#nola trip 2023

[licncourt]

03.10.2023, New Orleans, LA

Royal St and Ursuline Ave // St. Louis Cathedral // Royal St // Gallier House Parlor // Gallier House // Gallier House Front Room // Café du Monde // Royal St // LaLaurie Mansion

As requested by anon, day one trip pics that represent the city how it actually looks! The biggest thing that's different from the professional photos (aside from the tourists) is all the street parking!! There really isn't any room for garages or parking lots in the French Quarter, so all the residents plus the tourists are parked along the street. I understand why, but it makes it very hard to get a nice picture. The historic 18th-century townhouses all have someone's Honda Civic in front of them.

Also this whole city is terrified of being sued by Anne Rice so it's all off-brand and public domain vampires with absolutely no acknowledgement of VC, which is pretty funny. 100% vampires, but no one will say the Lestat word.

The Gallier House is stunning, staged beautifully with period furniture and decor and as faithfully as possible. Our tour guide was lovely and extremely knowledgeable about the family, the historical context, and the house itself. (If you ever plan to visit, you do have to book a tour. They don't make that very clear on the website).

It was super exciting to see, but I was surprised by how small it really is as well as by the details of the facade. The "stone" pillars are actually wood and the metalwork is painted green, it's not brass or bronze patina. Tbh we agree that it's a great house but it would not be up to Loustat standards.

The LaLaurie Mansion was cool to see, but a bit underwhelming since it's privately owned and not accessible to the public. It looks like the other houses on the street, you would never know it has any special history to it. The upside is that all the houses really do look like that!! Everything outside the French Quarter is very much a normal city, but I was surprised at just how New OrleansTM it is when you're inside of it.

Café du Monde was really fun, but it's almost laughable that AR had Loustat going there regularly. It was 100% tourists and clearly not catered to locals. The beignets really were delicious though and I had a great café au lait. If you ever visit, absolutely do what we did and go after 9p. The morning line was around the block but we waited less than five minutes to order at night. I also suggest sweetening your coffee with the extra powdered sugar in the beignet bag. Beignet flavored coffee.

I can't speak for the summer months, but as of now we can say that the stories about the smell of NOLA are not true. It smells like nothing or like weed except for Bourbon Street which smells like weed and also fried food. No sewage but also no jasmine. Equal parts a relief and a disappointment. Don't worry though the Mississippi River is just as ickynasty as everyone says if, like me, you'd never seen it before.

We had lunch at Stanley's of New Orleans and even though it was right at Jackson Square, the food was fantastic and not bland touristy stuff at all. Frog legs taste very mild and a little fishy fyi. The Vampire Café was kitschy as hell but we had fantastic blackened alligator, great desserts, and really fun cocktails served in blood bags! Also recommend. The Boutique du Vampyre is right behind it, but, just like the whole city, it's only store brand vampires.

@sofipitch @hedonisticgene

[confirmeddead]

Here are my ramblings regarding the Interview With The Vampire Season 2 finale

This will be broken down into 3 sections:

Overall episode plot thoughts, character thoughts, and season 3 setup.

The way the episode was set up was fantastic. I went into it thinking I’d know what to expect. Paris Louis destroying the coven, Daniel uncovering Armand’s plotting, Loustat reunion.

I couldn’t be happier with how it all unfolded. The parallels with Louis and Paul, the fight between him and Santiago, Lestat in Magnus’ tower. I was absolutely enthralled with everything in Paris- it was so exciting.

When I tell you my palms were clammy when we go back to Dubai? I was a little confused (due to my excitement), did Daniel bring up those questions or were those planted by the Talamasca? I know the Talamasca gave him the real script but I was hoping Daniel did the extra legwork. This actually made me very excited for the Talamasca show (good job, AMC and IWTV writers) because of Rashid, RJ, and freaking Sam!

I really want to know what happened after Louis left Dubai with Armand and Daniel, but I’ll save those thoughts for later.

The NOLA reunion was everything I could have hoped for. I audibly laughed at Louis’ driver because it reminded me of my NOLA trip in 2023- the people of New Orleans are so charismatic and talkative! And the night tour? I didn’t attend one but I thought it was adorable seeing Louis attend one.

The actual Lestat/Louis reunion was fantastic. The young vampire taking him rats like in the book? Siri? Sam’s acting? I was taken aback with how different Lestat was and I think that was a peek at the “real” Lestat. A little more subtle with his movements, still charming, and brutally honest. This was the only part in the episode that made me cry, specifically when they talked about Claudia. Grief wasn’t something I had to face ‘til last year so I found my brain comparing the two.

