Sometimes you just want to dine somewhere with endless options, most of which don’t seem to go together, but are tasty, nonetheless. No, we’re not talking about dinners. We’re talking about The Cheesecake Factory. You know, the place known for its delicious brown bread, its cheesecake, and that one Drake line. Long before Drizzy and suburban moms put The Cheesecake Factory on the map, it was a small basement operation.

It all started in Michigan in the early 1940s. Evelyn Overton, a home baker, stumbled upon a recipe for cheesecake in her local newspaper and decided to give it a shot. She nailed the recipe, and it became her signature. Overton’s friends and family loved her cheesecake so much she decided to open a small bakery outside of Detroit. The shop doesn’t last for long, but that didn’t stop Overton from slinging cheesecake from her basement, selling it to local eateries to help raise her two boys.

Overton’s kids were grown by 1972 and moved out of her house. Officially an empty nester, she and her husband packed up and moved to California. They decided to use their life savings to continue living out Overton’s dream: opening the Cheesecake Factory Bakery. Unlike the bakery in Michigan, the Cheesecake Factory Bakery was a success. The Overtons developed a dependable customer base in the Los Angeles area and things looked good.

Things were looking even better when Mrs. Overton’s curious and ambitious son, David Marshall Overton, started dreaming bigger. He wondered what would happen if they opened a whole restaurant based around his mom’s cheesecakes. A year later, they opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills. The eatery didn’t have the expansive menu we all know and love now, but it was pretty impressive. The Cheesecake Factory sells sandwiches, salads, and cheesecakes. Duh.

By the early ‘80s, David was an accomplished cook and businessman, so he set his sights even bigger. The Cheesecake Factory opened more locations across Southern California with expanded menus. Like, seriously expanded. During their initial growth stage, David kept an eye on all the hot restaurants in his area. Whatever he saw people flocking to, he added it to The Cheesecake Factory’s menu. It was an interesting strategy for sure, but it seemed to work.

“… I didn’t want another restaurant to open down the block and take my business away. We just kept putting things on the menu that people seemed to like. Finally, I thought, ‘Well, there’s nothing that America wants that we shouldn’t be able to put on the menu.’ So, we just kept at it,” David said at the time.

The Cheesecake Factory’s success didn’t slow at all when the ‘90s arrived. The menu kept growing, people kept coming, and The Cheesecake Factory started opening restaurants on the East Coast. By 1992, the restaurant went public and got a new look. For whatever reason the folks behind the scenes decided to go with an Egyptian theme, which has stuck to this day. Throughout the ‘90s, the restaurant grew in popularity among wine moms and people like Drake. More and more outposts opened across the country and the menu somehow got even bigger.

In the mid-2000s, The Cheesecake Factory had earned a massive following.  In 2011, the chain expanded internationally. It opened its first international location in Dubai, casually located at the bottom of an indoor ski slope. Around the same time, Overton decided the menu had gotten big enough. He capped it at a whopping 250 items, but The Cheesecake Factory continued to swap 10-15 items out for new items each year, which is a stellar workaround.

Currently, The Cheesecake Factory is one of the most successful chain eateries in the world.

Vanilla cake layered with cheesecake, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla mousse, and cream cheese frosting. The beast that is the Celebration Cheesecake seems to be their take on a birthday cake, yet it definitely feels like they’re celebrating themselves as a place that doesn’t care at all about what a cheesecake is supposed to be. It’s almost got that Funfetti feel, with all the bright birthday-ish colors. It’s tasty as hell, but the real problem is that you get tricked into thinking you’re about to take a bite of an ice cream cake, but alas, no ice cream. Just a comically tall slice of cheesecake.

Oreo cookies baked into creamy cheesecake with layers of fudge cake, Oreo cookie mousse, and topped with milk chocolate icing.

Original Cheesecake layered with fudge cake and chocolate truffle cream.
 There’s not enough cheesecake here to even call this cheesecake, but this somehow counterbalances my whole “too much cake” argument and flips it on its ear. Now it’s almost like the cheesecake is the part that’s been added, and it somehow works better. Also, the truffle cream is glorious which gives it more of an authentic look.

“Congratulations, [NEW DWARVEN EMPLOYEE]! By signing up with DEEP ROCK GALACTIC, you have just taken your first step towards becoming an essential gear in the machine of the MOST TENACIOUS space mining corporation in the known galaxy!”

There are a lot of co-op games out there. More than any single person or group of persons could ever hope to play. And so because of this games need to distinguish themselves to draw in players. It’s an endless struggle between studios to release content that can attract an avid player base and keep it for an extended period of time. And with that kind of battleground, having a unique and intriguing idea can make all the difference between success and failure.

