Catching Up After Over Two Months Away from Here

After over two months since my last post here, I finally got myself to sit down and post up here for you all.

On 14 March, I attended the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) meeting at the St. Lois Artists' Guild. Patty Prewitt, who had been freed and given clemency in 2024 for the murder of her husband 40 years before, spoke about keeping up hope while in prison through writing. I bought a copy of her 2025 book Trying to Catch Lightning in a Jar: Letter from Prison, which she signed for me. It was quite an interesting program.

In March, I got in touch with a financial advisor from Thrivent, who had reached out to me via LinkedIn. We have met via Zoom and received some recommendations from her regarding my investments. She also set me up with a colleague who does Money Canvas, a three-week online program on budgeting. The second session is this coming week.

On 17 April, I joined Julie, Joan, and few others at a table for Eliot Unitarian Universalist Chapel's Trivia Night at the Crestwood Community Center. The questions had to do with water and what creatures live there. Out table ended up in the middle of the pack, it was all good fun.

Speaking of Eliot, I served as a greeter on consecutive Sundays (19 and 26 April) for the 11:15 am service. This involves passing out orders of service, getting questionnaires to first-time visitors, collecting and totaling offerings, and helping keep the sanctuary in good order. I really enjoy this volunteering and look forward to doing more in the coming months.

Work has been going well. We have the usual turnover of staff as they move up and on, but business has been good. Last month, I participated in a corporate focus group with other automotive detailers from the St. Louis area, which was most informative and helpful to the group staff.

CITY SC has stumbled through the start of the season. They aren't doing very well, but as a supporter, I must keep hope. Julie has usually gone with me to the home matches as Energizer Park, proceeded by the St. Louligans Street Party at Schlafly Tap Room. We've also gone to away match watch parties at 2nd Shift Brewing. (There's one tonight.) For the latter, Julie has lately been bringing her dog Molly along. 

Julie and I get together just about once a week for dinner, a CITY match, or something else. Our relationship is still going strong.

Matters with scale modeling in general and IPMS Gateway in particular have been fine. I have lately been splitting workbench time among three models: 1:200 scale Artemis I rocket (sister to Artemis II that recently flew four astronauts to the moon and back), a 1:350 heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (given to me by a fellow Gateway member for our club's "buddy build" this year), and a 1:48 F-111A I have rescued from my "shelf of doom."

One week ago (2 May), I worked a morning volunteer shift with the Greater St. Louis Book Fair, a charity used book sale held at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex. I started out straightening the stacks of books as they got moved around on the tables. Later, I helped collect books left in bins by each row of tables for them to be restacked on the appropriate tables.

The next day, I staffed a table for IPMS Gateway at the Midwest Model Vehicle Association Spring Model Car Show at Kirkwood Community Center. I gave out flyers for our club and answered questions visitors had about us.

Things around the house are going well. I have to do some slight repairs as necessary, but overall, the place is holding up well.

Later.

Links to Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton

Thrivent: Why Thrivent | Thrivent

Eliot Unitarian Universalist Chapel: Home

Crestwood Community Center: Crestwood Community Center | Crestwood, MO

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer

Greater St. Louis Book Fair: Greater St. Louis Book Fair

Greensfelder Recreation Complex: Greensfelder Recreation Complex Ice Rink - St. Louis County Website

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter

Midwest Model Vehicle Association: IPMS Gateway Chapter - MMVA Page

Catch Up for 11 May

Due to various reasons, I have not posted here in just over a month So, here is a catch up on my life lately:

