CITY SC Wins Its Second in a Row in 2025.

Late Saturday afternoon (15 March), I picked up Julie at her place and we headed downtown for soccer. St. Louis CITY SC was home at Energizer Park to host Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer action.

After parking in the reserved lost just south of Enterprise Center, Julie and I walked approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the Schlafly Tap Room, where the St. Louligans were holding their Street Party before the match. I bought a Schlafly White Lager and we each bought sliders from the Cluck Oink Moo Sliders food truck. Julie and I bought tickets for the St. Louligans' "Schlaffle" (raffle).

About 6:30 p.m., the St. Louligans and Fleur de Noise were joined by STL Santos and St. Louis City Punks for a rally at the corner of 21st and Lindell. After about 15 minutes of chanting, we began the march around Energizer Park before entering the stadium at the Northwest gate. After scanning our tickets, we each received a magnet 2025 CITY SC schedule.

After entering the stadium, Julie and I each filled our Yeti St. Louis CITY SC tumblers with soft drinks from one of the self-serve fountains, then we made our way to the Supporters Section in the North End of Energizer Park. 

Before the match, University of Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz brought out the match ball. He then walked to the supporter section to wave one of the flags and beat one of the large drums. Soon afterward, CITY SC and Sounders came out for the match. CITY SC had a free kick in the 16th minute from just outside the Sounders' penalty area. Eduard Lowen did not miss with the kick, finding the back of the net and putting CITY up 1-0.

That goal would hold up as CITY won the match, 1-0. This was their second win in a row and their fourth shutout of their opponents (the first two matches being scoreless draws). CITY SC became only the third MLS team to shutout their opponents for the first four matches of a season. This shutout was especially impressive as Seattle had the majority of possession during the match. Ben Lundt--the replacement for the injured Roman Burki--only had to make one save in posting his first MLS win and shutout in goal.

Julie and I stayed around after the final whistle to salute CITY SC on their win before we left Energizer Park and walked to my car. We were definitely happy as I drove Julie to her home and then drove myself home.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Energizer Park: Energizer Park | St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly

Cluck Oink Moo Sliders: (10) Facebook

2025 KCCON

Just after 5:00 a.m. yesterday (8 March), I set off for Kansas City, Missouri. This trip was to attend KCCON, a scale modeling contest and swap meet hosted by the Great Plains and KC AMPS chapters of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). On the way, I listened to the latest episode of the podcast Plastic Model Mojo, via Spotify on my mobile phone and streamed via Bluetooth over the car's speakers. One of my favorite podcasts, it is hosted by Mike Baskette and my friend, David "Kentucky Dave" Knights. After a brief episode on the Twelve Minute Modelsphere this month, I listened to Episode 135, which featured an interview with Mark Copeland, Director of Educational Travel for the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia. It's always a great listen for news on scale modeling and for feature interviews such as the one with Copeland.

After just over four hours of travel, which included a stop for fuel and breakfast on the way, I arrived at the show site, the First Church of the Nazarene. I had filled out my registration and entry forms in advance, so it didn't take too long to check in at the front desk. I placed my sole entry in Armor, a 1:35 scale BMW R75 motorcycle with sidecar, just outside the armor judging room. Armor entries in this contest were judged using Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) rules, in which a team of three judges evaluated each entry on construction, finish/weathering, and degree of difficulty. The entries were not compared to what else was in the category. After my R75 was judged, it was placed on the table for its category.

I then placed my two other contest entries--a 1:48 F9F-2 Panther and a 1:72 J-8II "Finback-B"--in their respective Aircraft categories. The rest of the contest was judged by IPMS rules, in which the judges evaluated each entry against the others in that category.

I then walked around the venue, admiring the models entered in the show and buying tickets to the raffles both clubs held. I also shopped among the vendors. During my walks, I chatted with people I know that were present. This is one of the best things I like about attending these out-of-town model shows.

This was the first show I attended since becoming the acting Director of Local Chapters of IPMS/USA in late January. A few of my friends and acquaintances there congratulated me on the new position. Additionally, I talked with Doug Kolkman, my successor as IPMS/USA Region 14 Coordinator, answering his questions with advice on regional coordinator duties.

