I have about two weeks until break begins..... I am so stoked!

Finally, I have two weeks until the end of this semester. I am so happy to be finished with this semester. This semester was very grueling for me and I think that next semester will be a better fit for me in terms of classes and experiences. I have become accustomed to not particularly liking the first semester, just because there is not as much flexibility as there is in the second part of the academic year. In the second semester, there are a lot more opportunities for me to leave the campus and to pursue the conferences and all of the big things that the spring has to offer: Springfest, Formals, Trustee Dinner, and other important events. My courses for the next semester are also a reason I have to yell about (in a good way). My courses are flexible and all of them are in topics that are of interest. I think I am saying to myself "there is light at the end of the tunnel."

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One of the things that I was enjoying was the always pleasurable President's Ball. Sponsored by WCSA, this year's President's Ball was awesome. I went to help set-up early for the annual event and enjoyed two hours of the really fancy Cocktail Party. Being one of the only people at the event that is not 21, I opted to play it safe (that was a good thing because I had ticket and door duty from 11:45-1:00 a.m.). I decided to chill with some of the seniors such as FIJI's former President, Jimmy Mako and the Historian's own, Matt McGuire. The atmosphere was laid back like last year; the background of New York City in the background, the Jazz Band playing some up-tempo beats to pump up the crowd, and the mellifluous powerhouse alumna Qiana McNary tantalized everyone's minds with those songs of delight. I LOVE the cocktail portion of the President's Ball.
Instead of being a loner like my time as a freshman on WCSA last year, this year, I enjoyed the company of friends and my fraternity brothers. Having everyone around me really made the night one never to forget (at least while I am at OWU). Even the subtle things became important- you know, all of the interactions with women, discussions about the future, etc. I mingled with the big heads on campus- from proven and emerging student leaders to Dr. Robbins and Dr. Omahan, our Interim President and Interim Dean of Students, respectfully. I was comfortable with portraying who I was to everyone at the cocktail party. I was me and that was great!
Around 9:30 p.m., the emergence of the rest of the OWU campus showed up to make its presence felt at the President's Ball. The room that was once empty was now full of new faces that were not seniors or faculty. I was already in the zone with the music blaring in the background. Around 10:00 p.m., all of the elements that made the cocktail party; the wine and beer, the heavy hors d'oeuvres, and the live jazz band with the quick emergence of the Swing Dancers, were being replaced with a DJ (courtesy of fellow Phi Delta Theta member Mr. Ted Thode) and the abundance of freshmen experiencing the joys of the President's Ball for the first time. The experience after the cocktail party seemed to be better this year than last year, mainly because last year as soon as the cocktail party ended, I worked ticket sales and the door. I left soon after because I was already tired. This year, I was out on the dance floor and enjoying myself early. Most of the faculty and the seniors were gone by 10:00 p.m. and all of them are virtually gone by 11:00 p.m. The lower classes started to dance to the sounds of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Soulja Boy, and Nelly (yeah, this is an eclectic mix, indeed). Compared to the beginning of the night, the atmosphere was electrified and full of energy. There were a lot of seeing people enjoy life as many people got into bid crowds to watch people do whatever they do to get that reaction. I know this sentence is a bit confusing but if you can interpret the actual meaning of what I am trying to say about the energy on the dance floor, and then you can understand the craziness that the President's Ball became.
The day calmed down for me as I went to my seat near the door to sell tickets. People were pouring into the dance area around 12:15-12:30. Opera singers came after their performance earlier in the day, Thetas showed up for more partying, and more freshmen than you can imagine continue to drag all of their friends along. I was not anticipating the amount of money people gave to come to this annual event. I was ecstatic with the final results of happy people using Facebook to portray their experience at President's Ball. Hopefully, WCSA can do it again next year. I just wish I had my camera like last year; oh well, check out www.mypictures.com or if you are an OWU student, check out Facebook for more photos. I have posted two picture links near the top of this blog. Check those out, too!
It seems like just a minute ago that I was a freshman getting my first feel for this blog. A year later, I am nearing my 50th blog and I am a year older. I am so happy to be writing to you because there is so much I can document as a sophomore. I have so much access now to anything that it is not even funny. Next semester, I know that I will probably document a lot more because I am planning big things for myself and for all of my organizations. So for now, all I am saying is stay tuned, it is going to be an awesome ride through spring semester- sophomore year. I have to go to work now at Student Involvement and plan out my night: Dinner on the town, One-Acts, and the amazing phenomenon known as the Bhangra Party.





