Somehow, Spring Has Arrived

Home on Sunday (18 March), I went to service at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). Afterward, I headed home, stopping by St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) in Mehlville for a coffee and pastry. I then relaxed at home the rest of the day and night.

Back at the rental branch early the next day, we had our usual busy Monday morning. However, everything went well. Same for the next day.

Right after work Tuesday night (20 March), it was off to Calvary for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) meeting. I helped get the Fellowship Hall set up for the meeting, and took down notes as Secretary. Afterward, I helped to get the hall cleaned up and locked up for the night. It was a good meeting, with our Model of the Month "Beauty Contest" and a slide show by Gary Chambers of aircraft, military and civilian vehicles, and watercraft he photographed during a visit to Moscow last summer. Very interesting.

Spring arrived late on Wednesday morning, but you would not have known it from the chilly weather. High temperatures this week were in the range from 40 to 50 degrees F (4 to 10 degrees C). Hopefully, that will improve in the coming week or two.

Off work yesterday, I used the time to do a bit of shopping (for body wash and for printer paper), and doing my laundry at home. I also checked on a couple of matters regarding IPMS/Gateway's newsletter, The Arch Scaler News, which I edit. Otherwise, I chilled out at home.

Thursday night, my mother and I went to the Kirkwood Public Library (https://kirkwoodpubliclibrary.org/) for the launch of a new book. "Slaying in South St. Louis," by Vicki Berger Erwin and her son Bryan Erwin, tells the story of a 1963 stabbing murder of a housewife by a juvenile delinquent and how he escaped justice due to legal technicalities. My brother Rick edited this book, which is published by The History Press (https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Series/THPSeries). Mom and I really found the talk most fascinating and she let the co-authors know about Rick's work. Vicki Berger Erwin told us that Rick was really good to work with as an editor. The co-authors signed my mom's copy, and I bought a copy for myself. This event was coordinated by Main Street Books (http://www.mainstreetbooks.net/).

Back to work this morning, I stopped by Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/) to get some doughnuts for my colleagues. The day was rather busy, but went well. That morning, the cargo pants I was wearing developed a rip. I was able to make emergency repairs using electrical tape, but went to Target (https://www.target.com/) during my lunch break to buy a pair of cargo pants. I changed into them just before going back on duty, and they worked out well.

Later.

Christmas, and 2017 Nears Its End

It was a busy Friday (22 December) and Saturday morning at the rental branch, with a lot of people renting vehicles for Christmas vacation journeys. It was quite a bit of extra work involved, but my colleagues and I were able to meet the challenge and keep our customers most satisfied. My manager Cory gave me my annual review on Friday--two days after my fifth anniversary with Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html)--and he had nothing but high marks for me. Cory had little to say but to appreciate the great job I'm doing for the firm, and I had hardly anything to add.

Home after work that Saturday afternoon (23 December), I took care of the last presents to wrap up and put under the Christmas tree at home. Mom and I chilled out at home. I viewed the Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) presentation of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," which was the only way to see that awful film. Plenty of campy fun with this movie, as presented on MST3K. It was a good day to be inside: The morning before, we got about 2 inches (5 cm) of snow, to make this a White Christmas. (Cue Bing Crosby.)

I went to Sunday morning service on Christmas Eve at Calvary Presbyterian Church's sanctuary (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/), though it was actually a service conducted by Affton Presbyterian Church (http://afftonpc.org/), which began nesting with Calvary a few weeks ago. (Affton normally holds Sunday services in the Fellowship Hall.) It was nice and I stayed around in the Fellowship Hall afterward for refreshments.

After time at home, I took Mom back to Calvary for the Christmas Eve evening service. It was very nice, and Mom and I were called that night to help serve Communion, which we did. It ended with the sanctuary lights turned off and our individual candle lights (actually electric lights) on during the singing of "Silent Night, Holy Night," which made this more moving.

After the service, Mom and I came home and we each opened a present before retiring to bed.

