Have some time to finally write a trip review for Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii for my honeymoon in December 2022 for two weeks. Mid December and left for home on Christmas Day. This was our first time redeeming cc points for anything, so lots of trial and error and lessons learned.
My wife and I had gotten married in October and were actually not planning going on honeymoon until Spring 2023 until we researched further and managed to make December 2022 work in our favor. We started planning and booking reservations TWO months before our trip. We are very fortunate to have done it in that time span and managed to make almost everything work out.
IAD - DTW - SEA - OGG on Delta, First Class One way.

• First time using a lounge ever was at DTW. We had access to the Sky Club there. Pretty good food here, very roomy. No time to lounge in Seattle
  
• only I used points for this one way flight. Transferred 95,000 Amex points to Delta. Wife paid $958 before tax for hers through the Amex travel portal. I think she got a steal as I had written on a note somewhere that the cash cost was $1533 through Delta directly but cannot remember if that was the increased price after purchasing the tickets or at time of purchase, otherwise it would have been 1.61 CPP.
  
• Very nice service in first class. Abundant alcohol and food was very nice as well.
  

Maui
Day 1
Got to Maui late in the night and picked up our rental car, a Chevy Equinox, with Enterprise. Used my Hilton Aspire to get 7x points.
One night at Courtyard Marriott by the airport and paid $500.
It was the best we could do with our timing.
Day 2 - 6
Breakfast and lunch was by the food trucks near Costco. Shopping nearby for supplies for our vacation.
Meals (Costco food trucks):

• Mo 'Ono Hawaii acai bowls
• Da Nani Pirates fish tacos
• fresh coconut water

5 nights at the Grand Wailea - 440,000 HH points
Left to check into our resort the Grand Wailea in Wailea. Both the wife and I are Hilton Diamond members. Mine through the Hilton Aspire and she has status through actual stays. We booked these nights through her account and using all Hilton points. Each reward night was 110,000 points and we got the 5th night free. So 440,000 points total.
This resort was huge and immaculate. Words can describe how nice this place is and the customer service is SUPERB. Literally, the best we have ever experienced. You only have to see and experience it for yourself. My wife and I still talk weekly about the Grand Wailea.
We booked the Terrace View - 1 King Bed as the Standard Night Reward and upon arrival we were upgraded to the Deluxe Ocean View - 1 King Bed in the Molokini wing. Breathtaking views! Avg cash price so this room type is around ~$988 before taxes, fees so it comes to 0.89 CPP (if not including taxes, fees in the total). All meals, incidentals, shopping, and experiences were put onto my Hilton Aspire. Daily food and beverage credit was $25 each for the two of us and used usually at their divine but pricey breakfast buffet. No resort fees charged for booking with points which saved us hundreds of dollars. We immensely enjoyed ourselves at this resort and the lush, manicured surrounding area.
Meals:

• Lineage Maui. A favorite in the Wailea area
  
• Morimoto - Maui. Getting the sticky ribs is a must. As well as the ishi yaki buri bop. The guy won Iron Chef because of that, apparently
  
• Wolfgang Puck's Spago at the Four Seasons. Got the best seat in the house here. Get the "Poke" cones and Hawaiian snapper
  
• Mama's Fish House. Literally the hardest restaurant to get on Maui. Must reserve 4-6 months in advance. I called two months before our trip and managed to get a table for the two of us for late lunch. We arrived and we got the best seat in the house overlooking the water! Shout out to Mike for his superb service.
  
• Lahaina Grill. Another favorite for tourists and locals
  

Experiences: renting a cabana at the Grand Wailea pool, spa day at the Four Seasons with outdoor hale beachside, Wailea Beach, hiking Twin Falls, Baby Beach, Haleakala National Park
Day 7 - 8
Two nights at the Hotel Wailea, Relais & Chateaux using Amex FHR.
Paid total ~$3400 for the One bedroom, Luxury Suite, Ocean View. Unfortunately, no upgrade upon checking in. Hotel was sold out. Daily breakfast in the form of $30 credit per person and $100 food/bev credit given through the FHR. This stay triggered the $200 FHR credit for my wife's Amex Plat
Quiet, small resort, adults only. We enjoyed our stay here and loved our room. Bed was harder than what we were use to and it was far from the beach. Otherwise we loved the restaurant and the ability to "get away". One of the top hotels in Maui and all of Hawaii. Price tag to boot.
Meals:

• The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea. Another great dinner watching the sunset
  
• Leoda's Pie Shop. Any pie is great, get the banana cream though. Lines out the door
  
• Merriman's Maui. Another top-notch restaurant with hard to get reservations. One of my personal favorites the whole trip. Another sunset dinner favorite
  