At midday, I answered the call for contest judges. After a pizza lunch, the head judge briefed us on procedures and judging teams were formed. Two others joined me on a team, and we judged Juniors, Figures, Dioramas, Space and Science-Fiction, and Mecha. The quality of many entries challenged us in many categories to determine the three places in each category.

After judging finished late that afternoon, the awards were announced. The Armor entries were announced first, and they awarded gold, silver, and bronze awards depending on the quality of work. My R75 earned a Bronze in Half-Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles All Eras. The judging tally sheets were placed with each entry prior to the awards ceremony, and I could see that the judges thought of my entry. They noted that the cylinders weren't level and glue marks on the model, but one lauded the nice leather effect on the seats and equipment bags. Those are good to know in improving my work, especially in armor models.

The rest of the contest results were announced. Neither of my aircraft models placed, which didn't surprise me as I saw the quality of my competition. It's not that big of a deal for me. If I win a contest award, great, but it doesn't define me as a modeler.

After the ceremony, I congratulated a few of the winners and packed up my models to go home. I did win one kit in the Great Plains raffle, an Airfix 1:72 C-47 Skytrain. From the vendors, three kits caught my eye: Tamiya's 1;700 British battleship Prince of Wales, Revell's 1;48 Ju 87G-1 Stuka tank buster, and Frog's 1:72 Blackburn Shark. That's four more kits for my stash.

The drive home was smooth. I listened to episodes of the TCM and Max podcast "Talking Pictures," hosted by Ben Mankiewicz. The episodes were interviews with Bill Murray, Jane Lynch, Carol Burnett, and Jason Reitman. These were all very interesting to me.

I made a stop at an Arby's in Booneville for dinner and a Dairy Queen in Warrenton for a dessert. Both times, I used the drive through lane. 

Around 8:50 p.m., I arrived home after a round trip of 513.6 miles (826.6 km). After unloading the car and bringing in mail from the mailbox, I set my clocks ahead one hour with Daylight Savings Time coming into effect overnight. I was tired from the long day, but happy for my experience.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

IPMS/Great Plains: IPMS Great Plains

IPMS/KC AMPS: KCAMPS

AMPS: Home - Armor Modeling & Preservation Society

Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene: KC First Church of the Nazarene | Welcome

Plastic Model Mojo: Plastic Model Mojo

National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force: National Mighty Eighth Museum

Talking Pictures podcast: Talking Pictures | Podcast on Spotify

Spotify: Spotify - Web Player: Music for everyone

A Slip on Ice and CITY SC's 2025 Season Begins

Last Monday (17 February), we got a big of ice and snow. I measured approximately 2 inches (5 cm) of snowfall at home. The next day, I was walking back to our main branch lot after looking for a vehicle when I slipped on a patch of ice. I fell down, cutting my lower lip and bruising a rib. I got to a urgent care facility later that day that confirmed the contusions and took x-rays of my chest. Two days later (20 February), I went for a follow up visit to the urgent care clinic, where I was told I had a hairline fracture of a rib. I was given pain relief patches to place on the area of the injured rib for 12-hour periods. The lip is getting better.  

Despite the injury, I was able to do some light physical work, such as shoveling snow off my driveway. I did get out of refereeing youth soccer matches today and may have to back out of upcoming matches until my rib heals.

On a happier note, St Louis CITY SC began its new Major League Soccer season yesterday. In the morning, I drove to CITY Pavillion to pick up the Yeti 35-ounce (1035 ml) Rambler straw cup and mug. I had ordered it a few weeks ago and made installment payments for it. I can use this mug for unlimited fountain drink refills at Energizer Park (formerly CITYPARK) this season.

Later that afternoon, I picked up Julie and we parked in a lot just south of Enterprise Center before walking about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to Energizer Park. We briefly checked out the CITY Street Party there before heading to Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans party. Julie and I had pizza from the Doughboys' Wood Fired Pizza food truck, then mingled with the St. Louligans.

About one hour before kickoff, we joined in a rally with the St. Louis City Punks and STL Santos. After chanting for about 15 minutes, we marched around and into Energizer Park.

Entering the stadium, we each received a commemorative pennant for the season opening match and a wristband with a light that would factor in the pre-game ceremonies. Julie and I found a place in the Supporter Section and enjoyed a light show that included our wristband lights going on and off. It was amazing.