The next morning, we opened the rest of the presents. I especially prize two pairs of shoes Mom gave me: a pair of black dress shoes (which I hope to wear to some job interviews in the coming months), and a pair of cross training shoes, to replace the worn pair I had. I also got a replica St. Louis Blues sweater, and a necktie from my Uncle Harold--Mom's brother. My brother Doug, teaming up with my brothers Rick and Brian, gave me the DVD of the recent PBS documentary series "The Vietnam War," along with its companion book and soundtrack album. Very nice items, indeed. Mom really enjoyed the necklace and matching earrings I gave her.

I basically chilled out at home the rest of the day.

Up early the next morning (26 December), I drove to work and had a long and very busy day with cleaning cars and picking up and dropping off customers. Mostly, these were customers coming off the holiday weekend. We got through the day fine. It was also the last day for my fellow car prep Jesse, who stepped down due to his arthritis. Sad to see someone go, but I can fully understand his situation.

Since I am working this Saturday morning, I flexed out Wednesday afternoon. That came after a long (distance and time) road trip to ferry a vehicle to our Washington, Missouri branch, then to ferry a passenger van to the Manchester branch, and finally getting a getting a ride back to the Ellisville branch.

That night, after getting dressed up with the new dress shoes and tie, I came to Double D Karaoke Bar (https://doubledstl.com/) in Brentwood for our area's Secret Santa party. After getting beer and appetizers, we received our presents. The person I was buying for wasn't there to get my gift card, but I received an Amazon gift card from my Secret Santa from another branch. I added that card to the one Brian gave me for Christmas. Looks like I'll be getting into my Amazon wish list in the New Year!

Off on Thursday, I headed to Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis to ice skate at Winterfest at the Arch (https://www.archwinterfest.com/). It had been at least two years since I last ice skated, but I did well in the hour I had at the rink. After that, I walked to a nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) for a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie.

It was another busy day at work today, but things went well. I got word that afternoon that I had been voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the branch for this week. That's an honor that usually goes to management personnel, so I was most pleasantly surprised to get the MVP Award. I must be doing something right at the branch!

See you next year!

Later.

Amid Cold Days, Holiday Greetings for Colleagues

The week started off fine at work. A usual busy Monday morning, and much business during the rest of the day.

Right after work, I drove to Firehouse Bar & Grill (http://www.firehousebarandgrillstl.com/) in Mehlville, where the annual soccer referee Christmas party was held. I did not feel like partying, so I only stayed long enough to pick up the two referee long-sleeve shirts I ordered.

After working much of the day Tuesday (5 December), I flexed out in mid-afternoon as I will be working this Saturday morning. Before going home, though, I stopped by the three nearest branches: Ballwin, Manchester, and Kirkwood. At all three stops, I dropped off a can of cookies along with copies of my annual newsletter to people I know at those locations. At Ballwin, that would be manager Tessie, management trainees Melissa and William, and preps Steve and Wayne. Manager Billy and driver David received the newsletters at Manchester. I also dropped off cookies and a newsletter for Kory at Manchester Car Sales, co-located with Rent-a-Car. Finally, at Kirkwood, my newsletters went to manager Hannah and management trainees Maggie and Katy. I then came home to rest up, as I felt real tired.

I put in a full day of work on Wednesday, which went well, although temperatures fell that day to just below freezing early in the morning and not much above freezing that afternoon. At home that night, I made plans for the next day.

That Thursday, I got my hair cut at Great Clips (https://www.greatclips.com/), then treated myself to a hot drink and pastry at St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html).

After that brief refreshment stop, it was on to seven locations to bring Holiday greetings to my colleagues. First, it was Creve Coeur, where I had newsletters for manager Cody, assistant manager Jacob (soon to be manager in Washington, Mo.), and management trainer Phillip. Then, manager Tim in Chesterfield garnered my visit. (The day before, a light plane crashed into a service station parking lot across the street, killing the pilot. The wreckage was being removed when I drove by there.)

I headed northwest to St. Charles rental to visit Derek, then nearby St. Charles Car Sales to greet Cayla and Anthony. I then went to Florissant, where I had cookies and a newsletter for manager Justin. Finally, it was to Glen Carbon rental, where assistant manager Leah greeted me and the cookies. I also had the same for assistant sales manager Dan at the co-located car sales location. (Dan recently arrived there from Manchester.) In all, a nice day to be out and about.