Deep Rock Galactic is one such success. I recently stumbled across the game as a result of a friends recommendation, and I fell in love almost immediately. Deep Rock Galactic is a procedurally generated first person co-op shooter for up to 4 players. In Deep Rock Galactic it, you play as dwarven space miners working for the mining company Deep Rock Galactic, sent on missions to gather ores and precious materials from deep below the surface of the planed Hoxas IV. However, things are never so easy, as the planet is home to a variety of subterranean flora and fauna, and many of them pose a great threat to those who step foot beneath the surface. It’s up to the players to both accomplish their objectives given my the companies management, and staving off the swarms of alien hordes. This is both engaging and difficult, but equally enjoyable

The game stands out in not only gameplay, but also in terms of style and atmosphere. For lack of a better term, the game looks a bit chunky. But this is no insult, and is deliberate and only in the art style (graphically, the game looks great). The games art style utilizes a lot of large, bulky shapes in the design of a lot of aspects, which perfectly mimics and accentuates the people you play as: Dwarves, the stout and sturdy folk who are seen through ought fantasy and the occasional sci-fi. As for atmosphere, the game balances the serious with the whimsical. Before missions the game can take on a light hearted tone, with players getting to explore and mess around in the orbital space station that they call home, doing such enjoyable activities as heavy drinking, dancing to jukebox tunes, throwing barrels into important station machinery, turning off the gravity, and so on. But once a mission starts and players move down to the surface, its all business. The atmosphere shifts to a silent, almost eerie feeling, as players navigate in the near pitch darkness of underground caverns with only dim headlights and short lived flares to light their way. Only when swarms of enemies descend upon the players does this tone shift, in this case becoming tense and action packed, assisted by the absolutely killer musical score, featuring heavy synth and fantastic beats. The music elevates combat to the next level, and really makes you feel like giving your all in each encounter.

To get into to the nitty gritty of the game, a good place to start is how to play the game. As previously stated, this is a co-op game, and to help distinguish players within the game missions there are a few different classes to choose from, four to be exact. The classes are Scout, Gunner, Driller and Engineer. These classes all behave slightly differently and each serves a different role, but  when combined form a solidly coordinated team. The Gunner is the simplest to explain; it is designed to mow through hordes of enemies with ease, taking the heat off of others players as they finish the mission. The Driller is the best choice for getting through solid rock and clearing obstacles, as they come equipped with twin titanium power drills that make short work of anything within range. The Scout is the most mobile of the classes, and works best be utilizing their grappling hook to zip through the cave systems and reach high up areas, directing team mates to objectives. Last but certainly not least there is the Engineer, who serves as the support unit of the team. They have access to deadly sentry guns that can be placed in advantageous positions, allowing for better defensive capabilities when staving off hordes of aliens.

Deep Rock Galactic is a very special game. It manages to carve out its own niche within the co-op scene, and has received raging reviews ever since it was released in 2020. The game also sees continual updates from the development team, adding more content to the game with each update. The most recent update has added rival factions to the system, giving players dangerous competition in the deep deep dark. It’s an exiting ride from start to  finish, I can guarantee I’ll be sticking around until the end. As the dwarves are always happy to shout: Rock and Stone!

“DEEP ROCK GALACTIC will succeed. DEEP ROCK GALACTIC is not in the business of failing. MANAGEMENT BIDS YOU WELCOME, NEW MINER. WELCOME ABOARD.”

In this day and age, everyone is collecting something; records, watches, comic books, even clothes. I have become a collector of many things, but the two things I am most proud of are my POPs and Records.

Funko POPs

My favorite collection is my Funko POPs. POPs are bobbleheads created by the toy company Funko. Funko is a toy company with over 26 thousand products. But, POPs are the most popular item they make. 

When I was a freshman in high school my mom got me my first POP. It was a comic book character called Scarlet Spider. It was a Spiderman character from the comic books. I didn’t know at the time that this little action figure would create the collection I own today. Below is a picture of the first POP I collected.

Since I started collecting, I have gotten 177 POPs. That sounds like a lot, but there are POP collectors who have over one-thousand items in their collection. The world record for most POPs collected is over 64 hundred, his name is Paul Scardino. I might not have that many, but my collection is still pretty valuable. My collection of 177 works is over 35 hundred dollars and I am pretty proud of it.

The photo above was taken at my old apartment. My old roommate let me put them in the living room. This isn’t an updated photo, so my collection has grown since then. It is kind of funny to think about now because when we had invited a guest over. The first question they would ask is, “Who’s collection is that?” I didn’t know that so many people knew what POPs were until guests saw my collection. 