After the ceremonies, CITY SC and Colorado Rapids came onto the pitch for the match. About 20 minutes in, CITY had an apparent goal called off due to offside. Although CITY dominated in shots by a wide margin, the match ended in a scoreless draw. It was a disappointment not to get the result, but Julie and I found much to be hopeful about for CITY's season.

I took Julie home and enjoyed a hot chocolate with her as we and Joan watched "Saturday Night Live: The Homecoming Concert" on streaming TV. Then, I headed home.

Later.

Links to Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

Yeti: YETI: Drinkware, Hard Coolers, Soft Coolers, Bags and More

Energizer Park: Energizer Park | St. Louis CITY SC

Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

Doughboys' Wood Fired Pizza: "It's doughlicious!"

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

Colorado Rapids: Official Colorado Rapids Website

Catching Up (Part 2)

Continuing to get caught up on this blog, New Year's Day was rather low key. I just stayed home for the holiday. The following Saturday (4 January), I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park to play for St. Louligans against American Outlaws--St. Louis in the annual Winter Classic. It was a cold day, but a fun outing for the two supporter groups as we played, consumed sports drinks (OK, beer), and raised donations for the St. Louis Area Food Bank. Julie was there to lend her support from the grandstand.

Two days later, we got a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. It came to a total of 5 inches (0.1 m) at my house. The road was so slick I could not drive to work that day. I stayed home to shovel the driveway and walkway to the porch. The snow persisted in the area for about two weeks, due to the cold weather.

On 19 January, Julie and I went to the Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans' Annual General Meeting. Plans for the coming St. Louis CITY SC season were discussed, and this year's jersey and scarf were unveiled. I ordered a scarf, which should be ready for pickup later this month. It was an informative time with plenty of socializing.

I completed my first model of the year (having started it late last year), a 1:72 J-8II "Finback." At the January IPMS/Gateway meeting, I successfully bid on several kits in the annual Kit Auction. Proceeds from this auction benefit club activities.

Late last month, I took in my first IPMS/USA executive board Zoom meeting, where I was unanimously approved to serve as acting Director of Local Chapters (DLC). I am replacing John Figueroa, who stepped down to concentrate on being 2026 IPMS/USA National Convention Chairman. I am the only candidate for DLC at this year's IPMS/USA e-board election, which will be held later this year. It will be a lot of work for sure, but I am looking forward to serving the society and its members. 

I have my hotel room reserved in Hampton, Virginia for the IPMS/USA National Convention on 6-9 August. I am looking forward to this event.

My birthday on 7 February was nice. My Enterprise branch colleagues signed a greeting card for me and bought me lunch from Pepper's Deli & BBQ in Ellisville. Two days later, Julie picked me up from home and took me on a date to celebrate my birthday and Valentine's Day. We first shopped at Left Bank Books, where I selected two books Julie paid for, plus she also got me a pair of socks. After walking around the Central West End for a few minutes, we then went to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in the City Foundry for dinner and a movie. We ordered dinner from our seats, which was brought to us as we enjoyed "Casablanca." It's one of my all-time favorite movies and a great choice for Julie and I to watch together. I had given her a small bouquet of flowers and a personal accessory set (necklace, earrings, hair pin). The latter item was something I bought a few years ago and (as I told Julie) was being saved to give to a worthy woman. She greatly appreciated those items. It was a great date.

Been at work lately on another model, a 1:35 BMW R75 motorcycle with sidecar. I hope to have it done by this Tuesday's IPMS/Gateway meeting, which will have the Out of the Box Contest. For sure, I will enter the J-8 in that contest.

Yesterday (15 February), I joined two other IPMS/Gateway members in staffing a booth at Fox Con, a student-run fair at Fox High School in Arnold, Mo. We had a variety of models on display with club literature. The show was mostly cosplay and gaming enthusiasts, but we had a few visitors stop by and pick up our flyer. It was good to get ourselves out in the community.

That's it for now. I should be more frequent with my posts in the near future.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

St. Louis Area Food Bank: St. Louis Area Foodbank | Member of Feeding America

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room — Schlafly | St. Louis' Original Craft Brewery

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

Pepper's Deli & BBQ: Sweet Peppers Deli

Left Bank Books: Left Bank Books | Customer Service | Community Service

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema--City Foundry: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Fox High School: Fox High School / Homepage

Catching Up (Part 1)

For some reason, since last October I did not feel like posting here. I don't know exactly why, except possibly I was too tired to do so.

