Cory's Blog

I bet you are wondering what that title is all about. Does Cory really have a pet rock? Is someone not giving said pet rock any love? And, does Cory really have a pet rock? The answer to all of those questions is no. I do not have a pet rock, and as such it cannot be disrespected. However, that is a true phrase I came up with the other day studying pharmacology. Pharmacology you say? How does that relate to a pet rock?

To get to the end, you have to start from the beginning. Pretty simple concept, and to arrive at this title, I had to start somewhere. That “somewhere” started when I began studying for my pharmacology test this past weekend (when I wasn’t running through mud that is!). A very wise person once told me that I have to have fun while I study. Seems impossible I know, but I wholeheartedly agree, and have tried to adapt that idea as my “philosophy of studying.”

Before you begin to say that studying can never be fun, I want to assure you that I DON’T enjoy spending the majority of my time studying. However, it is simply the reality of the situation that I face almost daily, so I might as well make the most of my time. Also, there are little quirky ways to make studying more fun, and EASIER too! My 8th grade science teacher was great at making little jokes during class that helped ideas and information stick, plus they made us laugh. He made a great point when he asked us to recite our favorite comedians best jokes. No problem right? I can bust out with literally hours of Mitch Hedberg, Dane Cook, and Bryan Reagan jokes. Right off the top of my head. No problem. Why? Because they are funny, so I remember them!

So, let us just take this concept back to other day when I was studying pharmacology. I was having a devil of a time remembering the “parenteral amide local anesthetics” and so I tried to come up with a device of remembering them. So, when they are in alphabetical order, the first letter of each drug is the first letter in “But everyone loves my pet rock.” Silly? Yes. Corny? You betcha. Effective? Most definitely.

Such is my story of how that title was coined and how it hopefully helped me pass my pharmacology test (I’ll stay tuned for those results at a later date). No matter what the grade, I was able to make studying fun and effective with a simple phrase. Take that to heart the next time you are having trouble memorizing something. It may help you, and who knows, you may actually have fun doing it!

Posted by Cory at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My apologies for such a long delay in between bloggings, but I was just cleaning myself off from this weekend. Yes, you read me right, I am still picking mud out of my ears, rinsing off dirt, and getting the sand out of my hair. Yes, you read me right, and it is indeed Tuesday. However, this morning I cleaned out some dirt from my ear that came from this weekend. You must be wondering the heck I did this weekend that got me so filthy. Well, why don’t you stick around and find out?

Anyways, yes, about all the dirt this weekend. In all actuality, “this weekend” goes all the way back to August (August is considered “all the way back” since it is nearly October!) when Katie, a P3, asked if I wanted to do the “Mud Run.” I was quite perplexed as to what this “Mud Run” entailed, although the title gave me a pretty good idea of what I could expect. She went ahead and described it as 4.2 mile obstacle course/run through mud, with more than 30 obstacles in the way. How could I say no? Actually, it took a little persuading on her part, but I decided to go out on a limb and go for it.

So this weekend was the run itself, and our team consisted of myself, Katie, Danielle (another P3) and her boyfriend. I made sure to pick out my worst shoes, a shirt I no longer wanted, and my worst pair of gym shorts and headed out to the National Guard base where the Marines had so kindly put together the course. The excitement was high, and I will admit, I was a little nervous if I was going to be able to hang for 4.2 hard miles, but our time came up, and off we went jogging straight ahead and around the first corner into…the unknown!

That “unknown” became “known” within about 200 yards when we came to a 6 foot concrete drop that we had to slide down, and then help the other team members come down. Next was 6 feet up with the same teamwork. Down the side of a steep hill and over some concrete pipes later and we came to the 20 foot high wood obstacle that required climbing, going over, and then coming down. It was at this point things get a little blurry as my natural fear of heights, exhaustion, and mud covered eyes made things pretty hazy for a couple of miles.

Aside from the intense physical demands, the race offered up several opportunities to display teamwork. From cheering each other on, to encouraging one another to get up that last hill of mud, or lending a helping hand, the quality of teamwork was stressed throughout the run. The teamwork was so great, in fact, that participants were helping those that weren’t even on their own teams!

The end of the race came when three team members had to carry the fourth on a stretcher for the final 100 meters or so. Katie got the call to lie down while the three of us ran her across the finish! By the time we crossed that line, we had mud EVERYWHERE, bruises, scratches, and some great memories from a difficult but fun afternoon. I will admit that I am even looking forward to it next year! As for now, I think I need to go buy some more q-tips to get that dirt out of my ears! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright, you all have waited long enough. I promised a sequel to my “International Celebrity” post and true to my word I am going to deliver. Last we left, my friend Jenna ran into a couple of gals I went to high school with while in Spain studying abroad. What are the odds, right? I mean, there is NO WAY another person I went to USC with would run into another person I went to high school? Absolutely, no way no how. Not so?

When I was home in May doing my pharmacy rotation, I went and checked out a baseball game. It was a pretty typical night for me. Noting crazy, just catching a little hardball on a sweltering Tucson summer night. While I was down at the field, I ran into a guy I played baseball with in high school, Jake. Well, to be more accurate, our playing days began way back in little league. So, as you can see, we have some history, and I hadn’t seen him since I graduated in 05’ and it was great to catch up with him and see how he had been enjoying his college life at Northern Arizona University. Anyways, when the game ended, we went our separate ways, end of reunion.

