Movie, Aviation, and Soccer Recently

One week ago tonight (17 October), I went to the Marcus Ronnies 20 Cine (http://www.marcustheatres.com/theatre-locations/marcus-ronnie's-20-cine-imax) in Concord Village to see the new movie "First Man" (https://www.firstman.com/). This film stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, and looks at the man and the years leading up to the moon landing in 1969. As a spaceflight nerd and history buff (who was 5 years old when Armstrong walked on the moon), I looked forward to seeing this movie, and I was not disappointed. A very well done film that captured (in my mind) the essence of Armstrong and what he and his colleagues did to help the US be first to land on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Definitely recommending this movie.

After work at the rental branch during the rest of the week--including doughnuts for my colleagues on Friday--I went to Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) on Saturday (20 October) to attend the annual barbecue fundraiser by the Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (https://armyav.org/st-louis-missouri/). The Chapter's two helicopters undergoing restoration--a UH-1H Iroquois "Huey" and an OH-58--were on display, along with a couple of other aircraft: an AD-5 (A-1E) Skyraider and a Harvard. There were also several vintage automobiles and motorcycles on display. A buffet dinner was served inside one of the hangars while a cover band played. There was also a silent auction and raffle prizes at the event, with proceeds going towards the restoration of their two helicopters to flight status.

After some time there, I went to World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) in Fenton for a watch party. Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) was playing away to Orange County SC in the first round of the United Soccer League (https://www.uslsoccer.com/) playoffs. After a tailgate with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), we matched into the conference center for the telecast. We came away disappointed as Orange County won 4-0. Still, it was a good year for Saint Louis, in that they made the postseason for the first time in club history, and there is much to build upon for next season.

The next afternoon, I was at Sportport International (http://www.sportportintl.com/) to officiate three St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (https://www.slysa.org/) under 13 matches. I did the middle on the first one--a girls contest--then ran lines on the other two. Overall, they went well, with few problems needing my crew's attention.

Back to work on Monday morning, and the week has been fine so far. This morning on my off day, I went to the Cinema St. Louis (https://www.cinemastlouis.org/) office in midtown St. Louis to pick up posters and postcards promoting this year's St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), which runs from 1 to 11 November. I posted one postcard on the community bulletin board at the Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) near South County Center. I look to place more cards and posters at area businesses between now and SLIFF's opening.

Later.

Soccer to Watch, Work to Do, and New Glasses

Last Saturday night (21 July) found me at World Wide Technology Soccer Park Fenton for the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate prior to the Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) match against Orange County SC. We enjoyed bratwurst and beer before marching into Toyota Stadium for the match.

The match itself ended in a 2-2 draw. Orange County would score first, then Saint Louis equalized, then Orange County retook the lead before Saint Louis leveled it. Saint Louis FC is some points off from a playoff spot, and it won't be easy getting more soon: They are away to Reno 1868 FC tonight.

Work at the rental branch this week went well. A bit slow this week, due to lower inventory and demand. Still, we work hard to earn our customers' loyalty every day.

After work Tuesday night (24 July), I drove to Marion Morris' house in Maplewood for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) (https://plus.google.com/109625362829756697296) business meeting. (I originally came to Bill Wagner's house, until I realized that he was hosting next months' business meeting.) We discussed our upcoming Invitational model contest on 8 September, and some other club business. I posted notices on our contest on several area online events calendars this past week.

This morning, I drove to Crown Vision Center (https://crownvisioncenter.com/) in Concord Village to pick up my new glasses. This was made to the prescription written after my eye exam there on 18 July. They look and feel great, and are quite an improvement over the interim glasses I've worn the past few months. I celebrated these new glasses by walking to the nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) and treating myself to a caramel latte.

Relaxing at home now.

Later.

Soccer, New Phone, and Happy Hour

Last Saturday night (7 April), I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) for the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate prior to Saint Louis FC's (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) match against Fresno FC. The tailgate featured chili--seven varieties of it--that we could sample and vote on as the best of the lot. It was most welcome, as it was rather chilly for April.

After the tailgate, we marched into Toyota Stadium for the match, which ended up drawn at 1. Saint Louis scored from the penalty spot just before halftime, but Fresno leveled it early in the second half. Saint Louis actually had the run of play, so it was a disappointing result. We'll see about bettering that tonight against LA Galaxy II.

Up early the next morning, I was at Sportport International (http://www.sportportintl.com/) in Maryland Heights to officiate three St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) (http://www.slysa.org/). They went well, including my middle in an under 15 girls match. I did feel a bit stiff afterward from the activity, but otherwise I was fine. After the match, I had lunch at Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) in Des Peres.

I put in a good day of work on Monday (9 April) at the rental branch. Good thing, as it was a busy morning as usual. Back home that night, I found the new phone I ordered waiting for me. It's a Samsung (https://www.samsung.com/us/) Galaxy S7 from CREDO Mobile (http://www.credomobile.com/). This is a trade-in for the Galaxy S6 I have had for a little over two years. After charging it up, I was able to activate my new phone and start getting it set up for my uses. (I will be sending CREDO the old phone in the coming days.)

After work Wednesday night, I headed to Joey B's Food & Drink (http://www.joeybsmanchester.com/) in Manchester for a happy hour being given by my Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) colleague Hannah Gober. She's leaving daily rental by the end of this month to become a business analyst at corporate headquarters in Clayton. Employees from our area had a good time that night.