That night, Mom and I went out for Chinese dinner at Lemay Wok (https://www.yelp.com/biz/lemay-wok-saint-louis) in Mehlville, where I had the Sweet and Sour Pork. Back home, I remembered the 76th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by playing the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" on my DVD player.

Today, it started below freezing, but warmed up a bit by sunset. We had a full day of work, including bringing in quite a few vehicles from our drop locations late in the day. Things look fine heading into tomorrow morning.

Later.

Work in High Heat, and Meetings with Friends

Working with my colleagues, I do my part at the rental branch to make sure we exceed customer expectations. We ended a good first full week of July with a good showing.

One week ago (9 July), I went to the Starbucks (https://www.starbucks.com/) in Fenton for coffee and conversation with my friend and Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) colleague Melissa Needles. She was a management trainee at the Ellisville branch two years ago; now, she works in field support at our corporate headquarters. Mel and I spent a nice time getting caught up on things. She also brought the dog she and her boyfriend have to the outdoor table we were at. Such a nice dog.

Back to work the next day, and the whole week was a challenge. Not so much due to customers, but to the heat and humidity this past week. By midweek, we hit 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), with heat indexes reaching up to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). It was a challenge to stay capable under those conditions, but I followed common sense by taking short breaks inside the air conditioned lobby and sipping Gatorade thirst quencher--which I bought in the morning at Quick Trip (https://www.quiktrip.com/) on the way to work--between car cleanings.

Right after work that Monday, I headed to Dado's Cafe (https://www.dados-cafe.com/) in south St. Louis for dinner with the Ethnic Restaurant Fans Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/Ethnic-Restaurant-Fans/). Six of us had wonderful conversation and enjoyed very delicious Greek cuisine. I went with The Big Fat Greek Combo Platter: Pastitio, dolmades, and spanakopita, with Greek salad. Very nice and I highly recommend the place.

I did flex out Tuesday afternoon (11 July), as I would be working the following Saturday morning. That was most welcome with the heat. I did rest at home and did a little work on a model on my workbench.

Off Thursday, I did my annual eye exam at Crown Vision Center (https://crownvisioncenter.com/) in Tesson Ferry. The optometrist said my eyes were fine, but I did pass on new glasses. The spectacles I got one year ago were fine (apart from having to repair en eye frame) and I didn't want to spend money on new glasses. I then treated myself to a coffee beverage at the nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html/).

That night, I went to a happy hour at Corner Pub & Grill (http://www.cornerpubandgrill.com/) in Chesterfield, which was put on by our area manager. It was for the Enterprise branches in our area for a great June. It was nice to hang out with my colleagues and enjoy some beer and appetizers.

After work yesterday morning (15 July), I got home to work a bit on my model, then got ready for soccer. I first drove to Smugala's Pizza Pub (http://smugalas.com/smugalassunsethills) in Sunset Hills, where I enjoyed a beer before boarding the Pub2Park shuttle bus for Toyota Stadium in Fenton. There, I joined with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) in their tailgate before marching into the stadium with them for Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) against Charleston Battery, the top team in the Eastern Conference of the United Soccer League (http://www.uslsoccer.com/).

It was a hard fought match played before a packed crowd, but Saint Louis FC prevailed, by one goal to nil. It should have been 2-0, but an apparent goal was called off due to a foul. Still, a great effort by the home side and we St. Louligans were so happy.

Today, I spent time getting my model ready for the main painting, which will start tonight. I also met my long-time friend from school, Tim Popp, at Rich & Charlie's (http://www.richandcharlies.com/south-county/index.php) in South County for beer and conversation. Tim's in town for a while, commuting here for a his work part of the month. It was nice as always to get caught up with him.

Later.

Work and Seeing Scale Models

Work has gone well this week, with Monday (6 March) very busy as usual. We had busy and slow stretches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bottom Line: We had our customers completely satisfied and we had a sense of accomplishment.

After work Tuesday night, I traveled to Mark Twain Hobby Center (https://www.hobby1.com/) for the Mark Twain Hobby Club (formerly IPMS/St. Louis) meeting. They had about 40 people there, crammed into the meeting room, to see a presentation on World War II US Army combat uniforms, with a PowerPoint display along with actual uniforms from the period. It was a most interesting presentation. I showed off the two models I completed last month and plugged this September's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) Invitational.

