I'm at home now, writing to this blog, on this Independence Day. My parents and I chilled out at home today. None of us were in the mood to take in a parade or festival. Besides, I have to go to work early tomorrow morning.
Speaking of work, things are going well at the car rental branch. When I left work this past Tuesday (2 July), we had plenty of vehicles available for rental, which is good timing due to the holiday weekend. Our productivity was perhaps helped by the rather cooler weather this past week, compared to the week before. I'll take it.
A week ago last last Wednesday night (26 June) found me at Brad and Julie Vaughn's house for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. Our July meeting and other business was planned and discussed. I hope to get some flyers for our 14 September show out to some area hobby shops in the coming days. I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting last Tuesday night (2 July), and solicited ideas from the membership on how to improve our meetings. Hope to get some good ideas soon.
I'm back on the internet radio this Saturday at 12:00 pm Central Time (10 am Pacific Time; 1700 hrs GMT). That's right, it's a new edition of Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic Radio. This month, host Tim Pylypiuk and I will discuss religious storytelling in the first half, and trust in the second. You can join in the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-. The show will be archived for download soon after airing, in case you missed it live or want to hear it again. Hope you can tune in.
Later.
04 July 2013
25 June 2013
Hot, Stormy, and Busy
Work at the car rental firm has been going well of late. Been rather busy, with some extra efforts necessary to cover customer traffic at our location, but we've gotten through this stage and our heads stay high. Bit of a challenge with the weather lately--yesterday, the temperature hit 90 degrees F (32 degrees C), with the heat index (temperature plus humidity) hitting 100 degrees F (38 degrees F). I made sure to drink plenty of water and to stay inside as much as possible.
The last two Saturdays have been stormy for me in the weather department. On Saturday 15 June, I was at Creve Coeur Lake Park in Maryland Heights for a singles beach party. It was OK until the rain came (hard), crowding everyone into the shelter. That made it real hard for me to find someone to talk with (not that it was easy to start with), so I left the party when the rain eased up.
Last Saturday (22 June), I was at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois for the Super Chevy Show, a car show. I was there with others from IPMS/Gateway to put on the Make & Take modeling event for youngsters. We had about 100 kids over the two days (Saturday and Sunday), and I really had fun with that. After our shift on Saturday, the rains came down hard with strong winds and a bit of hail to boot. (The latter must have been fun for those entering their cars in the display contest!) The heavy rain flooded some road I was to have passed through on the way home, so I had to find an alternate route to get back home that day.
Speaking of IPMS/Gateway, I had finished my 1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible early last week in time to enter it in the Same Kit Contest at our meeting one week ago (18 June). Mine was one of eight entries in the contest, which was judged by vote of the meeting attendees. Mine didn't win, but I was happy with getting this done. The club is going well of late.
I can mention this now, but my brother Doug got married in Hawaii earlier this month. He and Helen tied the knot on the beach on one of the islands. That means my three younger brothers are all married now. I wonder when my time to walk down the aisle will come?
Later.
The last two Saturdays have been stormy for me in the weather department. On Saturday 15 June, I was at Creve Coeur Lake Park in Maryland Heights for a singles beach party. It was OK until the rain came (hard), crowding everyone into the shelter. That made it real hard for me to find someone to talk with (not that it was easy to start with), so I left the party when the rain eased up.
Last Saturday (22 June), I was at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois for the Super Chevy Show, a car show. I was there with others from IPMS/Gateway to put on the Make & Take modeling event for youngsters. We had about 100 kids over the two days (Saturday and Sunday), and I really had fun with that. After our shift on Saturday, the rains came down hard with strong winds and a bit of hail to boot. (The latter must have been fun for those entering their cars in the display contest!) The heavy rain flooded some road I was to have passed through on the way home, so I had to find an alternate route to get back home that day.
Speaking of IPMS/Gateway, I had finished my 1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible early last week in time to enter it in the Same Kit Contest at our meeting one week ago (18 June). Mine was one of eight entries in the contest, which was judged by vote of the meeting attendees. Mine didn't win, but I was happy with getting this done. The club is going well of late.
