Recently: FIFA World Cup, New Airbrush, a Family Reunion, and 4 July

I have been following the FIFA World Cup as its progresses from the Group Stage to the Knockout Phase. There's been a few surprises and some great and not so great moments so far. When away from a TV screen, I follow it on the FotMob app on my phone.

Just over a week ago (27 June), Julie picked me up and we went to Mount Vernon, Illinois to attend her father's family reunion. After checking into a hotel, we went to another hotel in town where the relatives had a reception. It was very nice meeting Julie's relatives and reading up on her family history.

(Group photo courtesy of Julie Rodriguez)

The next morning (28 June), Julie and I had breakfast and checked out of the hotel in Mount Vernon. We then traveled to St. Charles Boromeo Catholic Church in DuBois, where Julie's ancestors attended services. It is a quite a beautiful church and one of its members told our group about the place.

Our group then traveled about one mile (0.6 km) east to the cemetery where some of the Rekosh ancestors are buried. After that visit, we traveled to Immaculate Conception Church in Tamaroa for Mass. After that, our group went to Immaculate Conception Cemetery to visit the graves of other ancestors.

  

Our reunion concluded in Du Quoin, with lunch at Tomahawk Bar & Grill. We had a nice lunch before saying our goodbyes. Julie then took me to where her mother grew up in down and to a pair of cemeteries where her family are buried. After the cemetery visits, Julie drove us home. Quite a wonderful weekend.

Last Monday (29 June), a package from Amazon was at my front door. It was three items I ordered the week before during Prime Days. Specifically, it was Gaahleri GHAD-39 airbrush, a 6-foot (1.8m) braided airbrush hose, and a Timbertech ABPST08 airbrush compressor from Airgoo. The airbrush had two needles (0.35mm and 0.5mm) for options in fine or large area painting. The compressor was a low noise unit with an air tank that can be filled up for constant air pressure. I trialed these items this weekend and they will be most useful for my scale modeling.

This past Wednesday (1 July) was busy even if it was my off day from work. A technician from Overhead Door came over to service the garage door, resetting the remote due to a recent power surge and lubricating the door springs. That afternoon, a plumber contacted via Taskrabbit repaired the master bedroom's toilet, replacing a leaking pump that caused water to keep running even after the toilet stopped flushing. It only took about 10 minutes for the job to get done.

That night, Julie and I went to 2nd Shift Brewing on the Hill for a watch party. We saw USA play Bosnia & Herzegovina in a FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match. Julie and I had dinner--I had the savory ducks and chips from Mess Hall, with 2nd Shift's Simon beer--and watched as USA won 2-0 to advance to the Round of 16 against Belgium tomorrow.

Back at work the next day (2 July), I and my branch mates dealt with high heat and humidity that day and Friday. Temperatures reached up to 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) and heat indices (temperature plus humidity) got up to 110 degrees F (43.3 degrees C). I took plenty of breaks in the air-conditioned office as possible and drank plenty of Gatorade. On the way to work, I refilled a 32-ounce (946.4 ml) jug at Quik Trip with the thirst quencher, and it definitely helped.

I stayed home yesterday (4 July) for Independence Day, the USA's 250th Birthday. It was too hot much of the day to go outside, and it got stormy late in the afternoon. Fortunately, no damage here and the power stayed on.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

FIFA World Cup: FIFA World Cup 2026™

FotMob: FotMob - Football Live Scores

St. Charles Boromeo Catholic Church, DuBois, Illinois: St. Charles Borromeo

Immaculate Conception Church, Tamaroa, Illinois: Immaculate Conception

Tomahawk Bar & Grill, Du Quoin, Illinois: Tomahawk Grill & Grill

Amazon: Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.

Gaahleri Airbrush: Gaahleri.com

Airgoo: Airbrush & Air Compressor Set - AIRGOO – Airgoo Pneumatic B.V.

Taskrabbit: Taskrabbit: Same Day Handyman, Moving & Mounting Services

2nd Shift Brewing: 2nd Shift Brewing

QuikTrip: QuikTrip

Christmas 2025

Christmas has come and gone for 2025. It was my first holiday without my mom, who passed away in October, so it was a bit rough. Still, I was able to make the best of it.