The rest of the episode is a blur and I could probably make a whole post regarding that ending. I’m really curious what other DM fans thought… but I’ll say this one thing:

Louis saying Armand turned Daniel out of spite was a punch to the stomach. I actually yelled “Out of spite??” At my tv. Louis’ words, yes, but that paired with Daniel’s “asshole” comments on Armand made me collapse. I need to know more… and am praying those are just Louis’ words, nothing more, and there’s a lot more to the story.

Characters-

Louis: Oh Louis! My gosh, I was hurting for him real bad. Like I said, the Paul correlations were aplenty. The mad ramblings in the mausoleum, the actual acting on Jacob’s part (makes me wonder if he went back to 1x01 and copied Paul), the imaginings. I love how the episode ended with Louis calling for all those vampires to come to him because I totally (think I) know where the writers are going. Lestat’s gonna have that to have that performance ready earlier than expected!

Lestat: Ugh, I could not get enough of him this episode. Definitely Sam’s best episode (for me). The facial acting in Magnus’ tower, Louis pointing out the shackles, etc. Can’t wait for that to be revisited in season 3 both in the 18th century and 40s Paris. Again I really thought Sam’s acting in NOLA was a standout. The subtle changes to his character were so in my face (in the best way). Can’t wait for next season!

Armand: So… lot’s of thoughts. It was very interesting that they changed it that he had intentions of killing Louis. Does it make sense? Technically speaking, yes. I understand the reasoning that he wasn’t going to throw away a coven for someone whose heart was with another. All that being said… how does the viewer, who is already villainizing Armand, come out of this just not hating him completely? Killing his daughter and fledgling AND wanting to kill him?

Look, I know we the book readers have Anne’s writing telling us how she felt- she never saw these vampires as villains. I mean everyone says it, but it does kind of hurt seeing not one but two storylines regarding Armand changed so drastically. But I’ll let the tale seduce me, sorry. (Really, I will!)

Armand wanted and saved Louis out of selfish reasons. Armand turned Daniel out of love. Both changed, from our perspective. But the turning of Daniel is still up in the air, all we have is Louis’ words “out of spite”- oof.

Daniel: Like I said before in the plot analysis, I’m really hoping Daniel did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to Armand’s plotting because he’s a Pulitzer Prize winner! Anyway, the ending… what to say?

I’ll admit it- I was wrong. So many people guessed it would happen but I didn’t think it made any sense. And can I say it? It didn’t make any sense. Technically speaking, the reveal was fantastic! But otherwise I just can’t help but think it was all a bit too much. “Out of spite” keeps ringing in my head in the worst way. I know they were Louis’ words, I know, but if they change this one thing about Armand I might scream. I want to let the tale seduce me but with them having changed what happened in Paris, it scares me to think of what they might have changed with Armand and Daniel.

So let me take the “tale seducing” out of here for a second, please.

Armand, after 500 years, turning someone out of spite is character assassination. I’m sorry!!! And you know what? Lemme call bullshit. I think he turned him because he really finds him fascinating now and, I don’t know, was seeing his own life flash before him and wanted someone to call his own. And do we think Armand would leave his only fledgling alone? Daniel was thriving! He’s confident, he’s happy, he’s strong! If Daniel resented him for it, truly, he’d be miserable- but he isn’t. And I’ve read a few takes regarding this and I think it can make a lot of sense if we really look at who Armand is as a person.

And since I’m always wrong and hope the writers prove me otherwise, I don’t think the Chase is gonna happen- in the 70s/80s or post-Dubai. I think it’ll be changed to Armand “chasing” Daniel’s love.

I just really need something more that will tell me this is all gonna be okay akksdjjd

Others: Superb acting by Ben Daniels my gosh! Rashid totally being body-swapped or working for the Talamasca made me so happy- I’ve loved Bally this season and hope to see him again. Them making Sam’s character a DJ was so funny- will he be performing with Lestat? His opener? LMAO

Season 3 setup-

I’m both excited and a little disappointed for their setups for season 3. Louis calling the vampires to him was badass and I think will lead Lestat to break out of his NOLA “stupor” and burst onto the music scene and draw everyone to him instead.

With Louis’ words to Daniel regarding a second book, I would say I don’t think Daniel would take his advice and not make a second book but that’s not who Daniel is. I think he’ll hear that and say yes to Lestat and interview him for his book.

So who did they leave out in regards to a season 3 setup? Armand. Yes, we know he turned Daniel but we didn’t even see him? Hear from him? Anything? Maybe it’s asking too much but it bothered me that they left it as “he turned Daniel out of spite” and that’s it.