Let’s fast forward to the beginning of this year when I was out at the back to school ice cream social event for the student organization, Hillel. I was kind of making the rounds when I ran into Sharon, a girl I had helped at orientation a couple of summers ago. As often happens when we return to school, the subject of “how summer vacation” was discussed. I explained my time working in the pharmacy for my rotation, then working in the pharmacy to pay bills, it was a very pharmacy intensive summer recap. She told me about her trip to Israel when it seemed a light bulb went off in her head.

Sharon immediately mentioned that she had met someone from Arizona on her trip to Israel. She said that there was a group from Northern Arizona University as well, and she had gotten talking with one of the guys. She mentioned she went to USC and he said that HE knew someone that had gone to USC as well. They waited a moment, and then said, “Cory Jenks!?” It was almost the same moment that had occurred earlier in the summer with my friends in Spain! I can only assume the next few minutes were sent singing the praises of yours truly, but seriously, what are the odds?

So there you have it: two countries, two chance meetings, and two times that Cory Jenks has made an impact around the globe! How about that? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my stories of international fame. Are you impressed? I sure hope so! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am sure you all are just sitting on the edge of your seats, anticipating and waiting breath for the finale of “Cory Jenks: International Celebrity” but first I have to talk to you about something. Something special. Something rare. Something that I just realized when I went to satisfy your craving for the cliffhanger I left you last time. I will be celebrating my second anniversary of blogging here in the next few weeks, and along the lines of blog longevity or “blogevity” as I just made up, I realized that my next post would by my 200th!The BICENTENIAL so to speak. As such, my international story of celebrity had to wait so that I could make my 200th blog extra special.

A lot of milestones bring with them sappy, overdone tributes that look back at the past. Others, like television shows celebrating certain milestones, just take the lazy route and use clips from their previous episodes leading to their milestone. I think I’ll go ahead and be lazy and take the “montage” approach.

Although I say this is MY 200th, I have to admit that it has been OUR journey. I have written them, but you all have followed my trip through college via my blogs. Where have we gone? Well, way back in 06’ you heard about when baseball’s Hit King Pete Rose called me out when he came to campus to speak to us. You were there when my friend Jenna surprised my for my 20th birthday (what a way to get me out of my teens!).

Moving on to 2007, I shared with you my love of the (now defunct) Banana Pudding Wednesdays and you were there when I got “The Call” saying had been admitted to pharmacy school. We have shared the thrill of victory when we won our intramural basketball championship and you felt the agony defeat (several times) when we were unable to bring in the intramural softball crown (or racquetball, or flag football, or basketball...again).

We took a fun vacation to Chicago, and saw Wrigley Field for the first time. There was the excitement of starting pharmacy school, and the harsh reality of all the work that came with. We took a trip to Virginia for Thanksgiving, and got stuck in Houston for 5 hours on our flight back home to Arizona. Then we learned about Nuclear Pharmacy (and how to pronounce it) and to also make friend with federal prosecutors that you play racquetball against.

So we are here, now, at the start of a new school year, blog number 200 and going strong! Thanks for sharing all the time with me, and here’s to many more! And as always…take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So by now I am sure you all know that I am pretty much a national celebrity. What, with my appearance on ESPN and numerous USC mailers that have gone out to prospective students, I am practically a household name and face by now. All of that fame is nice, it really is, but what about INTERnational fame? Am I known from countries across Europe and down through the Middle East. As a matter of fact, I am! Allow me to let you in on those details!

In case I have let it slip and not told you, I am from a faraway state known as “Arizona” where there is no grass, the green on trees is found on their trunk (google “Palo Verde tree”), and the rivers contain no water. Despite my efforts, it appears I have left some sort of mark on the folks back there because they seem to remember me a little bit for some reason. Anyways, I realized my international celebrity status this summer when my well-traveled friend Jenna was spending her time abroad in Spain. I had just arrived home from work when I saw a message on my phone. I picked it up and proceeded to hear the most interesting/exciting message in the history…of the world!

Apparently, my current awesome USC friend Jenna had met a couple of girls in Spain at a restaurant. Nothing spectacular right? Well, as the conversation continues and Jenna learns that Jodi and Melanie are students at Arizona State University. Jenna says, “How weird, I have a friend at USC from Arizona, but he was from Tucson and he played baseball in high school etc. (and by etc I am sure much more glowing facts about her AWSOME friend Cory). Jodi and Melanie look at each other and proceed to explain that THEY had a friend in high school back in Tucson who also played baseball and went to USC. They then asked, and I am not even kidding, “Are you friends with Cory Jenks!?”

Needless to say the following scene was pretty exciting indeed. I mean what are the odds: two people whom I went to high school with…in Arizona running into my friend from here in South Carolina. Oh ya, and said meeting to place in SPAIN! I will tell you what the odds are: pretty high when you consider what a national and INTERnational celebrity I truly am. I can only assume that the next several minutes were full of more glowing praise for yours truly.

Unfortunately I was at work and was not able to take Jenna’s phone call, and had to hear about this afterwards via Jenna. Despite getting the play by play at a later date, it doesn’t take away from my INTERnational fame if you ask me. As amazing as this meeting of Cory’s friend was, it was not the only time it happened during the summer. That story deserves another blog for another day, so you will just have to wait in anticipation for my next tale of INTERnational fame! Adios and take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)