Cory's Blog

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)

Ah yes, getting back to school. I have spoken of the hospitality of the fine folks such as myself who were at the service of the incoming freshman, breaking our backs and our Saturday plans mind you, to help them get settled, moved in, and feel welcome. There was the convocation, the first year reading experience, and several other back to school events that made students from freshman to even fourth year pharmacy students feel welcome and happy to be back here at Carolina. However, I think there were a few people who didn’t get the “welcome back” memo.

Don’t get me wrong. These are some pretty good people (don’t you just love those descriptive adjectives!) that I speak of, but for some reason they didn’t make me feel very welcome at all. I suppose I should just go ahead and put this little blog into some context that you have a chance of actually understanding.

Let us travel back to last spring. The year was 2008. The month was March/April”ish”. It was my third year of college, and I was taking advantage of the fantastic intramural program we have here. I was doing my best to make the trip up the racquetball “ladder”. My athletic journey was going well. So well in fact that I was in the semifinals of the racquetball ladder where I was pitted against Stoyan, a graduate student from Bulgaria. He stood between myself and the finals, and I was not going to yield. After a couple of quick sets, I was the winner and in the finals!

Waiting for me there was my friend Charlie, who had taken the sport a mere year before in the spring of 2007. Seeing him in the finals just a year after beginning playing showed he obviously came a long way from when we first started playing. So far in fact that he beat me in the finals…but that’s just boring details. That’s the past and who wants to dredge that up.

Back to this week when I met Charlie and Stoyan for my “rude welcome back.” I had not had the chance to play any racquetball since I left Arizona back in the beginning of June, and despite continuing to work out over the summer, I was definitely NOT in racquetball shape. Any doubts I may have had were quickly erased by a 15-3 thrashing at the hands of good ol’ Charlie. He had me running all over the court, and by the time I was done, I was actually a little embarrassed and very happy to be over with our first match.

Perhaps Stoyan, the one who I had actually BEAT in the playoffs would be an easier match. He asked how my first match with Charlie had gone, to which I replied, “He embarrassed me.” Stoyan simply said, “I’d like to do the same.” I think a little revenge was on his mind. Anyways, he got his “revenge” to the tune of a 15-4 shellacking at my expense. By the end of the matches, I was tired, sore, and downright frustrated at the prospect of a semester of racquetball like this!

Not to worry though sports fans! After my short walk back across the Assembly Street bridge to my apartment, I realized that they had been playing all summer while I had had no practice until a couple of days prior to our matches. I also looked back and realized the kind of player I know I am when I am in “shape.” So, I think I will take it a match at a time, remain calm, and maybe work in a lot of extra practice when I can! Until next time, I will try and get a little bit nicer welcome from the other people I haven’t seen all summer. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Monday, the battle began, and no I am not taking abut the battle against finals. No I am talking about the annual battle of the classes in the college of pharmacy. The annual tilt pitted me and my P 1’s against the P2’s and P3’s in a daily “theme” war culminating with the much-anticipated “Spring Games” on Friday. It was a chance for us all to show some spirit and have some fun along the way.

As I mentioned above, each day last week was a “theme” day. Monday was pajama day, and I obliged by wearing my Carolina PJ bottoms to class. Tuesday was Favorite Sports Team Day, which was not hard for me at all. A Cubs jersey and hat took care of my daily spirit. Wednesday was when things started to get real interesting, as our theme was Tacky Day. Seeing as how I am pretty much the world’s sharpest dresser, wearing something tacky was just not going to be able to happen. However, thanks to a little creativity, some masking tape, and a box of thumbtacks, I had my tacky outfit: a simple t-shirt and shorts, complete with that box of tacks taped onto my arm. Thursday was especially fun because it was hat day. For me, hat day is usually every day so I needed to bring my best. Lucky for me I just happened to have a sombrero hanging around (don’t ask me why) and I walked into class complete with a big ol’ sombrero! It was a good thing the people sitting behind me are sort of tall, and were sort of absent, or else they would have had a pretty rough time seeing the front of class.

All of this brings me to Friday, which was class color day. For the P1’s, we had to wear red, which was no problem. The really big deal on Friday was our class picnic, complete with the “spring games,” a competition between the classes. The P2’s were bragging pretty hard since they were the defending champs. I had high hopes for our P1 squad, but after a weak showing in the hoola hoop contest (with no help from me!), an embarrassing exit from the tug of war (you should see the SIZE of those P2’s!), and a heartbreaking loss in our volleyball match, it didn’t take a pharmacist to be able to count our chances of winning as pretty much nothing.

