Trivia matters and a model display

Chilling out at home now. This morning, I drove to the Jamestown Bluff Branch of the St. Louis County Library in Florissant to help set up an IPMS Gateway display in the lobby display case. I brought ten models and some others in the club brought other models -- 31 in total on display right now. We also had info on the club and our hobby put in the case. Our display is running through 28 March, so stop on by if you're in the area.
Last night, my parents and I attended a trivia night at Andre's in south county. It was put on by the Eastern Missouri Soccer Referee Association (EMSRA) to benefit the Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA). It was a real fun night for all -- a packed house, lots of interesting and head-scratching trivia questions to answer, even two St. Louis Rams cheerleaders making an appearance. Most importantly, EMSRA raised quite a few dollars for DASA, helping disabled people to have fun playing organized sports.
Speaking of soccer referees, the spring outdoor St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) season starts tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting going with this.
Talk to you soon.

Phone calls, refereeing calls

Last week I got into my new part time job making telephone calls from home for a local communications firm. These are calls made to voters in advance of the city primary next month, asking for opinions on issues affecting the city. I have made a bunch of calls and got a few surveys completed. Most times, though, I got answering machines, wrong numbers, people not at home, or people just not interested in talking to me. I need to work at least 10 hours a week this week, and I get paid by the completed survey. I wonder if this work is really for me.
My brother Rick asked if I could fact check on a book he's editing. I said yes and he e-mailed the start of the manuscript to me yesterday. I'll look it over during the next couple of days. Should not be too much trouble.
Last weekend, I joined with several of my fellow referees at a tryout Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer held at St. Louis U. High. Nearly 50 women's players tried out for some positions on the team, which (with WPS) starts play this spring. I was assistant referee on two games Saturday and one Sunday morning. It was cold, though sunny, both days, but Saturday morning started with a dusting of flurries on the field. This dusting ended soon after play began, but it was windy much of the day, which made it even colder. At least yesterday it was not so windy. I certainly wish the team and WPS all the best.
Late yesterday afternoon, I went to Vetta-Westchester to referee under-12 girls futsal games -- the last games of the season for me. The first game was a forfeit, as one team did not show up; apparently, this match (and the others I had yesterday) were all rescheduled from earlier this month, and the one team apparently did not get the updated date and time. The other games went well, especially the last one, a very exciting contest. I worked 52 futsal games in the 2008-09 season, which was above average for a referee here. I'm anxious, though, to get the spring outdoor season started this Sunday.
Oh yes, I did watch the Oscars last night. A good show overall, although it did drag a bit in spots. I haven't really seen the movies that were nominated for Oscars, so I didn't have any performer or fi;m to pull for. I'll be sure to check them out when they are on DVD in due course.
More later.