u/Patmcpsu

This weekend was a Big Ten battle between a team who spent $875 million building a small, modern stadium against a team who spent $700 million renovating a quarter of its stadium.

College Football is doing everything it can to alienate their fan base: NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment, rising costs. When they expand the CFP to 24 teams, that will probably be the final straw. The sport has been overtaken by galaxy brains who believe it should become less-talented version of the NFL.

Northwestern is a small private school in an urban area. They can follow the NFL model. Corporations in Chicago will pay for overpriced luxury boxes. There are tons of six-figure professionals who are only a subway ride away. There’s a big airport, a massive airport, countless hotels. The one thing they lack is being a historical powerhouse, but with NIL, that’s no big deal. The alumni just need to scrounge up another $20 million per year to be the next Indiana.

Penn State is historically based on scale, devotion and legacy. Legacy is now as relevant as the Cowboys Super Bowls from 30+ years ago. And scale/devotion can become a burden if fans turn sour about what college football has become. That 110k seat stadium can look empty really fast if fans no longer care enough to go through all the State College logistics. Especially with premium ticket prices.

At least Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC, UCLA are all city schools. Dare I say that Rutgers and Maryland are better suited for what’s about to happen… Pitt too.

What I’m saying is that the Beaver Stadium renovation couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

I just checked into a 1BR villa in Aulani and am shocked at how little space is available for putting away your clothes.

The only “proper” place is a small chest of drawers beneath the TV in the master bedroom. There’s also a closet in the living room which has a rail with ~10 hangers, a shelf on top of it (mostly occupied by a laundry basket) and floor space which seems to be for storing luggage that you can’t unload.

That’s it; I’m seriously tempted to start stashing clothes in the kitchen cabinets. But I know I’ll just live out of my suitcase for the next week.

Again, this is a 1BR villa; there’s lots of square footage for stuff but hardly any of it is for putting clothes away. I had a similar experience in the Poly Longhouses, but that can be partially forgiven because it’s a studio. A villa should be relaxing, not have clothes strewn all over.

I just completed a solo trip on the Norwegian Jewel out of Philadelphia, stopping in Bermuda and Charleston.

1. The people were generally terrible. Loud, ugly Americans who don’t know how to walk in a crowded area. It felt like I spent a

n entire

1. week inside a Costco.
2. The stops only give you a taste of the destination. It feels like you just have enough time to say “I’ve been there”. It’s like saying you saw a band at a music festival, you technically did, but it wasn’t the full experience.
3. The casino had the worst odds I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to Vegas and Atlantic City a lot, so I would know.
4. The pool deck is not relaxing. Loud, crowded, full of people you resent more every passing day.
5. Too many upsells and junk mail. I am glad that there are options, but they’re a little too aggressive in selling them.

In short, I felt like I was trapped in a tacky setting with tacky people. I wish I just bought a plane ticket to Bermuda and booked a cheap hotel. It probably would have been cheaper after all the cruise incidentals are factored in.