In the end, our class did bring up last place, but most importantly, we all enjoyed ourselves. While there was definitely some good natured ribbing going on, it was all in the spirit of fun and after a long year, or in the case of the P3’s three long years, of pharmacy school, it was great to get out and enjoy ourselves before we jump headfirst into finals. Despite the good fun, I would have liked to have brought home the win, and mark my words, we will be gunning for those P2’s next year! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What time did you get up on Saturday? 9, 10 o’clock. Maybe you got up really early, like at 8. Myself, I wanted an early start, so I set the ol’ alarm for 3:45. That is 3:45 AM in case you were wondering. Why such an early start? I needed to get up and going to drive down to Charleston for the 31st annual Cooper River Bridge Run.

So, with barely four hours of sleep under my droopy eyes I drove over to Chad’s apartment and he, his wife and I made the drive down to Charleston. Normally I wouldn’t be getting up that early to run 10k, but this was a special event because for the second year in a row the College of Pharmacy has run as a group, complete with our own t-shirts and post-run party at none other than the Dean’s house!

All of us pharmacy school members met at Dean DiPiro’s house and headed over to the start the run at around 7 in the morning. Once we got there, it was a sight to see around 40,000 other runners, joggers, and walkers, many dressed up in costumes from a banana to a wedding cake! At 8 the race officially began, and with little room to maneuver we were forced to walk for a bit, but then were able to jog it out for about a half mile. At that point a few (untamed) members of our group didn’t want to run, so for the sake of fun (and the fact that certain members had the car keys) we walked the majority of the race, which was alright with me too. The views were breathtaking, especially once on the bridge.

The race ended as we ran along King Street, flanked by all sorts of restaurants tempting me with their aromas, but there would time for eating at the Dean’s house. Once we had finished and gotten back to our car, we drove back to the Dean DiPiro’s house for some relaxation and tasty food!

The spread was fantastic, from burgers to barbeque and all sorts of goodies in between. I think I broke more of a sweat pounding down the food than I did walking the race, but the important thing is that I broke a sweat. Aside from the tasty food, it was fun to see other pharmacy schoolers out of the school element just relaxing and enjoying themselves. It was a fantastic way to socialize, and to top it off several of our professors made the trip to run and over to the Dean’s house. Seeing our Patho teacher just schmoozing around and not teaching us the repertory system was a nice change of pace.

At the end of the day, the rumored rain had held off, we had enjoyed a fun race, and gotten to enjoy ourselves at the Dean’s house. Not to mention we got back to Columbia almost twelve hours to the minute after I had woken up that morning. All in a day’s fun I guess. In any case, I am already looking forward to next year, and (certain members) of our group are determined to run the whole race next year. I can’t wait! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 04:00 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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

I can still remember that fateful night just four short years ago during my junior year of high school. I was returning home from a football game with my friends when something hit us: it was an extreme case of hunger. We needed sustenance, and we needed it fast and delicious. As we were traveling north on Oracle road (one of the main drags here in Tucson) we spotted the sign for Nico’s Taco Shop, and since we all enjoyed mexcian food, decided to stop in to quell this hunger. It was then I got my first bite of their delicious Carne Asada Burrito. I was hooked. From then on, whenever a quick meal was needed, it was Nico’s time. After school, before baseball practice, after baseball practice, late at night, well, you get the idea. I really liked it. Being as my time at home comes after long intervals of being away at school, oftentimes the first place I stop once I get back in Tucson is at the good old reliable Nico’s. In fact, when the semester starts to wear on me a bit, and home starts becoming a reality on that horizon, my first thoughts go to that culinary creation wrapped up in a hot tasty tortilla. I explain my love affair with this eatery if only to show my remorse, and possible guilt, as the spot in my heart and my stomach may just have been replaced by a similar, yet dare I say better and more convenient restaurant, El Potosino. Yes, just the other day on a whim I needed dinner in hurry. El Potosino has sit conveniently two minutes away from my house here in Tucson for a few years now, but I always assumed nothing could top Nico’s. How wrong I was. Just a few bits into their Colorado Burrito, and that soft spot in my tummy for Nico’s was dethroned. El Potosino is my new go to place for fast and delicious Mexican food. I told you all of this to show the importance of breaking “out of the norm” and trying something new. A lot of us get into ruts or routines; I will be the first to admit that it happens to me at USC sometimes as well. However, just a small change or new experience can break you out of any “funk” and open your eyes to something you may really enjoy. Be it going to a new club or organization, sitting next to someone new in class, or trying a new intramural sport, the simplest change can have a big impact. As the old adage goes, variety is the spice of life, or in my case at with my Mexican food change, variety is the “spiciness” of life. I hope that as you we move towards the new year you can think about making a change, if even just a small one, from your normal routine, even though it may feel “safe.” The great part about making a change at Carolina is that with nearly 300 organizations, and a large student population, breaking out of the norm is not too difficult. As for me, all this talk of Mexican food is making me kind of hungry, so I think it is time to get out of here and get something to eat. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I must begin this blog by first apologizing for my lack of activity. This whole “vacation” thing is kind of nice. No class, no tests, no homework. You would think that with all of this extra time on my hands that I would have no problem churning out a few blogs for your vacation reading pleasure. The funny thing is that the busier I am, the more blogs I get done, which is kind of ironic if you ask me. Anyways, on to what this post is all about. If you can search your memory banks for a second and remember way back at the beginning of the semester when I talked about goals for the semester. Well, I think it is important to look back and see how well those goals ended up. So, it is time to debrief and see how I did this semester. First and foremost my main semester goal was to make straight A’s. I can tell you that it looked iffy for a while there, but I was able to pull it out, make all A’s and meet that goal! Next goal was to join a pharmacy organization. No problem there as I actually went and joined two. A third goal was to simply run for a pharmacy student government position. Seeing as how I was able to become the vice president of our class, I think I actually exceeded that goal. Now, I know it looks like that I was able to accomplish all my goals, but that is simply not the case. I fell short in a couple of places. For example, one of my goals was to win the softball championship. If you remember from my post “Southern Avenged”, the Sultans of the South came up just short in the championship game. Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to try and meet that goal until next fall’s co-ed softball season. Another sports related goal that I wasn’t able to meet was making it to the championship game in racquetball. I came up one round short, but luckily I can avenge that one this spring. I also had some weekly goals that I did a pretty good job of meeting as well. I was able to lift weights three times a week, and for the most part I hit golf walls weekly. They may not seem like huge goals, but being able to stay in shape by lifting weights and relaxing at the driving range went a long way to keeping me in good shape to take care of my business in the classroom. As you can see, I was able to meet most of the more “important” goals this semester, and my shortcomings came mostly in the sports department. In the grand scheme of things, I think getting the grades is more important than that intramural championship t-shirt, no matter how nice it may have been to wear and show off. As I look forward to next semester, I will make a new set of goals one of which will to definitely work on that racquetball serve. Anyways, that’s all I have for now sports fans, keep on enjoying that break and I will try and get back to you as soon as I can. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

