A Gamecock by Nature

The South Carolina State Fair is in town and there was absolutely no way I was going to miss it this year.  My freshmen year was my first time going to any sort of fair in my entire life.  Since I didn't have the time to attend my sophomore year, I made it a point to go yesterday. 

My friend Michael treated my best friend Joanne and I to the entrance fee of $7!  It was so nice of him.  We got inside and we were instantly greated by a huge transformer.  Our eyes wandered though to the group of Silverado trucks off to the side.  We took a few model poses in front of the new trucks and then headed towards the food stands.  We were walking down the main aisle when I spotted huge bags of cotton candy!  They contained clumps of pink, yellow and blue cotton candy and I knew I was meant to have the bag.  While I was eating my cotton candy, Joanne decided to buy a huge turkey leg! 

We continued to walk and look at the attractions.  We all get a kick out of parents that let their kids ride coasters of sorts that were put up in probably a day.  This is probably because our parents never let us ride the rickety rides.  As it was we looked at the booths in the indoor building and listened to a variety of people perform.  Finally, we were suckered into play a few games.  We played the "guess the month" and "guess the color" game.  I played the basketball shooting game on the "non-regulation" rim and was heartbroken.  We also played the "connect 5" game with the bouncing balls.  We didn't win any prizes, but we all had a blast spending a little bit of money.

On the way out Michael treated me to an elephant ear since I forgot to save $5 cash for one.  It was absolutely delicious because I got powdered sugar and bavarian creme on it!  We all sat and listened to a cowboy play the organ and sing while I ate my dessert.  On the way out we looked at the Nascar people present signing autographs and walked through an animal kingdom display. 

It was definitely a successful three hours at the fair!!  Make sure you bring cash when you go and be prepared to have fun!  I've heard it will be a great time after we play Vanderbilt on Saturday since that's the last fair day!

Posted by Lydia at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some of you are probably wondering what I'm referring to as the "college addiction".  The answer is not cigarettes, the food at Russell House, or the Strom Thurmond.  I'm thinking of something that sucks up hours of time and doesn't cost you a dime.  It's called Facebook. 

Facebook is the #1 college addiction and anytime I am personally near a computer I check it.  It doesn't matter if I'm in my room, the computer lab at the library, or on the second floor of Russell House, I make a point to see if I have any new friend requests, a group invitation, a message, or a comment on my wall. 

When I arrived at USC last year I had already had Facebook for about a month.  During that month I'd spent time using Facebook to meet the people who'd be living on my floor and in the same building as me.  It was funny because by the time move-in day rolled around it seemed that all around me was familiar faces. 

Facebook does have some practical uses too.  I use it to send messages to people about projects or homework.  I also use it to make plans with people so I don't run up my text messaging or cell phone bill.  My favorite thing to do is to add pictures and read the comments people make on them!  This can honestly amuse me for hours on end. 

The one thing about Facebook is making sure you don't put too much personal information on it.  It is not necessary to list your exact room number, cell phone number, or home information.  It's cool to just list the basics and use it only to keep in touch with people and remember names. 

So before you come to USC in August, make sure you have a facebook account with a cute profile picture, some basic information and let the "facebooking" begin. 

Posted by Lydia at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past week the temperature has finally hit above 70 degrees.  Everyone on campus is walking around in their shorts, rainbows (which is apparently a type of sandal that I'd never heard of until I came to USC), and tank tops or t-shirts. 

In between classes it is great to see the amount of people gathered outside the BA (short for the Moore School of Business building) to enjoy the weather instead of smoke.  There are people eating outside the Colloquium Cafe and outside at the Russell House. 

As I wander around campus after I'm finished with classes, I notice the entire horseshoe is covered - covered in blankets!  Every sunny spot has a towel or blanket laid out with people relaxing.  There are also a ton of people throwing frisbees and baseballs around.  A setting similar to this is apparent outside of the Russell House next to the water fountain and on the grassy plain outside Capstone House.  There are even people finally using the outdoor basketball court next to Woodrow. 

The sad part is, the pool at the Strom doesn't open until after Spring Break.  Once that pool is open, all over campus there is a mad rush of people carrying tote bags and towels in their bathing suits.  I'm personally excited about the pool because it looks like one you'd find at a resort! 

Well that's all for now.  You should be hearing about the Capstone Scholars program this week so make sure to check your mailboxes!

