Cory's Blog

The past week was amazing. It really couldn’t t have been more perfect. Yes, I had two mighty tests and yet the week was still perfect. You want to know why? All right, I will go ahead and tell you: it was the weather!

I know that you have heard quite a bit from Kriska and myself about the weather here in South Carolina, and there is a pretty good chance you are tired of hearing about it. Unfortunately there are two things working against you. First, I don’t really have a ton of other exciting stuff going on, and so much like a typical conversation starter with a stranger when I nervously mutter, “How about this weather we have been having?” Secondly, I feel like talking about the weather, and much like the weather I so speak of, you have no control over what I write, so that is what your going to get! (That last sentence sounded kind of harsh, but I really didn’t mean it that way, let’s just I typed it with a big ol’ wink and a smile to go with it.)

Anyways, about that weather. It was so perfect all week as I walked about campus and it attracted a throng of students to the Horseshoe where my apartment is. It also made umpiring on Friday afternoon a warm pleasure, not to mention I got a little bit of my famous farmer’s tan going on thanks to the rays of sunshine.

Then I woke up Saturday, and it was a little cloudy, slightly cool, but still enough for shorts and a tee shirt. However, after four hours in the library, I emerged to a different sight: it had rained hard while I was inside and the temperature had dropped about 15 degrees! I was downright chilly. Today was no different with overcast skies and cold temperatures to go along with a little bone-numbing breeze (by “bone numbing” it was about 45 degrees, but it is really uncomfortable to this big cold weather baby.)

Granted, I could be living where there is a foot of snow on the ground and complaining about having to shovel it off the sidewalk, but I go to USC! I GET to complain when it gets a little cold in March (nearly April!) for one last breath of winter before milder temperature settle in until about October and when you come here next year you will get to experience what I speak of quite often on here.

All I know is that I am glad I didn’t make the same mistake I made freshman year and pack away all of my warm clothes after spring break. We typically will get a cold snap or two before the true spring temperatures set it. So, despite my perfunctory weather speak, I just managed to sneak in a little piece of advice. See, this weather blog wasn’t so bad after all wasn’t it? Seriously though, I hope that this snap really is Mother Nature’s last breath of winter because as I mentioned, my hopes were high for a nice farmer’s tan, and as soon as it warms back up to normal I will be back outside enjoying the bright sunshine and warm spring temps. Until the sun rises and the mercury rises, you all take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What do you know about Yogi Berra? What do you associate when you hear that name? I’ll bet some of you are thinking of the hilarious cartoon bear that went around swiping picnic baskets and hilariously causing havoc. Well, if you are thinking of the cartoon character, I think it is pretty cool you can remember that far back in you childhood memory banks. Unfortunately it wasn’t the answer I was searching for. I am speaking of the former baseball player known for his funny sayings, one-liners, and aside from his Hall of Fame career, those hilarious Aflac commercials where he baffles that annoying duck with his line “They give you cash, which is just as good as money/”

That particular line is a classic “Yogism” and typifies the types of quotes that fill his book that sits on my desk. Others include “90% of the game is half mental” and “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” I bring up Yogi because of the particular line that is the title of this blog, “It ain’t over’ til’ its over”. While simple, it came to fruition Thursday in our final regular season men’s softball game where I was a part of the greatest comeback in the history of any team…I have ever been privileged enough to be a member of.

To be truthful, it really was more a tail of two games. To quickly and in the least painful way possible describe the first part of the game, I will just say after the first two innings we were down 12-2. A truly dreadful start with poor defense, anemic hitting, and boneheaded base running that made the Bad News Bears look like a team of All-Stars. However, with a little pep talk and focus, we were able to turn things around.

This turnaround didn’t happen immediately on offense, as we were only able to muster up four more runs going into the top of the seventh. Lucky for us the defense stepped up our game and did not allow a run until that point. So, the stage was set: top of the seventh, and we were down 12-6. We needed a miracle, and that is just what was delivered. Leading off, Adam, another P1 in the College of Pharmacy, led off with a single. The amazing part was that he was hitting with just one hand as he was playing with stitches in the other. I was able to finally come through with a knock, and in what seemed like a blur of hits, good bounces, and timely poor defense by the other team, we were leading 14-12 going into the bottom of the 7th inning.

The game was ours to win or lose, and with the runs a softball game can produce, it was not in the bag by any means. As our friend Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til its over” With the first pitch, a sinking liner to the right field line, my heart was sinking right along thinking it would fall in for a hit, but out of nowhere came Drew, a P1, who made a spectacular running catch. The next pitch was another sure hit that Nick (a P1 and my roommate) made an even more amazing catch, diving backwards to make the snag in center field. With a routine fly out to me in left, the comeback was complete, and we had won the game!