            I have never really been one for oysters. In fact, I have never been a huge fan of seafood. I would go so far as to say that I really don’t like seafood at all, and the thought of it alone is enough to set my face to “icky” as I imagine that distinct taste and smell. Knowing my disdain for food that swims, what then, was I doing at an oyster roast in Charleston on Saturday? The answer, my anxious readers, it that it was a social event put on by the South Carolina College of Pharmacy to bring the two campuses (Charleston and the one I go to here in Columbia) together for some food, fun, and even some singing performances.

            My day began as I drove down to Charleston with Ryan, Chad, and Chad’s lovely wife Jen: Ryan and Chad both being in pharmacy school with me here, and interestingly enough Chad’s wife, Jen being a graduate of pharmacy school here. We arrived at the campus at MUSC in Charleston around noon and were treated to a tasty lunch of sandwiches, followed by a presentation, and one of the coolest parts of the day: a tour of their campus.

            The unique part about the pharmacy school at MUSC is that it is built right into a hospital. So as you leave class, you are immediately immersed in the bustle of an actual hospital. Along the tour we got to see their classrooms, as well as the most interesting part, their “patho lab”. The patho lab is basically a collection of specimens of different diseases of the human body preserved in formaldehyde. So, in case you were wondering what a lacerated liver looked like, I could describe it to you in great detail thanks to my visit.

            Once our tour was over, we headed to Folly Beach for the oyster roast itself. Lucky for Chad, Jen, and myself, there was plenty of food that was not oysters. We all enjoyed some good ol’ all American hot dogs, chili, and macaroni and cheese. Here is a picture of me waiting to pounce on my plate mac and cheese.

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            Perhaps the only thing that was better than the food was the spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean the party afforded us. We were there early enough to get a chance to see the sunset, and boy was it a beauty! One of the prettiest I have even seen. Some scenery that may not be quite as breathtaking, but still cool to me is the picture below of me, Ryan, and Chad, left to right along the boardwalk.

 http://uscbloggers.com/cory/Cybershot%20021.jpg

            I mentioned earlier about some “singing performances” and I just know that you are on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what that could mean. Lucky for us pharmacy students, there was a DJ there to spin some tunes. This DJ did not just bring music; he brought an instant party on a screen. That’s right, I am talking Karaoke! Immediately, I was there to put in my request. It wasn’t that I HAD to be first, but we were planning on leaving early to go see the USC basketball game, and time was a factor.

            Lucky for me, I was the first to put my request in, Are you ready for my selection? Alright, for about three and a half minutes, I put on a show for the ages to the tune of “Soul Man” by the Blues Brothers! It is my karaoke specialty, and in my humble opinion, I nailed it! The audience seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did!

