It's a hot one here in St. Louis. As I write this, the temperature is 102 degrees F (39 degrees C), one degree shy of the expected high temperature today. It reached 106 F (41 C) yesterday--a local record for this date-- and the forecast calls for highs of 104 F (40 C) tomorrow (Saturday, 30 June) and Sunday (1 July). Stay inside as much as you can. I know I will.
Last weekend was rather quiet, with not much going on. Monday night (25 June), I was at Webster University's Sunnen Lounge (in the University Center) for a program presented by the Society of Professional Journalists. It was titled "Access Across America" and was presented by Dr. Joey Senat, a media law professor at Oklahoma State University. He spoke about how reporters can press local, state and federal government agencies for open records, in order to hold agencies and individuals accountable. Dr. Senat's talk went into the resources that reporters can access and ways to obtain these records. The presentation also showed how individual citizens can use these same methods to press for government transparency. A rather interesting presentation, I think.
The monthly IPMS/Gateway business meeting was Tuesday night (26 June) at Doug Barton's house in Foristell, Missouri. The board (myself included) planned next month's meetings, and discussed some other club business. Wednesday night (27 June) found me at Scott Sifton's campaign office in Affton for a three-hour phone bank shift. I had some problems early with a computer glitch (I ended up restarting the computer and program) and much indifference among the voters I called, but overall it was well. I also meet Sifton before I left for the night, and he thanked me for helping on his campaign. I wished Sifton best of success.
Last night, I was in Clayton for a special meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (MAHS). Instead of the normal monthly meeting, this was a meeting of the Lambert St. Louis Airport History Project (LAHP). This is an effort by MAHS members to put together a popular history of the airport by Lambert's centennial in 2020. I'm planning to help some colleagues in researching and writing on some areas of the airport's history, and to coordinate models and miniatures of Lambert and aircraft associated with the airport over the years. Should be interesting.
I wish I had better news on the job search, but I don't. I did leave follow up messaged with two organizations I applied to recently. Waiting to hear back on those.
Dad's slowly getting better, with his regaining strength and dealing with his neuropathy. My one knee's getting better (I think it was a slight pulled meniscus) and I should be able to resume full running next week.
A head's up: The new season of Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic Radio airs next Saturday, 7 July, at 12 pm Central Time (10 am Pacific Time; 1700 GMT). This is the hour-long program on writing and editing from the autistic perspective. I hope you and yours can tune in. More on this show at www.naturallyautistic.com/radio-show. The show is streamed on Blog Talk Radio. You can sign up for free there at www.blogtalkradio.com.
I hope my fellow Americans have a happy and safe Independence Day on Wednesday, 4 July. Later.
29 June 2012
21 June 2012
Summer Comes, and It Feels It
Last Saturday (16 June), I was at Grasso Plaza in Affton for two hours in the early afternoon. I and another volunteer were out to register voters in advance of the primary election on 7 August. My partner signed up two voters, but I did not. To be fair, we had little foot traffic where we were, due to the heat. (Two volunteers working earlier in the day signed up seven voters.) At least I helped do my own small part for good citizenship.
The next night, I was in Dellwood to referee men's indoor soccer at the Dellwood Arena. I haven't refereed indoor (walled) soccer in a few years, but at least my partner was a veteran of these games and gave me a run down of the rules. We had three games scheduled, but only two were played. The arena isn't air conditioned, so it got rather hot and humid. Fortunately, there wasn't much running for us referees. (For the players, it was different.) Also, it's rather informal, and we had no real problems with players.
Monday afternooon (18 June), I took my Corolla in for service at Weiss Toyota Scion, where I bought the car in February. They gave it a good inspection (per usual), and they changed the oil, rotated the tires, and changed the cabin air filter. The oil change part was on them, thanks for a letter they gave me when I bought the Corolla. The service technician said my car's running great. He recommended some air conditioning service, but I wasn't ready to pay $80 more for that at this time. (It's not urgent service.)
At Calvary Presbyterian Church on Tuesday night, I set up the fellowship hall for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. We had a fine meeting, with a good turnout of models for the Model of the Month "beauty contest," plus Chris Merseal's demo on using pigments to weather models. I presented a slide show of the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention last month, projected onto the screen off my computer. Afterward, I cleaned and rearranged the furniture in the hall before locking it up for the night.