Off work on Christmas Eve (24 December), I got some Christmas cards in the mail with my annual newsletter included. These mostly went to my brothers and a few others who had already sent me cards. I also did some last-minute shopping. that night, I was at Julie's apartment. We and Joan (Julie's roommate) had Chinese takeout dinner, when watched a couple of Christmas themed episodes of The Office (the British original) on TV. Then, we watched Monty Python's Life of Brian. Funny movie.

The next morning, we had breakfast and awaited the arrival of Joan's daughters. They came and brought presents to add under the tree. We had a nice dinner featuring baked ham. 

Then, we all gathered to open presents. I got an autographed copy of Lane Boyd's book "Way Beyond the Blue," the Memoirs of Colonel Jackie Jackson, USMCR and a St. Louis CITY SC ornament from Joan's daughter Brittany and her spouse Ashley. Both gifts were most welcome.

I gifted Julie a $100 gift card from Massage Envy and a robe I bought the day before at Walgreens. She loved both items.

We then had dessert and hung around the apartment before Joan's daughters departed. Julie and I walked her dog Molly around the apartment complex before I headed home.

There, I opened the presents placed under my tree. They had arrived in the past few days via Amazon. From Julie, I got a dark green pullover sweater, which is most welcome.

Rick, on behalf of himself and my late mom, gifted me three books. One was "BFI Film Classics: All the President's Men," a monograph on one of my all-time favorite movies. Another was "The Second Manassas Campaign," a history of the American Civil War campaign in eastern Virginia during 1862. Lastly, I received "Picture Show: Classic Movie Posters from the TCM Archives," a highly illustrated book. 

Besides these books, my brother sent me the 2026 This Day in Military History calendar from History, and a $25 Panera Bread gift card.

I relaxed at home that night, as I had work yesterday (26 December). It went well, with not too much traffic.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Laine Boyd, Author: Amazon.com: Laine Boyd: books, biography, latest update

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

Amazon: Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.

Panera Bread: Home | Panera Bread

Christmas 2022: Very Cold and Warm

I bundled up for work Friday morning (23 December) for a very good reason. The temperature when I left for work was -5 F (-20 C), with the wind chill of -25 F (-32 C). It was a challenge to stay warm while cleaning the interiors of our branch's vehicles. (It was too cold to wash the outside, apart from brushing snow from windows and lights.) The cold was accompanied by some snow. There was approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) on the ground Friday morning. Fortunately, it was dry snow, which was easy to brush or shovel away. My Enterprise colleagues and I persevered despite the cold and serviced our customers, including many who were traveling to see family for Christmas.

After work Friday night, I drove up to Julie's house. We had a light dinner before exchanging Christmas gifts. I gave her a St. Louis CITY SC hoodie, plus passed along a card from my mom with a gift card included. Julie greatly appreciated both items. She gave me a neck warmer (charged up using a USB connection) and two items of St. Louis CITY SC apparel: a long-sleeved t-shirt and lounge pants. They are all very nice. After watching a bit of TV, we snuggled up for a winter's sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Julie and I had breakfast and then sat around and talked for awhile. We had lunch at midday before watching more episodes of Ted Lasso on TV. At mid-afternoon, Julie's son Dave arrived with his wife Barbe and their daughter. They came to pick up Julie for some Holiday fun, so this was my cue to go home.

Mom and I had a nice dinner at home and watched some TV before turning in for the night. We woke up this morning and had breakfast before checking out our Christmas gifts under the tree.

I bought Mom a pair of slippers she wanted to replace the worn slippers she has had for some time. She greatly appreciated my gift. We both received books my brother Rick sent from his employer, Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. Mom got one book and I got six, all of which should make for great reading. Rick also sent me an Amazon gift certificate via email. My brother Doug also sent me an Amazon gift certificate. I was on Santa's good side, as he also brought me a 2022-23 Ted Lasso calendar.

Mom and I relaxed around the house today, including phone calls and video chats with my brothers and her brother. Otherwise, we watched TV programs.

I am back at work tomorrow morning. It should be a bit easier to work with as it will get a bit warmer this week.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Rental Cars at Low, Affordable Rates | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

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

The History Press: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)

Amazon: Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.

Picture This: Her Self with MPC at SLAG

I drove yesterday morning (7 August) to the St. Louis Artists' Guild (SLAG) in Clayton. For the first time in about 1.5 years, I would be attending an in-person meeting of Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC). This meeting was also streamed on Zoom, for those MPC members not wanting to attend in person.