            So, with a belly full of food, a mind full of beach images, and a performance of a lifetime, it was time to head back up I-26 to Columbia. It was nice to finally have a relatively free weekend to completely relax and enjoy myself. The only problem is it makes me wish they were all like that! Unfortunately, it is not meant to be. In fact, I have to be hitting the books for a final test and quiz before Turkey Day break!

Take care…from the Soul Man himself!

Posted by Cory at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Looking back in the past at a sad or tragic event is not something easy to do. I am sure we all look back at the loss of a friend or loved one, and remember how much it hurt, how tragic it may have been and how deep the wound still may be. The shock and sadness can be overwhelming, but in that darkness there often comes a light. For me personally, I remember the night my grandmother passed away, I was playing a baseball game, and as soon as it ended, I cried my eyes out. Her passing, however, gave birth to a new and closer relationship with my grandfather that has carried on to this day. Did it make all of the hurt go away? No, but something positive was still able to arise.

            What is the point of relating this sad story? Because within the last two weeks, USC has endured a terrible tragedy that has brought sadness across the campus, yet has allowed us to become more unified. The event, as you may have seen on the news, occurred at a beach house in North Carolina where six USC students, and one Clemson student were killed in a fire.

            When I heard the news, I, like the majority of campus reacted initially with shock. We could not believe that something so terrible could happen to our fellow students. I was left searching the internet and watching the TV for news and updates, as in those first few hours the information was sporadic, and it wasn’t until the middle of the week when we learned the names of our classmates.

            While collectively we mourned as a campus, seven memorials were set up on Greene Street in front of the Russell House where cards, flowers, and notes were placed. Vigils and services were held, and as a student body we came together to honor the seven students. In addition to these memorials, our football team wore a sticker with the inscription “Forever to Thee” on their helmets this past weekend in the students’ honor. In case you were wondering, the words “Forever to Thee” have a very deep meaning at Carolina as it is the last line in our alma mater.

            Why didn’t I write about all of this right when it occurred? I decided to wait a while before writing about this because I wanted some time for things to settle down around here, to wait until emotions subsided a bit, and so that I could try and put together a clearer picture for you of how we as a campus reacted, came together, and continue to cope with our loss.

            Did I personally know any of the students killed? The answer is no. It doesn’t matter though, because this event shook me as a Carolina student. When those members of our community were lost, we all felt it. We all felt the pain. We all felt the sadness. We felt the shock. One thing was for certain though: we all came together.

Posted by Cory at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            As the saying goes, “it’s like school on Friday, no class.” Hold on, isn’t it supposed to be like school on Saturday? Usually the answer would be yes. However, today the college of pharmacy had no class! The reason you ask? Since we are merged with the campus at MUSC in Charleston, and today was their “research” day, and they have no class on research day, neither did the campus here at Columbia! I say it was s about time that we pharmacy students finally got a break from class!

            I was puzzled with how to spend my time since I normally do not get to have entire days off. So what did I do? First things first, I slept in! It was everything I had hoped for and more. After catching up on my Z’s, I headed over to Blatt for an early morning workout in the weight room. With some reps under my belt, it was time to eat lunch, and since I wasn’t rushing around going to classes, I was able to actually meet my friend, Jenna 09’, and sit down and talk over lunch at Russell House for an entire hour! An hour to have a relaxing lunch has certainly become a luxury these days.

            When lunch was over with, Jenna and I parted ways, and I headed over to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore Café in the bookstore to get a quick hour of studying in because I had plans later in the afternoon. What kind of plans? Why my weekly golf outing with Brad 09’of course! We met up and drove over to the Northwoods Golf Course and got a quick 9 in before the sun went down.

            This Class Free Friday was not over when the last ball found hole on the 9^th green, because us two boys were hungry! We agreed pizza sounded good, and decided to split a pie at Village Idiot in Five Points. Brad had never eaten there, and needed some convincing to go, but within a couple of bites, he was convinced we had made a good choice. His only disappointment was that he hadn’t eaten there sooner!

            So, that was my “classless” day in a quick nutshell. A lot of fun, a little work, and no time spent in Coker Life Science 211 (our pharmacy classroom). Not a bad day in the least, and there is more fun to come tomorrow. Stay tuned for that! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright boys and girls, it’s time for us to join Mr. Peabody and Sherman and take a trip in the “Wa-baac” machine (excuse the Rocky and Bullwinkle show reference) to a time when we all were in grade school. Join me as I take my personal journey to an era when having time to watch Saturday morning cartoons was a luxury I thought would never end. One of my favorite shows, albeit not a cartoon, was “Bill Nye: The Science Guy.” Remember? Remember how he made science cool (not that it needs that much help, I mean, c’mon, science rocks!)? Remember how it all related to real life? And remember, most importantly, the awesome theme song? You know the one I am talking about. Does the chant, “Bill Bill Bill Bill?” evoke some memories? That is what I thought.

