Grand Day in South St. Louis

This morning, I drove to Rooster, a breakfast restaurant on South Grand in South St. Louis. I had breakfast there with Julie Rodriguez, who I first met a month ago. Yes, she and I are in a relationship now. Anyway, we had a nice breakfast--Julie had crepes, I had a pork sausage slinger. Most satisfying.

After breakfast, Julie and I walked up and down South Grand before walking to nearby Tower Grove Park. We went to the site of the Festival of Nations, the annual multicultural festival presented by the International Institute of St. Louis. Today was the second and last day of the Festival's 2022 run.

Julie and I walked among the attractions, including stopping by the Viva Brasil STL booth to talk with the organization's Carolina Holtmeyer. The two of us then walked back to Julie's car, where we said our goodbyes. I then drove to a side street south of Tower Grove Park to park my car before walking to Amsterdam Tavern. I had a draft beer--Civil Life's Vienna Lager--and watched some soccer on TV before walking back to Tower Grove Park to check in on my volunteer shift.

After checking in at the Volunteer Pavilion, I walked to a Drink Booth on the northwest area of the festival grounds. My shift ran from 12:15 pm to 3:45 pm, and it was a busy one for my boothmates and myself. I helped get drinks--water, soda, beer, seltzers, and wine--from icewater-filled tubs to the customers waiting before the cash wrap people. It got hectic at times, trying to find certain items in the tubs to fulfil customer requests. Thanks to the sunny and hot day today--the high just topped 90 degrees F (32 degrees C)--we had many customers at our booth. I'm sure the other drink booths on the grounds had a great deal of business today.

I was one tired volunteer when my shift ended, but it was satisfying to do my part to help the International Institute's mission of assisting immigrants to St. Louis. After checking out at the Volunteer Pavilion, I ordered a bit of Brazilian food from a booth run by Brasilia Restaurant. I got an order of coxinha, fried chicken dough stuffed with chicken filling. It was delicious and really hit the spot for me.

After briefly walking the festival grounds, I began to walk to my car. I then pulled out and drove home. The sky was cloudy when I left Tower Grove Park, but got stormy when I was on I-55 about to get onto eastbound I-255 on the way home. Glad I left the park when I did.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Rooster: Rooster (roosterstl.com)

Tower Grove Park: Tower Grove Park

International Institute of St. Louis:  International Institute of St. Louis – Immigrant Services & Community Engagement Hub since 1919 (iistl.org)

Festival of Nations: Festival of Nations (festivalofnationsstl.org)

Amsterdam Tavern: Home of Amsterdam Tavern St. Louis Best Soccer Sports Bar - Amsterdam Tavern

Civil Life Brewing Co.:Home | Civil Life Brewing Company Online Store (square. Site)

Viva Brasil STL:  Viva Brasil STL

Brasilia Restaurant: Brasilia Bar & Restaurant (brasiliastl.com)

  

Festive Sunday in South St. Louis

Late last Sunday morning (8 December), I drove to Ursa Minor Coffee (https://www.facebook.com/Ursaminorcoffeestl/) in south St. Louis for the Single in the City Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/STLSingleInTheCity). Four of us came to enjoy beverages, food, and our company. It was good to meet two people in the group for the first time. I enjoyed a coffee with a biscuit.

After that, I headed to the Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) for the Holiday Shindig organized by the St. Louligans (https://stlouligans.com/) and the St. Louis Chapter of the American Outlaws (https://www.facebook.com/aostlouis). I joined with soccer supporters to drink beer, socialize, and eat from the buffet bar. I brought a toy truck I bought the day before to donate to Epworth Children & Family Services (https://www.epworth.org).

It was a busy week for me, with the IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home) business meeting Tuesday night (10 December) at Marion Morris' house, then getting the club's newsletter assembled and published yesterday.

Later.

World Cup Final and SlamFest

Last Sunday morning (15 July), I headed to the Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) in south St. Louis for a watch party for the FIFA World Cup (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/) Final in Moscow between France and Croatia. I was joined by many soccer fans in the beer garden at the tavern's rear. Morganford was closed in front of the tavern to allow a temporary enclosure and a large screen TV to be set up for fans.

I had a couple of beers while enjoying the rather thrilling match, which France won by 4 goals to 2. There were quite a few Croatia supporters in the house, and some for France. Everyone was in good spirits.

While at the Amsterdam Tavern, I signed up for SoccerHive (https://soccerhive.com/), a new social network for soccer fans. Check it out and friend me there; I'm rsdstl07.

After the match, I went next door to the Dam (https://thedamstl.com/) for lunch. I had one of their cheeseburgers with a side of Belgian fries and a bottle of root beer. Most satisfying!