• On Saturday, 13 April, I went to Monticello, Iowa for Fleacon, IPMS/Alexander Lippisch's model contest and swap meet. My two entries--a Bren Gun Carrier and a 6pdr Anti-Tank Gun--each earned Bronze Awards. It was fun seeing some fellow scale modelers there.
• The next day, Julie and I cheered on St. Louis CITY SC to a 1-0 victory over Austin FC at CITYPARK. Before the match, we posed with Kevin Marshall for one of his selfies.
• I attended the IPMS/Gateway meeting on Tuesday, 16 April.
• The following Saturday, 20 April, I refereed youth soccer matches at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. After the games, I went to 2nd Shift Brewing to join other St. Louligans in a watch party for St. Louis CITY SC's match at Sporting Kansas City. It ended in a 3-3 draw.
• The next day, Julie and I visited the Midwest Model Vehicle Association--St. Louis Spring model contest and swap meet at Machinists Hall in Bridgeton. There, I dropped off some flyers for IPMS/Gateway's Invitational on 14 September and bought an aircraft kit.
• Saturday morning, 27 April, I refereed youth soccer tournament matches at Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex.
• That night, Julie and I went to a trivia night at the Crestwood Community Center. It was being held by Eliot Unitarian Chapel. Our team finished second among some 18 teams there and I won two baskets of books in the raffle. We had such a fun time there.
• I was back at Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex the next morning to referee more youth soccer tournament matches.
• Friday night, 3 May, Julie and I went to the Saint Louis Science Center for its First Fridays event, which this month celebrated the 2000s. We saw the documentary Cities of the Future, then the animated feature Shrek. Julie and I had fun with these movies.
• One week ago, 4 May, I assisted in cash wrap and provided maps to attendees at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair, held at Greensfelder Recreation Complex at Queeny Park. I was happy to volunteer at this fund-raising event, which I have done for several years. 
• The following afternoon, 5 May, I refereed youth soccer matches at World Wide Technology Soccer Park.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS Alexander Lippisch: Lippisch Model Club

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Eliot Unitarian Chapel: Home (eliotchapel.org)

Saint Louis Science Center: Saint Louis Science Center – Connect with curiosity. (slsc.org)

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Greater St. Louis Book Fair: Greater St. Louis Book Fair (stlouisbookfair.org)

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

A Book Fair and a Model Show

Last Saturday morning (4 May), I was at the Greensfelder Recreational Complex at Queeny County Park (https://www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/RecreationComplexes/GreensfelderRecreationComplexinQueenyPark) for this year's Greater St. Louis Book Fair (https://stlouisbookfair.org/). It's an annual charity book sale, held since 1950, where hundreds of used and rare books are sold. Proceeds from this event go to St. Louis area non-profit education and literacy programs.

I was there as a volunteer, which I have done for the past few years. I helped with making sure everything was in place and ready to go when the show opened to the public. Then, I spent most of my shift walking through the aisles, answering customer questions and helping restack misplaced items. The last half hour was at the area where books are restocked.

After my shift ended, I did a bit of shopping, buying three books and a movie DVD for myself. It was a very nice time as always.

The threat of flooding caused postponement of that night's scheduled match between Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) and Ottawa Fury FC. It will be rescheduled for a later date this season.

The next morning found me at the Kirkwood Community Center (https://www.kirkwoodparksandrec.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/3/445) for the spring show of the Midwest Model Vehicle Association (MMVA) (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/mmva-page). I was there at this model car contest and vendor swap meet representing IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home). Our club had a table with several models I brought and some club flyers. Bill Wagner, IPMS/Gateway's vice president, also manned the table with me.

I browsed among the vendors, chatting with several of them, and looked over the models entered in the contest. Our table had several visitors, who chatted with Bill and I. It was a nice show and a good way to promote our club and hobby.

The MMVA Fall Show will be held on Sunday, 27 October at the Kirkwood Community Center.

Later.

Catching Up: Soccer, Circus, Books, Aviation

I've been so busy and tired the past two weeks since I last posted here.I will do my best to get caught up.

I ran lines on two under 15 St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (https://www.slysa.org/home) matches at Kolping Fields in south St. Louis County. They went well.

Work the past two weeks has been busy, but well. This past Tuesday (8 May) was assistant manager Miranda's last day at Ellisville, as she moved down the street to become manager of our Ballwin branch.

I chipped in to support some worth causes on Give STL Day (https://www.givestlday.org/index.php) on 2 May. This year, I contributed to: St. Louis Public Radio (http://news.stlpublicradio.org/), St. Louis Artists' Guild (https://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/), Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/), Cinema St. Louis (http://www.cinemastlouis.org/), Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/), Needy Paws Rescue (http://www.needypaws.org/), Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-st-louis-region-southwest-missouri), and Viva Brasil STL (https://www.vivabrasilstl.org/).

I saw my dentist a week ago Thursday (3 May) for my semi-annual checkup. No issues.