Experiences: cabana and pool day at Hotel Wailea, spa day at Montage Kapalua Bay. Outdoor hale with hot tub.
Big Island of Hawaii
Day 9 OGG - KOA (Big Island) round trip booked with Hawaiian Airlines. $106 for each of us before baggage fees. Booked direct using wife's Amex Plat.
Arrived to the Big Island and rented a Toyota Prius though Budget. Paid using Hilton Aspire.
Day 9 - 15
We booked the Hilton Waikoloa Village using all Hilton points, 6 nights in total with one night free. 350,000 pts in total used, 70,000 each night. Initially the standard room redemption was for the Palace Tower Resort View - 1 King Bed and was going for ~$540 a night before taxes/fees so CPP was 0.77. We realized even before our trip that the Palace Tower and old, needed a refresh, and was terribly far from the beach and the parking lot. We asked for an upgrade when we checked in and was given the option to move to the Makai Tower - Ocean View 1 King Bed for an additional $75 per night. We promptly took this offer. This room runs ~$694 per night before taxes/fees and if I subtract the $75 per night, I calculate this to be 0.88 CPP. The Makai tower was much better, our room overlooked the ocean and part of the resort. Frankly, Palace looked like dogshit. Daily F&B credit was $18 for each person. Incidentals again went onto my Hilton Aspire.
Towards the end of our stay, we stayed at the DoubleTree Hilo using 50,000 pts. Room rate was $308 before taxes/fess. CPP was 0.61. This was on the other side of the island and very far from Hilton Waikoloa so we decided to stay overnight there after hiking Volcanoes NP instead of driving to the west side in the middle of the night.
Meals:

• Brown's Beach House - at the Fairmont Orchid
  
• Kilauea Lodge
  
• Merriman's - Big Island
  

Experiences: Kauna'oa Beach, Mauna Kea sunset and stargazing (this is a must!!), Captain Cook monument snorkeling, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National historical park, Punalu-u Black Sand Beach, Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls.
Trip home: OGG - LAX - IAD. United, First Class One way.

• Used 220,000 Chase UR rewards to redeem this flight for the both of us. Cash price of each ticket was ~$1485 before taxes/fess. CPP was 1.35
• Service was fine, food in 1st class was not very memorable.
• Did not have time to get into the Centurion lounge at LAX

Overall, an EXCELLENT trip. We were amazed and thrilled to do so much in two weeks and in such short notice. Again, only two months to plan once our dates were finalized. Between my wife and I, we have the Amex Plat and Gold, Hilton Honors and Aspire, and CFU, CSP. Each card strategically used during our trip. The FHR credit triggered for my wife, and my Aspire triggered the $250 resort credit. If I had to guess, we saved ~$15,000 or more by redeeming CC points. Hope this data point helps some of you trip planning, happy to answer any questions.

Howdy, I need to submit documents to the San Antonio Field Office by tomorrow end of business, and I'm unsure if I will be able to attend myself. Can anybody recommend a same-day courier service in San Antonio that I can have deliver my package for me? Thanks!

