MPC, Missouri History Museum, and Time with Julie

Yesterday morning (21 January), I drove to the St. Louis Artists' Guild for the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) meeting. Writer and illustrator Lynnette Schuepbach spoke about "How to Refill Your Creative Tank." This was about finding creative freedom when you are dealing with creative block in your writing. Schuepbach spoke about factors in both creative block and creative freedom and lead exercises by the audience (both in person and via Zoom). 

In one such exercise, the in-person attendees were divided into groups of three and each group was given a sentence by Schuepbach. The group members had four minutes for each person in that group to add a sentence to that previous one to create a short story. The program was most interesting and should help me out in my creative writing endeavors.

After the meeting, I was able to get Deborah Reinhardt, co-president of MPC, to sign my copy of her recently published book "St. Louis Coffee: A Stimulating History." My brother Rick edited the book at The History Press. 

Speaking of coffee, I stopped by Kaldi's Coffee in Kirkwood on my way home from the meeting. I had a Gibraltar with a lemon raspberry scone before returning home for lunch with my mom.

Sometime after lunch, I drove to Julie's house. First, I took her to a post office for her to purchase stamps and put Christmas cards in the mail. Then, I drove us to the Missouri History Museum. Their exhibit "St. Louis Sound" was in the final weekend. Julie and I toured the exhibit, which traced the history of pop music in this area from the late 19th century until the present. It was fascinating seeing the story of the music and the personalities, venues, and media involved, ranging from Scott Joplin's ragtime to Nelly's rap. Julie and I shopped in the gift shop before we returned to her house for dinner. 

After eating, we saw the movie "Hidden Figures" that was streamed on Julie's TV. This was the first time I had seen it and I was impressed. We then called it a night.

This morning, Julie and I had breakfast before watching some episodes of "Ted Lasso" and a soccer match from yesterday. Julie's son Dave came by in mid-afternoon, along with his wife Barbe and daughter Little Bird. Dave took out the old sink and faucet in Julie's kitchen before installing a new sink and faucet. Barbe and Little Bird watching "PAW Patrol" on TV with Julie and I. 

After Dave, Barbe, and Little Bird left late this afternoon, it was time for me to take my leave. Julie and I hugged and kissed each other and we promised to keep in touch before meeting up again next weekend.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis Artists' Guild: St. Louis Artists' Guild (stlouisartistsguild.org)

Missouri Professional Communicators: Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)

Lynnette Schuepbach: Books * Art * Poetry – by Lynnette Schuepbach (kidsdoread.com)

The History Press: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)

Kaldi's Coffee: Kaldi’s Coffee - Specialty Coffee Roaster, St. Louis, MO – Kaldi's Coffee (kaldiscoffee.com)

Missouri History Museum: Missouri History Museum | Find Yourself Here. (mohistory.org)

Christmas 2022: Very Cold and Warm

I bundled up for work Friday morning (23 December) for a very good reason. The temperature when I left for work was -5 F (-20 C), with the wind chill of -25 F (-32 C). It was a challenge to stay warm while cleaning the interiors of our branch's vehicles. (It was too cold to wash the outside, apart from brushing snow from windows and lights.) The cold was accompanied by some snow. There was approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) on the ground Friday morning. Fortunately, it was dry snow, which was easy to brush or shovel away. My Enterprise colleagues and I persevered despite the cold and serviced our customers, including many who were traveling to see family for Christmas.

After work Friday night, I drove up to Julie's house. We had a light dinner before exchanging Christmas gifts. I gave her a St. Louis CITY SC hoodie, plus passed along a card from my mom with a gift card included. Julie greatly appreciated both items. She gave me a neck warmer (charged up using a USB connection) and two items of St. Louis CITY SC apparel: a long-sleeved t-shirt and lounge pants. They are all very nice. After watching a bit of TV, we snuggled up for a winter's sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Julie and I had breakfast and then sat around and talked for awhile. We had lunch at midday before watching more episodes of Ted Lasso on TV. At mid-afternoon, Julie's son Dave arrived with his wife Barbe and their daughter. They came to pick up Julie for some Holiday fun, so this was my cue to go home.