Funko has created many POPS from different movies, television, comic books, and even history. I used to only collect Marvel POPS, being a big Marvel Cinematic Universe fan. Then, I noticed that they created pops from other things I enjoyed in the media of pop culture. Some of your favorite television shows and movies might even have characters that were made into POPs. It is funny to think that these little bobbleheads have really created this mass popularity. Since I have started collecting POPs other than just Marvel, I have noticed that Funko has so many licenses from all types of media.  

Just Play A Record

Ever since I could remember, I have loved music. This might be a broad statement, because who hasn’t listened to music. But this year alone I have listened to over one hundred hours of music on my phone. My fascination with music goes to other ranges as well, including records. I started getting into records last year. It is a newer collection so I don’t have as many as I want, but I hope it will grow as the years go by. Sadly, do not have a picture of my records.

Right now, I have 30 records of some of my favorite bands and artist. The first record I got was an Eminem record. The album was The Marshall Mathers LP. I got this one because Eminem has been one of my favorite artists ever since I started listening to hip-hop and rap music. But, I don’ just collect hip-hop records, I collect all types.

My favorite record I own is one I got the most recently. Rex Orange County is one of my favorite artists. I was in a record shop and I saw the album, Apricot Princess. As soon as I saw it, I knew instantly I needed it for the collection. It was the first Rex album I got, and I plan to secure them all. 

Records are also very popular among young people as well. Many people I know also collect records, and some of those people are the ones who got me into collecting records. The biggest record collection I have scene was one of my friends who have over one-hundred records. He has collected for the past four years and I have always been so jealous. 

I have always been into more vintage or retro items like records because music is generational. I don’t only collect new artists, but an old artists as well. It is so cool to me that I can listen to a record with my mom or dad of a band that was popular in their time. It gives me a sense of joy to watch older people remember a time when records were so popular.

Everyone Collects

The two main items I collect are POPs and records, but I collect other things as well. Today, collecting is a hobby for a lot of people. Collectors are proud of what they own and love to show it off. I have met so many people with many different collections and it makes me happy that they are so proud of their collections. 

A few months back, I got back into Magic the Gathering. I learned that my girlfriend and her family frequently played the game, and so I decided to dust off some old decks I had made all those years ago and join them one night. I hadn’t played the game since middle school, well over a decade ago at this point, and so even though the game still felt familiar to me, I was understandably pretty rusty. Needless to say I lost almost all the game I played that night, but I was back in the game and loving it. During this time, I became reacquainted with the rules of Magic. If anyone was ever wondering what Magic the Gathering was and how to start, well this is as good a place to start as any.

Magic the Gathering is a card game that was created by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. It is actually the first ever trading card game, which makes it stand out among others since it is, well, the first. since then, magic has grown exponentially in both popularity and size, with tens of millions of players worldwide, and literal billions of cards produced (no joke. From 2008 to 2016, over twenty billion Magic cards were produced).

Magic is traditionally a game that is involved two players. There can be more, but most games are with two. Each player has a deck of Magic cards, either a pre-built deck one that was put together by said player, which signify spells that the players cast at one another to try and achieve victory (We will talk more about victory later). Both players start with twenty life points, which might not sound like a lot, but numbers in magic tend to be pretty small for simplicities sake.

A deck must have at minimum 60 cards to be legal to play. There is no maximum deck size, but typically staying as close to 60 cards as you can is the best way to go. In addition, players cannot have more that 4 copies of any given card in their deck, excluding lands, which are the resource that players use to cast their cards/spells. There are five different types of lands in the game: Plains (white), Islands (blue),Swamps (black), Mountains (red), and Forests (green). Without lands, players cannot cast spells, and so an average Magic deck will have at least a third of its cards dedicated to lands. 

To do almost anything in magic, you must tap cards. To tap a card is to turn it sideways to show that it has been used for the turn. You do this when you use a land to make mana, when you attack with a creature, or when you activate an ability that has the tap symbol as part of its cost . When a permanent is tapped, you can’t tap it again until it’s been untapped. As your turn begins, untap your tapped cards so you can use them again.

There are a few different types of cards in Magic. Those types are land, creature, artifact, enchantment, planeswalker, instant and sorcery. Everything other than instants and sorceries are permanents, meaning that after you cast them, they stay on the field until forcibly removed by a player action.

To cast a spell in Magic, you must pay its mana cost  by tapping lands to make the amount and type of mana which that spell requires. That cost will be in the upper right corner of the card. Most cards specify what kind of land is needed to by tapped in order to cast it, but just as many can also be cast, or partially cast using any type of land. this is denoted by a number within a grey circle, while the specific land needed to cast is shown by that lands symbol. For example, if you were trying to cast a spell that costs three lands and two islands, you would have to tap two islands, but after that you could tap any color land to finish casting that spell.