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/fantasybooking/comments/140vxxe/rebooking_wwe_survivor_series_part_1_from/
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Survivor Series '92 (November 25, 1992 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio):
Jake Roberts def. Tatanka
The Headshrinkers (Fatu and Samu) (w/Afa) def. Owen Hart and The British Bulldog (w/Jim Neidhart)
Big Boss Man def. Repo Man
Team Santana (Tito Santana, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon), and The Legion of Doom (Animal and Hawk)) (w/Paul Ellering) def. Team Martel (Rick Martel, Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster), and The Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake Beverly)) (w/The Genius) (The Legion of Doom (Animal and Hawk) are the Sole Survivors)
Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) def. Crush
Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Roddy Piper, and Mr. Perfect) (w/Jimmy Hart) def. Team Flair (Ric Flair, Sid Justice, Papa Shango, The Mountie, and Razor Ramon) (w/Bobby Heenan and Harvey Wippleman) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect are the Sole Survivors)
"The Narcissist" Lex Luger def. Kerry Von Erich
The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) def. Kamala (w/Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman) - Casket Match
Bret Hart (c) def. Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) by Submission - WWE Championship Match
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Survivor Series '93 (November 24, 1993 at Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts):
Team Razor (Razor Ramon, Marty Jannetty, The 1-2-3 Kid, Mr. Perfect, and Randy Savage) (w/Miss Elizabeth) def. Team Money Inc. (Adam Bomb, Rick Martel, Shawn Michaels, and Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster)) (w/Diesel and Harvey Wippleman) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (The 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty are the Sole Survivors)
Sid Justice (w/Harvey Wippleman) def. Jim Duggan
Team Bret (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo)) (w/Oscar and Jim Neidhart) vs. Team Lawler (Jerry Lawler, Bam Bam Bigelow, and The Headshrinkers (Fatu and Samu)) (w/Luna Vachon and Afa) - 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Bret Hart is a Sole Survivor)
Diesel (w/Shawn Michaels) def. Tatanka
The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Prichard) (w/Jim Cornette) def. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (c) - SMW Tag Team Championship Match (TITLES CHANGE)
Alundra Blayze and Wendi Ritcher def. Luna Vachon and Leilani Kai
The All-Americans (Lex Luger, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, and The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)) (w/Jimmy Hart) def. The Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Crush, Ludvig Borga, The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre)) (w/Mr. Fuji, Johnny Polo, and Harley Wippleman) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger are the Sole Survivors)
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Survivor Series '94 (November 23, 1994 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas):
The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, The 1-2-3 Kid, The British Bulldog, Mabel, and Doink the Clown) (w/Mo, Oscar, and Dink the Clown) def. The Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Crush, Jim Neidhart, and Jerry Lawler) (w/Mr. Fuji) by Countout - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Razor Ramon is a Sole Survivor)
Team Jarrett (Jeff Jarrett, The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre) and The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Pritchard)) (w/Jim Cornette and Johnny Polo) def. Team Savage (Randy Savage, The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner), and The Headshrinkers (Fatu and Samu)) (w/Afa, Lou Albano, Mr. Perfect, and Miss Elizabeth) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Jeff Jarrett and The Heavenly Bodies are the Sole Survivors)
Bret Hart def. Owen Hart (c) by Submission - Submission Match for the WWE Championship (with Bob Backlund as Special Guest Referee)
The Million Dollar Team (Bam Bam Bigelow, Tatanka, Irwin R. Schyster, Sycho Sid, and King Kong Bundy) (w/Ted DiBiase) def. Guts and Glory (Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Bob Holly, and The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn)) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy are the Sole Survivors)
Team Blayze (Alundra Blayze, Akira Hokuto, Mayumi Ozaki, and Cutie Suzuki) def. Team Nakano (Bull Nakano, Luna Vachon, Leilani Kai, and Heidi Lee Morgan) - 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Team Blayze clean sweep)
The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) def. Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette) - Casket Match (with Chuck Norris as a Special Guest Referee)
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Survivor Series '95 (November 19, 1995 at the USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland):
The BodyDonnas (Skip, Rad Radford, The 1-2-3 Kid, Tom Pritchard, and Goldust) (w/Sunny, Ted DiBiase, and Marlena) def. The Underdogs (Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz, Bob Holly, and Bam Bam Bigelow) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (The 1-2-3 Kid is a Sole Survivor)
Team Faye (Bertha Faye, Luna Vachon, Aja Kong, Tomoko Watanabe, and Lioness Asuka) (w/Ted DiBiase and Harvey Wippleman) def. Team Blayze (Alundra Blayze, Manami Toyota, Kyoko Inoue, Sakie Hasegawa, and Chaparita Asari) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Aja Kong is a Sole Survivor)
The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn) (c) def. Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie - WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The Darkside (The Undertaker, Savio Vega, Fatu, Adam Bomb, and Henry O. Godwinn) (w/Paul Bearer and Hillbilly Jim) def. The Royals (Jerry Lawler, Isaac Yankem DDS, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo)) (w/Harvey Wippleman) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Undertaker, Fatu, Savio, and Godwinn are the Sole Survivors)
Team Michaels (Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, The British Bulldog, Tatanka, and Sycho Sid) (w/Ted DiBiase) def. Team Razor (Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, Jean-Pierre Lafitte, Owen Hart, and Jim Neidhart) (w/Mr. Fuji, Jim Cornette, Dean Douglas) - 5-on-5 "Wild Card" Survivor Series Elimination Match (Ahmed, Bulldog, and HBK are the Sole Survivors)
Bret Hart def. Diesel (c) - No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship (TITLE CHANGE)
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Survivor Series '96 (November 17, 1996 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York):
Mark Henry def. Jerry Lawler by Countout
Team Bart (Bart Gunn, Phil LaFon, Doug Furnas, and The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn)) def. Team Billy (Billy Gunn, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and The New Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Leif Cassidy)) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon are the Sole Survivors)
Bob Holly def. Justin Bradshaw (w/Uncle Zebekiah)
The Undertaker def. Mankind (Paul Bearer was suspended above the ring in a shark cage)
Faarooq (w/Clarence Mason) def. Ahmed Johnson (c) by Disqualification - WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Team Wildman (Marc Mero, Jake Roberts, The Ultimate Warrior, Rocky Maivia, and Savio Vega) (w/Sable) def. Team Austin (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust, Crush, and Sycho Sid) (w/Clerence Mason, Chyna and Marlena) - 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match (Rocky Maivia is a Sole Survivor)
Bret Hart def. Shawn Michaels and Vader (c) - Three-Way Dance Match for the WWE Championship (TITLE CHANGE)
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Part 3 is coming soon (Survivor Series 1997 to Survivor Series 2001).

I know that this is kind of a long shot but has anyone else been hired by TAMU for the Advise TX College Recruitment Advisor position? I live in San Antonio but they only had open spots in Houston so I’m having to move, I was just curious if anyone else had done this job before and had any info/tips.

