Agree - I used to work in education and a handful of times per year there would be a new hire with some kind of note on the board agenda like "Ms. XYZ has a preplanned vacation June 1 - June 4, discussed at the time of hire."

When listening I wasn't sure if it was Tysons or Pentagon City at first - both have Ritz-Carltons connected to them!

I haven't been to a show there in about 10 years so I know I'm not the most current source of info, but to avoid the cost / chaos of parking I used to park at the River Road station in Pennsauken and take the River Line into Camden. Tons of parking (last I knew free but could've changed) and it's just a short ride into Camden. Public transit wasn't the most convenient to where I lived, but it was so much easier to not deal with the car in Camden. https://www.njtransit.com/station/pennsaukenroute-73-station

Would Abi be the first platinum ticket contestant to win? (I've watched the ABC seasons inconsistently)

Jack and Georgia remind me a bit of Kris Allen + his wife in their hometown visit

I'm really not a fan of the new logo, but it seems fitting they change it since they're totally a different company than the old logo represented. I was a fan of TLB from pretty early on and used to buy their stuff frequently because they were a company that seemed personable, had some degree of interest / passion in the products they created, and stood by their beliefs. Now it's just a profit factory - there's no soul or passion in anything put out in the past year or so (and the designs largely suck). There were various times in the past when people would ask about design ideas and they (mainly Cody) would comment that they weren't going to make products for something they didn't know much about / have personal interest in, but that mentality has gone out the window and they were pretty open about it with the whole Bluey / JoBros influx last year. To quote Cody in one of the IG story questions today: "If it makes money, I don't care." The old logo can get buried with anything else that was good about TLB.

I'm not away as much time as he is by any means, but I travel for leisure a lot - I'm very fortunate to have a job that is exactly how you described above lol (I don't have set hours, work on number of hours per week). So I am able to travel quite a bit without taking time off from work. I obviously have no idea his situation but from personal experience, it is possible to juggle both to some degree (although I'm not throwing influencer commitments into the mix).

Did you stay on points? If so, I would reach out to Member Services and explain some of your frustrations (mainly the smoking on balconies one, as that seems the most black and white to me - some of the other stuff they might dismiss). I had an issue with my room when I stayed - the room was not in good shape (and some of it was kind of trivial - stains on chair, quirky shower head, etc.) but there were some strange marks above the bed where the wall and ceiling met. I went to the front desk, showed them pictures, they couldn't have cared less. The response didn't really sit well with me so I stopped by the DVC preview center and talked to a sales rep who was not happy about it at all - when I showed him the picture, he immediately said it was mold (which was my hunch). He talked to the DVC manager on site and they both told me to go back to the front desk, try to talk to someone higher up about the issue, and if that didn't work call Member Services when I got home. When I went back to the front desk again, they still didn't care and wouldn't let me speak with a manager. After getting home, I reached out to Member Services - they were horrified, listened to my concerns and asked for documentation so they could pass it along to Aulani management, and did something to "make it right."

ran here immediately after reading MDD's long 'I see you, I hear you' post on IG...

I ended up saving the money on a summer trip and put it towards a nicer Hawaii (O'ahu) trip in January. Before I made that decision I had it narrowed down to Grand Cayman, a return to Cancun (just because I was already familiar with it), or a Bermuda cruise. I did a week solo in Hawaii and I'll be honest that I really did not like O'ahu.

same - the giveaway is what led me to check the website

Looks like Lost Bros. TTPD drop isn't going too well...most sizes are still available for all four designs 10 hours after the onsale and they're doing a gift card giveaway for people to share their reel

Out of curiosity, what have the issues been based on what you heard? I've never known anyone to personally use them so just intrigued what the problem is.

Current promos are through Chase Travel - bookings have to go through them. IIRC it's 5,000 bonus points for two travel bookings (for example, one hotel and one flight) and 8,000 for three (only one of the three can be a flight per their conditions, and one has to be a hotel).

I believe the reason for current promos is the fact they tried to redesign the website / services - curious if it actually gets better, or if it's a lipstick on a pig situation

Agreed - I'm glad he's not saddled by an Idol contract

Obviously there are many good vocalists on the show this season, but I struggle to envision what an album / long-term career looks like for most of them. Kayko is one of the few who I can see achieving long-term success. His artistry and stage presence will carry him far!

Think a guitar would've helped Emmy's performance - could've channeled some of the song's energy into playing

Mia's vibe is different tonight - seems like Hollywood rubbed off on her, if that makes sense?

Sadie Robertson (from Duck Dynasty) has a daughter named Honey Huff. Honey isn't really my style, but the last name makes it a million times worse.

In my head I can only read the last one as "Mase Haze"/ "Maisie Hazy" too similar of sounds between the first and middle names

Mine is a very common middle name (like probably top 3 for females). I was told it was after my great-grandmother, but I think that was just the story told to appease some relatives. I know it's just because my mom liked the flow of it with my first name (first and middle name have the same first letter and number of syllables)