Gutting It Out

Rather quiet much of the past few days here. I did have a chat Thursday night (18 Aug.) with others on the Naturally Autistic Radio crew, just staying on top of things. Generally, things with the radio shows are going well right now.

Late last week, I had hoped to hear back on the temp job I was up for, but nothing came up. Not until early Monday afternoon, when the agency asked me to start right away. I thought I had to go into the client's office, but instead the client emailed me (through the agency) a brochure for me to proofread and turn back that day. I got it taken care of in short order. I'm hoping to get on to the rest of the assignment soon, just as soon as the agency hears back from the client.

I am still bothered by pain in my lower abdomen when I put pressure on that area (as in bending over). Despite that, I was able to get in my game assignments last weekend. Saturday night, I worked three small sided (8-a-side and 9-a-side) boys' games as part of a two-man crew. No problems. (The only difficulty was making sure we had crews on both fields; there was a mix-up when three of us thought we were on the same field, but it was resolved before the games started.) Sunday afternoon, I worked two under-14 girls' matches (one in the middle, the other on the line). They were early season matches and they were fine. Monday night, I attended the monthly in-service referee clinic, where we discussed what assessors look for in evaluating referees during matches.

Last night, I ran the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. We planned next month's general and business meetings and discussed other club business. More to come on the latter in due course.

I do have a doctor's appointment for this Monday to look over that pain. Hopefully, it's nothing much that can't be cured soon.

Later.

Some Good Despite Some Uncertainty

My games this past weekend (13-14 Aug.) went well. I had three youth games Saturday afternoon and no real problems. I did feel a bit sore in my lower abdomen, from a pulled muscle, but otherwise no ill effects. Sunday morning, I took and passed my referee fitness test. I covered about 2100 meters on the 12-minute run, which was 3000 more than the minimum for my age and grade. I also passed the 50-meter sprint (about 8.5 seconds, 1 faster than passing) and the 200-meter dash (about 38 seconds, 2 faster than passing). After changing at home, I ran line on two men's games. The first one was rather contentious and kept my colleagues and I well busy disciplining players, but the second match was much smoother.

I was hoping to hear back by now on a temp job, but as of late this afternoon, no word from the temp agency. Their client hadn't called back. Strange.

I did get started on a rather easy fact check job my brother Rick asked me to do this week on a historical biography he's editing.

Last night (16 Aug.), I ran the IPMS/Gateway meeting. We had a nice one, in which we had a report on the IPMS/USA National Convention in Omaha earlier this month, a seminar on contest judging, and a last pitch for next month's IPMS/Gateway Invitational in Eureka. Details on the show at ipms-gateway.com

Later.

A Time for Family

Last weekend, I found out the value of family in times like these. My parents agreed to help tide me over on some urgent expenses in my life, until things pick up again soon with work. That was a big load of worry lifted from my shoulders. My brother Rick and his son Alex came in town last Friday for a few days. We--Mom, Dad, Rick, Alex and myself--had a nice time together. Saturday, we were joined by four more relatives: My uncle, Harold Koenig (Mom's brother); his wife, Suzanne; their daughter, Karen Palmer; and Karen's son Trevor. They had traveled from Fircrest, Washington to Suzanne's relatives in Ohio and stopped in St. Louis for a few days. I had not seen them in a few years, so it was a nice time for all of us to get caught up on things. Karen and Trevor really appreciated the air combat videos I showed them the other day (Trevor's into that stuff in a big way). The Koenigs left St. Louis yesterday, one day after Rick and Alex flew back to Charleston.

Sunday afternoon (7 Aug.), I was co-hosting the monthly Writer's Block online radio show from Naturally Autistic Radio. The hour-long program went into how mentoring helped our writing and editing careers, and how different writing for children was from writing for adult audiences. Writer's Block will run on the first Sunday afternoon in the month. You can find out more about this and other Naturally Autistic radio shows at www.naturallyautistic.com/radio-show/.

Last Monday and Tuesday, I went to back to see career counselors for ideas on getting my stalled job search back into high gear. Monday's visit was with Saint Louis University's Student Success Center (career center), while Tuesday's was a session with the Missouri Career Center in Arnold. I got good info from both people I saw on this area, and I hope to implement them soon.