Have you ever noticed how your phone does not always understand you when you are using your AirPods or your headset? Now you can make a difference and improve speech recognition by simply recording a series of sentences!
For this project, you will be required to record a series of sentences using AirPods and/or a wired headset with boom mic. The recordings will be collected using our DataForce Contribute app.
The sentences need to be recorded indoors with no background noise.
Who is eligible?
To participate you should meet the following qualifying criteria:
- Be 18 years or older.
- Be a current resident of the United States (except California, Washington, Texas or Illinois residents)
- Be a native English (US) speaker that maintains local accent from Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis.
- Own or have access to an iPhone 12 model or later.
- Own or have access to any model of AirPods and/or wired headset (with boom mic).
- In case you participate in the project with a wired headset, own or have access to a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack adaptor to connect the headset to the iPhone*.
- Pass an initial screening test to determine accent and verify that your recordings meet audio quality standards before you are able to participate.
How much is the compensation?
Providing that your recordings match the project requirements, you will earn:
- $115 if you complete the project with both iPhone Mic + AirPods + Wired Headset (with boom mic).
Or
- $75 if you complete the study with only iPhone mic + AirPods OR only Wired Headset (with boom mic).
Our available payment methods are PayPal, Gift Card, and Wire Transfer.
How long does it take?
-The project duration is up to 3.5 hours if you complete the recordings with iPhone Mic + AirPods + Wired Headset (with boom mic).
-The project duration is up to 2.5 hours if you complete the recordings with only iPhone mic + AirPods OR only Wired Headset (with boom mic).
If you are interested, please follow this link to register: click here

I want to start this post by saying how lucky and fortunate I am. I’m a 23M, graduated from college last May and now working full time in San Antonio Texas making $70K as a financial analyst at a bank. I save and invest the majority of my paycheck because I love the “game” of building wealth and and growing my Net Worth. It’s super fun for me and kind of a hobby at this point.
I have an amazing relationship with my parents and we get along so great. They love having me home and tell me all the time that they don’t want me to move out. I’m also Hispanic , so culturally it’s more common to live with family until you are married.
I love being home, spending time with family and being able to save so much money. I feel like I’m making the right decision by staying with my parents and look at it as an investment in my future that most people don’t have the luxury of doing.
The “problem” is most of my coworkers and friends my age have all moved out of their parents homes and are renting apartments. Sometimes I get a little embarrassed to tell them I still live at home. Should I just ignore that feeling and remain at home? Maybe lie and tell them I don’t? What would you do in this situation or advise me to do?
Please let me know your thoughts, any advice or perspective would be greatly appreciated!!

I want to start this post by saying how lucky and fortunate I am. I’m a 23M, graduated from college last May and now working full time in San Antonio Texas making $70K as a financial analyst at a bank. I save and invest the majority of my paycheck because I love the “game” of building wealth and and growing my Net Worth. It’s super fun for me and kind of a hobby at this point.
I have an amazing relationship with my parents and we get along so great. They love having me home and tell me all the time that they don’t want me to move out. I’m also Hispanic , so culturally it’s more common to live with family until you are married.
I love being home, spending time with family and being able to save so much money. I feel like I’m making the right decision by staying with my parents and look at it as an investment in my future that most people don’t have the luxury of doing.
The “problem” is most of my coworkers and friends my age have all moved out of their parents homes and are renting apartments. Sometimes I get a little embarrassed to tell them I still live at home. Should I just ignore that feeling and remain at home? Maybe lie and tell them I don’t? What would you do in this situation or advise me to do?
Please let me know your thoughts, any advice or perspective would be greatly appreciated!!

I want to start this post by saying how lucky and fortunate I am. I’m a 23M, graduated from college last May and now working full time in San Antonio Texas making $70K as a financial analyst at a bank. I save and invest the majority of my paycheck because I love the “game” of building wealth and and growing my Net Worth. It’s super fun for me and kind of a hobby at this point.
I have an amazing relationship with my parents and we get along so great. They love having me home and tell me all the time that they don’t want me to move out. I’m also Hispanic , so culturally it’s more common to live with family until you are married.
I love being home, spending time with family and being able to save so much money. I feel like I’m making the right decision by staying with my parents and look at it as an investment in my future that most people don’t have the luxury of doing.
The “problem” is most of my coworkers and friends my age have all moved out of their parents homes and are renting apartments. Sometimes I get a little embarrassed to tell them I still live at home. Should I just ignore that feeling and remain at home? Maybe lie and tell them I don’t? What would you do in this situation or advise me to do?
Please let me know your thoughts, any advice or perspective would be greatly appreciated!!