[iceenipples]

NOLA FEBRUARY 2023.

Every trip home is personal. ⚜️♥️

[candiikismet]

First trip of the year under my belt!

The sweatpants came in clutch!

📍 NOLA January 2023

[davidisen]

NOLA 2023, Part 2

My New Orleans visit, December 12-19, 2023, continued . . .

On Sunday, December 17, Aurora Nealand (soprano sax, clarinet, vocals) led an especially poignant gig at the Spotted Cat, with Steve Lands (trumpet), Leo Forde (guitar), Pete Olyciw (bass), each a highly-skilled, big-eared, adventurous soul. They played the standards, but in a very exploratory way. When Aurora sang, "In My Solitude," by Duke Ellington, she articulated each lyric with precious presence.

Aurora appeared in David Simon's great, and under-appreciated, TV series Treme. Her best line of the whole series said, in part, " . . . but music, that's personal." She was talking about gigs like this one.

Here's another view of the same gig by Bill Bush, a new friend I met on this trip with similar musical tastes. Bill had some other gigs on his list that evening, but, like me, he sensed how special the gig was, and for three sets, he couldn't tear himself away. It's Bill's original pic, but it's my fault for messing with it . . . From L to R it's Leo Forde, Steve Lands, Steve Olyciw, and Aurora Nealand.

Jason Marsalis did one of the afternoon sessions at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park 2PM series. He explained the vibraphone - and its cousins the glockenspiel, the marimba and the xylophone. And he talked about growing up in the house of Ellis Marsalis with brothers Wynton, Branford, etc. And played a few tunes too!

Sharon Martin and her quartet did another one of those great 2PM National Park gigs.

That woman could sing.

I caught a set at Maison Dupuy by Robin Rapuzzi's Glo-worms, two mandolins and a guitar, focused on traditional Italian music. If the two guys on the right look familiar, it's probably because they're in Tuba Skinny. Robin's in the middle and Greg Sherman is on the right. Nobody was there. It was Sunday, something about Saints at the Superdome.

There's been a drum circle on Sunday afternoons in Congo Square since . . . well . . . there's a legend that before the Civil War, the enslaved people of New Orleans were allowed to play their drums on Sunday in Congo Square. One line of thinking says this is why New Orleans music is so unique. As I walked past Congo Square on Sunday afternoon, I heard drums . . .

One of my friends, now a very successful musician, once was busted for busking in a New York subway. He wasn't even playing. He had opened his violin case to look for something, and the cop saw him and out came the ticket book! Why??????

Busking is encouraged in New Orleans. One afternoon I stopped to listen to Charlie Bridges . . .

I met this young lady but didn't remember her name. She was a good singer and a songwriter too.

Doreen Ketchens is one of the best clarinet players in New Orleans! She gives 110%! I've seen her on Royal Street many times.

My allocated week in New Orleans was winding down. On Monday, I caught The Winding Boys at the Spotted Cat, and then Doyle Cooper and Z2 at Buffa's.

Here's The Winding Boys. That's Myla Burnett on guitar, Dizzy on washboard, and Dizzy on bass. One of those all-purpose names. I never caught the names of the two front guys. They were both good. The sax guy was musically clever. The trumpet player was verbally clever, with, a humph, clever, a humph, improvised lyrics. Note the great trumpet player James Williams, in the window.

I went to hear Doyle Cooper at Bill Bush's suggestion. He was very good. So was piano player Z2.

I had some fries and cheese sauce, smothered in Crystal hot sauce, and went home early to pack for my flight to NYC. A remarkable week.

[susanhaley1111]

2023 trip to Oregon to see the Haleys'

July 28, 2023 Home to Verona, NY 327 miles.

We went to the play Newsie's put on by Arts in Motion last night. Nola had a lead part, and Matt had a small part ,and he designed and built the set! They are both amazing, talented people.

What a beautiful but hot day it was. So thankful for AC. We got a late start after 10:30 as we had a dump run ,and Rte 113 is still closed, so that took time. We don't seem able to depart much earlier.

We checked into the Turning Point RV park at 5:30. It is part of the Turning Point Casino. The grounds are beautiful,and we got a shuttle to the casino. Dinner was OK at Emeralds, then we walked around the place. It was pretty crowded of mostly older folks. Not our thing. Almost played Keno at dinner but forgot how to play it.

Tomorrow we head to the Erie KOA in Westfield NY. It is only 240 miles .

