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I’m sure we’ve all seen some form of a life hack. You know, the little fun ‘hacks’ people create to try to make our lives better. My favorite are the food hacks. Because I love food so much I decided to pick out some food hacks from Pinterest and give them a try to see how they work. So let’s just jump right in shall we?

S’mores in the oven: For this hack you will need ice cream cones, marshmallows, chocolate, tin foil, and an oven. This hack is supposed to help you recreate the famous campfire s’mores but with your oven. I love s’mores, so I was especially excited to give this one a go. First pick out your cone, I prefer the Oreo ones myself, and fill it up with whatever you like. It could be the classic milk chocolate and marshmallows fillings, or you can mix it up. You could add butterscotch, white chocolate, peanut butter, or anything that sounds good to you. The next step is to wrap it up in tinfoil, and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. I had to keep mine in for about 15 minutes before I really got that melty effect. I took it out of the oven and gave it a couple minutes to cool. Then I just took off the tin foil and dug right in, and it was absolutely fantastic. I will definitely be making this for dessert again. I would strongly recommend this one.

Three Ingredient Nutella Mug Cake: For this hack you will need a microwave, a mug, ¼ cup Nutella, 1 egg, ½ tbsp of cocoa powder, and a whisk or fork. This hack is supposed to help create a quick, chocolatey dessert. To start, mix all the ingredients together in a mug until it has a batter-like consistency, and put it in the microwave for one minute and 10 seconds. Once it’s done set it aside for about 15 minutes. Now I can admit, I was a little skeptical. I’ve tried mug cakes before and haven’t been that thrilled with any of the results. I was even more skeptical about this one when I realized the jar of Nutella itself says do not microwave. When I pulled it out and looked down on it, yeah I wasn’t too impressed. It definitely didn’t look like any of the fancy Pinterest photos. I set it aside to let it set, and soon enough it was time to taste it. I was pretty nervous, can’t even lie. I think it’s something about cooking an egg in a microwave. Tastewise it was actually pretty decent. It tasted a whole lot better than it looked, however the consistency wasn’t my favorite. It’s similar to a cake consistency, but not quite there. Again, I think it may be the egg. But hey that’s what I think, if it sounds interesting to you give it a go! I think adding some ice cream on top would have been a really nice touch. So overall, I guess we can call this one a success.

Hard Shell Microwave Tacos: For this hack you need a microwave, soft tortilla shells, and a mug. This one is pretty simple, but I never would have thought of it myself. All you have to do is place the tortilla into the mug then put it into the microwave for one minute. As you can see it definitely puffed my tortilla up. When I first took it out of the microwave it seemed to be going a little limp. I left it alone for a few minutes and when I came back it had set similarly to a hard shell, it even had a slight crunch. I could see myself using this one again, too. Success!

Coffee pot quesadilla: For this hack you will need soft tortilla shells, cheese, olive oil, a spatula, and a coffee pot. Make sure to wipe the bottom of your coffee machine off first before you do this. Turn on your coffee machine, and add a bit of oil to the bottom. Once the plate is heated place your tortilla, add some cheese, and fold it up so its laying over the hot plate. Since it will be hot make sure to be careful. Once you’ve let the cheese melt on one side, flip it on over to the other side. Now my tortillas were a little big, and my coffee pot is pretty small, so I used half a tortilla to make a little quesadilla snack. It actually came out pretty good. The hot plate adds just a little extra crispiness that a microwave can’t do. Realistically though, this hack would probably be more useful for those of you who live in the dorms and don’t have access to a stove top. A stove does the same thing, and with it you can make bigger quesadillas. I would still classify it as a success though for those who don’t have stove tops but want some quesadillas in their life.

Better than fries: For this hack you will need a potato, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, a cooking pan, and an oven. First, cut the potato into thin strips almost all the way through. Then drizzle it with a little olive oil, butter, salt and pepper, then pop it in the oven on the cooking pan at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. I put jalapeño olive oil on mine to add a little extra kick. I had a hard time cutting it into thin strips, but I eventually got it down. When I took it out of the oven the first time it was still pretty undercooked. So I popped it back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes, and at that point it was safe to say it was done for. Some parts were overcooked while some were still undercooked. I think it’s easier to just cut it up and lay it the pan versus doing this. So I’m personally going to have to give this hack a pass, but hey that’s just me!

Luke Wynn, 25, is an aspiring singer and musician who received the 2017 Forte award for Best Hip-Hop Artist in Reno. Growing up with an aunt who served as a songwriter for Quincy Jones and Diana Ross, this win assured Wynn of his career choice. He hopes to make it into the big leagues in order to inspire others.