That night, I continued my volunteer stint with Circus Flora. After the show last Sunday night, I joined with other volunteers for a party in the ring. After posing for a group picture, we enjoyed a buffet dinner with fried chicken, along with some conversation among ourselves and the performers. A very nice night.

Circus Flora's show "The Case of the Missing Bellhop" ends this weekend, and I'l be helping on the last two shows: Tonight and tomorrow night.

Last Saturday, I pulled a double volunteer shift at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://stlouisbookfair.org/), which was held at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex at Queeny Park (https://www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/recreationcomplexes/greensfelderrecreationcomplexinqueenypark). I helped customers in the morning shift, and was a cashier in the afternoon. In between, I did buy a few books there and got lunch. A very nice bit of help for various literacy and childcare causes.

Right after my last shift at the Book Fair, I headed to Toyota Stadium of World Wide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) match against Portland Timbers II. Despite the cheers I and my fellow St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) made, the match ended in a scoreless draw.

The next morning, I was back at World Wide Technology Soccer Park, this time to officiate under 12 girls matches in the Premier League (http://slsgsoccer.com/slsg-missouri/leagues/premier-league-2006-2009). All three matches--including my middle--went very well.

Off work on Thursday (10 May), I finished editing this month's issue of The Arch Scaler News for IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/). I got it distributed via email and US Mail that afternoon. That night, I was at Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting. I was there to help distribute name tags and make sure members and guests signed in. A big crowd (about 80) took in a panel discussion on the 60th anniversary of the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II's first flight. This program was most interesting.

I have been working on a model I should have ready for next week's IPMS/Gateway meeting and the IPMS Region 5 Contest, MOSS CON (http://ipmsmoss.com/), in Branson, Missouri.

Later.

Warm and Dry For a Change

Last Saturday afternoon (6 May), I co-hosted this month's edition of Writer's Block (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2017/05/06/connected--writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-11am-pst), the Naturally Autistic ANCA Radio show, with Tim Pylypiuk. We discussed the history and role of libraries, and on the role of the written word in the digital age. It was a fine discussion, and you can replay the program and download it for podcast now.

Later that afternoon, I drove to Queeny County Park in Ballwin to help out at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://www.stlouisbookfair.org/), held in the park's Greenfelder Recreation Complex. This is an annual used book sale, with proceeds going to St. Louis area literacy and education programs. After doing a bit of shopping, I helped count books at the check out counter, giving the totals for each customer's purchases to the cashier. It got hectic at times, but having done this a few times in the past, it was nothing I could not handle. I was very happy to help out this event and the causes it supports.

Due to the overflowing Meramec River flooding World Wide Technology Soccer Park, last Saturday night's Saint Louis FC match vs. Rochester Rhinos was postponed until a later date. My soccer games at the Park for Sunday morning were cancelled.

At least the weather was warm and dry this week, and the flooding was ending in the area. Work Monday morning (8 May) was most busy, with many customers in the lobby at times. However, we got everyone taken care of by the end of business that day.

Since I'm working this Saturday morning, I flexed out Tuesday afternoon. I came home to relax catch up on some needed rest. I worked a full day yesterday, which went well.

Off work today, I did my part for Give St. Louis Day (https://www.givestlday.org/index.php?action=homePage), an annual campaign for St. Louis area non-profit organizations. I gave my money to several groups I am most interested in, such as Viva Brasil STL, Circus Flora, and Cinema St. Louis. I also worked on a small armor vehicle kit for this Tuesday's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting.

Later.

Living and Working Around Flooding

It was a wet week here in St. Louis. So much so, that the Meramec River overflowed and there was flooding in parts of the St. Louis metropolitan area. That included the route I usually take to and from work: I-44 west of I-270 to Highway 141. The 44-141 interchange was flooded out from mid-week, so I had to take another route to and from work. Looks like that should reopen early this coming week.

Work at the branch has gone well, though we had to deal with a crowded lot Monday morning (1 May). We worked around the problem and got it solved. Wednesday afternoon, the manager was away at a meeting and the assistant manager was at a dental appointment, so one of the area managers filled in, with me as the sole car prep on duty. It was busy at times, but all was well in the end.

Yesterday morning (5 May), I stopped by The Donut Palace of Ellisville (https://www.thedonutpalace.com/) to get some donuts for my colleagues. (Normally on those Fridays, I go to the Krispy Kreme in Fenton, but the road is currently flooded.) It was much appreciated as usual by my colleagues.