[steamishot]

healthier

the vacation for the vacations - staying at home. since september 2022, i’ve been saying we need to stay at home, but for the past 7 months or so, i believe we traveled at least once a month, each month. to recap:

sept 2022: philly (bus)

sept 2022: tentrr camping (train)

oct 2022: LA (flight)

nov 2022: montreal (flight)

nov 2022: LA (flight)

dec 2022: NOLA (flight)

jan 2023: snowboarding trip in NJ (car rental)

feb 2023: autocamp in catskills, NY (car rental)

feb 2023: SF (for me)/LA (flight)

march 2023: portugal (flight)

goddamn, after writing it out, we’ve been to LA 3x in the past half year, and we had 12+ flights in the last 7 months. this is part of our learning process. LA is fine because it’s going to see family and we’re not as in a rush to do anything in particular. but the flying does take a toll. my life had become a series of unpacking and packing for the next thing. since portugal, i think we got it out of our systems; the thought of getting on another flight disturbs me as of now lol. but, we still have some obligations like weddings & a family trip to attend in the coming months.

ideally, i’d want no more than to fly every other month. a roundtrip flight in a consecutive month is too exhausting. the next trip we have will be in cape cod, which is a 4 hour drive. the next flight probably won’t be until may when we have a family trip in TN. 

we’ve been making great strides in becoming healthier since matt’s ER visit and portugal. it is possible that a crash and burn was needed to secure change.

it’s officially one whole month that matt has gone without drinking coffee (outside of taking a couple sips from mine here and there). he really has stopped yawning and his anxiety has significantly lessened. he’s currently on night shifts, and for the last 6 days has gone to the gym to run and workout for ~40 mins after his 12 hour shift (got that natural energy). this has been the best night shifts in terms of his mood. he used to get irritable/sensitive but now has learned to manage his schedule better. he’s more carefree about going into work (leaving the house at 7pm now instead of 6:30pm), we got a small sleeping bag for him to use so he’s actually been taking short naps/lying down at work (instead of chugging coffee like he used to to get by). this is the happiest i’ve seen him since 2nd year of residency. 

i decided to start my days earlier. because my work doesn’t start until 11am, i developed a bad habit of sleeping in until like ~10am on most days. this week, i woke up when matt came home from work (7-8am). i would go run errands or make breakfast when he was at the gym. i found it to be really refreshing to be out at 8am with the other early birds and grocery shopping/being out in general is so much more pleasant when there aren’t huge crowds or lines. on his day shifts, i’m going to try and wake up at 6am too (LOL sounds crazy in concept but i’ll try). 

we used to order delivery a LOT. i think a big reason was because matt wanted to eat unhealthy/tasty food due to stress (and added stress from overconsuming caffeine). we’ve cut back and i’ve been cooking much more. i’m actually so excited. continuing to learn to make sustainable things (i.e. stuff that doesn’t take very long to prepare, and using ingredients that aren’t one and done). my new fav youtube cook is marion grasby. i also recently got a cast iron (as inspired by G) and it has been very fun to cook with. i’ve been making more vegetables in general (i didn’t like to eat greens growing up). 

it’s been one week since returning from portugal and i feel recovered finally. talk about needing a vacation from your vacation(s). i looked like crap in our photos (also my eyebrow pencil ran out on the first day of the trip). after reading my recap of the trip, it sounds insane - running on little sleep, not taking naps, and continuing to go - no wonder i got sick. with the trips and consistent going out, i’ve been neglecting work and my studies. always feeling like i’m playing catch up or doing a crash course to make up for stuff. i’ve been behind in my accounting degree and feel bad that i’m letting my program mentor down for my lack of efforts in the past half-year. 

the next two months, i want to be a lot more consistent with work, studies and working out. traveling disrupts all of these things for me - the traveling itself, and also the planning/preparation/rest/adjustments. traveling requires us to first be healthy and rested (which is why back to back traveling with limited time does not work well). 

[deannadupont]