I liked this game for a couple of reasons: one, or course, is the fact we won. Secondly, I liked how we didn’t give up. It is a great lesson to take away: as long as there is a chance something can happen, don’t give up. I am reminded of my friend Nadia who, last year, applied to Pharmacy School and was put on the summer wait list (see how I related this softball game to school? Pretty cool huh?). She was obviously pretty bummed she hadn’t been accepted, but I told her that it would work out and she would end up in, and to just trust me. Now, I understand it is hard to trust someone with something so important as getting into Pharmacy School, but lucky for her it wasn’t over ‘til it was over, and midway through the summer got the call that she was in!

I think you can find the lesson in this post, but as for me, I gotta be getting out and hitting the books because as the saying goes, this semester ain’t over ‘til its over, and there is still a lot left to do! With that I will leave you another cerebral scratching quote from Yogi himself and be on my way: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Now you all take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I, Cory, have been busted. Busted big time indeed. Lucky for me, this getting busted thing usually happens to me every March and as such I am pretty used to it. Yes, every March I fill out my brackets, and it seems like no matter what teams I choose each March, I have my brackets totally busted after the first exciting weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament. In fact after the first day of games this year, I was sitting dead last in the pool where my dad works. Dead last. How could that happen?

I will go ahead and tell you that it is probably my lack of time to watch college basketball from all over the country, and my propensity to follow my heart and Pac-10 conference roots and pick accordingly. I mean, of course I was going to pick my hometown Arizona over West Virginia, but then to have West Virginia not only win, but turn around and have them beat Duke as well? That hurt, but what I think hurt most was another pick of mine that I thought I had an edge with.

If you can remember I had a post back in November about the USC (west coast) vs. USC (east coast aka the Gameocks)basketball game and the rivalry with my friend Jeff who goes to West Coast USC. In that game I saw what I though was a great USC (west coast) defeat our Gamecocks. I assumed that with their great defense and freshman phenom OJ Mayo, they were a sure sleeper to get to the Elite Eight…until they were ousted in the first round by fellow freshman phenom Michael Beasley and his Kansas State squad.

Oh well, in this pool there is still the last place prize, and the fact that I have another (and slightly better) bracket on Facebook helps as well. The only little issue with that is that I am competing against literally thousands of other March Madness crazed basketball fans. In any case, it is all in good fun, and in my opinion of this weekend, some fantastic basketball. All complete with buzzer-beaters, upset specials, and Cinderella stories.

Speaking of “March Madness,” this next week and a half has the potential to be about as crazy as a 5-12 seed upset. Three tests in my three hardest classes are coming at me faster than a 3 on 1 fast break. It looks like I will just have to grind it out, prepare the best I can, and take it one possession, er one question, at a time.

Until the next tip-off goes up in the air and the next buzzer sounds, I will be working on my game to get ready for my own personal “Big Dance” these next couple of weeks. Take care and hope you can pick em’ better than me!

Posted by Cory at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Although it is just the first week back from spring break, I believe it is not too early to start thinking about summer. In fact, I never think it is too early to start thinking about summer, but that is beside the point. What I am talking about is what to do with the summer when you are a student at USC. If you are a smart student, you are taking summer class, getting a summer job, or doing an internship.

Once you are here at USC and looking for that summer internship, you might find the whole process fairly overwhelming and confusing but lucky for you we have a fantastic resource: The Career Center.

I bring the Career Center up because last night the Out of State Mentors, one of my organizations, held a seminar for summer internships and other help hosted by the Career Center. Viki from the Career Center (located on the sixth floor of the Business Administration Building, for your future reference) put on a fantastic and energetic presentation, and it even went beyond subject of internship .

Their website alone contains many resources: including a resume builder, interview help, and a major specific job search, all on top of the internship help. In addition to the website help, as a student you can come in to what is called “on call” hours everyday from 1 to 4 and get quick help with whatever you are having trouble with: be it a resume critique, interview questions, or even help with choosing or changing a major. The Career Center is really there to help you and the best part it all of their services are included in tuition! So, when you get here you might as well go ahead and get your money’s worth by using it!

From my experience as an Orientation Leader I can tell you that the Career Center has told us to really encourage freshman to get over there and utilize their resources early. You see internships are not just for upperclassmen. It is never too early to start building up your resume and getting experience, and what better way then to get help from our resident experts over at the career center during your freshman year when you are on campus.