Posted by Lydia at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday night was a long Deltasig meeting, but it was also quite entertaining.  After the brothers gave their officer reports for the night, the pledge class had an auction for the brotherhood.  This was not a typical auction where "stuff" was sold.  Instead, each pledge auctioned off about two or three services they were willing to perform.  They ranged from washing a car to a full Italian meal for up to four people.  The meal deals were a huge hit as were the services to clean bathrooms.  For one of the meals, the bidding got as high as $80!  They also auctioned off golf lessons, guitar lessons, language tutoring, and a "wingman" service for a night. 

This auction is a huge fundraiser for the pledges.  The pledges are expected to plan a social for the brotherhood before initiation.  The social's theme is kept a secret from the brothers until about 3 days prior to the event.  This is usually one of the greatest bonding nights during the semester. 

I'm sure the pledges are going to throw an amazing social this semester because the 12 pledges were able to raise over $800 from just one night!  The pledges are also planning on doing additional fundraising so I think they should be able to secure a great location, music and cool decorations. 

In the meantime, I'm busy working on Spring Fling and then of course there's formal in Charlotte the week after spring break! So much to get excited about!  I can't wait to go shopping for it all!

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

Tuesday night was a long Deltasig meeting, but it was also quite entertaining.  After the brothers gave their officer reports for the night, the pledge class had an auction for the brotherhood.  This was not a typical auction where "stuff" was sold.  Instead, each pledge auctioned off about two or three services they were willing to perform.  They ranged from washing a car to a full Italian meal for up to four people.  The meal deals were a huge hit as were the services to clean bathrooms.  For one of the meals, the bidding got as high as $80!  They also auctioned off golf lessons, guitar lessons, language tutoring, and a "wingman" service for a night. 

This auction is a huge fundraiser for the pledges.  The pledges are expected to plan a social for the brotherhood before initiation.  The social's theme is kept a secret from the brothers until about 3 days prior to the event.  This is usually one of the greatest bonding nights during the semester. 

I'm sure the pledges are going to throw an amazing social this semester because the 12 pledges were able to raise over $800 from just one night!  The pledges are also planning on doing additional fundraising so I think they should be able to secure a great location, music and cool decorations. 

In the meantime, I'm busy working on Spring Fling and then of course there's formal in Charlotte the week after spring break! So much to get excited about!  I can't wait to go shopping for it all!

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

Can you imagine a day without a phone?  Well, let me tell you about one straight week without a cell phone in college.  I was at the gym last Wednesday morning and somehow my phone disappeared into thin air.  I thought I left it in a locker, but it never turned up unfortunately. 

So from Wednesday morning until Tuesday afternoon I was phoneless.  Everyone thought I was ignoring their calls or had gone MIA so I decided to change my status on facebook to let people know I had to survive without a phone.  Facebook and AIM became my main means of communication.  It was also weird to tell people to call my "land line".  Fortunately though since I'm a Resident Mentor I have an old school phone in my room.  I was also lucky because my best friend Joanne (USC '09) and I have share a lot of the same friends so we started referring to her pink razor phone as "our phone".  It was quite amusing. 

I highly recommend that ya'll take good care of your phones.  I'm still trying to figure out how to work the new phone I got yesterday.  First of all, it doesn't flip, my friend had to figure out how to put it on T9 typing capabilities and the ring tones are similar to the sounds on PacMan.  As for the look of the phone, it's a little black brick that looks like a Gigapet from back in the day.  Hopefully this summer I'll get an upgrade.  I guess I really don't have room to complain though since it is my fault I lost my phone and any phone is better than none. 

Since my SIM card was obviously in my lost phone, I also lost everyone's number that was in my phone.  I had pretty much maxed out my memory with people from back home, USC friends (including fraternity, RAs, basketball, etc) and other random people I've met over time such as my friend Vincent in France!  It's so hard to go about collecting numbers again, but I guess at the same time it's an easy way to weed out numbers I haven't used in a long time. 

Life's good again with my new phone and I'm so thankful I can text message again!  Text messaging is definitely something you use a lot more in college than probably ever before so make sure you plan accordingly. 

Enjoy the gorgeous weather and let me know if you have questions about absolutely anything!

Posted by Lydia at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can you imagine a day without a phone?  Well, let me tell you about one straight week without a cell phone in college.  I was at the gym last Wednesday morning and somehow my phone disappeared into thin air.  I thought I left it in a locker, but it never turned up unfortunately. 

So from Wednesday morning until Tuesday afternoon I was phoneless.  Everyone thought I was ignoring their calls or had gone MIA so I decided to change my status on facebook to let people know I had to survive without a phone.  Facebook and AIM became my main means of communication.  It was also weird to tell people to call my "land line".  Fortunately though since I'm a Resident Mentor I have an old school phone in my room.  I was also lucky because my best friend Joanne (USC '09) and I have share a lot of the same friends so we started referring to her pink razor phone as "our phone".  It was quite amusing. 