We have a sales competition every year at Nola Sports which ends in September. I have been fortunate enough to win top sales every year since 2019. That year the prize I won for my hard work was a trip to Greece! For 2020 & 2021 we had sales but no contest nor prize due to the pandemic. For 2022, they promised us a huge prize since they would be combining the three years sales to find the winner. The prize would be a 2023 Mini Cooper S Convertible! With the pandemic and now everything electronic, I didn’t know where I stood in sales for the three years combined so I didn’t even think it was possible for me to win. Plus who wins a car? Not me! Plus I needed another SUV not a tiny little car that my luggage can’t fit in. I’d never sat in a Mini Cooper or seen the inside of one. So this competition wasn’t for me. Apparently I was wrong! The Prize Patrol alerted me (very publicly) that I won the competition and that the Mini Cooper would be mine!! I was in shock, in awe and so happy that I would be able to take ownership of this car that I would then sell because it just isn’t practical! So yesterday, Nola Sports flew me and one other, I took Alicia, to Houston Texas and a few hours later I became what is commonly known as a Miniac! Yes folks, I didn’t know! I just didn’t! I’m in love and the very Miniac club I had previously made fun of I am now a proud “car carrying” member of. I was presented at the dealership with an adoption notice! (I’m not kidding) and asked what I had named her. I took her for a test spin and instantly knew! So y’all, meet Gidget! Named because she is “small girl with big ideas” just like in the 1950’s novel and 1960’s TV series. She’s powerful and completely adorable!! (Essentially, if my daughter, Alyssa, were a car… she is the “car”bon copy. Yes, I said it 😉) I adopted Gidget on 9/26/22, where she weighed in at 3018 pounds and 152 inches long, and from her bonnet (under the hood) to her boot (trunk) she is a determined, spirited, fun loving addition to my life! (Just like Alyssa) Alicia and I left on an airplane at 10 am yesterday for Texas and arrived home around 10 pm having driven Gidget back enjoying the top down!! https://www.instagram.com/p/CjA1y2SLDbS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[simplysidina]

Timeline of Us

13 NOV 2015 - Met for the first time in Austin for Jhalak

21 NOV 2019 - Met for the second time, after 4 years, in Austin for Jhalak

5 JAN 2020 - Reconnected via phone call 

22 AUG 2020 - Both of us confessed feelings on FT

3 OCT 2020 - Sid’s 25th Birthday 🥳 Also, first time we said baby and I love you!

16 NOV 2020 - Nina’s 26th Birthday 🥳 Huge surprise, started using red hearts, basically bf/gf, falling for each other pretty hard & saying in love (but not fully), wanting to marry, SNAK, etc. 

22 NOV 2020 - Became official! Literally 4 hours of simping and deep convos on FT

27 NOV 2020 - Ordered Rumalla Rings! Nina made Sid tear up by the suggestion. The inside stays between us! Also, new record of 7+ hours on FT

10 DEC 2020 - Sid comes to DC to see his wifey! Started saying I’m in love with you (fully)

25 FEB 2021 - Sid comes to DC to see his wifey, round 2

1 MAR 2021 - Sid started his first job post graduate school at Capgemini 🎉

21 MAY 2021 - Nina comes to Houston to see her hubby for the first time! Nina met the parents and the homies! 

22 MAY 2021 - Nina and Sid celebrate their 6 months together in Houston ❤️

26 MAY 2021 - Nina celebrates 2 years with Deloitte!

30 MAY 2021 - Nina's promotion to Specialist is in full effect 🎉

5 JUN 2021 - Sidina breaks FT record at 9 hours!

3 SEP 2021 - Nina starts her drive down to Houston to move!

5 SEP 2021 - Nina picks up the keys to her apartment at Millennium and officially moves to Houston!

3 OCT 2021 - Sid's 26th Birthday! 🥳 

8-11 OCT 2021 - Nina and Sid go to Seattle with friends! First trip together!

16 NOV 2021 - Nina's 27th Birthday! 🥳 

19-23 NOV 2021 - Nina and Sid go on their first just us trip to Denver!

22 NOV 2021 - Happy 1 year to us ❤️

12 DEC 2021 - Sid met Nina's parents for the first time! 

24-25 DEC 2021 - Nina spent the holidays with Sid and his family! 

31 DEC 2021 - 1 JAN 2022 - Nina and Sid celebrated New Years together in Austin with friends! 🎉

29 JAN 2022 - Nina and Sid take a day trip to San Antonio

1 MAR 2022 - Sid celebrates 1 year with Capgemini 

11-15 MAR 2022 - Sid and Nina go to Chicago and celebrate St. Patty’s day with friends

13-21 MAY 2022 - Sid and Nina go to Italy with Sid’s family! First time in Europe for Nina!

26 MAY 2022 - Nina celebrates 3 years with Deloitte!

10-12 JUN 2022 - Sid and Nina have a just us weekend in Austin

15-17 JUL 2022 - Sid flew to DC to visit and spend time with Nina and her parents

25 JUL 2022 - Sid starts his new job at Cigna! 🎉

19-22 AUG 2022 - Nina and Sid go to NY with friends

26 SEP 2022 - Nina starts her new job at Booz Allen Hamilton! 🎉 Couldn’t have happened without Sid!

3 OCT 2022 - Sid's 27th Birthday! 🥳 

16 NOV 2022 - Nina's 28th Birthday! 🥳 

18-20 NOV 2022 - Sid and Nina fly to Atlanta to see family and start their anniversary trip

20-22 NOV 2022 - Sid and Nina fly to Miami for their anniversary trip

22 NOV 2022 - Happy 2 years to us ❤️

23-29 DEC 2022 - Sid spent the holidays with Nina and her family!