            You may be wondering why I am bringing up such a wondrous figure from our childhood. The answer, quite simply, is that I and many of my close friends here at USC got to see him LIVE and IN PERSON last night at the Koger Center. It was a blast from the past as the slightly aged, but ever energetic, passionate, and dare I say nerdy (in a good way, and in all fairness it takes one to know one) Nye treated us to a night of science, space, and a glimpse of the future.

            He spent a lot of time relating his time working on space projects to the current missions in outer space. In addition to his commentary on space, he devoted a lot of time to showing us the science behind a lot of today’s global problems. There was one aspect of Nye that was ever present, and that was his passion of inspiring us to great things with our minds. He challenged us to, in his own words, “Dare I say…change the world.”

            His time on stage definitely opened my eyes to possibilities of using our resources more efficiently, helping the environment, and living up to his phrase “Get more from less.” Even as a 20 year old college junior, I felt like the 8 year old that grew up watching the same man on TV, complete with my same laughter, wonder, and excitement with what the world can bring.

            While we were sad when his time on stage was finished, the students were all left entertained, with a bit of that childhood wonder still in their faces, myself included. I feel like going out and trying to save the world right now, but I think that I will stick to what I can do around here, for the time being that is.

            Until next time, remember, science is cool! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Have you ever been home while your parents went away on vacation, and they trusted you to keep the house clean and neat until they got back? You know, wash the dishes, take the dog out, and no big parties! Of course you never do what they ask you, and just hours before your parents come home, the house is a mess, and you have to frantically clean it up.

            Well, my parents were coming to visit as part of their vacation this week, but the process was still the same: Sunday morning it was time to clean out the sink, put the dishes away, and make up for a few weeks worth of not dusting so that the pad looked pretty for the “P’s”.

            So, with my apartment clean, I went to pick them up from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which is just a short 15 minute drive west of campus. I hadn’t seen them in a couple of months, and to be truthful, I think I may have been more excited to see them then the other way around! Either way you look at it, all parties were happy when the plane was on the ground and I was driving my parents to campus.

            We hit the Publix first to do some grocery shopping (hey, when your parents travel 2000 miles from Arizona to see you, you gotta milk it for all its worth!), dropped the goodies off at the newly cleaned apartment, and were off to a delicious dinner at California Dreaming on Main Street.

            After dinner, my parents took my car down to my Aunt and Uncle’s place in Hilton Head for the week ,but rest assured, they will be back Friday for all of the festivities of parents weekend coming up! So stay tuned for that, and in the mean time, do your parents a favor and clean a dish or vacuum a room or something! I am sure they’ll appreciate it! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            We have all heard how the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy” goes right? It goes a little something like “Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap, and called it macaroni.” and so on and so forth. Today, I was able to rewrite the original lyrics thanks to my own goofy antics.

            Allow me to set the stage: I was sitting in Coker Life Science Room 211, which is basically my home away from home, taking in my Physiology lecture from Dr. Hofseth. I had a pencil in one hand and a highlighter in the other, at the ready to take copious notes. While I was ready, my mind, as well as the majority of the class, was thinking about the Biochemistry test coming up in the next period. So after drifting through fifty minutes of lecture about inflammation, I put my Physiology notebook away, clipped my highlighter to my hat (do you see where I am going with this?) and was locked and loaded for my Biochemistry test!

            Fast forward through 45 minutes of scouring over the test, bubbling in answers on my scantron test sheet, double checking my responses, changing a couple, and it was time to get out of class and be free for the day! I put my pencil away in my backpack, turned my exam in, and I was out the door to sunny Sumter Street!

            As I was walking out, I noticed I was getting some strange looks, I mean, more than I usually get that is. After a couple more people looked at me with their heads cocked to the sides, I noticed a weird shape in my shadow on the ground that was sticking off of my hat. Wouldn’t you know that I left my highlighter clipped to my hat!

            In my worry about the test, I had completely forgotten about my improvised “storage” unit for my highlighter. Needless to say, I immediately took off the highlighter, feeling pretty embarrassed to be honest, but I couldn’t help but laugh at myself anyways. After a weekend of studying for my biochemistry test today, as well as a calculation and terminology quiz, I needed a good laugh, even if it was at my own expense.

            So, in my head, the “Yankee Doodle Dandy” title was switched to “Cory Doodle Doofus”. I also came up with lyrics, try and sing along!  It goes a little something like “Cory Michael, went to class, worrying ‘bout his biochem, stuck a marker in his hat, and everyone points and laughs at him!” I don’t know how well that works with the tune of the original song, but it helped ease my tense mind after my exam, and hopefully you got a chuckle out of it as well.

            That’s all for now, until next time, I’ll try to keep from looking foolish, and y’all take care!

Posted by Cory at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Pharmacy students, as whole, are pretty high strung. Alright, we are very high strung. In fact, sometimes it feels like after all the nights of studying and sweating out our numerous exams, that we are like a guitar string that is just a note away from snapping, messing up the harmony of a beautiful song (pretty cool analogy huh?).