My off day today started with a trip to Jiffy Lube (https://www.jiffylube.com/) to get my Corolla's oil changed. I also had the tires rotated and the fuel system cleaned there. I then went to St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) for a coffee and pastry. After that, I walked to the nearby Great Clips (http://www.greatclips.com/) to get my hair cut. My hair was overdue by about two weeks for a cut, and I was so glad that my hair is at a much better length for me.

I did my laundry at home and waited for a phone call. I was supposed to be interviewed by phone for a part-time, volunteer position, but the interviewed forgot about it and we'll try it again this Saturday.

Later.

Strange Weather

A week ago Friday night (6 January), I went right after work to Helen Fitzgerald's Restaurant and Pub (http://helenfitzgeralds.com/) in Sunset Hills. I was attending a Lock and Key Dating Event (http://www.lockandkeyevents.com/) for singles in my age range. The men got a key and the women got a lock, and the men were supposed to find women and try to open a lock. After finding such a match, we would get a new lock and key and start the process again. I was able to open 10 locks in just over 90 minutes. I was able to chat briefly with the women taking part, but did not get anyone I would talk to after the event. It was fun, though.

I was at work the next morning at the rental branch, and we busied ourselves with getting vehicles prepped and rented out. It was a busy, but successful morning. I then chilled out at home for the weekend.

This has been one strange week for weather. It's been said, "If you don't like the weather here in St. Louis, wait a few minutes." The past seven days were proof of this statement. Early in the week, we got as warm as 60 degrees F (16 degrees C) and sunny at times. That changed drastically later in the week, as it went down to 15 degrees F (-9 degrees C) at night.

The week at work was busy, but went well. Finding space to park our vehicles on our lot was a major challenge at times, even with a backlot in play. Still, things were handled very well as expected.

My off day Thursday (12 January) saw me go to Berry Park in Eureka (http://www.eureka.mo.us/departments/parks-recreation/park-locations-amenities/), where I took a brief walk with a friend. It was brief, as the temperature got colder. Then, I got my hair cut at Great Clips (http://www.greatclips.com/) in Tenholder Plaza in Mehlville, followed by a hotc hocolate and bear claw at the nearby St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html). I got home in time to beat a Winter Storm Warming for our area. Starting that night and into the next few days, we got freezing rain that started making travel most hazardous. At work that Friday morning, it was a rush to get vehicles prepped and spotted ahead of the worsening weather. Fortunately, many people stayed off the roads, which made it easier for the highway crews getting anti-freezing materials laid onto the roads. I was sent home early that afternoon, as the branch had all the vehicles ready that it would likely need that day and Saturday. After stopping for lunch at Penn Station (http://www.penn-station.com/) in Ballwin, I made it home fine.

I stayed in the house throughout the weekend, venturing outside only to get the mail. The ice storm came in three waves over the weekend, dropping up to 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) of ice by mid-Sunday morning. Fortunately, the temperature warmed up late this morning and the ice melted, so it should not be too bad to travel tomorrow morning.

Later.

Helping Bring Brazil to St. Louis

Last Friday morning (26 August)--as usual on payday Fridays--I bought some doughnuts for my colleagues at the car rental branch. They appreciate my gesture, helping brighten their mornings. Work went well and we were kept busy late in the day.

Late Saturday morning, I headed to Tower Grove Park (http://www.towergrovepark.org/) for the International Institute's Festival of Nations (http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/), an annual multicultural festival. I browsed among the various craft, information, and food booths, before getting lunch from the Brazilian food booth from Brasilia Restaurant. I chose Vatapa de Frango, a grilled chicken breast in a cashew nut gravy, served with rice and collard greens. Additionally, I had a vanilla flan desert and drank mango juice. Very tasty. I also chatted with my friend Dayna O'Brien, who was volunteering at the St. Louis Sister Cities booth.

After lunch, I made my way to the Viva Brasil Association in St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home) information booth at the Festival. I spent about two hours in the booth, talking with visitors about our group and Brazil in general. It was great helping out the group, and others in the group--including Mauricio Gobbo, his wife Susan, and Sandra Schulte--were very happy that I helped them out. Priscila Borba, my instructor in the Portuguese course I'm taking, also stopped by the booth.

