27 May 2013

Watching Soccer and a Good Week at Work

Today, I'm pausing to remember those American warriors who fell in the line of duty. Although Memorial Day is the end of a three-day weekend that unofficially kicks off summer, let's not forget why this day is special.

A week ago Saturday night (18 May), I arrived at the Soccer Park to work two games. Calling the assignor when the third person on our crew didn't show, I found out: 1. the person would not arrive, so we needed to get a club linesman for the match, and 2. the second game was cancelled. Fortunately, the first game was no problem. The next morning, I worked three games, also at Soccer Park, and dealt with hot weather by the last contest. (It felt at least 100 degrees F on the artificial turf field.) Thus ended the Premier League spring season, and I'm off until this summer, when we start the season off again.

Work at the auto rental facility has been going well. A new employee started out at the branch last Monday (20 May), doing vehicle service duties like me. She's new to this duty, but not to the firm: She'd been working part time at another branch for about a year, so she knows the company drill. It's good to have someone to help out, especially on those peak times.

After work Monday, I was at the Bridgeton Trails Library for the monthly soccer referee in-service clinic, but it was cut short due to the threat of hail in the area. I drove out of the storm's path to ride it out until I went home later that night.

Tuesday night, right after work, I helped get the Fellowship Hall at Calvary Presbyterian Church opened up for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a build night and a quarterly contest for Modeler of the Year. Since I didn't have any contest entries, I volunteered to help judge the contest. Some very nice entries in the contest.

Thursday night (23 May), right after work, I headed to Busch Stadium for the soccer friendly between English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City. I was fortunate to get a ticket thanks to my brother Doug, who bought it from a ticket reseller. (The game sold out minutes after tickets went on sale in March.) It was a nice night and a rather entertaining match, as Manchester City rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chelsea 4-3.

Saturday afternoon (25 May) started at O.B. Clark's in Brentwoood, where I joined other soccer fans to watch the UEFA Champions League Final on TV. This was another entertaining match, as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Afterward, I drove to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for the St. Louis County Greek Fest. I took into Greek music and dance, crafts and souvenirs, and food. A real fine time I had there.

Yesterday, after watching the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 on TV (two of my favorite auto races), I drove to Frontier Park in St. Charles for the Missouri River Irish Fest. It was pretty nice, taking in the music, drink, crafts and souvenirs there. I also walked to nearby Main Street to window shop.

Off work today (the auto rental firm is closed on Memorial Day), but back at it tomorrow morning.

Later.

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