Last night, I was at the monthly meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society in Clayton. A former McDonnell test pilot related his story to our group, and I got to plug the IPMS/Gateway Invitational in Eureka on 10 Sept.

I may have some temp work in the coming week. Stay tuned on that.

Tomorrow, the youth soccer season starts anew, and I have some games in the afternoon, plus men's games Sunday afternoon. In between, I plan to take my annual referee fitness test. I should be OK, although I have been resting up a bit today.

Later.

A Most Uncertain Feeling

Before I go further, I should tell you that I will be co-hosting Writers Block this Sunday afternoon, from 3 to 4 pm, Central Time (1 to 2 pm, Pacific Time) on Naturally Autistic Radio. It's a monthly show (which will run the first Sunday of the month), in which writers and editors on the autistic spectrum discuss their work and how being on the spectrum factors into it. It's one of the programs on Naturally Autistic Radio, airing seven days a week. Find out more at http://www.naturallyautistic.com/radio-show/

I've been under a lot of stress of late. So little pay coming in, so much I owe (mainly for car repair). It's most frustrating and I wonder just how I will ever get through this.

I had two men's league games last Sunday (31 July) at DeSoto Park. I was an assistant referee for both matches and they went pretty good. No games on tap this week, but the youth season starts up just over a week from now. Looking forward to it.

Tuesday morning (2 August), I braved the heat to go to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri. "FIFI," the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 Superfortress, had flown in town for a few days. (It was headed back from Oshkosh, Wisconsin to its home base in Addison, Texas.) Also on display was a B-25 Mitchell, another World War II-era US bomber aircraft. I was able to get close to both aircraft to take photos (including the cockpit of the B-29), and someone took my picture by the Mitchell.

Wednesday night (3 August), I ran the IPMS/St. Louis Meeting at Thornhill Branch Library. Nothing much happened. Only four of us were there and there was little to talk about. (The dog days of summer, scale modeling version.)

This morning, my brother Rick and his son Alex came to town from Charleston, South Carolina for a few days. Good seeing both of them here for awhile. My cousin Karen and her son are coming here in a few days. Should be great; it's been a long time since I've seen her.

Later.

Trying to Feel Up Lately

That business networking event I went to last Thursday night (21 July) at Cabanne House in St. Louis went well, although the turnout seemed lower than last year. Maybe this was due to the great heat. I did meet a few people for the first time and maybe get a good connection or two from it.

Last weekend was rather quiet. No games to do (I was glad of that!) and not much else happening. Just chilled out (literally).

Thanks to a high school classmate's tip, I applied on Monday with a university in this area for a marketing position. In that case, I went on their web site and filled out the application there. Hope to hear back from them soon. My classmate also sent me listings for other jobs she feels I would be good for. I will check those out in the next few days.

Yesterday, I drove to Crystal City, Missouri at midday to the district office of my congressman, Russ Carnahan. I wanted to speak to his staff about the current debt ceiling impasse and wanting the congressman to not support plans that hurt the lower and middle classes and not have the upper classes pay their fair share. The office was closed, though, so I left a letter in the mailbox by the front door. (I couldn't slip it under the door.) While there, I also met for the first time Bunnie Gronborg, who I had known through Facebook and who was also a supporter of progressive causes. It was good for Bunnie and I to have that short chat.

A couple of hours later, I met my Mehlville High classmate Llynda Combs-Walker, who was in town this week from her home in Virginia. We had a great hour-long conversation at the St. Louis Bread Co. location in Mehlville and got caught up on things. I told her of my situation of late (between jobs, little money, no love life), but Llynda was very reassuring in her words of encouragement and wisdom for me. She also said she's looking forward to our class' 30-year reunion next year.

I made the long drive early last night to Doug Barton's house in Foristell, Missouri for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting he was hosting. A rather low turnout, due to various personal matters for several board members, but we got some productive business done, including planning next month's general meeting.