With this week being Nuke Week (AKA Wild Card Week), I want to do something special here... and oh, boy. Do I have something special cooking here. This post might be a little esoteric since it does talk about the National Arena League, which is the third tier among the indoor football leagues out there (The IFL is top tier and CIF - Champions Indoor Football - is slightly ahead of them). But, this post about the Albany Empire - back-to-back NAL Champions and the final champion of the Arena League 2.0, and their new owner, Antonio Brown. His father, Arena League Hall of Fame legend 'Touchdown' Eddie Brown, is also here as the GM of the Empire. How this season has gone so far is the stuff of nightmares... and (hopefully) shitposting legends.
Let's begin on this timeline...
March 3rd - An announcement is made that Antonio Brown would join the Albany Empire as part owner and his father, 'Touchdown' Eddie Brown, would become the VP of Football Operations. Eddie is a Arena League legend, named to the list of the Top 20 players in Arena Football history in 2006. His name is synonymous with the Albany area - he helped lead the Firebirds (remember them?) to an Arenabowl victory. Local legends helping run the biggest powerhouse in the NAL? Oh, this is too good to be real...
April 6th - AB says he wants to move the team to Saratoga... must want to bet on the ponies or something. No big deal, I guess... except that the coach, Tom Menas, was ran out of town for some unknown reason. The offensive coordinator, Damon Ware, takes over. This will not be the last time you hear of Menas, trust me.
April 16th - Right before the regular season begins, the controversy begins. AB says he's the sole owner of the Empire, but one of the other owners, Mike Kwarta, said otherwise. He and AB each own 47.5% of the team while a minority owner owns the remaining 5%. AB says he paid $1.5 million in workers' comp insurance while Kwarta said "Wait a second... your math is way off, man. I've paid about half that for workers' comp insurance." While all of this going on, the Empire opened their regular season (they had a bye week in Week 1) with a dominating victory over the Orlando Predators (remember them??).
April 19th - Things are going to get complicated pretty quickly, so hang on tight and keep your arms and legs inside the roller coaster at all times. Let's begin... deep breath ...AB is now the sole majority owner of the Empire, buying the 47.5% share that Mike Kwarta owned for a $1 (Cue the guy from the original Robocop who would buy that for a dollar). This sounds all great and dandy... but, there's more to this then meets the eye.
May 1st - A day after a tough loss to the Carolina Cobras, shit hits the fan: The players haven't been paid since April 21st and the coach, who verified that, was also sent packing. Among the players not getting paid were WR Darius Prince, last season's league MVP and (at that time) league leader in TD catches at 10; QB Sam Castronova, who (at that time) lead the league with 241 passing yards per game; and defensive captains Brandon Sesay, Dwayne Hollis and Nick Haag. All of them (along with another player) were suspended due to an incident after the Carolina game - aggravated harassment. As for the payment issue? Well, that came from issues stemming from the processor after Kwarta and most of the front office left after that $1 deal to give AB majority ownership.
May 2nd - Guess who's back? Back again? Guess who's back? Back again?? Yep, it's Tom Menas - the coach who was given the boot before the season began - makes his return to try and turn around the 1-2 Empire in their quest for a three-peat.
May 3rd - Remember when I said there was more then meets the eye with the AB deal? Oh, this is where things get fun. Turns out he has nothing to do with the team - the team is under the control of the Antonio El-Allah Express Trust Enterprise, which is the domestic arm of the Antonio El-Allah Express Trust. Antonio El-Allah, a foreign national, is the trustee of this organization. A letter was sent to the Times-Union that reads:

“I Brown, Antonio Tavaris a foreign national but not a citizen of the United States at birth, am writing to you regarding recent reports that have been circulating in the media regarding my supposed ownership of the Albany Empire team," the letter begins. "I want to make it very clear that I am not the owner of this team, and any claims to the contrary are completely false."

Antonio Tavaris Brown is the full name of AB, but the whole foreign national thing? Yeah, that's false. Pro Football Resource mentions he was born in Miami to American parents and the rule they cited only applies under certain circumstances, all of which involve American Samoa and some place called Swains Island, which I've never heard of until now. And that trust? It's connected to another company, Big Boomin Investment Co. LLC, out of freaking DUBAI! This is something you see with real estate investments, not ownership of a professional football team. There must be some big ass skeletons in this closet.
While the ownership issues are going on, the team preps for their game with the West Texas Warbirds, one of two new members in the NAL this season. They're doing this without Damon Ware, who left the team to go to Orlando, and their QB Sam Castronova. He was one of the eight suspended players from that bus incident and left the team for Jacksonville (Keep an eye on this end, it'll be a big part of what's coming). Despite all this, Albany came close to winning but lost 41-38.
May 10th - Oh, there were minority owners as well. Let's meet the von Schillers, Charlotte and Steve. This couple were season ticket owners before they met up with Mike Kwarta and bought 5% of the team as a way to help grow the franchise's presence in the Capital Region. Since AB bought out Kwarta's share, it's been hell for the couple. They've been very negative to them and the von Schiller's do have a reason to question AB's motives: They wanted to make the best of having AB being part owner, and were hoping he would be a decent person (Oh, you poor naive souls...) and go from there. Well, it's gone downhill from here.
May 17th - In a move that even Narcissus would think was too much, AB plans to get on the field for their next home against the other newbie of the NAL, the Fayetteville (North Carolina) Mustangs. The rules states that there's nothing against a owner who wants to play... so, yeah. Go for it.
May 20th - Karma came in swiftly as Sam Castronova carved up his former team mates as he scored 6 touchdowns to lead Jacksonville to a 79-34 routing of Albany. This ass kicking was so bad that Menas was shit canned a 2nd time in a season. He's replaced by a high school coach in Pete Porcelli, who played in Albany back in the days of the original Arena League.
May 23rd - Jonathan Bane, a recent addition to the team who was over-matched against Jacksonville the week before, leaves the team thanks in large part to the lack of structure, communication and professionalism on the team (No... the hell you say)
May 27th - AB does suit up... in the Barney Stinson style of suiting up. Yes, he doesn't play at all as the Empire fall to the expansion Mustangs 49-27. The Empire, back-to-back NAL Champions, are now 1-5 on the season. Things cannot get any worst, can they? Oh, yes they can!
May 29th - The debut for Porcelli was also his last game as an associate of AB basically told him that he was demoted to line coach. Porcelli told him to eat a bag of dicks and left the team. AB caught wind of this and let that associate know in simple terms that he's not supposed to do that.
June 1st - Man #4, come on down! You've been selected to play 'Who wants to coach this shit show?' with your host, AB! Man #4 is Terry Foster, the defensive coordinator for the Iowa Barnstomers (remember them???) in the IFL. If his defensive coordinator skills are anything (dead last in scoring defense, dead last in rushing defense, dead last in passing efficiency defense and dead last in overall defense), then Albany is bound to be in a world of pure hurt.
Friday (Yes, this recent Friday) - AB just can't stop doing stupid shit. He gets tossed from the Holiday Inn the team is staying at over loud music and the sweet, sweet stink of weed. He sent a video to the Times-Union saying that he got kicked out of the Holiday Inn Marriott (surefire sign of being high on that wacky tobaccy, if you ask me) and saying that he was trespassing, even though he's been there for 60 days. He then sent a longer text talking about how he was friendly with the owner of said Holiday Inn and thanks to a “mutual love for the city and growing business.” (read: I'm rich, please give me free shit), the owner allowed AB and the Empire to stay at the hotel. Well, things have gotten sour with the hotel as he claims that he was "bombarded" by the hotel staff and the police without any warning, conversation or professionalism (Ha... this clown complaining about a lack of professionalism... Ha). To add more into this brewing putrid pot of shit, one of AB's associates sent a text to the Times-Union saying that "our attorneys will be reaching out soon to … the Times Union for misleading and false advertisement. Just FYI.” Oh, by the way... this is all going on during their bye week.

