A Busy Work Week, Then Memorial Day Weekend

A great deal of work was done this past week at the rental branch. Plenty of customers renting for the Memorial Day Weekend, among other reasons, meant some over time for my colleagues and I. Despite that and the heat--temperatures topped 90 degrees F (32 degrees C)--we got it done.

Last Monday (21 May), I heard the great news that Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) secured naming rights to the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues) home arena. Formerly the Scottrade Center, it is now the Enterprise Center ( http://www.enterprisecenter.com/) for at least the net 15 years. I am very happy about this--not just because I work at Enterprise, but also as a Blues fan. Doug Vaughn of KMOV was also happy about this story, as he offered in an opinion piece this past weekend: http://www.kmov.com/clip/14376436/doug-unplugged-enterprise-a-perfect-match-for-blues

Saturday (26 May) was a rest day for me, as I chilled out at home. Watched some programs on TV, including the annual Memorial Day Weekend marathon of war movies on TCM (http://www.tcm.com/). On streaming video, I saw Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) lose 3-0 away to Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Yesterday, I spent much of the day at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) to referee matches in the Gateway Memorial Classic (https://slsgsoccer.demosphere-secure.com/tournaments/gateway-memorial-day-classic/). I had five matches, all middles, on under 8 and under 9 boys matches. These are seven-a-side matches on a small field, approximately one-quarter the size of the full size pitch. Also, I was the only match official on the game, which is a bit challenging in not having another two sets of eyes on the action, but generally things went well. The real challenge was the heat, with the heat index topping 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). I had to reapply sunscreen after every match and ended up using up the sunscreen I had, plus the water I brought. Fortunately, the referee room in the air conditioned cafe there had plenty of bottled water for my colleagues and I.

I got home to shower, eat supper, and rest. Watched TV and streaming video at home that night.

This morning, I drove to Spirit of St. Louis Airport (http://spiritairport.com/spiritairport/index.jsp) to see some vintage warbirds on display, courtesy of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) (https://commemorativeairforce.org/). Aircraft from the CAF's Missouri (http://cafmo.org/) and Heart of America (http://www.kcghostsquadron.org/) wings were present, and most were available for rides. I wasn't interested in rides (for one thing, it was too rich for my blood), but I enjoyed seeing the aircraft on the TAC Air (http://tacair.com/) ramp. They included a TBM-3 Avenger and an L-3E from the Missouri Wing, a Stearman PT-13 from the Heart of America Wing, and a T-6 Texan from Terre Haute, Indiana (https://www.facebook.com/Spanish-Lady-T-6-Flights-464962220369020/). It was fun to see these aircraft up close and to talk with some of the CAF people there for the weekend. The heat did make the ramp rather uncomfortable to stay on for long, though.

I then made my way to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town & Country for the annual St. Louis County Greek Fest (http://stlgreekfest.com/). There was a good crowd there as I browsed among the vendors there, listened to the music in the large tent, and got some lunch in the multi-purpose building. While waiting in line, I did a cup (3 ounces/85 ml) of ouzo, a Greek spirit. It was the first time I drank this and it has quite a kick. I sipped the ouzo while in line for my dinner, just finishing it when I placed my order: pastitsio and spanakopita, with lemonade. After enjoying the lunch, I went outside to have a baklava sundae before heading home. It was a fun time for me.

Now at home relaxing and getting ready for a busy day at work tomorrow.

Later.