Mom and I had a nice dinner at home and watched some TV before turning in for the night. We woke up this morning and had breakfast before checking out our Christmas gifts under the tree.

I bought Mom a pair of slippers she wanted to replace the worn slippers she has had for some time. She greatly appreciated my gift. We both received books my brother Rick sent from his employer, Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. Mom got one book and I got six, all of which should make for great reading. Rick also sent me an Amazon gift certificate via email. My brother Doug also sent me an Amazon gift certificate. I was on Santa's good side, as he also brought me a 2022-23 Ted Lasso calendar.

Mom and I relaxed around the house today, including phone calls and video chats with my brothers and her brother. Otherwise, we watched TV programs.

I am back at work tomorrow morning. It should be a bit easier to work with as it will get a bit warmer this week.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Rental Cars at Low, Affordable Rates | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

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

The History Press: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)

Amazon: Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.

Christmas 2021

Entering this past week, I didn't feel much Christmas spirit. Uncertainty about the future and my present situation had me feeling low. A few friends tried to cheer me up. We'll see how that goes.

Last Tuesday night (21 December), I went to the monthly IPMS/Gateway meeting at the Affton Elks Lodge. We had voting for next year's club officers and for this year's Stroup Award (Member of the Year). I was reelected President by acclamation, as no one else was nominated for the post. I am happy to serve another year as club president. The Stroup Award will be presented at next month's meeting. I am one of the three nominees for that honor.

We also had a buffet dinner, with entrees from Smokee Mo's BBQ and sides provided by club officers. (I brought some cupcakes from Schnucks.) We also had the annual Recognition Contest, in which we had to guess the war movie from the theme music. I got 20 of 23 correct for the best score of the night and earned a $10 gift card from Schaefer's Hobby Shop.

Finally, we had the big kit raffle, in which all members had a chance to win a model kit. With my winning ticket, I selected a kit of the German battleship Tirpitz.

After the rental branch closed early on Christmas Eve (24 December), I drove to Super Smoker's BBQ in Affton to pick up a Christmas Eve dinner my brother Doug ordered for my mom and me. It was delicious, featuring sliced turkey, green beans, and potatoes. 

Up the next morning, my mom and I went to the Christmas tree set up in our living room to open some presents. I bought mom a pair of slippers, which she greatly appreciated. I received from mom and my brother Rick several books, including five from Rick's employer, the History Press. I also received a book I ordered from the National Museum of the United States Air Force's gift shop about the XB-35 and YB-49 flying wing bombers, and a large book with maps of key battles over the centuries.

Midday today, I was at Olympia Athletics & Events Centre in St. Charles to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) futsal matches. These three matches were with under 9 boys' teams, and I worked them solo. I had not refereed futsal in about two years and was concerned I would be rusty, but fortunately all the matches went well. I hope to work some more futsal matches in the season, which runs until early February.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

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

Affton Elks Lodge 2635: Elks.org :: Lodge #2635 Contact Us

Smokee Mo's BBQ: Smokee Mo's St Louis BBQ Restaurant - Best Meat & Vegan BBQ (smokeemosstlouisbbq.com)

Schnucks: Home | Schnucks

Schaefer's Hobby Shop: Schaefer's Hobby Shop - Arts, Crafts, Beads, & R/C | Schaefers (schaeferhobby.com)

Super Smokers BBQ: BBQ + Cajun | Affton St. Louis | Super Smokers’ Newest Location

The History Press-Arcadia Publishing: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)

The Air Force Museum Store: The Air Force Museum Store Air Force Museum Store

Olympia Athletics & Events Centre: Olympia Athletics Events

St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)

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.