Later today, I co-host Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic ANCA Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2017/05/06/connected--writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-11am-pst). Tim Pylypiuk and I will discuss two topics: Libraries, and literacy in the digital age. Hope you can tune in live from Noon, Central Time (10 am, Pacific Time; 1800 GMT), or catch the archived rebroadcast from 2 pm, Central Time (Noon, Pacific Time; 2000 GMT).

Tonight's Saint Louis FC match against Rochester Rhinos was postponed, due to the flooding at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. The match will be rescheduled for a later date. My night won't be a waste, though, as I will be a volunteer at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://www.stlouisbookfair.org/), going on this weekend at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex of Queeny County Park in west St. Louis County. I've been a volunteer the past few years, and this time I'll be a cashier. Proceeds from the Book Fair--a large used book sale--go to various education and literacy programs in Metro St. Louis. Hope to see you there!

Also due to the flooding, my refereeing assignment for tomorrow at World Wide Technology Soccer Park is cancelled. I may try to get a make up assignment for that day, or I may help with cutting the back lawn.

Later.

A Hectic, But Satisfying Weekend

After a hard, but ultimately successful week of work at the car rental branch, I had quite a weekend. I spent some free time during Saturday (30 April) morning and early afternoon working on a couple of scale model kits. I'm looking to get them done in time for the contest at the May IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting in just under two weeks from now. In mid-afternoon, I headed to West County Center (http://www.shopwestcountycenter.com/) in Des Peres for the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://www.stlouisbookfair.org/). After a brief bit of shopping, where I bought two history books, I reported for a volunteer shift. Four about four hours, I helped count the merchandise customers had selected and supplying the totals per price range to the nearby cashier, and packing the items in bags or (in some cases) boxes. I found it wasn't as busy as at previous Book Fairs, perhaps due to the stormy weather that hit the area late in my shift. Still, it was most satisfying to helping out at this event.

Right after getting off my shift, I headed to Worldwide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton for Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) match against Vancouver Whitecaps II. That was the plan; however, Mother Nature had other plans. Lightning in the vicinity postponed the match. After about a three-hour delay, the match was called off as it was clear that the lightning would not leave the area soon. It will be made up later this season. Hopefully, there won't be stormy weather this Saturday, when Saint Louis FC hosts Swope Park Rangers.

After a bit of sleep at home, I was up early the next morning (1 May) and heading for Six Flags St. Louis (https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis) in Eureka. There, I was a volunteer Course Marshal for the Roller Coaster Race (http://rollercoasterrace.com/), a 10 km and 5 km footrace through the theme park. After some difficulty, I found my station on the course just before the first runners came my way. I was there for about an hour, directing and encouraging the runners as they passed through my position. It was a lot of fun helping out at this event, with proceeds going to Operation Food Search (http://www.operationfoodsearch.org/), which helps provide food to the needy in the St. Louis area.

After my volunteer stint at Six Flags, I headed to the Kirkwood Community Center (http://www.kirkwoodmo.org/content/City-Departments/1856/community-center.aspx). There, I attended the Midwest Model Vehicle Association/St. Louis (MMVA/STL) (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/MMVAStLouis.html) Spring Contest and Swap Meet. IPMS/Gateway had a table there with two model car displays, and I chatted with club members there and elsewhere in the room. I also bought an aircraft model kit from one of the vendors before going home. The IPMS/Gateway display plugged the club's Invitational this September.

I spent more free time this past week working on those models. If all goes well, I will have three kits done to enter in the club contest.

Like quite a few people in and around St. Louis, I have been following the St. Louis Blues (http://blues.nhl.com) in the second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let's go Blues!

Tuesday afternoon (3 May), after flexing out of work, I went home and made contributions on Give STL Day (https://givestlday.org/). This was an effort on behalf of various non-profit organizations. The website was down, though, due to heavy traffic, so I ended up phoning in my contributions. This year, I pledged to: Viva Brasil STL (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home); Cinema St. Louis (cinemastlouis.org); Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/); Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-st-louis-region-southwest-missouri); and, Saint Louis Power Soccer United (http://www.saintlouispowersoccerunited.org/).

Later.