About a month ago, my family and I went on vacation to Myrtle Beach and came back after five days to a garden with dry patches and some half-living vegetable plants.  My dad has quite the green thumb, and his garden is "HIS" place besides the garage.  We were quite concerned about what we had come home to because we had asked our neighbor to try to water our plants while we were gone, but it just didn't look like that was done.  However, before I send y'all in a path to diss my neighbor, we actually found out that he would have watered our plants but our whole area was put on water watch.  The drought had literally drained several water sources in our area, and we had to conserve our water.  To try and water your plants at night when no one could possibly be watching was also just as risky because your pretty and well-watered garden would simply just give you away.  Why am I telling y'all this sad story?  Well, because flash-forward a month to right now and the story is quite different!

A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR!

Yes, a surge of this crazy, heavy rain just came down over Columbia, and it was quite the cool light show with lightning just lighting up the entire horizon.  Now, let me just tell y'all that I don't quite do well with thunderstorms though.  First of all, I hate getting wet by the rain because I always just feel gross afterwards.  Secondly, I always feel lazy when it looks dark and gloomy outdoors.  All I want to do is cozy up in some old jammies and lay down on my bed!  And finally, I just don't like thunder...and lightning...it's just a tad scary!  Hahaha!  But putting all of that aside, my fellow executive board members of the Fil-Am Student Assoc and I were just way too hungry after our first board meeting of the year to let the remains of tropical thunderstorm Faye get in our way to some good ol' Chinese fast food!

It's that time of the year again; the beginning of the school year.  The syllabi have all been passed out and classes our in session, but it doesn't mean that all students need to go completely into study mode and abandon their hobbies, interests, and most importantly their social life!  Student organizations all over campus have executive board meetings going on practically every night this week, as every group tries to prepare and plan out the fall semester.  It's time to plan out interest meetings, community service projects, social nights, and all the FREE stuff because we all know that when you say "FREE" around a college campus, you're sure to have a hit!

So, yep.  I'm busy, busy, busy again this year.  I wouldn't be Kriska if I weren't.  And with that, off I go now, so that I can actually get some studying done!  Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you could have any pet, what would it be and what would you name it?  Which political issue is most important to you during this election season? If you could be any famous couple together, what would your combined name be?

Apparently those are questions people ask these days during speed dating sessions.  Not to worry, however,  as I've not fully resorted to that for my love life.  (I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate it if I did anyway.)  This speed dating was actually more just for fun to get to know each other during a First-Year Scholars Retreat that I served as retreat team member on yesterday.  The activity was called 'paper plate dates.'  For those of you who have never played this ridiculously fun icebreaker (because way too many others are just super awkward), everyone gets a paper plate and then writes the number 1 through 12 to make a face of the clock.  Everyone gets about 5 minutes or so to get their dates scheduled by walking around the room and getting 12 different people to write their names next to the numbers.  Once everyone gets their dates scheduled, the announcer calls out what time it is and which date their supposed to be meeting.  It kind of takes a little bit of time to meet up with your date since you haven't formally met yet at that point, so this part was kind of fun with people yelling out names when they were being "stood up."  But eventually, once everyone finds each other and dates get paired up, the announcer throws out a question that you two are supposed to talk about.  It's pretty fun and interesting if good questions are prepared for the game.

But yeah, the First-Years Scholar Retreat was yesterday, and it was quite the long day because we had to meet up at 7:30 in the morning for the bus.  Basically, First-Years Scholars, or FYS for short, is a program for incoming freshmen who have been awarded the Carolina or McNairs Scholarship.  As I'm an upperclassman with the Carolina Scholarship, I have been on the retreat team now for 2 years running.  We just really take a day out of the first week that the scholars get to campus and try to give them a retreat where they can start to really get to know each other, work together, and also for some of the upperclassmen and staff to give them valuable information about campus life whether it'd be academic-related or just Columbia life in general.

Really, being a scholar here at USC, you are well taken care of.  You might be overwhelmed at first as a freshman coming on to such a large campus, but the staff and upperclassmen try to be as welcoming and helpful as possible.  I love that so much about USC.  I've never ever felt lost here because there is always someone that I know I could turn to who could help me figure things out or at least point me to the person or direction that could resolve issues further.  I'm not sure about other colleges and universities, but for Carolina being the huge university that it is, it never ceases to amaze me how close the personal attention given can be.  Isn't that a refreshing thought?

Well, as it is 11:23PM and I have an 8:00AM class tomorrow morning (can't y'all tell that I just love Mondays!), I should probably get going.  But before I do, let me share with you guys my ideal pet.  Everyone that I've talked to about it have said that it's virtually impossible for me to find such a pet to fit my preferred qualities, but maybe y'all can help me out.  My ideal pet would be a medium-sized dog that doesn't shed but is very fuzzy and hairy so that I can call it Chewbacca, or Chewy for short.  Right now, my family has a huge black lab that just will not quit shedding.  It's soooo ridiculous!  Hahaha!  I love him to death, but the hairballs just really get kind of gross.