Off work Thursday (12 April), I finished the April issue of The Arch Scaler News for IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/). I printed and mailed out copies for a few members, then emailed to the rest of the members.

Back at work yesterday, it was a full day of exceeding customer expectations. Naturally, I did my part. During my lunch break, a check of my Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/) feed showed a post on my profile from my former Enterprise colleague Kimberly Jansen. She was thanking me for the greeting and gift cards I sent her this week to congratulate her on her new home. Kim said these made her day. I was very happy to have done so.

I have a luncheon and soccer later this weekend. More on those events in my next post. Also, next week is the return of Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/) with their new location in Midtown St. Louis and their new show, "The Case of the Missing Bellhop." The first of my volunteer assignments is this Thursday (19 April). The Alanian Riders (https://alanianriders.weebly.com/) will be among the acts in this year's show. Hope to see you there!

Later.

Good Days at Work and at Home

Since a week ago yesterday (26 January) was pay day, naturally I stopped by Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/) in Fenton to buy a dozen doughnuts for my co-workers. It was a good day at the branch, busy as usual late in the day. I also was working the next morning.

After work, I spent a bit of time at my model work bench, getting going on some models I'm hoping to finish and enter at the February IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I worked on two kits during the next few days. I will definitely get going on all those models later this weekend.

Back at work Monday morning (29 January), it was busy as usual that morning before leveling off. The week went well, and we had plenty of vehicles to rent out.

Off on Thursday (1 February), I got a haircut at Great Clips (https://www.greatclips.com/) in Mehlville, then treated myself to a hot beverage and a pastry at the nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html). That night, with help from my mom, I applied hair coloring to cover my gray hairs.

That afternoon, I began scanning work samples onto my computer for use in a PowerPoint portfolio that could be sent to prospective employers. I started the effort with public relations items; I will do writing and edit8ing items in due course. I hope to get the public relations work samples assembled onto the PowerPoint presentation in the coming week. By month's end, I plan to start contacting current and former co-workers and other contacts to let them know I am seeking positions in those fields.

Back at the branch on Friday morning, we were visited by our new area manager, who I met. He and the overall manager for St. Louis area branches were making the rounds of our branches, touching base with branch management and seeing how we were doing things. Hopefully, we made a very good impression on our visitors. Before leaving work last night, assistant manager Miranda said they had hired a new vehicle service agent that will start with us next weekend. I was working this morning, but with the new person coming aboard, I won't be regularly working weekends after today.

I went to Pizzarelli's Pizzeria (http://www.pizzarellispizza.com/) in Ellisville after work today for lunch. Two good sized slices of pizza--spicy sausage on cheese--were my meal, and they really hit the spot. I came home after lunch to chill out.

Later.

Hot Days and Nights in Town

It now really feels like summer in St. Louis. Daytime temperatures this past week have gotten to about 96 degrees F (36 degrees C), while heat indices (temperatures combined with relative humidity) have reached 105 degrees F (41 degrees C). It's been quite a challenge anytime I've been outside, be it for work or pleasure. At least my co-workers have been understanding and making sure my colleagues and I get well hydrated and stay inside as much as possible.

Plenty of work going on at the car rental branch, with summer vacation season in full swing. We're all working hard and yet our morale is very good. We truly enjoy our colleagues and that helps make the work day go better.

I've been finishing a model the past few days for taking with me to Columbus, Ohio later this week for the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention. Just a last bit of finishing to do and I can get that all done tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to this trip and will give you plenty of info in my upcoming posts. The website for the convention is: http://www.ipmsusa2015.com.

On my off day last Thursday (16 May), I had a blood test done at the request of the doctor who examined me the week before. The nurse called me the next day to say it was good news overall, with nothing that a little adjustment in diet and exercise could not help. I then got my haircut, which needed it.

I was at Creve Coeur Airport that night for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's meeting. We had one of two air traffic controllers who helped talked down a US Navy aircraft who had a fuel emergency to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in 2012. He talked of his experience that day and on being in air traffic control (ATC) work. We also had a presentation on the history of ATC and a local pioneer in this field. More on this meeting and the organization here: http://moavhist.org/.

Yesterday (18 July), I went to the St. Louis Area Sippers Meetup in the Tower Grove South neighborhood of St. Louis. We were to have met at Mokabe's Coffeehouse; however, we found the place was closed for a week while the owners were on vacation. We then found a nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. location and had our Meetup there. The five of us present had a nice time talking about various things over refreshments.

That night, I went to International Tap House in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis to join other Saint Louis FC supporters in a watch party for their match at Toronto TC II, which was being streamed via YouTube. Saint Louis won, 1-0, thanks to a Toronto own goal late in the first half. We'll take it. I will be out of town this Saturday, but Saint Louis FC will be home Saturday night against Oklahoma City Energy. Hope you can Pack the Park! Info at: http://saintlouisfc.com. Check out the International Tap House; their website is: http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/.

After the game, during which I had two beers, I walked next door to Mission Taco Joint for a snack. Their have very nice tacos and other Mexican food, and is worth the visit. Here's their website: http://missiontacostl.com/.

Take care and I will blog again from Columbus. Later.