and talk about the weather. Lucky for me, I am in Columbia, and the weather is about as predictable as who will win the SEC football championship every year. Translation: not very predictable. When I called my favorite golf course this Thursday for a tee time on Friday at 2:20, the sun was shining, the weather fair, and I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day of golf Friday. Fast forward to Thursday night. As I went to bed I heard the sound of rain falling. Not just lightly falling, it was coming down pretty hard. I was hoping the rain would subside by the time I woke up Friday morning, but it was not to be. Friday morning brought more steady rain, and a steady feeling of frustration, as this would be the second time my Friday golf outing was rained out in the last three weeks. While South Carolina needs the rain, it would be just as wet on a Tuesday, or a Wednesday, but apparently Mother Nature thought Friday would be the best day. Expecting the course to be closed, I called Northwoods Golf Course for what I was expecting to be bad news. The pro told me that they would be sending people out in the afternoon and that our 2:20 tee time was fine. I wasn’t too sure, but I wasn’t about to argue with that. Let me tell you that this was at 10 in the morning, just before my hour and a half long Clinical Applications class. Anyways, after a stimulating hour and a half lecture on calculating lab values, I walked outside and was greeted with what could only best be described as: SUNSHINE! There were some gusts and it was a little cool, but it was sunny and time for some golf! Amazingly, in 24 hours it had gone from gorgeous to rainy, and back to gorgeous again. This Columbia weather never ceases to surprise me. In fact, this fine weather has stuck around all weekend, enough for my men’s softball team to get in a practice today before the Superbowl. A practice, I may add, in shorts and t-shirts, in February! Sorry to all of you reading in the snow and cold, I know that you are just a little jealous. While this is a nice stretch of weather, I know from two years of experience that until about mid to late March, there is still the potential for some serious cold. Needless to say I am not calling this the “beginning of spring”, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)