Last night, I was working a phone bank in Affton for Scott Sifton, who's running for State Senate. I made over 75 calls in about 1 1/2 hours, contacting residents to get a feel for Sifton's level of support in advance of the primary in August. I'll be doing the phone bank once a week for a few weeks prior to the primary.
Dad's still working to get upper body strength back, but otherwise he's OK.
Later.
The next night, I was in Dellwood to referee men's indoor soccer at the Dellwood Arena. I haven't refereed indoor (walled) soccer in a few years, but at least my partner was a veteran of these games and gave me a run down of the rules. We had three games scheduled, but only two were played. The arena isn't air conditioned, so it got rather hot and humid. Fortunately, there wasn't much running for us referees. (For the players, it was different.) Also, it's rather informal, and we had no real problems with players.
Monday afternooon (18 June), I took my Corolla in for service at Weiss Toyota Scion, where I bought the car in February. They gave it a good inspection (per usual), and they changed the oil, rotated the tires, and changed the cabin air filter. The oil change part was on them, thanks for a letter they gave me when I bought the Corolla. The service technician said my car's running great. He recommended some air conditioning service, but I wasn't ready to pay $80 more for that at this time. (It's not urgent service.)
At Calvary Presbyterian Church on Tuesday night, I set up the fellowship hall for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. We had a fine meeting, with a good turnout of models for the Model of the Month "beauty contest," plus Chris Merseal's demo on using pigments to weather models. I presented a slide show of the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention last month, projected onto the screen off my computer. Afterward, I cleaned and rearranged the furniture in the hall before locking it up for the night.
Last night, I was working a phone bank in Affton for Scott Sifton, who's running for State Senate. I made over 75 calls in about 1 1/2 hours, contacting residents to get a feel for Sifton's level of support in advance of the primary in August. I'll be doing the phone bank once a week for a few weeks prior to the primary.
Dad's still working to get upper body strength back, but otherwise he's OK.
Later.
15 June 2012
Networking in Various Ways
Last Saturday morning (9 June), I drove to Smartt Field in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri (St. Charles County) to help IPMS/Gateway with a Make & Take program. The local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was hosting their Young Eagles, a youth aviation outreach program, in conjunction with local Boy Scouts studying for the Aviation merit badge. (This was a merit badge I earned as a Boy Scout, back in the day.) Myself and four other club members ran the Make & Take, in which the kids were given simple to assemble model kits (of aircraft and cars) they could put together. We offered advice and help as they requested. In the end, the kids got to take their models home with them. We had about 12 kids take part and I helped a few of them with their models. I really had fun with this and I hope we got a few more modelers out of this event.
The next day, I was at DeSoto Park to officiate Latin American Soccer League games. I had the middle on the first game, between two of the league's better sides, and that went well. The second match of my shift, between two of the league's worst, had my partner on his toes, and I was helping him as best I could. In the end, though, it came off rather well.
I had a rather busy Tuesday (12 June). First, I was at The Hive@44 Business Coworking Community in Fenton for the Yellow-Tie networking event. That went pretty well, including talking with a bus charter company's rep who had good words about a firm I had just applied for a part time proofreading job the day before. (I'll follow up on this opening early next week.) Then, I drove to downtown St. Louis for the GO! Network meeting, which had a panel discussion on using recruiters and staffing agencies to help find work. It was rather interesting talk they gave. That night, I was at Crusoe's in Oakville for the monthly Mehlville Oakville Alumni Association meeting. There, I gave an updated on the Mehlville '82 reunion (the notice came in my email that night) and offered advice to three Mehlville '88 grads looking to do a reunion in the near future.
Late this afternoon, I was at the new Benton Park facility of Back 2 Basics Marketing for their open house. (They moved into their facility about two weeks ago, one of their people told me.) I had a nice time, networking with some of the people there, including several Back 2 Basics employees. Letting them know I'm out looking, they are keeping me in mind for possible freelance work in the near future. After that, I headed to the Fountain on Locust for a dish of ice cream and an iced tea. I was tempted to stay for cocktails (they had a 1960s theme night), but I was rather short on cash and had plenty of alcohol already in me, thanks to the punch at the Back 2 Basics open house.
I'm off to help register voters tomorrow. Hard to believe the primary election is just about two months away, and the general election is about five months away.
Later.
The next day, I was at DeSoto Park to officiate Latin American Soccer League games. I had the middle on the first game, between two of the league's better sides, and that went well. The second match of my shift, between two of the league's worst, had my partner on his toes, and I was helping him as best I could. In the end, though, it came off rather well.