Wynn was brought up in a religious household–his father is a bishop and his brother is a pastor. He got his start playing at church and producing Christian music, but by the time he was 17, Wynn began to steer away from church music and gravitate towards the hip-hop genre.

“My dad didn’t like rap, and I was like 17 trying to not live for my parents but trying to make them happy,” Wynn said, “But rap is way more influential than gospel music. I think rap is one of the most influential genres right now because you hear Molly Percocet on a song it makes you want to go get some Percocets and mollies. I feel like rap is that powerful.”

After going through difficult times and overcoming obstacles in 2016, Wynn was ready to give up music completely. He could no longer find the will to continue music until his father convinced him to carry on and not throw away his “gift from God.”

“He understands what I’m trying to do. He understands my heart that I have for music and that it’s not to be a stereotypical rapper which is all about me, me, me. He understands that I’m really doing this so that I can point the focus to God. He was like ‘don’t stop doing music just put it into the right perspective,’ and now I do,” Wynn said.

Being raised in a spiritual family that is heavily involved in music, Wynn believes that his musical talents are the work of God and finds it no coincidence that many famous singers got their start in church.

“When you’re going to school everybody is trying to get you to believe that God is not real,” Wynn said. “If you look at people in the music industry some of the best singers come from the church. I feel like it really is a God given gift that people have, including myself. For me specifically I feel like there’s certain things I just never been able to excel at but music is just something that comes naturally to me.”

According to VH1 News, some famous singers who got their start singing gospel music include Whitney Houston, John Legend, and Brandy. Although gospel music is no longer his priority, Wynn still listens to it to calm his nerves before a big show.

“I don’t hype myself up. I listen to slow worship songs before I go up. I just want something to relax me before I go on that mode.”

The Atlantic states that only 0.0086% of the world is famous but Wynn believes that if a proper situation occurred, he would stop pursuing music professionally and become a full-time pastor. Luckily, winning the 2017 Forte Award for best Hip-Hop Artist in Reno gave him hope that he is on the right track.

At the Forte Awards, Wynn was confident he was going to win. It wasn’t until his category came up, and the speakers began to announce his competitors’ names that he began to feel nervous.

“Everybody seemed they were in the same circles. It was like people who know each other in the city. I think I knew a couple of people there, but everybody else seemed, they knew, they had relationships with them,” Wynn said, “So as the time went on I got nervous. I knew I was going to lose and I was content with it. I was like, at least we’re here!”

Now as Forte’s 2017 winner, Wynn continues to credit his success to his faith and aspires to serve as an example for young people. The advice he has for people who would like to enter the industry is to continue pursuing their dream if they wish to make an impact on the world.

He said, “If you have an unction that every song you make matters, every word you sing, everything that you do can impact somebody’s life and it can change music, I would say keep going for it. There’s always going to be somebody saying no don’t do this. There’s going to be times you are going to want to quit or give up, but sometimes it’s just time for you to reset. Don’t allow anybody to stop you.”

If you’re looking for a hookup, summer fling, or full-fledged relationship, dating apps like Tinder and Bumble have become increasingly popular on college campuses. With around 46 million active users and more than 9 billion matches since the creation of Tinder in 2012, you’re likely to find someone to connect with on the level you’re looking for.

Dating apps work in a pretty simple way: after declaring your name, age, a little bit about yourself and uploading a few photos showcasing the best you, other users in the area are able to determine if they’re interested in you by swiping to the right, or never wanting to see you again by swiping left. If the other person has also swiped right on you, it’s a match and the two of you can chat together.

Other dating services such as Match are heavily advertised on TV and social media and have been around since 1993. Singles can find people with similar interests and get personalized matches based on algorithms.

However, the less advertising and complications, the better for college students. Proximity playsa key role in Tinder and Bumble’s success.

How have these apps fared for some students around Reno? Kilee Mendiola is a journalism student at UNR and said she has used dating apps before she met her current boyfriend. “People with a certain purpose are on there, and I feel that it all can be really superficial,” she said.  She continued by saying that “I don’t want to say it’s basic…but it really is. It isn’t always a place where romantic feelings are shared.”

Mendiola believes that the best way to meet people is in person, especially when they have the same interests as you. “Dating apps are great if you don’t want something deep-seeded. It’s best to work on yourself and focus on your needs first.”

I created a survey with basic questions such as what dating services people have used and if they have had positive or negative experiences. Shared on Facebook in a Class of 2019 group, 27 students who attend UNR responded.

Many students agree that they have also had bad experiences, meeting what they call “creeps and weirdos.” Others, though, stated on numerous occasions that they have met their significant others on Tinder and are still happily in that relationship.