Here is the link for you to go and start messing around with some of their features if you want a sneak peak at what you can do there: www.sc.edu/career.

I will warn you that in order to access some of their feature you must be a student as it asks you for a student email address, but have no fear, if you are coming here in the Fall you will have the chance to do that soon enough. As for me, even as a junior who had a pretty good idea of what the Career Center was all about, I was still impressed with all they can do for me as a student. So, keep the Career Center in mind when you head to campus in the fall.

That’s the report for now everybody. I think I may head outside and enjoy the first official day of spring or stay in and check out some March Madness on TV. Got to love the options! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are anything like me, you may look at this title and think that it looks a tad bit like a “before and after” clue on the TV show Wheel of Fortune. While I haven’t seen the show in quite some time, the two seemingly unrelated items of a federal and racquetball court actually came together for me yesterday in an interesting turn of events that began in January.

To tell you the story, I must inform you that over by the Humanities building and Business School on the east side of campus sits this beautiful mansion like structure with a huge lawn that is often the sight of some outdoor get-togethers. The funny thing is that it has nothing to actually do with the University. It is actually the National Advocacy Center, a place of training for federal prosecutors. So, at the very least when you come here next fall, you can impress your friends with your extensive campus knowledge of this fancy building.

I told you that it was a training sight for federal prosecutors because back in January I was down in Strom just a-hitting away in the racquetball court when a guy knocked on the glass wall of the court looking for a game. On first glance he looked a little old to be a student, maybe he was a graduate or doctoral student? In fact, Aaron was here for training as a federal prosecutor at the National Advocacy Center!

Always looking for a new opponent on the court, I quickly agreed to play. We must of have played three or four quite long games, although I cant quite seem to recall the victors. Either way, we were both glad to have played the games and scheduled a rematch for later that week. Once the rematch was completed and he had to head back to his home in Rochester, NY, we exchanged email addresses as he said he would be back in March and would let me know so we could play again.

Anyways, fast-forward to this past week when, true to his word, Aaron sent me an email asking to play. Looking to work on my game against some unique competition and wanting the chance to play against a skilled player, I quickly replied and we were set up for Tuesday at 6. This time we played three games, with me taking the first, him winning the second, and myself pulling the set in my favor with a win in the rubber match.

We were both glad to have had the chance to meet and play again, and he said that he comes down here to train every few months, so hopefully we can have another few games in the future. Racquetball aside, I think that although I severely doubt any federal crimes in my future, having a friend in “high places” could never hurt, and who knows, if I am ever in Rochester, I could get a game in on his home court.

Something that I have stressed, sort of Ad Nauseum in my blogs, has been the unique experiences and people that you will meet from all walks of life at USC, and this case was no different. It started with a day at the gym working on my forehand and ended with not only some great games of racquetball, but also with a new acquaintance (and a FEDERAL PROSECUTER no less) that could come in handy for me some day.

Anyways, I need to get back to some big time school work with a presentation and two tests in the next 7 days, I need get a lot done if I ever want time to work on my “before and after’s” on “The Wheel”. I think I will go ahead and buy a vowel. Let’s make it an “o” for I must be getting Outta here. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's blog comes courtesy of a dear friend of mine. Well, maybe he is not a “dear” friend, and, well, our friendship may be debatable by some, but I still like to think at the very least Sir Issac Newton definitely helped inspire this physics-themed entry. I say he helped me because he came up with his famous First Law which, in its most basic form, says: an object in motion will remain in motion, or an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by and outside force. Sometimes you might hear this referred to as the law of inertia. In any case, I personally am a case study in the ways of inertia.

Now, while my physics knowledge may amaze you, you will be even more amazed at how I applied it to my day yesterday. You see I didn’t do a whole lot of, well, anything over spring break. I laid around quite a bit, and as such, I was an object not showing a lot of motion (unless it was the motion of shoving the delicious food from my aunt and uncle’s house into my face). Yesterday when I woke up, I realized that I needed a lot more effort to get up and going. Since I was sick right before break, I hadn’t been to Strom in about two weeks, and I had planned to go for the first time. However, just getting out of bed presented a challenge, as my pillow seemed especially comfy. For an explanation of my situation in scientific terms, refer back to Netwon’s 1st law: An object at rest (me) will remain at rest.

Once I summoned the energy to finally get up and out of bed and down to Strom, my usual vigorous workout took much more out of me than I am used to. It felt like my body didn’t want to finish all my sets or chase down racquetballs. It seemed like I had to summon a lot of extra energy just to get myself going. This showed how, much like the rule of inertia, getting an object at rest to move requires the input of extra energy.