Once a spell has been cast, one of two things happens. If the spell is an instant or a sorcery, you follow the instructions on the card, and then you put the card into your graveyard. The graveyard is there card go when they leave the field, either after their effect ends, or if they are removed from the field in the case for permanents. If the spell is a creature, artifact, or enchantment, you put the card on the table in front of you.

Now that the basics are out of the way, we can discuss how to win. The most common way to win in Magic is to attack with your creatures. If a creature that is attacking an opponent isn’t blocked, it deals damage equal to its power to that opponent. The middle phase of each turn is the combat phase. In the combat phase, you choose which of your creatures will attack. Tap your creatures to show that they are attacking. Your opponent can then choose which of their creatures will block, if they want to. Tapped creatures can’t be declared as blockers. Once all blockers have been chosen, each creature, both attackers and blockers, simultaneously deals damage equal to their power to the others toughness (power and toughness are shown in the bottom right of a card). An attacking creature that isn’t blocked deals damage to the player it’s attacking. If damage is dealt to your opponent, they lose that much life.

If a creature is dealt damage equal to or greater than its toughness over the course of a single turn (whether it be combat damage, damage from spells or abilities, or both), that creature is destroyed, and it goes to its owner’s graveyard. If a creature takes damage that isn’t enough to destroy it in a single turn, that creature stays on the battlefield, and the damage wears off at the end of the turn.

These are just the basics of Magic the Gathering. There are more advanced and extensive rules out there (the official rulebook is huge but largely dedicated to specific card interactions). Needless to say, if anyone were to read this and try to pick up the game, hopefully they would have a pretty decent understanding of how it works.

Five Below is an affordable store that can serve many people and their needs. I think it’s the perfect store for those on a budget, like many college students. There are some hidden gems at Five Below that everyone should know about. Especially during times like these when it seems like the price of everything is rising. It’s nice to know a good spot to get some goodies.

Fashion

Five below has everything from snacks, makeup, chargers, and home decor, but many people sleep on their graphic tees. They have some really nice shirts and the best part is they’re less than $5.

Graphic tees are great for almost any occasion, you can dress the shirt up or down. For a cute, comfy look you can pair a graphic tee with biker shorts and slides or sneakers. If you want to go for a 2000s look you can wear a shirt with oversized/baggy jeans. If you were going on a date, you could cut a tee down the middle, tie it in the middle for a cute look, and pair it with heels.

Five below also have cute sandals that are perfect for the Texas weather.

Furthermore, Five Below has accessories that can really take your look to the next level. Necklaces, bracelets, and rings will make you feel so much better while running your errands. When you look better, you feel better.

The Importance of Self Care

It is important that we take care of ourselves. It’s better for your overall health. According to Southern New Hampshire University, “Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more.” Five below has a lot of products that can be used in a self-care routine. They carry things like face masks, nail kits, body products, and oil diffusers. All of these items can take away a lot of stress in your life.

Decor

Now you may not be able to get luxury furniture from Five Below, but you can for sure find some nice home and car decorations. They have small fake plants that can make your office space more aesthetically pleasing. They also have LED lights which can take up any space from a 5 to a 10. They have many more things like pillows, rugs, wall art, and organizers. This is perfect for students moving into a dorm for the first time. Since furniture is provided by your school, all you have to worry about is decorating and getting other essentials. Many students like me don’t have a lot of help from their families and it’s totally up to them to get the things they want and need. I know when I started college my dorm shopping completely broke me. So I am glad to encourage others to shop at Five Below.

Tech

Now I know when people think of tech items that cost $5 they’re a little worried, but there are some things from Five Below that are really good for the price. They have phone cases for just about any phone. They have phone mounts for your car, which is a great find because holding your phone while driving is a safety hazard. They also have chargers that I would only trust to leave in my car because those tend to break easily. Aside from phone accessories, they have an entire gaming section with headphones, keyboards, and game controller accessories. They also have many different types of Bluetooth speakers.

Content Creation

In this new age of content creation, it seems that stores are catering solely to those who create content for various social media sites. Five Below is a great start for those who want to get into content creation without breaking the bank. They have ring lights, tripods, and vlogging kits.

Quality Time

I think Five Below is the perfect store for those who want to spend more time with their family and friends. They have tons of games and arts and crafts. You can gather all of your loved ones and go down to your nearest Five Below and have them each pick a game or craft they want to do. They also have snacks that you can grab on your way out. What’s a game night without snacks?

As you can probably tell by now, Five Below is one of my favorite stores. They have almost everything I could want. Whenever  I need a pick me up I just go to this store and stroll and see what new thing I want to try out. The best thing about Five Below is the prices. Being a full-time student and a part-time worker, I don’t always have as many funds as I would like, but shopping at Five Below helps with that. This store is also great for when I want to have a fun day with my three younger siblings. We love to get games and snacks to spend quality time together whenever I visit them. Overall, I think it’s a fun store.