30 DEC 2022 - 1 JAN 2023 - Sid and Nina celebrated New Years together in DC with friends! 🎉

17-19 FEB 2023 - Sid and Nina celebrated Mardi Gras in Galveston with friends

10-12 MAR 2023 - Sid and Nina celebrated St. Patty’s Day in NOLA with friends

14 MAR 2023 - Sid and Nina went to the Houston Rodeo

19-22 MAY 2023 - Nina’s parents visited Houston and met Sid’s parents for the first time!

26 MAY - 1 JUN 2023 - Sid and Nina started their California/Oregon trip by visiting LA, SF, and SD

1-3 JUN 2023 - Sid and Nina closed out their California/Oregon trip by visiting Portland

7 JUL 2023 - Sid and Nina officially moved in together!

25 JUL 2023 - Sid celebrates 1 year at Cigna! 🎉

28-31 JUL 2023 - Sid and Nina went to an all inclusive resort in Tulum, Mexico with friends

18-21 AUG 2023 - Sid and Nina went to Philadelphia to celebrate Shreya & Sayan’s wedding

21-24 AUG 2023 - Sid and Nina went to Toronto, Canada to visit Akshay and Akshatha and their newborn baby Zoya

24-27 AUG 2023 - Sid and Nina went to NY to see friends

27-30 AUG 2023 - Sid and Nina visited DC to see her parents. Sid’s parents met Nina’s parents for the second time in DC

26 SEP 2023 - Nina celebrates 1 year at Booz Allen Hamilton! 🎉 

3 OCT 2023 - Sid's 28th Birthday! 🥳 

20 OCT 2023 - Nina got her first tattoo and Sid got his second tattoo!

16 NOV 2023 - Nina's 29th Birthday! 🥳 

18-29 NOV 2023 - Sid and Nina visit Japan for their 3 year anniversary trip!

22 NOV 2023 - Happy 3 years to us ❤️Sid proposed to Nina at Mt. Fuji!

22-25 DEC 2023 - Sid and Nina celebrated Christmas in West Palm Beach, Florida with Sid’s parents

27 DEC 2023 - Sid and Nina secured their wedding planner

31 DEC 2023 - 1 JAN 2024 - Sid and Nina celebrated New Years in Houston with friends 🎉

12-16 JAN 2024 - Sid and Nina visited her parents in DC 

6 FEB 2024 - Sid and Nina did their first tasting at Amrina

7 FEB 2024 - Sid and Nina secured their wedding venue

15-19 FEB 2024 -  Sid and Nina visited San Jose, California to attend GEN X

[flauntpage]

Your Friday Morning Roundup

The Sixers had the 24th, 33rd, 34th, 42nd, and 54th picks in last night’s NBA Draft.

They used one of those picks, the 54th pick.

Four of the selections were traded throughout the night, beginning with the 24th pick. The Sixers moved up to 20 and traded with the Celtics for the 24th (Ty Jerome, who went to Phoenix) and 33rd (Carsen Edwards) picks in order to select Washington small forward Matisse Thybulle. It was rumored a team made a promise to Thybulle, which was why he didn’t have any workouts throughout the draft process. That team was the Sixers. And Danny Ainge played that to his advantage.

Then came the 34th pick. The Sixers took Bruno Fernando, but then traded him to the Hawks in exchange for the 57th pick, Atlanta’s 2020 second round pick, and the highest second round pick between Atlanta, Charlotte, and Brooklyn in 2023.

Up next was the 42nd pick, which was Admiral Schofield, but that got traded earlier in the night along with Jonathon Simmons to the Wizards for cash considerations.

The Sixers used their only pick they had entering the night at 54, selecting Iowa State small forward Marial Shayok. Three picks later, they selected Tennessee point guard Jordan Bone before they shipped him to Detroit for $2 million and Miami’s 2024 second-round pick, which is heavily protected.

.@PompeyOnSixers is reporting that Sixers will get 2024 Miami second in the deal as well. These are the listed protections on their 2024 pick. pic.twitter.com/fR3AdjvMWg

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 21, 2019

So, was it a good night? A bad night? We don’t know. The initial reaction was a bad night given how many players the Sixers gave up, including guys like Edwards, Fernando, and Bone. But could that mean the Sixers are running it back? And then some? Like…Kawhi Leonard?