I would like to get myself back into my typical workout routine where the exact opposite is true. You see, I can make Newton’s 1st law can work in my favor because as I get going into my routine I will be the object in MOTION and it will take energy to get me to slow! Typically I can’t seem to take a break between working out, going to class, and all of my extracurricular “stuff” I have going on because I am in motion constantly. In fact, resting up during spring break was a challenge because my body didn’t want to slow down.

So hopefully I can get this momentum thing turned around and have Mr. Newton’s law get working for me so I can set into motion a good final push for the rest of the semester. That is all the physics for today I promise! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We all know him (or her). You know who I am talking about, that person that no matter what you do will find a way to “one up” you. So you got a 95 on that test? Oh, too bad, the “one upper” pulled a 96. You went on a 10 mile run? Oh, too bad, they did 11. You can do 23 pushups in a row, well they can do 24. It seems no matter what you do, they do it just a bit better, and it was much easier for them too. Fortunately for me, I sit next to just such a one upper in class.

Hold on one second, did he just say “fortunately”? I most certainly did, you see last semester my buddy Chad always seemed to one up me on every test we took. No matter how much I tried and studied, he found a way to best me by the slimmest of margins. However, the difference between him and our classic “one upper” is that he did it in good fun. Chad never was one to try and rub it in, and we viewed it more as a friendly competition than a bitter rivalry.

I also don’t really mind because I have turned the tables a bit this semester, besting him by a point or two on most of our first tests. In fact, I had a pretty good streak going until the Biochem exam we had last Wednesday. He nipped me by three points, but we both ended up with solid grades, so you shall hear no complaints from me. In fact, I think having a little competition brings out the best in both of us, neither of whom wants to be “one upped” by the other.

I have included a little bit of a treat for you guys to show you an example of a BAD one-upper. The following video comes courtesy of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Kristen Wiig plays a character named “Penelope” who takes the one upping game to extreme heights. Please enjoy and I will be posting again with something other than Spring Break filler material when I get back to school and life gets hectic for the final run of class for the school year. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is a holiday for me. And while literally I am on “holiday” since spring break is this week, there is an official holiday I am celebrating. I’ll bet you are having some problems figuring it out. Here is your first hint: today’s date is March 11th, or, numerically, 3-11. Getting any ideas here? I have a final hint for you that will most likely just give it away, but I must be moving on in this post so here it goes: my favorite band is…311! Alas, it is 311 DAY! Time to celebrate by listening to some 311 tunes, wearing my 311 shirt, and while I couldn’t make it to the big concert celebration in New Orleans, I will share with you some of my favorite 311 lyrics that hit home, inspire, and help me to get through some tougher days of class and life in general. Without further adieu, here are three of my favorite lyrical lines:

"When the day is done, what you receive is the sum of what you took out from what you put in”

This comes from the song “Paradise” from their album “Music.” I try to look at this line, which is posted prominently on my desk, at the end of each day and ask myself if I really put all I could into that day. It also helps me reflect and improve on what the next day will bring. On top of all that, I find it a catchy line that keeps me from any slacking so at the end of the day, I can at least feel I have gotten the most that I possibly can.

"If there’s a shadow in your life then there’s sunshine”

The second lyric comes from the song “Speak Easy” from their most recent album “Don’t Tread On Me.” I really like this line because even when life is going along great, something can come along and really knock you off your feet and get you down in a hurry. Maybe a test didn’t go so well, or you have what seems like a million things to get done during the week, or perhaps that person in your group project slacked off so you are stuck with the work. Let me tell you from experience, it is no fun at all. Lucky for me, when I feel down, I think that even when there is something in my life that isn’t great, or if I am feeling a little blue, there is still some “sunshine” hiding out there somewhere that is casting the shadow on me and if I can just keep going with my current poor situation, it will eventually end and be alright in the end.

Finally, the third 311 lyric comes from the song “All Mixed Up” from their self-titled album “311.” It goes a little like this:

"You’ve got to trust your instincts, and let go of regret. You’ve got to bet on yourself now star, cuz’ that’s your best bet. Watch me now with the wickety wow!”

These particular lines come in handy for me on a daily basis as I am faced with all sorts of choices (for anyone who has eaten out with me, they know I have notorious food ordering qualms) from what classes to take, what I want to do with my day, and if that answer on the exam is A or B (or is it all of the above?). A lot of the time, these decisions are not so easy, and it comes down to just going with what you believe will be the best for you, so trusting your instinct and letting go of any regret that you may have allows you to make those decisions with confidence without looking back with a second thought. Oh ya, that line, “watch me now with the wickety wow”, is open to your own interpretation. I see it as just relaxing, being yourself, and perhaps acting a little goofy at times, but most importantly having fun with what you are doing.