FIFA U20 WORLD CUP
Location: Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero
Time: 5:00 PM EST, 2:00 PM PST
Weather: 73F, 82% Humidity, 61% chance of precipitation
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
US U20s
HC: Mikey Varas
Formation: 5-3-2
Starting XI

#	Pos.	Name	Club Team	Event
1	GK	Gaga Slonina	Chelsea
2	RB	Michael Halliday	Orlando City	OFF- 54'
5	CB	Brandon Craig	Philadelphia Union
17	CB	Justin Che	FC Dallas
4	CB	Josh Wynder	Louisville City	OWN GOAL - 56', OFF - 69'
3	LB	Caleb Wiley	Atlanta United	OFF - 69'
18	MF	Obed Vargas	Seattle Sounders	OFF -54'
8	MF	Jack McGlynn	Philadelphia Union
16	MF	Owen Wolff	Austin FC	OFF - 46'
10	FW	Diego Luna	Real Salt Lake
9	FW	Cade Cowell	San Jose Earthquakes

Bench:

#	Pos.	Name	Club Team	Event
12	GK	Antonio Carrera	FC Dallas
21	GK	Alex Borto	Fulham
19	ST	Darren Yapi	Colorado Rapids
14	DF	Markus Ferkranus	LA Galaxy
15	MF	Niko Tsakiris	San Jose Earthquakes
7	RW	Quinn Sullivan	Philadelphia Union	ON - 69'
20	MF	Rokas Pukstas	Hajduk Split	ON - 54'
6	MF	Daniel Edelman	New York Red Bulls	ON - 54'
13	LB	Jonathan Gomez	Real Sociedad	ON - 69
11	FW	Kevin Paredes	VFL Wolfsburg	ON - 46

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Uruguay U20s
HC: Marcelo Broli
Formation: 4-5-1
Starting XI

#	Pos.	Name	Club Team	Event
1	GK	Randall Rodríguez	Peñarol
2	RB	Sebastián Boselli	Defensor Sporting
4	CB	Mateo Ponte	Danubio
13	CB	Alan Matturro	Genoa
16	LB	Facundo González	Valencia
5	MF	Fabricio Díaz	Liverpool (not that Liverpool)	OFF - 77
8	MF	Rodrigo Chagas	Nacional
10	MF	Franco González	Danubio
11	MF	Juan Cruz de los Santos	River Plate (not that River Plate)	ASSIST - 21', OFF - 77'
15	MF	Ignacio Sosa	Fenix	OFF - 69'
7	FW	Anderson Duarte	Defensor Sporting	GOAL - 21', OFF - 57'

Bench:

#	Pos.	Name	Club Team	Event
1	GK	Facundo Machado	Nacional
3	DF	Mateo Antoni	Liverpool (not that Liverpool)
6	DF	Mathias De Ritis	Penarol	ON - 77', YELLOW - 90+3
9	MF	Andreas Ferrari	Defensor Sporting
8	MF	Jackson Manuel	Western Springs
14	MF	Damián García	Penarol	ON - 69'
17	MF	Matías Abaldo	Defensor Sporting
18	MF	Santiago Homenchenko	Penarol	ON - 77', YELLOW -81'
19	FW	Luciano Rodriguez	Liverpool (not that Liverpool)
21	GK	Jose Arbio	River Plate (not that River Plate)
20	FW	Nicolas Siri	Montevideo City	ON - 57'