I highly recommend that ya'll take good care of your phones.  I'm still trying to figure out how to work the new phone I got yesterday.  First of all, it doesn't flip, my friend had to figure out how to put it on T9 typing capabilities and the ring tones are similar to the sounds on PacMan.  As for the look of the phone, it's a little black brick that looks like a Gigapet from back in the day.  Hopefully this summer I'll get an upgrade.  I guess I really don't have room to complain though since it is my fault I lost my phone and any phone is better than none. 

Since my SIM card was obviously in my lost phone, I also lost everyone's number that was in my phone.  I had pretty much maxed out my memory with people from back home, USC friends (including fraternity, RAs, basketball, etc) and other random people I've met over time such as my friend Vincent in France!  It's so hard to go about collecting numbers again, but I guess at the same time it's an easy way to weed out numbers I haven't used in a long time. 

Life's good again with my new phone and I'm so thankful I can text message again!  Text messaging is definitely something you use a lot more in college than probably ever before so make sure you plan accordingly. 

Enjoy the gorgeous weather and let me know if you have questions about absolutely anything!

Posted by Lydia at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have never been in such a giddy mood all day long as I was today.  I started off the morning with some comfortable sweat clothes and headed over the BA for my MGSC 291 class.  I got my first quiz back and I was thrilled to see 10/10 on the top of the paper with “great job” written beside it.  This put me in a great mood and I felt eager to learn and participate in class.  

Then I headed over to Humanities for my French class and completely embarrassed myself.  Instead of tripping on a brick like most students on campus, I tripped up the stairs inside the building, twice!  I normally walk in high heels, but today I had sneakers on!  I couldn’t even climb stairs.  I was so embarrassed to because after I slightly tripped the first time I proceeded to get up and fall again and spill my water in my cup everywhere!  Luckily for me there were only three girls behind me.  I’m enjoying some nice blue bruises on my knee to remind me of the incident.  

French 309 ended early today so I was able to eat lunch with my friend Megan (’09 Int’l Bus).  We were able to catch up on fraternity matters and life in general.  We ate at the Carolina Colloquium which is by far my favorite dining facility on campus.  

We then walked to Accounting 226 where I got my other great news of the day.  I got 3/3 on our first bonus quiz of the semester.  Since I’d completed all of the homework ahead of time, I volunteered answers and was engaged the entire time.  I realized this made the class time fly by! 

Well, tonight is RA interviews for prospective students for the Fall 2007-Spring 2008 school year.  I’m so excited about meeting new people because everyone I meet could potentially become my fellow staff member for next year!

Posted by Lydia at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have never been in such a giddy mood all day long as I was today.  I started off the morning with some comfortable sweat clothes and headed over the BA for my MGSC 291 class.  I got my first quiz back and I was thrilled to see 10/10 on the top of the paper with “great job” written beside it.  This put me in a great mood and I felt eager to learn and participate in class.  

Then I headed over to Humanities for my French class and completely embarrassed myself.  Instead of tripping on a brick like most students on campus, I tripped up the stairs inside the building, twice!  I normally walk in high heels, but today I had sneakers on!  I couldn’t even climb stairs.  I was so embarrassed to because after I slightly tripped the first time I proceeded to get up and fall again and spill my water in my cup everywhere!  Luckily for me there were only three girls behind me.  I’m enjoying some nice blue bruises on my knee to remind me of the incident.  

French 309 ended early today so I was able to eat lunch with my friend Megan (’09 Int’l Bus).  We were able to catch up on fraternity matters and life in general.  We ate at the Carolina Colloquium which is by far my favorite dining facility on campus.  

We then walked to Accounting 226 where I got my other great news of the day.  I got 3/3 on our first bonus quiz of the semester.  Since I’d completed all of the homework ahead of time, I volunteered answers and was engaged the entire time.  I realized this made the class time fly by! 

Well, tonight is RA interviews for prospective students for the Fall 2007-Spring 2008 school year.  I’m so excited about meeting new people because everyone I meet could potentially become my fellow staff member for next year!

Posted by Lydia at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you who may not already know, I am from Lutz, Florida.  Lutz is a suburb of Tampa.  From about 6th grade until my senior year of high school, my family and I took American history summer vacations and we loved to look at college campuses while we had the chance. 

I looked at universities from Florida, to Virginia, all the way up to about Massachusettes.  I loved a lot of schools for a variety of reasons, but my favorite amongst the schools was the University of South Carolina, which was actually the last school I ever looked at. 