I had a rather busy Tuesday (12 June). First, I was at The Hive@44 Business Coworking Community in Fenton for the Yellow-Tie networking event. That went pretty well, including talking with a bus charter company's rep who had good words about a firm I had just applied for a part time proofreading job the day before. (I'll follow up on this opening early next week.) Then, I drove to downtown St. Louis for the GO! Network meeting, which had a panel discussion on using recruiters and staffing agencies to help find work. It was rather interesting talk they gave. That night, I was at Crusoe's in Oakville for the monthly Mehlville Oakville Alumni Association meeting. There, I gave an updated on the Mehlville '82 reunion (the notice came in my email that night) and offered advice to three Mehlville '88 grads looking to do a reunion in the near future.
Late this afternoon, I was at the new Benton Park facility of Back 2 Basics Marketing for their open house. (They moved into their facility about two weeks ago, one of their people told me.) I had a nice time, networking with some of the people there, including several Back 2 Basics employees. Letting them know I'm out looking, they are keeping me in mind for possible freelance work in the near future. After that, I headed to the Fountain on Locust for a dish of ice cream and an iced tea. I was tempted to stay for cocktails (they had a 1960s theme night), but I was rather short on cash and had plenty of alcohol already in me, thanks to the punch at the Back 2 Basics open house.
I'm off to help register voters tomorrow. Hard to believe the primary election is just about two months away, and the general election is about five months away.
Later.
08 June 2012
Here's June
Not much happening to start this month. I wish more were happening for me, but that's not the case, I'm afraid.
Dad was back in the hospital for a few days late last week and weekend, due to pain he had in his back and lower abdomen. Nothing showed up in the biopsy, so he is back home now. He and Mom say they are happy I am here to help them around the house. I'm glad to know that, although I'd much rather be back out on my own.
Officiated two men's soccer games last Sunday (3 June) at DeSoto Park. The games went well, with no major concerns to deal with among the teams. (I ran line on both matches.) I'm back there this Sunday afternoon for two matches.
Last Tuesday (5 June), I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting at Thornhill Branch Library. That night, I presented a slide show of the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention in Overland Park, Kansas last month. This was well received by the members in attendance. We also started membership renewals and discussed starting a Facebook group, which could supplement or even replace the club's website.
I'm off to Smartt Field in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri (St. Charles County) early tomorrow (Saturday) morning, to help run a Make & Take for IPMS/Gateway. Youngsters with the Young Eagles program of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) will be there to put together model kits. I'll tell you about that in my next post.
Later.
Dad was back in the hospital for a few days late last week and weekend, due to pain he had in his back and lower abdomen. Nothing showed up in the biopsy, so he is back home now. He and Mom say they are happy I am here to help them around the house. I'm glad to know that, although I'd much rather be back out on my own.
Officiated two men's soccer games last Sunday (3 June) at DeSoto Park. The games went well, with no major concerns to deal with among the teams. (I ran line on both matches.) I'm back there this Sunday afternoon for two matches.
Last Tuesday (5 June), I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting at Thornhill Branch Library. That night, I presented a slide show of the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention in Overland Park, Kansas last month. This was well received by the members in attendance. We also started membership renewals and discussed starting a Facebook group, which could supplement or even replace the club's website.
I'm off to Smartt Field in Portage Des Sioux, Missouri (St. Charles County) early tomorrow (Saturday) morning, to help run a Make & Take for IPMS/Gateway. Youngsters with the Young Eagles program of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) will be there to put together model kits. I'll tell you about that in my next post.
Later.
31 May 2012
Quiet on Memorial Day
Last Wednesday night (23 May), I was with the St. Louis United FC group at The Pasta House Company in University City. We enjoyed some appetizers and beer (the latter from 6 Row), and I watched my well-heeled colleagues bid on teams taking part in UEFA Euro 2012 next month in Poland and Ukraine. Several hundred dollars was bid in this Calcutta auction, with half going to the winning bidder and half to a priest in Honduras who's helping improve lives through soccer.
The next afternoon, after a call from my financial adviser who was touching base with me, I attended a business networking event at The Hive @ 44 Business Coworking Community in Fenton. It was the grand opening of the place, where several small businesses have space to start and grow their firms. I did meet a few people there who may be of help in my job search, and my friend Kimberly, who works at The Hive, was co-hosting the event.