And, well, on that note...I won't continue on a rant of nasty hairballs.  I'll just bid y'all adieu.  First game of the season is this Thursday...GET PUMPED!!!

Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello, y'all!  Because pictures paint a thousand words and Internet Explorer just had a little bit of a glitch (I had typed up this great whole blog about living in Thornwell, then it just decided to completely get fried or something), I will just give  you guys a short little blurb this time with a picture show!

Here's a picture of my window.  Interesting I know, BUT as you can tell, it was rather a rainy afternoon/night on the day that I moved in.  It held up enough though so that I could move everything in with the help of my parents, then it just kind of started to go.  Beautifully hung, of course, is a one-of-a-kind stained glass that was personally made for me as a gift.  Isn't it just perfect!

Someone apparently caught me working at my desk already.  Everyone's been kind of ragging on me for already diligently working away and sticking my nose to the computer, but I have my excuses!  I have been trying to look for some cheap textbooks, as I have a fair amount of books that need to be purchased.  Notice the garnet and black sheets, of course!

This is our modest living room.  Complete with the awkwardly placed fire extinguisher (hehe!), the living room is quite a nice little space that we haven't had these past two years as we've been staying in dorms.  We've tried to decorate it a bit and have actually put some stuff on the wall.  Y'all can't see it now but we have the football poster up there...We are so ready for football season!!!

This is the kitchen, right across from the living room.  A kitchen was definitely something that I really wanted having lived in dorms that had community kitchens that were usually not quite up to par with my cooking standards (hehe!)  This is just right, and actually we have already put it to good use.  Just see below!

This is our first "apartment-cooked" meal.  I have been officially dubbed the momma of the group.  I expect to be mainly the one to use the stove, as my roommate's kitchen experience is limited to microwaves and cereal bowls!

And of course, what freezer would be complete without any great ice cream!  CVS on Assembly Street had a buy 1 get 1 free sale on Edy's so we definitely got some of that.  Unfortunately there were neither the birthday cake or rocky road flavor (which are my Edy's faves), but strawberry and chocolate chip cookie dough is pretty up there.  So, it's all good!

Well, that's my mini-tour for y'all of my living quarters this year.  I'm sure I'll have more of these to come later.  I did write a bit about living in Thornwell before my IE got all crazy on me.  Maybe next time I'll blog a separate entry about that.  If y'all have any questions though about living on-campus, don't hesitate to ask.  I've lived in Maxcy and Preston, but I also have friends who have lived in other dorms.  I should be able to give y'all the skinny on other on-campus housing!

Well, catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I know I haven't been blogging much lately...like really much, much lately, but WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL Y'ALL!  I know that for the most part going back to school is not the most exciting thing, but there are lots of good things to look forward to about going back.  I've sorely missed my friends, the city of Cola, and GAMECOCK FOOTBALL to say the least.  The last thing on my mind is studying for tests, although I know I'll have to get rolling on that school-studying-zone, but I'm enjoying that feeling of moving back in and gettting back to the groove of things around here in Columbia.

It's been pretty busy for me lately though.  While others are still trying to sort out furnitures in their dorms and apartments, I have been getting "orientated."  Just like the new incoming USC freshmen of the Class of 2012, my fellow P-1 Pharmacy first year students of the Class of 2012 and I had our orientation these past two days and had our official White Coat Ceremony.

As for y'all avid readers of mine know (and to inform you new readers), I am now entering pharmacy school with 2 years of USC undergraduate studies under my belt.  I have worked hard to get the grades and get the application and interview to Pharmacy school, and now I am really officially a "graduate" student of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy - USC Campus!!!  My friends are making fun of me because with the additional 4 years of pharmacy school, I am just like all of the new incoming freshmen this year.  I will be graduating the same time as them!  I don't mind the extra 2 years that much though, as I will be getting a Pharm.D. by then! 

So, just to get started back up again...Y'all know how much I love taking pictures and sharing them.  So, here are some pictures from my White Coat Ceremony.

This is me with one of my best friends in the Pharmacy school.  Meet Anthony. He and I were being goofy in front of the Koger Center where the ceremony was held.

This is Anthony and I again, but this time with another one of our colleagues.  This is us prior to our white coats!  Meet Jennifer... 

That's me towards the middle during our official USC Campus Class of 2012 group picture.  There is a total of 110 of us students in the USC Campus with an additional 80 students in the MUSC Campus.  Together...do the math and there are 190 of us in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy Class of 2012!!!

This is my friends and I again, but this time with our white coats.  Don't we just look very official now?  We will be your future pharmacists!

Of course, my boyfriend Shawn came for moral support!

And of course, my parents...Don't they just look so proud of me!  I was very excited that they were able to take time out of their work to come see me for the ceremony!

Well, guys!  This will be it for now.  Rest assured, I will be blogging more often.   Look forward to some new posts about my new place, my reunions with friends, and my fresh new start in the College of Pharmacy!  I hope y'all are off to a great start...again Welcome Back to School ladies and gents!

Catch y'all later on the flipside, Gamecocks!

Posted by Kriska at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)