This afternoon, I made the long drive to O'Fallon, Missouri (about 3/4 of the way to Foristell) to a going away party at Llywelyn's Pub. Tom Doll, Lake St. Louis resident and aviation historian, was moving to the western US to take care of a sick relative. Several of us in the Missouri Aviation Historical Society, which Tom co-founded, threw this party to wish him well with the hope that circumstances will permit Tom's return to our area in a few months. A good time was had by all.

I'll post this, then get back to watching the MLS All-Star Game on TV. The All-Stars are facing Manchester United at Red Bull Arena. Should be interesting.

Later.

A Heat Up and a Come Down

It's been real warm in St. Louis lately, to say the least. Temperatures this week have hit 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), with heat indices topping 100 F. I sure felt that heat last weekend while refereeing. I worked two under-17 girls games Saturday morning (16 July) in St. Charles, part of a college showcase tournament. The second game I worked--which started at 11 am-- had water breaks midway through each half, so players and officials could get some water or sports drink before resuming play. That was most appreciated. Sunday afternoon, I was at DeSoto Park in St. Louis for two men's games. No water breaks there, and it was hotter than the day before, but my colleagues and I were well-hydrated and felt no ill effects. While working those games Sunday, I missed seeing the FIFA Women's World Cup final on TV, but we found out through a colleague's smartphone that Japan beat the USA on penalties after drawing in extra time. Still, a good run by the USA women.

This past Monday, the temp agency e-mailed me to say I didn't get the technical writing job I interviewed for one week before. The message said the client praised my preparedness for the interview and how I performed during the interview, but decided to go with another candidate for this project. I thanked the agency for the kind words and asked them to keep me in mind for future projects.

I'm off to a business networking event tonight at Cabanne House in St. Louis' Forest Park. Hopefully, I can make a few new connections there that can help me in my career project.

Tuesday night, I ran the IPMS/Gateway meeting, after making sure the meeting room was cool enough for the attendees. It was our annual Slam Fest, where participants had two hours to assemble and finish a model, which would then be judged by a popular vote of attendees. There were six models completed and entered, including my A6M2 Zero. Although I didn't place in the top three, it was fun to do. I did win in a silent auction of kits donated to us, with two aircraft kits won for $1 each. Also, our new club shirts arrived. I ordered two of them, and changed into the gray one just prior to calling the meeting to order. They came out real good and I'm going to really enjoy wearing these shirts at club functions and out-of-town shows.

It appears that Mehlville High's Class of 1982--mine--will have a 30-year reunion next year. At least that's being discussed by myself and some of my classmates on Facebook. A planning meeting in September should help this reunion start to take shape.

Hope you all take care. Stay cool! Later.

A Ray of Hope

I had my job interview last Monday afternoon (11 July) in Granite City. I was at the firm for about 30 minutes, interviewed by two people: the manager responsible for this position, and a human resources person. I was among an unknown (to me) number of candidates for this temporary technical writing post. They didn't go too much into the nuts and bolts of the job (such as asking for my knowledge of SAP operations), but wanted to know how I can communicate a process to someone who's unfamiliar with it. I think this interview went well and they said they would let the temp agency know by Friday afternoon who they would select. I would know from the temp agency.

I did research on the firm and about SAP software in the days prior to the interview, and I sought advice from a few friends. One, who works at another industrial firm in Granite City, was particularly helpful in this regard.

Last Saturday, I worked seven games at a 3v3 soccer tournament in Maryland Heights. This was a local stop on a nationwide tour of 3v3 tournaments. These are played on small fields, with short game times (12-minute halves), enabling games to be played within 30-minute slots. These went well, for me. That night, I went to dinner at Pujols 5 Westport Grill in Westport Plaza. It was the St. Louis Singles Meetup Group getting together. Many of them went on to watch a comedy show at the Funny Bone Comedy Club, but I declined that and went home. I was trying to save some money.

Watched the FIFA Women's World Cup the past few days. Saw the USA defeat France and Japan beat Sweden in today's semifinals. The USA and Japan play in the final Sunday afternoon. I'll be on the pitch at DeSoto Park that day, officiating men's league games. I'll be sure to record the FIFA Women's World Cup Final for later viewing.

That's it for now. Later.