ALERT ALERT ALERT

WOJ SAYS KAWHI WILL TAKE A MEETING WITH THE SIXERS pic.twitter.com/bf5wvjBDyo

— Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) June 21, 2019

The Clippers and Raptors are at the front of the line, but Leonard POSSIBLY taking a meeting with the Knicks, Sixers, and maybe the Nets is a good thing. But I wouldn’t bet on him joining the Sixers.

The Roundup:

While the Sixers were drafting, the Phillies were sucking again. They lost to the Nationals 7-4 to finish 1-5 on their NL East road trip. Not great!

The game was tied at three entering the bottom of the sixth when Anthony Rendon hit a solo home run and Victor Robles went deep with a three-run dinger.

Nick Pivetta went 5 1/3 and gave up six runs off seven hits with two strikeouts. Jay Bruce had two RBI and Jean Segura hit a solo homer.

The Phils will try to pick up the pieces this weekend as they host the Marlins for a three-game set starting tonight at 7:05 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Aaron Nola takes the mound against Sandy Alcantara. Who knows who pitches Saturday and Sunday.

The NHL Draft begins tonight with Round 1 at 8 PM on NBCSN. The Flyers have the 11th pick. Rounds 2-7 are Saturday.

Could the Flyers trade one of their younger defensemen?

Flyers after acquiring two D have gotten calls from a few teams on LHD Shayne Gostisbehere. I think they would rather keep him but are listening. I believe Montreal is among those teams who have inquired.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 20, 2019

I hope they would rather keep him, Pierre.

In other sports news, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett went 1-2-3 to the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Knicks respectively. Not a surprise.

Oregon center Bol Bol slipped to 44 to the Heat, who then traded him to Denver.

In the middle of the draft, the NHL announced rule changes for next season. That’s a good news dump.

LaVar Ball won’t be on any ESPN programs in the near future.

Carrie Underwood, the NFL, and NBC are being sued for the “Sunday Night Football” theme.

In the news, there was a huge fire at a refinery in Southwest Philadelphia.

"Oh my gosh!" Our cameras were rolling when an explosion took place at the burning SW Philly refinery earlier this morning. WATCH: https://t.co/qMJpFv8rlH pic.twitter.com/s62zDc55oY

— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) June 21, 2019

President Trump ordered a military strike on Iran, but pulled out at the last second.

The post Your Friday Morning Roundup appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Your Friday Morning Roundup published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[licncourt]

At the Rue Royale dumb bitch house in NOLA with @sofipitch and @hedonisticgene 💌🐊

[startegypt49-blog]

Will Aaron Nola’s Team-Friendly Extension Be the First of Many in a New, Riskier Free Agent Market?

Until and unless the Collective Bargaining Agreement is renegotiated to be more player/free agent friendly – in about, oh, several hundred different ways – the free market will not return to our previously-conceived “normal.” Indeed, with free agent dollars and timing as uncertain as ever, more guys under control might be – more or less – forced to remain open to the sort of contact extensions for which they might’ve never otherwise settled in the very recent past.

For example, the Phillies just inked 25-year-old Cy Young finalist Aaron Nola to an eye-popper this morning:

In short, this deal is covering three years of Nola’s arbitration (he was first-year-eligible this season) and at least one season of free agency, though it comes with a club option for a second year, as well. Jeff Passan has the breakdown right here, but I’m going to throw it into a table for instructional purposes:

With this deal, Nola has guaranteed himself $45M, with a shot at $56.75M total dollars, if the Phillies pick up his 2023 option, buying out his second should-be year of free agency. But I’d argue that he could’ve earned a pretty substantial salary simply by going through arbitration (and eventually hitting free agency), with a shot at earning much, much more.

And I have a nearly perfect example to support that. Back in 2016, a 26-year-old Kyle Hendricks finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young voting for an up-and-coming, big-market team one year before he’d become arbitration eligible. He got a modest bump in his pre-arb salary in 2017, but saw a nice raise during his first trip through arbitration in 2018, earning $4.175M. In his second trip through arbitration (2019) after a solid, but unspectacular 2018 season, Hendricks will earn $7.4M, with one more trip through arbitration to go.

Now, Hendricks isn’t a perfect match for Nola, but only in the way that would’ve have HELPED Nola in arbitration. Consider that Nola is two years younger than Hendricks was when he first hit arbitration and one year closer to his Cy Young season. With similar service time and natural inflation, then, it’s not surprising to see that MLB Trade Rumors had projected Nola to outpace Hendricks on his first arbitration contract with something worth roughly $6.6M.