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
US Tournament Stats
​

Player	Goal	Assist	Cards
Cade Cowell	3
Diego Luna	1	3
Owen Wolff	1	1
Jonathan Gomez	1
Caleb Wiley	1
Niko Tsakiris	1
Justin Che	1
Rokas Pukstas	1
Brandon Craig		1
Quinn Sullivan		1
Josh Wynder			Yellow (1)
Jack McGlynn			Yellow (1)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scoring Summary
​

Time	Player	Assist	Score
21	Anderson Duarte	Juan Cruz de los Santos	1-0
56	Josh Wynder (Own Goal)		2-0

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Match Events
1' And we're off. USA in All White. Uruguay in Blue tops and Black bottoms
9' Fairly even game so far. Both teams are pushing without really making into the opposition box. Both are comfortable in possession and playing it out the back.
12' McGlynn plays a lovely through ball to Wiley who comes ever so close to squaring the ball across goal but the Uruguay defender cuts him off. Best chance for either team so far.
18' Josh Wynder goes down after a Uruguay free kick. Looks like he got sandwiched between Gaga and the Uruguay attacker. The physios are attending him.
21' GOAL URUGUAY. JUSTIN CHE GETS BEAT TWICE FIRST BY THE PASS AND THEN BY THE ATTACKER WHO SQUARES IT FOR DUARTE WHO COOLY SLOTS IT PAST GAGA INTO THE OPEN NET.
33' USA have not looked nearly as stable since the goal. They'll need halftime to fix the issues as they've unraveled slightly here.
HT Uruguay 1-0 USA. There's some positives for the US but only some. They'll need a jolt coming into the second half
46' We're back from half. FIRST SUB FOR THE US. PAREDES ON FOR WOLFF
54' DOUBLE SWITCH FOR THE USA. PUKSTAS ON FOR HALLIDAY. EDELMAN ON FOR VARGAS.
56' OOOOOOOOOOOOOOF GOAL URUGUAY. WYNDER COMES IN TO CLEAR A PRETTY TAME CROSS WITH A SLIDE BUT THE BALL RICHOCHETS INTO THE NET. VERY SAD OWN GOAL.
57' FIRST SUB FOR URUGUAY. SIRI ON FOR DUARTE.
67' Uruguay player goes down. Looks like the first of the fatigue injuries here to come
69' MORE SUBS. GARCIA ON FOR SOSA. SULLIVAN ON FOR WILEY. GOMEZ ON FOR WYNDER.
77' SOME MORE SUBS FOR URUGUAY. DE RITIS ON FOR DIAZ. HOMENCHENKO ON FOR DE LOS SANTOS.
82' FIRST YELLOW OF THE GAME. HOMENCHENKO GETS A YELLOW FOR KICKING THE BALL AWAY.
90' Looking at 8 minutes of added time.
90 +3' ANOTHER YELLOW FOR URUGUAY. DE RITIS PUTS HANDS ON THE FACE OF MCGLYNN AND RECIEVES A YELLOW FOR IT.
FT URUGUAY 2-0

Hello everyone, I’m a titanium member and am wondering what is the expected elite benefits when checking in at a courtyard hotel (in Europe).
I’ve checked in today and found out: 1) I didn’t get any room upgrades 2) Breakfast was not included 3) No complimentary water is provided 4) There is no lounge 5) There are no fitness facilities but if I sign up to gym 2 mins away, I can apply to be reimbursed by the hotel
The only benefit I received was 500 point welcome amenity. I feel like there is no acknowledgement of elite status at courtyards?
Only staying at courtyard due to proximity to my business meetings but feel like I should’ve just went with JW Marriott.

As the title says, I wanna know if there are any good shops in Houston or San Antonio that sell figures. I’m taking a trip down there later this week, and I’d like to know if anyone knows of any good places to stop by and cop something. Any recommendations would be helpful, thanks.