It was a rather quiet Memorial Day Weekend for me. No soccer; a youth tournament scheduled for that weekend was called off. (Insufficient interest by teams, I think.) I was going to help register some voters Saturday afternoon in Concord Village, but the person who was supposed to meet me there with the materials did not show. I waited for 25 minutes before calling it a day. What a waste.
I was home Sunday to watch auto racing on TV: first, the Grand Prix of Monaco; then, my favorite, the Indianapolis 500. Monday afternoon, I went to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for their annual St. Louis County Greek Fest. It was an ethnic festival; food, crafts, dance, music. Lots of fun and they had a great crowd. It's one of my favorite ethnic festivals (as is its bookend, the Labor Day weekend festival at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in St. Louis).
Tuesday (29 May) found me at GO! Network's workshop in downtown St. Louis. The group is shutting down by the end of June, unless am 11-th hour addition of funds came their way. I did chat with two fellow job seekers, so maybe we could help each other out. Tuesday night, I went to the Mehlville High Class of 1982 Reunion Committee meeting, where we went over the classmates contacted and those to be contacted, as info on our reunion in October will be emailed by this weekend. Plus, we got to chat about old times.
Dad was rushed to the hospital this morning. He's been complaining of pains in his lower back and abdomen and hasn't slept well at all. Hopefully, the doctors will get that fixed soon.
Later.
The next afternoon, after a call from my financial adviser who was touching base with me, I attended a business networking event at The Hive @ 44 Business Coworking Community in Fenton. It was the grand opening of the place, where several small businesses have space to start and grow their firms. I did meet a few people there who may be of help in my job search, and my friend Kimberly, who works at The Hive, was co-hosting the event.
It was a rather quiet Memorial Day Weekend for me. No soccer; a youth tournament scheduled for that weekend was called off. (Insufficient interest by teams, I think.) I was going to help register some voters Saturday afternoon in Concord Village, but the person who was supposed to meet me there with the materials did not show. I waited for 25 minutes before calling it a day. What a waste.
I was home Sunday to watch auto racing on TV: first, the Grand Prix of Monaco; then, my favorite, the Indianapolis 500. Monday afternoon, I went to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for their annual St. Louis County Greek Fest. It was an ethnic festival; food, crafts, dance, music. Lots of fun and they had a great crowd. It's one of my favorite ethnic festivals (as is its bookend, the Labor Day weekend festival at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in St. Louis).
Tuesday (29 May) found me at GO! Network's workshop in downtown St. Louis. The group is shutting down by the end of June, unless am 11-th hour addition of funds came their way. I did chat with two fellow job seekers, so maybe we could help each other out. Tuesday night, I went to the Mehlville High Class of 1982 Reunion Committee meeting, where we went over the classmates contacted and those to be contacted, as info on our reunion in October will be emailed by this weekend. Plus, we got to chat about old times.
Dad was rushed to the hospital this morning. He's been complaining of pains in his lower back and abdomen and hasn't slept well at all. Hopefully, the doctors will get that fixed soon.
Later.
23 May 2012
The Answer is: Two Road Trips
The correct question: What did I do this past weekend? More on that shortly.
Mom turned a year older last Friday (18 May), one day after she helped Dad come home from the nursing home. Dad's adjusting pretty well to life back at home, although he still has some pain issues. Therapists come here to help Dad with exercises to help him regain his upper body strength.
I really hit the road this past weekend. Early Saturday morning, I left St. Louis and drove to Overland Park, Kansas (a Kansas City suburb) for the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention. Several IPMS/Gateway mates were also there, including two who were there as vendors. It was quite a nice affair, doing a bit of shopping, promoting our Invitational this September, socializing with fellow scale modelers, and participating in the model contest. I had two models in the contest (one in aircraft, the other in automotive); neither won, but that's OK with me. Just to enter was victory enough. I did help judge in armor and there were some real good entries which made it hard to determine the top three in some categories. I also took a lot of photos of the models and the show, which I will be presenting at the next IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a satisfying show and I drove back to St. Louis, arriving that night.
Early Sunday afternoon (20 May), I got back in my car and drove to Chicago, arriving there early that night. I was in Chicago to attend a contestant interview for the game show Jeopardy!, having passed the online test a few weeks ago. That interview was late Monday morning to early afternoon at The Westin--Michigan Avenue, on the north end of the "Magnificent Mile." In about two hours, I: provided the show's producers with contact information and signing an agreement on eligibility to participate as a contestant; took a 50-question written test on various subjects; and, played a mini-round of Jeopardy! with signaling devices, and answered some questions about myself from the coordinator. I felt real good about the process. As a result of this, myself and the 17 others who attended are in the Jeopardy! contestant pool for the next 18 months. There's no guarantee I'll get called to come to Los Angeles to be a contestant on the show (there's about 1500 in the contestant pool, and about 400 regular contestants on Jeopardy! in a year), but at least I'm on the radar.
