Cory's Blog

Spain, Australia, Hawaii, white water rafting, and a road trip to see the family. All of those sound like some pretty fun vacations (yes, seeing the family CAN be put in the “fun” vacation category). All of those are also trips that my friends and pharmacy patients have taken this summer. Yes, they were off on those sweet vacations while I “slaved away” inside the store, filling prescriptions, counseling patients, and living vicariously through others’ vacations.

Before you call me a whiner, sitting here typing my blog with tears running down my cheeks as I dream of a summer getaway, you must know that I am not here to complain. I knew when I got into this pharmacy gig that the next few years were going to be a lot of work. Whether it’s less time to take a weekend trip because I have a Medchem test on a Monday, or not getting a chance to take a trip to Chicago during a summer filled with a rotation and an internship, I know that I am making a sacrifice to take care of my education.

Besides, it’s not all that bad. One of the other technicians at the pharmacy always makes it her business (although some may call it “nosy”) to ask where a patient is going when they come in for a “vacation” supply of their meds. She explained to me that she wasn’t being nosy, but rather just living vicariously through other folks’ fun vacations. I personally thought that was a novel idea, plus when we saw the excitement on the faces of the summer travelers, it sort of got us excited for their trip.

So, as you all enjoy your summer trips across the country or even around the world, remember to tell your friends about your travels. You never know who may need to take a “vicarious” vacation along with you. As we toil away at our summer jobs, summer school, or any other task that keeps us away from the fun in the sun, feel free to let us in on a little of the fun so that we can take in a little of your vacation ourselves.

On that note, go ahead and feel free to drop a comment if you took an awesome vacation somewhere, are planning on it, or, if you are like me, are spending your summer break right in one spot. Take care, and don’t look now, but it is just a mere few weeks until we get back to campus. Get excited!

Posted by Cory at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I hope that you all enjoyed the fantastic 4th of July weekend. This celebration of our nation’s independence lit some fireworks in my mind about another sort of independence many of y’all who will be heading to USC for your first semester will be experiencing in just a few short weeks. It is the kind of independence you have yet to enjoy while within the rules of your parent’s house and stuck inside those classroom walls of you high schools. Yes, I am indeed speaking of the independence you get when you get out on your own as a real life college student, and while it can be very enjoyable, much like our forefathers who gave us our nation’s freedom, it can come with a lot of responsibility.

Looking back upon my freshman year I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I enjoyed my new-fangled college independence. Living at home was never too rough for me; it wasn’t like I was on a short leash (thanks Mom and Dad!). Although I was used to a good amount of independence at home, I still had to make an adjustment being on my own. There were no teachers telling me I HAD to go to class, I didn’t have a coach telling me I HAD to work out 5 days a week, and I didn’t have my parents telling me I HAD to clean up after myself, and do my laundry, and don’t forget to dust…well you get the idea.

Lucky for me, I think that I was ready for my adjustment to the freedoms that college offers. However, many of my friends struggled a little bit to make the adjustment to balancing school with the complete social freedom. One of the most eye opening differences in college is that if my friends wanted to go and stay out late on a Monday even though they had a test Tuesday there is nobody in your residence hall that can “make” you choose to be responsible. It is with these experiences that the whole “responsibility” thing can interfere with your newfound independence, and is what you must be wary of this fall.

So, the challenge comes down to handling your own independence, and being able to have the ability to choose between what you need to get done, and what you want to do for fun. Indeed, you will have to make your own “Declaration of Independence” to yourself that while you are an independent college student now, you still have the responsibility to yourself to take care of your less fun business as well.

Well, that is all I have. Unlike those 4th of July fireworks, I don’t really have a grand finale for this blog, just the message that your new independence will be pretty darn cool, but that it also comes with quite a bit of responsibility, so start getting ready now. All right, well, maybe not right NOW, go ahead an enjoy another month and a half of summer, and some of those 4th of July leftovers while you are at it! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)