Enlightenment is the key to continued opportunity,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10

Enjoying the palace that is The CheeseCake Factory

Welcome back to other edition of Good Times and Eats by your food and restaurant connoisseur, Hasani!



I would just like to say that I love food and going to The Cheesecake Factory on a Friday afternoon after work was so rewarding. I was thinking to myself that if I stopped by some of the restaurants that I have acquainted myself with over the past couple of years, I would be a happy person before I made my journey back to OWU. I guess working over forty hours a week tends to do that to you. I treated myself to The Cheesecake Factory after surviving another outing at Parker.

To show you what The Cheesecake Factory actually looks like, I took some pictures to leave your mind in a state of amazement and shock. The first picture to the right captures the image as I walked through the front door. Stated simply on the building, The Cheesecake Factory has its intended purposes. The Cheesecake Factory is a great social place to hang out, meet up with friends, and just to relax from the reality of the day. The Cheesecake Factory works as a restaurant for those individuals that want to sit down and enjoy their time with their loved ones or their co-workers, as a bakery where you can call in an order to take back to work with you or to enjoy in the comfort of your own home, and as a bar, where you never know what is going to happen when you gather with friends to enjoy a couple of drinks and a good pro sports game. Yesterday, I did the restaurant option since I was by myself and wanted to enjoy the day by not being at work or at home. By the way, I think the design that you see there in the picture is based on the carrot cheesecake since the color is orange. I might be wrong but it is just an assumption.

I believe that you can gain a feel for the restaurant just by the ambience of the environment. A perfect place to capture the mood and the ambience of a restaurant is believe it or not is in the restroom area. The Cheesecake Factory has an immaculate restroom area. When I saw it when I visited it the first time three years ago, the restrooms caught my eye. The appearance of the restroom told me that I was going to spend a good amount of money in that restaurant. There was no unwanted spills or messes in the restroom, just a room with jazz music and an ambience that displays the quality of the entire restaurant. I just found this aspect of The Cheesecake Factory interesting.

As you tour farther into The Cheesecake Factory, you notice little things that seem to pop out at you. I happened to look up and the ceiling is painted in a very artistic manner. I could not get an exact picture of what the ceiling was trying to represent but the painting was very catchy. I could try to link it to what the theme of the restaurant was trying to tell me. The Cheesecake Factory is very much like a palace, just look at the picture to the right. I think that The Cheesecake Factory seems Egyptian or Indian in its appearance and theme, even though they do not have any specialized food that would say that it is Egyptian or Indian. You tell me if these images are Egyptian or Indian.














I am not exactly what the history of The Cheesecake Factory is but the images in the restaurant make me wonder what are its origins. Being in The Cheesecake Factory is almost like traveling to other country with its scenery scattered throughout the restaurant.

On to the food. I had a really good time at The Cheesecake Factory- a lot better than The Melting Pot, I must say. I wasn't good bad after the food, mainly because I didn't mix spicy with sweet and bitter food items. This time around, I managed to get an appetizer, entree, and dessert at the same time instead of taking appetizers and entrees at one place, stop to take a break, and then go to Ben and Jerry's to make up for it. For my meal at The Cheesecake Factory, this is a rundown. For my appetizer, I had four crispy taquitos (you know the rolled up taco that Taco Bell always advertises through its commercial of that guy enticing the two Kenyan runners during a marathon) with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa as my sides. My entree was a combination- steak diane and crusted herb salmon. This was a good meal served with some garlic mashed potatoes. With my authentic, pure orange juice, I was ready to chow down and make the most of this meal. The picture may be misleaded to some viewers; the amount of food on the plate is not as much as you may think it is (even though I was pretty full after finishing it). For dessert, I had to get it since I am in The CHEESECAKE factory. I contemplated and anguished over which cheesecake to get- over forty variations of extravagant cheesecake did not make my decision any easier. My server (who I had a pleasant conversation with throughout my time there) came over and helped me pick one. I settled for something new- Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake. Sounds like a mouthful, huh? Well, it is but a pleasing one. Topped with Butterfinger and Reese's crumbles on a smooth chocolate crust and a peanut butter filled cheesecake, the thought of it made my mouth water and my hunger for cheesecake crave for more once I finished it. I was totally full but was wanting more. What can I say; it is a fabulous eating experience and would do it again in a split millisecond!