It was back to work the next morning. The week went quite well at the rental branch, if a bit slow at times. I did make a couple of trips to the service center near the Airport to get recall issues on a few of our vehicles fixed. Tuesday morning (17 July), I met Annie, our new management trainee at Ellisville. (Jacob recently transferred to our Airport location.)

After work on Tuesday, it was off to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's meeting of IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) (https://plus.google.com/109625362829756697296). This meeting featured our annual SlamFest, in which we had two hours to build and finish a model kit. I was one of eight members who did so; in my case, a 1:72 scale Il-10. The completed models were judges by members who voted on the best entries. The top three vote getting models earned their builders hobby shop gift certificates. I didn't win, but it was fun.

Off to cheer on Saint Louis FC tonight against Orange County. Big match.

Later.

Refereeing, Soccer, and A Low-Key Thanksgiving

Last weekend, I was out on the pitch for the last weekend of youth soccer matches in the Fall season. One week ago (18 November), the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex (http://loufuszsoccer.com/facilities/) in Maryland Heights for three under-13 matches. It was cold and windy, and it rained heavily midway through my set. Fortunately, my crew got through our matches in good order.

The next morning, I went to Sportport International (http://www.sportportintl.com/) in Maryland Heights for another three match set of under 13/14 contests. It was at least sunny, but just about freezing when we started. My crew mates and I did our best and kept the matches under control.

Back home after those matches, I went online to take--and pass--my online futsal referee test, which was part of my annual recertification. The next night (20 November), after work, I headed to the Lamborghini Gold Coast Athletic Centre (http://lamboathletic.com/) in St. Charles for the futsal referee clinic. We went over areas of emphasis in the Laws of the Game (no changes from last year) and in the two youth leagues in the St. Louis area. Later, we went on one of the futsal fields in the complex to practice mechanics and go over common situations. After that, I and the others received our 2018 futsal referee patches. The youth season started this weekend.

Work at the Ellisville branch this past week was good. We had quite a bit of traffic, mostly from customers renting out for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It peaked on Wednesday afternoon, with much activity before we closed for the holiday on Thursday.

Early Monday morning, before going to work, I dropped my Mom off at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (https://www.flystl.com/), so she could catch her flight to Charleston, South Caroline. She has been with my brother Rick and his family there for the Thanksgiving holiday. So far, it is going well. Mom comes back to St. Louis Tuesday afternoon.

Last Tuesday night (21 November), I came to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I helped judge the last Modeler of the Year contest of 2017, with Ice and Snow as the special category. Additionally, we took nominations for the Bob Stroup Award (for being am ambassador for the club) and for the 2018 executive board. The revised Constitution and By-Laws were also discussed. I also received much praise for the work I did in taking over the IPMS/Gateway newsletter, The Arch Scaler News. That was most gratifying to me.

Thanksgiving this year was rather low-key for me, with no one around with which to celebrate. I stayed home all day, heating a turkey and stuffing entree in the microwave for my feast. It was a day for binge watching online, as I took in the annual MST3K Turkey Day Marathon of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (http://www.mst3k.com/) episodes, which humor me to no end.

Yesterday was a relatively quiet Friday at work, with some rentals and returns, but not the great rush for Fridays. This was due to people traveling for the holiday and that many repair shops we work with were closed that day. In fact, I got off work about 30 minutes early, and the rest of the crew got off soon after the facility closed at 6 pm.

This morning, it was time for beer and soccer on TV at Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) in south St. Louis. I joined with other FC Schalke 04 (https://schalke04.de/en/) supporters as that team played Borussia Dortnumd in the Reveirderby in Germany. We enjoyed a free German breakfast--sausage and sauerkraut on a bun--and beer as we watched the match on TV. There was despair at first, as Dortmund jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first half. However, Schalke came back to score four second-half goals--two after a Dortmund player was sent off for his second caution of the match--and this ended in a 4-4 draw. I saw one of my fellow St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), Kate, in the rather crowded bar.

Also appearing at Amsterdam Tavern that morning were Schalke's mascot, Erwin, and Louie, the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues) mascot. I also got a free Schalke 04 scarf and can coozie. Quite a morning in St. Louis, and quite a match!

Now composing blog post, while getting my laundry done. I also finished work earlier today on my annual Holiday newsletter, which I will send out soon to family, friends, and acquaintances.

Later.

Road Trip to KC

After working at the rental branch Saturday morning (20 August), I drove to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/) at West County Center (http://www.shopwestcountycenter.com/) in Town and Country. There, I had lunch in the cafe (redeeming a coupon for a free iced tea) and bought two magazines.

I then drove to Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) in south St. Louis, where I joined others in watching the Olympic men's soccer (football) gold medal match between Brazil and Germany. I and others were happy when Brazil won the match on penalty kicks (5-4 in the shootout, after 1-1 draw after extra time). Very happy for Brazil, after a very entertaining match at the Maracana.