            Luckily in our class here at the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, we have three great officers: Elliot, Doni, and me! Together, we decided to plan a P-1 Outing (P-1 being our class standing in pharmacy, we are the lowest of four years, kind of like freshman) to help relax our stressed minds, have some FUN and get to know our fellow classmates

            We began a couple of weeks go by looking over our test schedule to find a clear time when we wouldn’t have a test looming the next day, which is no easy task. In reading through our calendar, we found Tuesday to be good, as it came on the heels of a pretty intense week of two tests, two quizzes, and a presentation for everyone. More important though was that it came with the fact that we had no test on Wednesday to worry about.

            Now that we had our date, we had to figure out what to do. Since this was our first outing, we decided to keep it simple and try for dinner. After mulling about a couple of possibilities, we decided on the aptly named “Mellow Mushroom” pizzeria for our relaxing outing of stressed students. We picked Mellow Mushroom because of their good pizza, good prices, and the crucial ability of them to host around 55 hungry students!

            You are reading that correctly, we were able to get 55 of 110 students in our class to come out. That may not seem like a huge number, but trying to get 55 people in the same room for class is hard enough, but to get them all to come out and eat dinner on their own time is pretty good if you ask me! We sweetened the deal by offering a gift card to a local sandwich shop to everyone who could get their money in to us early: A crafty move by the officers, if I do say so myself.

            Overall, we had a fantastic time, and with a day of a test and quiz behind our class, everyone was ready to relax and chow down! While the tests don’t seem to end, I think that an outing like tonight can help end our apprehension, or at least our hunger for pizza!

            Until next time, take care and mellow out!

Posted by Cory at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Question: What have I and literally thousands of other students at USC been waiting for since April? Fact: We were waiting for this past Thursday night. Question: What was the occasion? Fact: The season premiere of “The Office.”

            Question: Why have I started my blog with these weird “question” and “fact” phrases? Fact: This is how Dwight Kurt Schrute, a character from The Office talks, and I was alluding to him.

            Sorry if that opening paragraph confused some of you who aren’t “Office Nuts” like me. I’ll bring us back to the real world where Dunder Mifflen is just a fictitious paper supply company in Scranton Pennsylvania and where I and several friends had an “Office Party” Thursday night to enjoy the season premiere. Yes, there were many questions to be answered and laughs to be had in the daily lives of the bumbling life of Michael Scott’s (Steve Carrell’s character) office and we were ready for it all!

            My friend Doni, who is a fellow pharmacy school student, invited me, Nick, and several others of us over to her apartment for some pizza, brownies, and fantastic TV. Let me tell you, after a very hard week, us three pharmacy majors were especially ready for a break and a good laugh. Lucky for us, The Office picked right up where it left off with its hilarious antics, zany characters, and developing romance of two of the office members (Oh ya, it is getting interesting between Pam and Jim!).

            The show left us in stitches, and afterwards, the whole crew watched the season premiere of “Gray’s Anatomy.” That is, the whole crew minus me. I got out of there before Gray’s started because to be honest with you, I just really can’t get into it. People tell me I’m missing out, but I think I’ll stick to the original medical drama, ER!

            I don’t want you all to get me wrong, while I do enjoy a good TV show, having the time to devote to an hour straight of the “tube” is not common for me, as I am typically too busy, but once or twice a week, it is nice to just sit down and let the television do the talking for me. My TV time is usually limited to The Office, an episode of Pardon the Interruption or two, and usually a baseball game or two per week.

            Anyways, those are my “facts” about our little “Office Party.” If you have the time this week, do yourself a favor and catch The Office. I promise you, it won’t disappoint! That’s all I got for now folks, time to start counting down to episode two! Take care!

Posted by Cory at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            The term “suitcase college” was thrown around a lot over the last two summers while I worked orientation. The phrase was brought up by parents who were worried that USC didn’t have enough to do on the weekends, and so their students would “pack up their suitcase” and go home every weekend. Some parents wanted their student to have something to do on the weekends, while others just seemed to want little Suzy or Johnny out of the house for good!

            For those parents genuinely concerned about students having opportunities to have fun and enjoy themselves on the weekend, I could say without a doubt that USC is most certainly NOT a suitcase college. In the fall, we can always count on Carolina Football games to give us all an event for Saturdays. However, what about those weekends when Coach Spurrier hits the road with the squad? Should we just expect to pack up the suitcase and head home to Mom and Dad for some home cookin’? Well, for an out of state student like myself, this is not an option, but luckily USC and the City of Columbia in general have plenty to keep us busy.

            This weekend is a prime example of what I am talking about. The Gamecocks are on the road at LSU, and so what should we do without football to watch? Well, the City of Columbia is offering up its “Greek Fest” this weekend. A short trip down Sumter Street will take you to all of the food, music, and fun of Greek Culture.