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DALLAS: despite Jokic taking custody of Luka Doncic son and your team being a continued clusterfuck (now featuring Kyrie’s schizophrenia), the 8th seed Heat winning it all would make Dirk’s 2011 run look less impressive in comparison and you love seeing Phoenix lose to euro fatasses so you’re rooting for the Nuggets
DENVER: your entire run so far has been defined by being """disrespected""" by the media and how much they love to talk about how great the Lakers are instead. However, the Heat are currently the underdogs of this series so you should root for them, the actual most disrespected team in the league
GOLDEN STATE: while Heat fans are always leaving games three quarters early (which you find relatable) and Jimmy would likely be a better bull for Ayesha than Jokic, Denver not only swept LeBum but you also don’t have any integrity and just want to support whichever team is probably going to win, so Nuggets it is
HOUSTON: Harden’s fat ass is probably coming home next season so you might as well root for the Nuggets because it makes his 13-4 record against them since 2017 look a bit more impressive. Enjoying being irrelevant for a few more years as you have to wait his sunset years out as he continues to flake in big games
LA CLIPPERS: not only were you guys completely irrelevant and outclassed by the Lakers once again but that Paul George trade from 2019 continues to loop around and bite you in the ass as SGA made first all NBA this year. You should probably just move back to San Diego so your continued existence becomes a little less embarrassing
LAKERS: if Nuggets win the chip, you’ll have completed a perfect 8-0 moral sweep against them, winning LeMickey his fifth Disney asterisk ring. You’re rooting for the Nuggets
MEMPHIS: everyone’s laughing at you right now so all you can really hope for is the series to end as quickly as possible so you can see whether Ja is being executed by Adam Silver’s firing squad or not
MINNESOTA: you guys won a play-in game, immediately thought you were hot shit, and traded FOUR FUCKING FIRSTS for goddamn Rudy fucking Gobert dude. Might as well root for the Nuggets so you can pretend like you put up a fight against the team that won it all but fucking hell man figure that shit out
NEW ORLEANS: Zion’s fat ass would hear the words “nugget” and “chip” together and go out and splurge on McDonalds and Lays so you might as well root for the Heat so Jabba the Hutt over there doesn’t get any tubbier (assuming he hasn’t already from hearing “heat nuggets” together)
OKC: the next few years of your franchise are relying partially on a guy who took one LeBron charge and instantly had to sit out for a full season. frankly I don’t think you should be rooting for a team as much as you should be hoping you hire Zion’s dietician for Chet
PHOENIX: Luka Doncic is Devin Booker father
PORTLAND: Jokic’s been with the Nuggets since the beginning while Jimmy has hopped teams a few times. You’re rooting for the Nuggets because #loyalty #neverrunningfromthegrind #damedolla #RIPCity
SACRAMENTO: this was the first year in literally two decades where you were actually relevant, only to get bounced by Curry suddenly pulling a 50-point game out of his ass. You don’t really care about the Nuggets or the Heat winning but the Warriors dynasty downfall is at least enjoyable
SAN ANTONIO: who fucking cares? You got Wemby. You should hope for Pop to not randomly die of heart failure in the next couple of years
UTAH: Denver consists of a lot of players from various countries and ethnicities and while Miami has a number of white players, they’re also notably led by Jimmy Butler (he is not white). Neither team is ideal for a white supremacist like yourself. To you, the west has fallen, billions must die
ATLANTA: the Heat beat you last year AND they also did what you couldn’t in 2011 (beat the Bucks and make the Finals), so might as well root for the Nuggets because the Heat is just your team but actually good
BOSTON: Denver’s big star is a white guy, Miami’s big star is a black guy AND they just beat your ass. The choice is obvious, you’re rooting for the Nuggets
BROOKLYN: KD, Kyrie, and Harden are all gone and you have nothing left but Ben fucking Simmons and bunch of a picks left for it. You should be hoping to be put in a coma so by the time you wake up, all of your picks for a decade from now might’ve have developed into something slightly useful
CHARLOTTE: after trading Caleb Martin to the Heat, you’re hoping for them to win it so that maybe Jorbum will see it, get off of his ass, and actually try to manage something for once instead of making films about how great he is
CHICAGO: Denver seems more likely to threepeat than the Heat do you so might as well root for the team that poses less of a threat to JorGambler’s legacy
CLEVELAND: buy some fucking sunglasses so you don’t blind yourselves on the bright lights in the playoffs again
DETROIT: I’m surprised you haven’t killed yourself yet if I’m being honest. Imagine winning 17 games out of 82 and you get the fucking 6th pick in the lotto and your team then spends nearly $100 million on hiring the guy that let shit like Game 7 Suns happen. You should find a new hobby
INDIANA: I straight up don’t know what you guys do. Reggie Miller was there once. Just pick whatever team you want I’m not your mom
MIAMI: you should hope to win the next three games and then lose to the Nuggets in seven games. It’d be a pretty embarrassing way to go out, but that’s kind of the point; hopefully something like that would take away from the massive fucking embarrassment that was retiring MJ’s number despite him never playing for your franchise
MILWAUKEE: on paper you’d probably root for Denver because Miami blew you out in one of the most embarrassing ways possible, from having the single best record in the league to losing to a fucking play-in team. However, like Giannis said: there’s no such thing as failure in sports so you’re just happy for whoever wins =)
NEW YORK: HOLY SHIT YOU MADE THE SECOND ROUND INSTEAD OF DOING NOTHING BUT EATING SHIT FOR YEARS AND YEARS STRAIGHT. HANG THE FUCKING BANNER
ORLANDO: Heat winning would be their fourth ring, all of which came within the past two decades. You should root for the Nuggets so you don’t look even worse with your lack of rings in comparison. Alternatively, just watch Dwight Howard list players that’ll be coming down to Taiwan next season because it’s not like you have much else to look forward to anyway
PHILADELPHIA: this year has already been topped off with an incredibly embarrassing ending and Jokic winning his first chip and Finals MVP would probably push you to suicide. You need the Heat to win this more than you need oxygen
TORONTO: another year, another finals. Yep, you’re here for the injuries and hopefully a surprise news report of DeMar DeRozan’s daughter getting hit by an eighteen-wheeler
WASHINGTON: WHAT FANS?