To rectify that, I will give you a pair of posts to catch up on things. The first one will take you to the end of 2024, with the second on the start of 2025.

Here's goes: In early November, I attended scale modeling shows in Columbia, Missouri and Topeka, Kansas. I earned two contest awards in each of those events. I also sought to get on the ballot to run for Director of Local Chapters of IPMS/USA in the 2025 e-board election. In December, I was elected as a Director for IPMS/Gateway for 2025.

Also in November, I volunteered at the St. Louis International Film Festival. I pulled shifts at Washington University's Brown Hall, the Chase Park Plaza Cinema, B&B Theatre, and the Hi-Pointe Theatre. Refereeing youth soccer's Fall season ended in late November. 

Julie and I got out photos taken with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at Zenhorse. We also got together for Thanksgiving with her roommate Joan. Julie and I cheered on USA in its CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinal match against Jamaica at CITYPARK (now Energizer Park).

December marked my 12th anniversary at Enterprise. My manager gave me a great review. I served as a course marshal at the Hot Chocolate Run in Forest Park.

For the Holidays, Julie and I toured light shows at the Missouri Botanical Garden, Grant's Farm, the Saint Louis Zoo, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Candy Cane Lane. We spent Christmas together with Joan and her relatives. I received nice gifts from Julie and family at Christmas.

My next post will take you up to the present. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter

St. Louis International Film Festival: SLIFF 2024

Zenhorse: Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA

Enterprise: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

Grant's Farm: Home - The Grant’s Farm Experience | St. Louis, MO

Saint Louis Zoo: Saint Louis Zoo | Saint Louis Zoo

World Wide Technology Raceway: Home Page Indycar Bommarito 500 - World Wide Technology Raceway

Final 2024 St. Louis CITY Home Matches

St. Louis CITY SC's second Major League Soccer campaign ends next Saturday (19 October) at Minnesota United. It was disappointing overall, compared to the year before, but the second half showed signs that point to a brighter future.

On 28 September, I picked up Julie and we headed to the St. Louligans' Pre-Match Party by the Schlafly Tap Room. We grabbed dinner from the Five Aces Smokestaq Lighting food truck and shopped at the St. Louligans' yard sale of scarves and jerseys donated by members. I bought two items--a Forward Madison scarf and a Sao Paulo FC jersey--with proceeds from the sale going to the St. Louis Area Foodbank.

Julie and I then joined into the march into CITYPARK for the match against Sporting Kansas City. The home side won 3-1, which was great in beating our cross-state rivals. It was a happy night for Julie and me.

After a 1-nil loss away to Los Angeles FC, CITY hosted Houston Dynamo in the final home match of the 2024 campaign last Saturday (5 October). Julie and I were at the St. Louligans party, enjoying dinner from the Mr. Gonzo's Tacos food truck. My friend Jim Kavanaugh, minority owner of CITY SC, came to the party. It was great seeing him there.

We marched into CITYPARK after the party and settled in our places for the match. The supporters unveiled a tifo honoring goalkeeper Roman Burki as the match began. It looked like a tough night ahead, as Houston was fifth in the MLS Western Conference with a playoff berth clinched. However, CITY took charge early and often, coming away 3-nil victors. After the match, CITY players and coaches walked around the pitch to salute their supporters. They stopped in front of the Supporter Section in the north end to especially thank us. 

This was followed by a fireworks display at CITYPARK, which lasted nearly 10 minutes. It was the club's way to thank their fans for their support this season.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly

Forward Madison FC: Forward Madison FC

Sao Paulo FC: Home - SPFC | The Most Beloved (saopaulofc.net)

Five Aces Smokestaq Lighting: Smokestaq Lightning (fiveacesbbq.com)

Sporting Kansas City: Sporting Kansas City (sportingkc.com)

Mr. Gonzo's Tacos: Best Food Trucks | Mr. Gonzo's Tacos - menu

Houston Dynamo FC: Houston Dynamo FC

2024 NFPW Conference (Part 1)

Last Thursday night after work (20 June), I headed to the St. Louis Artists' Guild for the Welcome Reception of this year's National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference. Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC), an affiliate of NFPW, served as the Conference's host. I joined with other MPC members ijmllnn

 welcoming registrants to this event, which had a buffet dinner and wine tasting. Afterward, I helped my colleagues in cleaning up and taking some surplus food and drink home.