So, that is my ode on 311 Day, I hope that even if you are not a big 311 fan, you can appreciate just a small sampling of their introspective lyrics that definitely have a big impact on my life, from finding inspiration from lyrics to just relaxing myself in the music at the end of a long day. That’s all I got for you for now, but let me end my post with the same words that 311’s lead singer, Nick Hexum, leaves us fans at the end of each concert: “Stay positive and love your life.” Take care!

Posted by Cory at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday night was rainy. Tuesday night was also windy, miserable, and to top it off, I had to study for the two tests I had yesterday. I was still getting over that nasty little cold. To top it all off, I was getting some serious hunger pangs sitting in Barnes and Noble learning everything about Biochemistry and Drug Information. I knew exactly what I needed. I needed something hot and delicious in my tummy and fast!

I would have gone straight to the Grand Marketplace right there in the Russell House for some of their tasty soup or chili. It is reliable, delicious, and perfect for a rainy and windy Carolina night. However, as I thought about my liquidy food options, I remembered that as of Monday, we had a new kid on the block in the Russell House dining hall. An enterprise called “Soup Man” had opened its ladles to students Monday, and I had been dying to try some of their savory soups.

Allow me quick aside, Soup Man is a restaurant started by the guy who inspired the “Soup” episode of the TV show Seinfeld. It is a national chain, but our particular outlet is the FIRST in a university in the country. Not too shabby, and it just adds more options to eat at on campus. A common misconception by those who visit our campus is that the Russell House and its numerous options are the only place to eat on campus. However, there are places to eat at in the Patterson, Bates, and Capstone residence halls. In addition to those, there is the new “Colloquium Café” over near the humanities buildings. I am sure that I am missing a few, but my point is that there are all sorts of options spread around campus so that you can find new, tasty, and convenient places to eat.

Anyways , back to my tale of hunger, desire, and a curiosity of the tomato bisque that was written in chalk on the “soup of the day” board. One more reason I like to get soup is that is it usually is quick to pick up and I was in a hurry to get back to my studies. So, to my chagrin, as I came within eyesight of the Grand Marketplace, I noticed that a lot of other students had the same idea as me. The line was stretching pretty long, and my time was short. Immediately, I heard that soup ladling character from Seinfeld yell at me in my head, “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”

I was down but not out. Lucky for me, USC has all kinds of dining options, and I was able to mosey on over to the Horseshoe Deli for some Tomato Florentine soup. It was hot, tasty, and it hit the spot. With comfort food ingested and my mind fueled, I was ready to get back to my studies. Another day when I have more time I will try out Soup Man for myself, but in the meantime, USC’s other eateries will keep me full. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some of you familiar with Carolina tradition may recognize the title of this blog. It is, in fact, a line in the school’s Alma Mater. Typically, this line is sung at the end of a football game, as we raise our hands in a toast to “health” to Carolina. However, during the winter, the term “Here’s a health Carolina” has taken on a new meaning.

I am talking about the terrible flu season that has struck here, and across the country. Normally, I would be talking about being sick from a third person perspective, as I usually have a pretty strong immune system. Unfortunately for me, a couple of late nights umpiring slow pitch softball in that cold weather Kriska was talking about did me in, and since last Wednesday have had to deal with a rather nasty little cold. While not the flu, it still has been a pain to deal with.

My typically energetic self has been ridden with a sore throat and a stuffed up nose that knows no end (try and say last bit a few times fast!). I have had little energy to study, workout, or, as you can tell, post. I had to miss my friend Melissa’s big time birthday bash yesterday, and was unable to play in our men’s intramural basketball game tonight. While I may be erring on the side of caution, I know from experience that a little cold can turn into something worse, such as pneumonia (another story from freshman year for another day).

However, should my illness progress further, I would have no problem just moseying over to the Thompson Student Health Center as many with the flu here already have done. Our student activity fee covers visits, and it has a full service pharmacy, x-ray machine and other lab facilities all in the same building.

Hopefully though, this bug is on its way out, and I will be back to normal in no time: ready to study for my two tests Wednesday, umpire Wednesday night, and be nice and healthy for Spring Break at the end of the week! Until I write again, I will be taking it easy, dreaming of a week off, and trying to nurse myself back to some good Carolina Health. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)