Also, during that session at The Westin, the coordinator asked us to check under our chairs for a Jeopardy! pen taped to the bottom. Whoever did find that pen won the Jeopardy! video game for the Wii game system. Well, that lucky person was me! I don't have a Wii system, but told the coordinator this gives me an excuse to get one.
Before and after the Jeopardy! session, I drove around part of downtown Chicago, up and down the "Magnificent Mile," as the stretch of North Michigan Avenue with its high end shops and hotels is called. Thus, I stayed well away from the NATO Summit and the protests that was happening well to the south of where I was going. I also drove on a bit of Lake Shore Drive, and had Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah's 1971 song "Lake Shore Drive" running through my mind.
The Corolla performed brilliantly on my road trips. I was getting up to 37 miles (59.5 km) per gallon (3.8 l) for the highway driving, and there were no mechanical problems at all. From Saturday morning to Monday night, I drove about 1200 miles (1931.2 km).
Back in St. Louis, I was at Larry Ehret's apartment in south St. Louis last night (22 May) for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. That went well, as we planned the June meetings (general and business) and discussed other club business. I'm off to the St. Louis United FC meeting in University City tonight. Should be fun.
Later.
Mom turned a year older last Friday (18 May), one day after she helped Dad come home from the nursing home. Dad's adjusting pretty well to life back at home, although he still has some pain issues. Therapists come here to help Dad with exercises to help him regain his upper body strength.
I really hit the road this past weekend. Early Saturday morning, I left St. Louis and drove to Overland Park, Kansas (a Kansas City suburb) for the IPMS/USA Region 5 Convention. Several IPMS/Gateway mates were also there, including two who were there as vendors. It was quite a nice affair, doing a bit of shopping, promoting our Invitational this September, socializing with fellow scale modelers, and participating in the model contest. I had two models in the contest (one in aircraft, the other in automotive); neither won, but that's OK with me. Just to enter was victory enough. I did help judge in armor and there were some real good entries which made it hard to determine the top three in some categories. I also took a lot of photos of the models and the show, which I will be presenting at the next IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a satisfying show and I drove back to St. Louis, arriving that night.
Early Sunday afternoon (20 May), I got back in my car and drove to Chicago, arriving there early that night. I was in Chicago to attend a contestant interview for the game show Jeopardy!, having passed the online test a few weeks ago. That interview was late Monday morning to early afternoon at The Westin--Michigan Avenue, on the north end of the "Magnificent Mile." In about two hours, I: provided the show's producers with contact information and signing an agreement on eligibility to participate as a contestant; took a 50-question written test on various subjects; and, played a mini-round of Jeopardy! with signaling devices, and answered some questions about myself from the coordinator. I felt real good about the process. As a result of this, myself and the 17 others who attended are in the Jeopardy! contestant pool for the next 18 months. There's no guarantee I'll get called to come to Los Angeles to be a contestant on the show (there's about 1500 in the contestant pool, and about 400 regular contestants on Jeopardy! in a year), but at least I'm on the radar.
Also, during that session at The Westin, the coordinator asked us to check under our chairs for a Jeopardy! pen taped to the bottom. Whoever did find that pen won the Jeopardy! video game for the Wii game system. Well, that lucky person was me! I don't have a Wii system, but told the coordinator this gives me an excuse to get one.
Before and after the Jeopardy! session, I drove around part of downtown Chicago, up and down the "Magnificent Mile," as the stretch of North Michigan Avenue with its high end shops and hotels is called. Thus, I stayed well away from the NATO Summit and the protests that was happening well to the south of where I was going. I also drove on a bit of Lake Shore Drive, and had Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah's 1971 song "Lake Shore Drive" running through my mind.
The Corolla performed brilliantly on my road trips. I was getting up to 37 miles (59.5 km) per gallon (3.8 l) for the highway driving, and there were no mechanical problems at all. From Saturday morning to Monday night, I drove about 1200 miles (1931.2 km).