After my volunteer shift, I headed back home to get ready for Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) match against San Antonio FC. After taking the Pub2Park shuttle bus from Smugala's Pizza Pub in Sunset Hills (http://smugalas.com/smugalassunsethills), I walked over to the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate for a while before walking into Marshall Wireless Stadium. Unfortunately, two first-half goals for the visitors were the difference as San Antonio FC won 2-nil, dimming Saint Louis FC's post-season hopes.

I spent Sunday morning (28 August) editing some articles for the Fall 2016 issue of Naturally Autistic magazine (http://www.naturallyautistic.com/). I also edited a few items late last week. Then, I headed back to the Festival of Nations, where I hung out with the Viva Brasil booth and chatted with others from the group who were staffing the booth, and with visitors. We had many visitors at the booth that weekend, which was great. I then reported for a volunteer shift helping staff one of the Festival's drinks booths. I was originally to help out at the beer tasting booth on the west end of the Festival grounds, but it had just ran out of beer and was closing up early. I was then reassigned to a drinks booth in the eastern end of the grounds. I helped with beverage sales for the last hour before the festival closed, then helped to tear down the booth. It was great to help out this Festival for the third year.

Back to work Monday, it was a rather busy first part of the week at the branch. I edited a couple more pieces for Naturally Autistic magazine after work on Monday. I flexed out Tuesday afternoon (30 August), as I am working this Saturday morning. Early Tuesday night, I drove to Three Kings Public House in Des Peres (http://threekingspub.com/) for a Happy Hour with my branch colleagues. Hannah, our former branch colleague now at the Brentwood branch, also came and we enjoyed appetizers and beers while talking about this and that. I was able to take some leftover appetizers home with me.

After work Wednesday, I was off to St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for the second night of Portuguese Language: Beginning I. Instructor Priscila Borba led us in more instruction on the language, including how to use the proper prepositions and correct pronunciations. The class is coming along very nicely.

My off day today started with getting blood withdrawn at a lab for routine tests my doctor ordered for me, followed by breakfast at St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html). Late today, I got a call from Weiss Toyota telling me they had the replacement part for the recalled airbag on my Corolla, and we scheduled a service appointment on Thursday of next week. It will be free of charge, due to this being a recall.

Back to work tomorrow and Saturday morning, then I can enjoy the Labor Day Weekend.

Later.

Meetup, Picnic, and Work

Last Saturday afternoon (6 August), I was at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in Ladue (http://www.slcl.org/content/headquarters) for the STL Aspies Meetup (https://www.meetup.com/STL-Aspies/). I ran the meeting, in which the six attendees talked about themselves, how they are coping with having Asperger's Syndrome, and how they are moving forward. After this meetup, most of us headed to Saint Louis Bread Company (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) at Plaza Frontenac for a snack and talk.

The next day found me at Greentree Park (http://www.kirkwoodmo.org/content/City-Departments/1830/greentree-park.aspx) in Kirkwood for a picnic thrown by Viva Brasil St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home) for those who volunteered at their Festa Junina in June. It was a pot luck supper, including some Brazilian cuisine, along with beer, soda, and water. I got to meet others in the organization, and I was presented with a thank you letter for my help at the Festa Junina. They were very pleased to hear I have a friend in Cuiaba, Brazil who has stirred my interest in Brazil, and that I will take a introductory Portuguese language course starting later this month at St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/mc/). Viva Brasil St. Louis provides the instructors for this and other Portuguese language classes offered by the college. This is a wonderful group and I look forward to working more with them at future events.

Back to work Monday (8 August) at the rental branch, and plenty to keep us busy. I flexed out Tuesday afternoon, as I will be working this Saturday morning. The weather is heating up some this week, with temperatures approaching 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) and heat indices topping 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). Good thing the fans are up and running in the wash bay; they make it much more tolerable in there on hot days.

I've been following the Olympics from Rio (https://www.rio2016.com/en) and find myself not only cheering on the USA athletes and teams, but also those from Brazil. It might be quite tough on me when USA and Brazil teams meet up in these games. In that case, may the better teams win.

Later.