I know it’s imperfect, but let’s say that’s how much he could’ve gotten this year. I think that’s a fair assumption, given everything we know.

So, playing this conservatively – because, again, Nola is younger, coming off a better season than Hendricks, and had almost the exact same amount of service time upon reaching his first trip through arbitration – we can assume Nola would probably get AT LEAST as big of a raise as Hendricks got from year one to year two (77.37%) – I know health and production plays a part, but that’s a gamble on both ends. We can only play with what we know right now and what we know is Hendricks got a 77.37% increase in salary.

So let’s just go ahead and apply that same 77.37% increase to years two and three of arbitration, and take an updated look at that chart above:

By going through arbitration, if he were still healthy and productive, Nola could’ve outpaced the first three years of his new deal by $13.25M ($39M – $25.75M) – or nearly as much as he’s sold his entire first year of free agency. Sure, Nola has guaranteed an extra $6M ($1.75M between the first year of free agency and what he would’ve otherwise earned through arbitration, plus the $4.25M buyout), but he gave up TWO free agent years to do it – one of which was a pre-30-year-old season! Obviously, things could go awry for Nola (injury, ineffectiveness, what-have-you), but things could’ve also gone right.

There’s nothing wrong in locking down life-changing money – I’d be hard-pressed to say no to that kind of dough – but this, to me, is a pretty clear signal that players currently under control are well aware of the unusually high risks in free agency.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

How else can we explain a 25-year-old Cy Young finalist selling his first two years of free agency for so little three years ahead of time? Maybe he wanted to stay in Philadelphia (they’re obviously on the up-swing), but he simply should have had a lot more earning potential than that.

We have to wonder if this the start of a trend that’ll continue on until the next CBA negotiations (or strike …) are underway. And if that is the case, you do have to wonder what it means for the Cubs. Obviously, we don’t want the front office or owners to be total jerks taking advantage of a bad situation for Cubs players we love by giving them artificially smaller contracts than they should be under normal circumstances. But there is also a competitive angle to all of this (and, of course, my personal desire to keep most of these guys around as long as possible).

Obviously, the best case scenario is a mutually beneficial middle ground that pays the player handsomely and keeps the team nimble, but with the way the winds have been blowing lately, I don’t even know what that would look like anymore.

We’re in a strange time, my friends, and it might just get stranger.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/02/13/will-aaron-nolas-team-friendly-extension-be-the-first-of-many-in-a-new-riskier-free-agent-market/

[licncourt]

OH MY GOD DIE. Rubbing this trip in people's faces??? We get it you don't have any problems JFC

So nice to get the full VC fandom experience of baseless hostility while in the VC city!

[licncourt]

will yall share more pics of the places you’re visiting? i’d love to see what nola normally looks like without the movie magic and professional photographer filter/editing shit

Yeah, of course!! Full disclosure we've been pretty sloshed 3/3 nights so far so we haven't been super organized about pulling our pics together, but we have lots! I'll put them in some kind of order ASAP and start showing you guys some of our stops + commentary!

[licncourt]

i think i’ve lost it since, but a bookseller in nola gave me a map of all the bookstores in the french quarter. i remember arcadian books being one of my favorites, though all are really lovely.

plus on royal street (which i ofc call the rue royale in my head) there’s a really nice stationery store (papier plume) plus a perfume store (bourbon french parfums). if y’all have been in the area, you might have already found these places, but they’re worth checking out if you haven’t yet and you’re still there.

hope you guys enjoy! nola is one of my favorite cities for many reasons including anne rice.

i don’t know how much longer you guys are staying but if you’ll be there this week for spring break i would be remiss if i didn’t mention some events. theres a ton of burlesque and cabaret shows going on this week including the lieder and lingerie opera burlesque on wednesday and the storyville burlesque show on thursday. i’ve never been to those specific ones so i don’t know if they’re the best or anything but the first one makes me think of tvc and the opera thing and the storyville one incorporates history into the show so its pretty relevant to iwtv tv. friday theres the st patricks day bar crawl and the st patricks day balcony party + a lot of other parties in the clubs. some of these you can only get the tickets on eventbrite or facebook though which is annoying.

We're back now and we saw your asks!! Thank you both so much for the reccs! We made it to all the Royal St shops and they were fantastic! Especially the perfume place, Sofi and I were super excited to visit that one the whole trip!

Unfortunately our schedule was pretty booked up so we didn't make it any specific shows, but personally if I ever go back that's at the top of my list! I'd love to spend more time in Storyville, we didn't get super far outside of the middle of French Quarter very often, but what we did see of it was really cool! I feel like we could've easily spent another eight days just in NOLA