It’s not just apps for heterosexual people that are popular in the area, either. Many individuals that are a part of the LGBT community have used apps such as Her or Grindr. One respondent wrote during the survey that despite trying to meet women in person, “Her was great for meeting women” because they “did not know if [women they’ve met in real life] were queer or not.”

So does this mean that there’s hope to finding “the one” on an app? A survey taker stated that “It’s weird to tell people that you met your significant other on Tinder or Grindr, so no.” People tend to find that meeting people through friends or at school is the best way to find a romantic partner. It usually happens organically, and there isn’t the pressure to appear as perfect as their profile appears to be.

When asked if they would recommend dating apps to a friend, most people said no because the relationships on there don’t always have “a genuine connection.” Others said yes, only if their friends were looking for something short term. “They’re fun and can help you meet people you wouldn’t normally meet,” said one respondent.

Deborah Cohan, Ph.D, is a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, who writes about topics such as sexuality and gender, domestic violence, and intimate relationships.

“Students today are more tethered than ever before to their phones. Dating apps like these are a logical extension of inhabiting so much life on, with, and through the screen,” she said.

Cohan also notes that people today would rather go on their phones instead of initiate face to face conversations, raising the chances of people misrepresenting themselves.

“College students are going to classes, meals, and social events with their peers and many live in residence halls; so this is the best face to face time in someone’s life as I see it,” she continued, “There really should be less reason to meet online and much more of a reason to not hole up in one’s room and to get out…it’s also good practice for all things in love and in life.”

“I also have students who have met each other online, and for one reason or another, delay meeting in person for weeks or months. Everything has to recalibrate in terms of pacing and rhythm.”

Cohan also says that “this puts young people at risk for very fast courtships,” which can lead to relationships that become abusive.

Whether you swipe right or left on online dating, students today need to understand that there is another person on the other side of that screen, and everyone should be allowed to have a safe experience when trying to meet people.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami discusses his experiences with long distance running and novel writing. Perhaps surprisingly, he’s found that two practices require a lot of the same kind of organization and concentration. This book goes far beyond running, however. Murakami discusses aging, death and change. He discusses the changes in his own life that occurred when he uprooted his life to become a novelist, and the changes that occurred when he became more focused on his health.

The piece is beautiful, with nice use of metaphors and a poetic quality that I honestly didn’t expect from a book that claims to be about running. Consistently, Murakami sets up apparent contradictions that reveal a greater truth, reminding me of Tao Te Ching. This book is not just for runners. It’s for everyone.

Rather than starting the new year off with resolutions that picked apart and magnified my insecurities, I wanted to begin 2018 with something derived from a positive place. I decided to spend this year loving myself. Do not get me wrong, I am not stopping myself from any possible romance. It honestly was the lack of romance in my life that led me to be informed of the real issue. I could not expect anyone to love me if I did not truly love myself. So many relationships are based on the misconception that a significant other is what is needed to feel complete. I tried that, and it led to me being emotionally dependent on an individual who left me broken. I learned from that experience that a relationship is meant to be between two individuals who are whole. I was not whole, so I could not expect a relationship. To be whole, I needed to evaluate my sense of self.

I was insecure and mean to my body, and I knew that needed to change. Rather than being hard on myself for my facial features, not meeting the American standard of beauty, and spending every day hating my thicker thighs, I started appreciating how I am different. I now wake up every morning reminding myself how I am beautiful and how I love myself inside and out. After watching Teal Swan’s YouTube video “Self Love- The Great Shortcut to Enlightenment,” I decided to dedicate my year to loving myself. Teal Swan’s video was what taught me the importance of being whole and prioritizing myself. She encouraged this year of self love.

Personally, I wanted to make self love a routine that lasts beyond a year. The goal is to make every action the answer to the question, “What would someone who loves themself do?” Even though it has not been a long period of time, I have never felt so good. I noticed a difference in myself within two days. Friends described my presence as lighter and more positive. My vibrations instantly heightened from listening to my intuition. Until more recently, I would often give my energy and time to people who did not seem to appreciate it. I have stopped making an effort with those people. They do not deserve me, and I do not require them. I shut a lot of doors and managed to figure out who genuine people in my life were. If someone wants to be in my life, they will make the effort. I will not allow a one-sided friendship to consume me. When love comes, I will love without expectations. Expectations allow for disappointment. I can only control myself and how I react to others. I am an instant gratification type of person, but life does not always allow for things to happen instantly. What I desire will fall into place, and I must be patient. I am fine with only loving myself for now. I am whole and content with myself. I have self love and I intend to continue 2018 loving myself.