When I first arrived in Columbia and went to the welcome center on USC's historic horseshoe I knew it was a perfect match for me.  My tour guide for the gorgeous summer day was amazing.  She answered a variety of my questions about class sizes, people, and the International Business major.  After completing the tour and seeing all of the brick buildings and learning the history behind a lot of the school, I did not want to look anywhere else.  Even before I saw Strom Thurmond (the Wellness and Fitness Center, which is currently my favorite place on campus) I was impressed by everything I saw and learned. 

I was not accepted into the honors college, which for me was at first hard to accept since I've been in honors classes my entire life.  However, after I was not admitted to the honors program I was offered the Capstone Scholars' Program and the McKissick scholarship (in-state tuition for out-of-state students).  Capstone Scholars is a wonderful program full of bright students from across America.  I felt right at home.  I'd say the majority of my floor was from out-of-state and eager to meet knew people. 

I am an outgoing person, but being surrounded by a lot of other people excited about college definitely made the experience amazing.  As a freshmen, everyone kept their doors open and loved to pop their heads in to introduce themselves and start making new acquaintances from the very beginning. 

I am still happy to this day with my decision to be a Gamecock and part of USC.  No matter what college you choose it is definitely what you make of the experience!  Get involved because I guarantee that will lead to a successful college experience. 

For Kristen, I hope this answered some of your prior questions.  Feel free to send me another comment!  Good luck with your decisions!

Continue reading "Away from Home" »

Posted by Lydia at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recruitment is one of my favorite parts about my fraternity.  Delta Sigma Pi is a professional (business) co-ed  fraternity.  We usually host rush the second or third week of school in the fall and spring semesters.  All business and HRSM majors are invited to come out for our week of events.  We require that all interested students attend at least three of the five nights. 

Every night of recruitment has a general theme.  Monday night was "Meet the Chapter".  Every officer spoker about their position and responsibilities in the fraternity.  I am currently Spring Fling Chair along with two of my other fraternity brothers.  I explained to the potential pledges about our event known as Spring Fling that our chapter hosts on Jekyll Island, GA each year for chapters across America.  Everyone seemed extremely engaged when they found out our chapter earns about $20,000 from this event and that our chapter has enough money to host nice formals, semi-formals, recruitments, retreats, etc. 

I had a blast mingling and talking with a variety of business majors I had never met before.  I also was able to meet some Capstone freshmen that live in the building of which I am one of the RAs.  I am definitely excited about the rest of recruitment and the big selection on Friday night. 

Tonight (Thursday) is "Chapter History" night so our historians will share with everyone where and when Delta Sigma Pi was founded, our founding fathers and some other neat information.  We also recite the purpose of the fraternity as a chapter since everyone always remembers it word for word.  I think the rushes will especially like the Gresette Room in Harper College on the Horseshoe which is where Delta Sigma Pi originated on USC's campus.  There are even the greek letters imprinted on the bricks just outside of the building.

If you want more information, feel free to leave a comment or question for me!  There's a good chance I may meet you at rush sometime in the future!

Posted by Lydia at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you who may not know, I am obsessed with playing basketball.  I pretty much play everyday with the guys at the Strom.  However, recently I haven't been playing well and it's been making my days more frustrating instead of more enjoyable.  So I did something that made peoples' heads turn....I took Tuesday off.  I didn't go to the gym at all! 

I have been working out a lot more lately.  I have been lifting weights, doing abdominal workouts and using the step machine.  Apparently this has paid off, because when I made my "big return" to the courts Wednesday afternoon I was back to my good old self!  I was hitting my normal set shots from the baseline and boxing out for rebounds.  I made 3 out of 4 shots it one game and my friend Mark ('09 Connecticut) was on the sideline screaming "Sue Bird".  It just made me grin from ear to ear!  On top of that, the gym was packed because there was the huge Holiday Dodgeball Competition yesterday with over 400 people participating!  What a great audience!

To continue this great day, I met some friends for dinner at Patterson which is now the healthy food dining facility on campus.  I ate tri-colored pasta and blackened salmon.  I know that usually students worry about any form of fish from a cafeteria, but this was absolutely incredible!  My friend Bobby ('10 South Carolina) got his stir fry for free because he performed the dance to "Chicken Noodle Soup" for the cashier!  It was hilarious!  I think Bobby made this lady's day! 

Well, Wednesday night is my last "duty" night of the semester!  This is part of my Resident Mentor requirements.  I am unable to leave the building and I take two rounds throughout the building checking for maintenance concerns and enforcing policies such as quiet hours.  Hopefully no one will call for a lock out tonight.   

Posted by Lydia at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)