            Friday night also offered a couple of fun options. First, a student run sketch comedy group had a show at Trustus Theater, which is a five minute drive to the Vista. On top of that, out on the Horseshoe, you could go “Shagging at Midnight” where one could practice the native South Carolina dance, the shag, with fellow classmates. In fact, the problem Friday was not having enough to do, but having too many choices: a nice problem to have, if I do say so myself.

            Aside from these events, I was able to volunteer at the USC open house on Saturday through my honor society, which illustrates another point: getting involved automatically gets you meeting new people and offers an outlet for fun weekend events. I met most of my friends that I hang out with on the weekend through my student organizations and intramural teams.

            What I have just told you is still only one weekends worth! I have barely scratched the surface of what else there is to do on the weekends, but my fingers are getting tired, and I want to get up, get out, and get going on to a new weekend adventure. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            We all need a good laugh now and again. A good chuckle is great for the soul, and it’s good for you too. As a future health professional, I plan on taking the phrase “Laughter is the best medicine” to my patients and hopefully use some humor to help them feel better.

            Sometimes though, the one doing the healing needs some help as well, and let me tell you, I needed a good laugh this Tuesday after my “long day” of the week, going from 8 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon in the classroom. Luckily for me and my fellow Gamecocks, Carolina Productions, the student group that brings entertainment to campus, had booked a hilarious comedian to soothe my long day blues away with an hour of uproarious laughter.

            What talent was Carolina Productions able to bring in for the Tuesday evening show in the Koger Center? He is a prominent comedian today, having a comedy central special to his credentials, not to mention a number of very funny Sierra Mist commercials. I am speaking of the comedicly gifted funnyman Jim Gaffigan!

            When my friends and I heard that Jim Gaffigan was coming here, we were overjoyed with the prospect of hearing his hilarious bits on “Hot Pockets” and his other classic comedy material. All day as I sat in class, I was eagerly anticipating the hilarious antics of Gaffigan, and when I finally got out of Community Practice Lab, I was ready for the day to be over and the laughs to begin!

            I walked down Greene Street to the Koger Center with Jenna 09’ and my three roomies. We arrived fifteen minutes early, and were still relegated to the second to last row in the bottom tier. It was not a problem as the acoustics were just fine, and we heard every one of Gaffigan’s comedic bits, followed by his “self comments” that varied with the audience reaction.

            He spent the majority of his time talking about his favorite pastime: food. Along this subject, he gave us an in-depth analysis of our nation’s admiration for the breakfast meat, bacon. Ten minutes later (yes ten minutes just on bacon), he ended with his customary, yet brilliant series of jokes about “Hot Pockets.”

            Needless to say, he left the audience rolling in the aisles, and at the end of a long day, despite my exhaustion, I could feel the difference his comedy had on my state of mind. I am really buying into the laughter as the best medicine theory. Us students had Carolina Productions to thank for this fantastic event, which promises to be one of many great acts brought here over the year! I know who else is coming, but I think I will tease  you a bit and make you keep reading to learn the surprising scientific (perhaps a hint?) act coming later on in the semester.

            In the meantime, you may want to check out Jim Gaffigan on Youtube to see what you missed out on. Do yourself a favor because an extra chuckle just might help get you through the day. Take care!

Posted by Cory at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            Alright loyal readers, it’s time for a celebration! What’s the occasion? I have reached a major milestone in my blog career. This post makes it an even 100 that I have authored for your reading pleasure!

            Hard to believe isn’t it? Just about a year ago I started this gig, and now I sit 100 blogs later, still going strong. I have to be honest with you, when I started this last October, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, what I was going to write about, and to be honest, I was pretty unsure of how my finished products would look. However, 100 blogs later, after discussing everything from comedians to sporting events to the rigors of class, I have to say this has been a blast!

            One of the perks of this job on top of interacting with all of you out there in cyber land is that I get to chronicle my journey through school. So, if I have forgotten something I did over the course of the year, I can just look back over what I have written and relive all of those great times I had here at USC!

            I think I am going to end this one right about here. 100 blogs is a lot of typing, and my fingers are tired! Here’s to many more! Take care!

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

            So many choices, so little time and energy. Alas, this was my conundrum as I strolled through the USC student organization fair Wednesday on Greene Street. Here at USC we have nearly 300 organizations (294 to be exact) to choose from. We offer everything from social fraternities and sororities to sports clubs, honor societies, political groups, and student media. I could literally go on for pages describing all of the organizations and what they do, but I won’t, because my fingers would get too tired!

            On top of all these USC organizations, now that I am in Pharmacy school, I have several more opportunities to get involved! Here is where time management, planning, and the ability to just say “no” to some groups come into play as I will try and balance out my school life and my extracurricular life.

