Last Friday (20 Dec.) marked my one year anniversary with the car rental firm, and the branch manager gave me the one-year review all employees get. He gave very glowing marks on my performance, to which I had very little to add. I was most pleased to hear his comments and even more happy with the job I'm doing.
After work Friday, I had a rather quiet weekend, getting ready for Christmas. I did finish my holiday shopping that weekend, sent out some Christmas cards, and attended a party Sunday afternoon (22 Dec.) at HandleBar, a restaurant and bar in St. Louis' Grove neighborhood. This party was for the Friends around the world Meetup group, which consisted mostly of exchange students doing internships here. The Meetup groups' organizer is Dayna O'Brien (nee Fredlund), who was a Mehlville classmate of mine. Dayna and I didn't know each other well then, but we had a nice catching-up chat at this party. I also got to chat with many of the other guests there, who came from countries as far flung as China, India, Latvia, Romania, the Philippines, France, Uzbekistan, and Mexico.
Work went fine this past week, although the very cold weather (especially in the mornings) did make it a bit of a challenge. Myself and my colleagues had to warm up the engines and turn up the defrosters so the windows could be scraped clear of ice. We had a bit of a Christmas party on Monday, with several colleagues bringing in items for lunch. Tuesday (24 Dec.) was a light day after the morning rush. The office closed at 3 pm that day, but the manager let me out around 11:45 am. I attended church service that night with my parents.
Christmas morning, my parents and I opened up a few presents under the tree. I received four DVDs--"A Fish Called Wanda," "The Last Waltz," "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie," and "The Ten Commandments." Very nice additions to my DVD collection. I also got a new blue long sleeve soccer referee uniform shirt, plus a blue fleece USSF referee jacket, which I find a very nice addition to my wardrobe. Our family's friend Cindy Strohm came over with the turkey dinner that we ate late that afternoon.
Off work today, and it's been rather quiet for me. Just been around the house, watching Barclays Premier League matches on TV. Back to work tomorrow.
I hope my fellow Christians had a very Merry Christmas, and that my African-American friends have a very Happy Kwanzaa. Later.