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The Conference got well underway the next morning at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. The day started with a welcome breakfast. First time Conference attendees (including myself) stood up and introduced themselves. We each received a small gift (in my case, a pair of Rome socks). All attendees received a sheet of paper to seek fellow attendees who answered some items on that sheet, such as a current MFPW officer, someone who is retired from work, and a past Communicator of Achievement. The exercise was to help us get to know other attendees well. I completed my sheet the next morning and turned it in for entry in a raffle prize drawing the next day.

Theis was followed by the Keynote Session: "History in the Headlines." Speakers at this session were Lynne Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott and president and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and Dr. Jody Sowell, president of the Missouri Historical Society and a former assistant professor of journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. Jackson talked of how she helped preserve the memory of her famous ancestors. Sowell presented a talk about St. Louis historical items not generally well known to most people. Both were very interesting speakers.

Before the next program, I went into the room where the Silent Auction took place. I surveyed the items up for bid and started placing bids on items that particularly interested me. Proceeds from this auction will go to the NFPW Education Fund. Already, I was really liking the Conference and the people there.

The lunch program was "AI: Partner or Pestilence?" This panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it affects the news business had three speakers. Mary Ann L. Wymore, partner at UB Greensfelder law firm, adjunct professor of media law at Saint Louis University, and former journalism professor at the University of California-Los Angels. Also participating were Aisha Sultan, family and social change columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and John Stamm, CEO and founder of Hello Citizen, a St. Louis-based firm that enables uses to harness AI in following local government. This was quite a thought-provoking discussion.

I then attended two workshops in the afternoon. First, freelance photographer Rosalind Guy presented "Effective Storytelling through Photography," She talked about how she got into photography 45 years ago and her love of covering positive items in the community.

Then, I took in Anne Shaw Heinrich's presentation "Thriving in Nonprofit PR, Professionally and Personally." She spoke on her long experience working for both organizations and freelance along with balancing work with her family life. It was a very nice talk and I chatted with Heinrich afterward.  She said she would put me in touch with an educational public relations group in Metro St. Louis to help me in my job search.

The late afternoon saw me going through Author's Alley, where several attendees had their books for sale. I bought two books during this time: "Delivering Greatness: How I Found Success...and You Can, Too! by Tom V. Quinn from Connecticut, a personal motivational work; and "Touch," a young adult novel by MPC member Eileen P. Duggan. Both authors autographed their works for me.

I went to the hotel bar for a drink and conversation with MPC's co-presidents, Janice Denham and Deborah Reinhardt, who were major driving forces behind staging this Conference. Then, we headed back to the meeting area for the Communicator of Achievement Banquet. This included a nice dinner and introduction of the five finalists for this lifetime achievement award. The winner was then announced.

This was quite a start to this Conference with more to come the next day. I will tell about that in my next post.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis Artists' Guild: St. Louis Artists' Guild (stlouisartistsguild.org)

National Federation of Press Women: Home (nfpw.org)

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)

Hilton St. Louis Frontenac: Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel near Creve Coeur, MO

Dred Scott Heritage Foundation: Dred Scott Lives | The Official Site of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation

Missouri Historical Society: Missouri Historical Society | Find Yourself Here. (mohistory.org)

UB Greensfelder: UB Greensfelder — Attorneys at Law (ubglaw.com)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Breaking News | Read St. Louis, MO and Missouri breaking news. Get latest news, events and information on Missouri sports, weather, entertainment and lifestyles. (stltoday.com)

Hello Citizen: Hello Citizen - Home - Hello Citizen

Rosalind Guy: (8) Rosalind Guy | LinkedIn

Anne Shaw Heinrich: (8) Anne (Shaw) Heinrich | LinkedIn

Tom V. Quinn: Tom V. Quinn (tomvquinn.com)

Eileen P. Duggan: Versatiliosity | A cafeterious selection of nonfiction, fiction, essays and feature articles (wordpress.com)