            As of now, I am taking eight, yes, eight classes in Pharmacy school for a total of 16 hours. Outside of class, I am an advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta, my honor society, a captain for my softball team, a committee chair for the Out of State Mentors, and, of course, I write this blog!

            In addition to these activities, I plan on running for some sort of office of my class in pharmacy school, and trying out to be a University Ambassador (the people that give the tours when you come and visit). Also in the School of Pharmacy, I will most likely be in two student groups, with a level of involvement that is yet to be seen. On top of that, I will try and work out five to six times a week. Needless to say, my plate is very full, but that is the way I like it!

            The point of this post is to show how important and fun it can be to get involved be it in college, or high school. I made the majority of my friends and important contacts by playing intramurals and becoming heavily involved in my organizations. I did make the mistake freshman year of joining a few organizations because I thought it was what I “was supposed to do” but quickly found out that it is quality over quantity, and dropped out of them because I wasn’t truly interested.

            I am now in a leadership position in my honor society, the out of state mentors, and was also the president of the orientation leaders. The moral of the story is to find something, or things in my case, that you are passionate about, and make the most of it, much like I did in my role as the intramural chair in Alpha Lambda Delta.

            However, now I have to go organize my life as I try and fit all my extracurriculars in on top of my class load. It is a nice problem to have here at USC with all of these options, but it doesn’t leave a lot of time for the school part of college! Until next time, take care!

Posted by Cory at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

            My apologies to all of you David Beckham fans, but I am just not buying into the new “soccer craze” that is supposedly coming to America. It has yet to materialize in the last 20 years, and I just don’t see it happening in the next 20 either. I tried to get into the sport as a young lad, but after 3 not-so-fun filled years with only scoring one goal, I decided that pretty much any other sport but soccer was for me. However, there is always a lesson to be learned. What is it, well, I think we have all heard the call when a player (very rarely) does score a goal, there is the over the top soccer announcer who yells “GOAAAAALLL!”

            You are now probably thinking how does that even resemble a lesson? You see, the call of “goal” in soccer reminded me of the importance of goal setting. I have set goals ever since high school, and when I arrived here freshman year, that practice stayed the same. Goals were something that I have set over my first two years and for the most part, were able to achieve.

            Like I said, I accomplished them “for the most part”. I still haven’t won that elusive softball championship or racquetball crown, but just because I haven’t accomplished those goals doesn’t make me a failure. Sometimes, you must adjust your goals based on the results or circumstances. For example, my first semester in the racquetball ladder, I didn’t win the championship, or even make the playoffs, so the next semester I adjusted my goal to get into the playoffs. Then it was to win a playoff match. This semester it will be to win the whole thing.

            Other than my racquetball championship goal, another intramural related goal will be to win the softball championship after two bitter years of coming up just short. Sports aside, another goal of mine will to get all A’s, which I think will be the hardest to reach due to the hard pharmacy school curriculum.

            Another important goal lesson is to not just make all of your goals performance based, because if you don’t reach it, you can become easily discouraged. So, a few other goals of mine will be to remain positive, get the most out of everyday, and try and learn something new daily as well. These goals sit in the “attitude” department of goal setting. Along the attitude lines is one more goal: to simply do the best I can in all that I do. Kind of a “catch-all,” but if I honestly put my best effort forth, I will have nothing to worry about when the semester comes to a close.

             A few daily goals will be to review my notes and study just a little bit each day, so that when its comes time to prepare for an actual exam, I will already have, little by little, gotten myself ready so that the final review won’t be as difficult.

            As you can tell, I have attitude goals, semester goals and daily goals, but I even have myself narrowed down to hourly goals. For example, on a day where I need to study, I will make a goal to study for an hour, or get through a certain chapter before I can take a break. It is amazing how simple some small goals can make life go by a little bit easier. Heck, I even have goals about how many blogs to write, when to write them, and I how many paragraphs I write at a time!

            So there you have it, some of my thoughts, insights, tips, and actual goals for the upcoming year. Be sure to get going on some your own goals because I really do believe they help you have a vision of where you want to go and how to get there. Now get GOaling! (By the way, another goal of mine is to have less lame word plays and bad jokes in my blogs).

Posted by Cory at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

   Hey there folks, I am back in South Carolina, down in Hilton Head with my aunt and uncle until school start. I have written some blog about my vacation, so the following four or five posts are about all the exciting times I had on my vacation. Enjoy!

            (This is the first in my series of blogs about my vacation to upstate New York and Chicago. The following was written while in New York in the present tense at the time.)

            I am not one to sound full of myself, but it is pretty hard to pull of a surprise on me. It seems like I have a pretty good grasp of what is going on and what is about to happen. With the noted exception, of course, of my fantastic surprise birthday party this past December. However, on the first leg of my trip to Upstate New York, I had one of the biggest surprises that I can remember.

            All