Back in St. Louis, I was at Larry Ehret's apartment in south St. Louis last night (22 May) for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. That went well, as we planned the June meetings (general and business) and discussed other club business. I'm off to the St. Louis United FC meeting in University City tonight. Should be fun.
Later.
17 May 2012
Doug Visiting; Dad Back Home
Dad was in the nursing home--Nazareth Living Center--when he turned 88 years old last Monday. He came home today after his stay there. I know he's glad to be back on familiar found, and so are Mom and I. He'll still be going rehab for his recovery from hip replacement surgery and regaining his upper body strength.
While Dad was still at Nazareth, my brother Doug flew in to St. Louis from Los Angeles a week ago for a visit. He and I visited Dad and Doug got to spend a few days back here. He showed my parents and I photos of his trip last month to the Bahamas, where he successfully proposed to his girlfriend Helen. Before he flew back to LA on Monday night, Doug invited me to come to Los Angeles this summer, and is offering to help with expenses, and I intend to take up this offer.
I had soccer games last Saturday night (three youth games at St. Louis U. High) and Sunday afternoon (two men's games at DeSoto Park). They went well, including the first game Sunday, when a colleague was getting his annual maintenance assessment. He passed that and the assessor also appreciated myself and the other assistant referee to helping our partner out. After the Sunday games, I came home, showered, changed, and joined my parents and Doug at Nazareth for Mother's Day dinner. (I got some flowers the day before on behalf of my brothers and I, which Mom received with great surprise the next morning.)
Tuesday night at Calvary Presbyterian Church, IPMS/Gateway had its May meeting. Being a contest night, it was a build night and I got some work done on an aircraft model I just started. I also won a gift certificate to CRM Hobbies for having my completed trivia quiz from the club newsletter drawn at random at the meeting.
Last night, I was in Clayton for the monthly Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting, which featured a talk about a pioneering pilot and flight instructor from southeast Missouri. Prior to the meeting, I was with about 12 others at the initial working meeting for a group planning a history of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. This would be written for the airport's centennial in 2020. I'm offering to help with research, fact checking, proofreading, and rounding up info on Lambert from IPMS members.
Mom's birthday is tomorrow, and this weekend I have two long distance road trips. Saturday, I'm off to Overland Park, Kansas (Kansas City area) for the IPMS Region 5 Convention. Back home that night, I then head for Chicago on Sunday. I have a Monday late morning interview with a contestant coordinator for the game show Jeopardy! If I pass the interview and the quiz, I'll go into the pool of contestants for the show. Wish me luck!
Later.
While Dad was still at Nazareth, my brother Doug flew in to St. Louis from Los Angeles a week ago for a visit. He and I visited Dad and Doug got to spend a few days back here. He showed my parents and I photos of his trip last month to the Bahamas, where he successfully proposed to his girlfriend Helen. Before he flew back to LA on Monday night, Doug invited me to come to Los Angeles this summer, and is offering to help with expenses, and I intend to take up this offer.
I had soccer games last Saturday night (three youth games at St. Louis U. High) and Sunday afternoon (two men's games at DeSoto Park). They went well, including the first game Sunday, when a colleague was getting his annual maintenance assessment. He passed that and the assessor also appreciated myself and the other assistant referee to helping our partner out. After the Sunday games, I came home, showered, changed, and joined my parents and Doug at Nazareth for Mother's Day dinner. (I got some flowers the day before on behalf of my brothers and I, which Mom received with great surprise the next morning.)
Tuesday night at Calvary Presbyterian Church, IPMS/Gateway had its May meeting. Being a contest night, it was a build night and I got some work done on an aircraft model I just started. I also won a gift certificate to CRM Hobbies for having my completed trivia quiz from the club newsletter drawn at random at the meeting.
Last night, I was in Clayton for the monthly Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting, which featured a talk about a pioneering pilot and flight instructor from southeast Missouri. Prior to the meeting, I was with about 12 others at the initial working meeting for a group planning a history of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. This would be written for the airport's centennial in 2020. I'm offering to help with research, fact checking, proofreading, and rounding up info on Lambert from IPMS members.
Mom's birthday is tomorrow, and this weekend I have two long distance road trips. Saturday, I'm off to Overland Park, Kansas (Kansas City area) for the IPMS Region 5 Convention. Back home that night, I then head for Chicago on Sunday. I have a Monday late morning interview with a contestant coordinator for the game show Jeopardy! If I pass the interview and the quiz, I'll go into the pool of contestants for the show. Wish me luck!
Later.
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