After the match, I drove to Stone Spiral Coffee and Curios (http://www.stonespiralcoffee.com/) in Maplewood for the StL Tea Club Meetup (https://www.meetup.com/StL-Tea-Club-Meetup/events/233317713/). I joined four others there to sample some fine teas from East Asia and to have some fine conversation.

Late Sunday morning, I drove to Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill in Fenton (http://www.hotshotsnet.com/locations/stlouisarea/fenton.aspx) for lunch before boarding the chartered bus with others from the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/). After stopping in St. Peters to pick up a few others, we headed for Kansas City, Kansas to cheer on Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) in its match against Swope Park Rangers. After our bus arrived at Children's Mercy Park, the St. Louligans marched into the stadium, where we had a section to ourselves. The match in the stadium--which holds 20,000--was sparsely attended. Saint Louis FC took a 1-nil lead in the 80th minute, but Swope Park leveled it two minutes from time. It was a fine match, but we would prefer a win at this point. We then got on the bus for home, arriving back at Hotshots abound 1:20 am. It was my first such road trip, and I hope it was not my last.

I took Monday (22 August) off from work, to get some nice down time. Back to work Tuesday, things went well. We also said goodbye to Hannah, who is now assistant manager of our Brentwood branch. I promised her I would bring her and her colleagues doughnuts soon after Hannah settles in at her new post. After work, I came home to host the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting. Besides discussing club business (including our contest next month), we talked of the shocking news that CRM Hobbies in south St. Louis closed for good last Saturday. Owner Chris Merseal sold his inventory and will just order items for us and sell through his ebay site.

After work yesterday, I drove to St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for my first session of Portuguese Language: Beginning I. It is an eight-week course, for two hours on Wednesday nights. There are about 12 of us in the course, with Priscila--a native of Brazil--as our instructor. She comes courtesy of Viva Brasil St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home). We spent the first session getting acquainted, starting to learn the pronunciation of the Portuguese, and starting to learn a few words. It should be great, and I'm looking forward to it.

Speaking of Viva Brasil St. Louis, I have volunteered to staff their information booth this Saturday from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the International Institute's Festival of Nations (http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/) an annual multicultural festival in St. Louis' Tower Grove Park. I hope to see you there!

Later.

Time of Doubt

Things are going well at work of late. We're all working hard to keep the customers busy and coming back to us. Even with short staff at times and major surges of customers (like we had this morning), everyone in the branch in pitching in to make it happen. I'm glad to be a part of such a team, even if I do leave the branch at night rather tired.

This past Saturday morning (10 October) found me at the St. Louis Artists' Guild (http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/) in Clayton for the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) meeting. There was a panel discussion of children's books, with three local authors of these works telling about the processes they followed to get their books published. It was a rather interesting program, and I mentioned this to one of the authors that spoke. This was also the first time I visited the guild, which was located at the basement of the old Famous-Barr store, and which had an exhibit of textile art, which I found pretty interesting. For more on MPC, visit their site: http://www.mpc-nfpw.org.

After the MPC event, I shopped for work shoes at a Famous Footwear (http://www.famousfootwear.com) store in Brentwood before going to Cafe Ventana (http://cafeventana.com/) near the Saint Louis University (SLU) campus in midtown St. Louis. At Cafe Ventana, I met Lisa Baudendistel-Suntrup, a SLU grad I met at the party at Humphrey's late last month. We talked over coffee for about three-quarters of an hour, getting to know each other more. Lisa particularly wanted to know more about me and to try to help me out as much as I can. It was a very nice time and I really appreciated Lisa meeting me for this.

That night, I went to Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) in south St. Louis to watch the CONCACAF Cup match between Mexico and the USA on TV. I joined with other USA supporters to eat, drink beer, and watch the game. We came away disappointed, as Mexico won 3-2 in extra time.

Sunday (11 October), I helped my friend Linsey Daman with a letter of recommendation for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), in which she serves in a communications role. Linsey asked me to recommend her for promotion in the organization, so I wrote a letter that she gave to her superior that night. Hopefully, this helped her. I was to have seen Linsey the next night at the CAP meeting in Hazelwood, but she mentioned that afternoon she would not be able to come, so I passed on the meeting. Maybe next time.

Lately, I've not been feeling very well about myself. I'm greatly concerned about where I am in my life, and wondering if I will ever get ahead. I want to find a better paying job doing what I love--paying enough to enable me to move out on my own. (Nothing against my current employer, of course; I just don't want to be cleaning cars all my life.) Also, I want to find a girlfriend, not really having had one ever. This makes me wonder if I will ever find true happiness, whether I will ever have a viable future. I just feel so frustrated right now.

Anyway, I am off tomorrow (Thursday), so I should have some time to recharge.

Later.