I will leave you with some final thoughts. Sometimes, to get the best, you have to splurge. Although I didn't spend as much as I spent at The Melting Pot last week, the three course meal was considerably affordable for me, expensive for some other individuals. I encourage you to splurge on things that you really want but be reasonable when you do. Don't get yourself into bankruptcy or debt pursuing that little red corvette you see but don't be afraid to make an investment plan to eventually get it. This is just an example by the way. Right now, I am living life the way it should- not in crisis but in enjoyable fashion.




Sopping up life,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10

Food is crucial to survival on this campus!

Okay. I have enough energy to talk about surviving at a college, particularly a small school such as Ohio Wesleyan University. Sometimes I have a energy surge around the midnight hour so I usually do some work or if I am really in the mood to write, I write something. I feel that I am most productive in the late night/early morning for some strange reason. I think it is a phenomenon here at Ohio Wesleyan; my friends are the same way.


Anyway, one of the things I have learned during my time here at OWU is to not solely depend on your food points. Your food points serve multiple purposes besides food and you can miss out on opportunities if you don't have any food points left (e.g. trips to the Circle City Classic, special events on campus, etc). What I have done is talked to my parents, siblings, and all of my aunts about sending me care packages during the school year. As you can see, I have stocked up quite nicely. That way, I will never run out of food (hopefully!). Food is essential to being able to concentrate in class and critical when you may need that extra energy boost for an exam. Stock up on everything you can possibly think of (especially non-perishable items).


I have a fridge and a microwave that I constantly use. I like to eat and when I have leftovers of all of the food I had (which is very rare), I store the food. My fridge can be very cold or very warm depending on what food is being stored at that time. My microwave is for items such as Ramen noodles, Chef Boy-R-Dee products, quesadillas, and other food items. I like to think that these appliances will help me maintain my sanity when I am snowed in my residence hall.




I made sure my fridge would be able to hold a lot of food and drinks in it. There are two fridges in my room; one is mine and the other is my roommates. However, he does not use it as often as I, so I always use his fridge to store the remainder of my items as I often have a surplus of drinks and fruit cups. I'm the kind of guy who drinks not because he is thirsty or that the drink goes with a meal but I feel a sudden urge to do so. Soda, kool-aid, fruit beverages- I store it all to get the satisfaction of that nice, cold feeling down my stomach. Oh yeah. Please, if you come to OWU, make sure you have a fridge to store all of your food in. You will certainly need it in case of an emergency or desperation.



Finally, there is a solution to when you run out of food points but you don't want to go to the on-campus convenience store. OWU is next to a place where students call it UDF or as the picture spells out, United Dairy Farmers. No, it is not a diary based store (it does sell cheese and tons of milk). It is THE nearest and most convenient gas station in the vicinity. Students stock up on all kinds of items like cereal, chips, and other critical items that like college student very happy. I suggest all OWU with some moneys in their pockets to go to UDF and buy everything they need. This will be one of the smartest moves you can make; you spend less and buy more with what you got.

You cannot survive as a college student without food. It may be home cooked food that you can fall in love with but you can maintain your sanity by enjoying what you have for very little money or no money at all if you play your card correctly. I am surviving because of my large stash; I am saving money and still eating like a champion. This investment in food can help make your life at Ohio Wesleyan and at any college in the country an easier experience.

Take care,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10