This meeting's program was titled Picture This: Her Self, and was held in conjunction with the exhibition Her Self, currently at SLAG until 28 August. Photographer Marian Brickner and journalist Susan Fadem discussed their exhibit, which explored the imagery and ideas surrounding women and aging in contemporary society. Brickner, an internationally renowned photographer of insects and animals, took portraits of 57 women, ranging in age from 63 to 105. Fadem, an award-winning writer, interviewed the subjects and distilled their words into the comments that accompany the photographs.

Janice Denham, co-president of MPC, moderated the program. She opened the meeting with brief comments, then let Brickner and Fadem tell how this project came about and how it was carried forward. Denham monitored the Zoom chat and took down their questions to ask the guests later in the program. (In the photo, from left: Denham, Brickner, Fadem.)

In addition to this gallery display, Brickner's photographs and Fadem's words are combined in a book, Her Self, which was for sale at the meeting. It will also be on sale on Amazon starting this Tuesday, 10 August.

After the program concluded, I talked separately with Brickner and Fadem to thank them for coming today and for their project. I also chatted with several MPC members in attendance before leaving the SLAG. It was so good to be back with an in-person meeting with them and look forward to more in the coming months.

Later.

Weblinks of entities mentioned in this post:

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

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

Zoom: Zoom Blog

Her Story Book on Amazon: Amazon.com : 9798620773381

Christmas Day 2016

This week started very cold. At work on Monday (19 December), I was spending time warming up cars and scraping ice off their windows so I can get them to the customers. We had a lot of customers, due to the ice storm the previous weekend. It was hectic, but we got things done and our customers satisfied and in rental vehicles.

After flexing our Tuesday afternoon, I brought cookies to the Enterprise Car Sales (https://www.enterprisecarsales.com) location in Manchester, then dropped off some cookies at the St. Charles Enterprise Car Sales location, along with a newsletter for my friend Anthony, who worked there. I also shopped at Mark Twain Hobby Center (https://www.hobby1.com/), where I bought a car model to build for the February IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) contest and dropped off some IPMS/Gateway flyers for the shop.

That night, I attended the IPMS/Gateway meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). We had final nominations and voting for the 2016 Bob Stroup Award for Outstanding Service and for 2017 club officers. I was reelected vice president by acclamation. We also had a drawing for several kits; however, I did not win. Club president Bill Wagner mentioned our donation the previous Friday of $560 to Toys for Tots. I mention the publicity this received on local online media. This meeting also had our annual recognition contest; I scored the best, with 20 or 25 correct.

Off work Thursday (22 December), I finished my Christmas shopping, ordering some skin care products for Mom from my high school and church friend Lisa Campise, a Mary Kay (https://www.marykay.com/) representative, and an Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/) gift certificate for Brian.

Friday, we had a fairly busy day at work, and I met our new management trainee, Melissa, who just started the day before. This is her first assignment with the firm, and I think she'll do very well for us.

That night, after dinner at home, I met my good friend and Mehlville High classmate Tim Popp at OSP Tap Haus (https://www.osptaphaus.com/) in Oakville. Over glasses of beer (one for me!), Tim and I got caught up on things. He lives in Oklahoma City and was visiting family over the holiday weekend. Always great to see Tim.

I worked at the branch yesterday morning. We had some customers and everything was settled by noon, when we closed--one hour earlier than usual, due to the holiday. After doing a bit of shopping for myself, I came home. I went with Mom to Christmas Eve service at Calvary, where I saw my high school and Sunday school friends Susan Shrum and Lisa Crain. After the service, Mom and I came home to open our presents. I told Mom about the source of the skin care products when she opened the package, and she was very impressed.

Santa was very nice to me. Among other gifts, I got: an emergency flashlight, suitable for my car; the books "General Ignorance: There's a Lot of It Out There" and "The Nation's Hangar: Aircraft Treasures of the Smithsonian"; thermal underwear; a flannel shirt; the DVDs "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and "The Fugitive"; and, a Bluetooth music hat. (The latter gift was from my Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Harold in Fircrest, Washington.) My brothers got me a ticket to an upcoming St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues/) game.

Mom picked up her friend from church, Michael Knuckles, and brought him here for dinner with me. We watched some DVDs of Bob Hope specials this afternoon, before Mom took Michael back to his home. I'm back to work tomorrow.

Later.