I can mention this now, but my brother Doug got married in Hawaii earlier this month. He and Helen tied the knot on the beach on one of the islands. That means my three younger brothers are all married now. I wonder when my time to walk down the aisle will come?
Later.
13 June 2013
The Heat is On (In More Ways Than One)
Summer officially does not arrive until 21 June (one week from tomorrow), but it sure feels like it here. Hot and humid, with temperatures just topping 90 degrees F (32 degrees C), with heat indices approaching 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) when you factor in the humidity. Looks like some stormy weather hits here this weekend, which should cool the temperature down a bit.
One week ago tonight (6 June), I was at Shameless Grounds, a coffee house in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis. The Sex Positive St. Louis Meetup Group met there for a healthy body workshop, with two women presenting info on nutrition and promoting a line of healthy foods. I tried a sample of some of their products, and they were good, but I don't think they would be easy for me to obtain (store location and price). Still, some food for thought.
Worked at the auto rental facility on Friday (7 June), and this past Monday and Tuesday (10 and 11 June). Business is going real good--plenty of customers wanting to rent vehicles from us, be it for vacation or business trips, or as temporary vehicles while their vehicles are being serviced.
Lately, I've been at work on a small car--one in 1:25 scale. It's a model of a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang Convertible that I'm working to finish by this Tuesday's IPMS/Gateway meeting to enter in the Same Kit Contest. Several club members besides myself signed on to build this kit, so it should be interesting to see how the contest turns out. The pressure is on for me to get this model done in time. I'm painting the model in colors I picked out at CRM Hobbies last Saturday.
Two nights ago, I was with the Sex Positive St. Louis Meetup Group again, this time for a men's only discussion of intimate matters. It was a rather interesting discussion, although I had so little to contribute to it. Plus, I was rather tired from having worked that day and then going straight to the meetup in south St. Louis.
Yesterday morning, I had my Corolla in for scheduled maintenance at Weiss Toyota Scion in south St. Louis County. Among other things, they cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes, changed the antifreeze, brake, and transmission fluids, and tuned up the air conditioning system. Got a lot of needed work done to the car and it should run great for many miles to come.
Back to work tomorrow morning, and I will be able to wear shorts to work. The manager told me on Tuesday that, in hot weather, I could wear khaki shorts instead of trousers. Earlier tonight, I found a nice pair of shorts I can wear to work and will have those on when I report to work in the morning.
Later.
One week ago tonight (6 June), I was at Shameless Grounds, a coffee house in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis. The Sex Positive St. Louis Meetup Group met there for a healthy body workshop, with two women presenting info on nutrition and promoting a line of healthy foods. I tried a sample of some of their products, and they were good, but I don't think they would be easy for me to obtain (store location and price). Still, some food for thought.
Worked at the auto rental facility on Friday (7 June), and this past Monday and Tuesday (10 and 11 June). Business is going real good--plenty of customers wanting to rent vehicles from us, be it for vacation or business trips, or as temporary vehicles while their vehicles are being serviced.
Lately, I've been at work on a small car--one in 1:25 scale. It's a model of a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang Convertible that I'm working to finish by this Tuesday's IPMS/Gateway meeting to enter in the Same Kit Contest. Several club members besides myself signed on to build this kit, so it should be interesting to see how the contest turns out. The pressure is on for me to get this model done in time. I'm painting the model in colors I picked out at CRM Hobbies last Saturday.
Two nights ago, I was with the Sex Positive St. Louis Meetup Group again, this time for a men's only discussion of intimate matters. It was a rather interesting discussion, although I had so little to contribute to it. Plus, I was rather tired from having worked that day and then going straight to the meetup in south St. Louis.
Yesterday morning, I had my Corolla in for scheduled maintenance at Weiss Toyota Scion in south St. Louis County. Among other things, they cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes, changed the antifreeze, brake, and transmission fluids, and tuned up the air conditioning system. Got a lot of needed work done to the car and it should run great for many miles to come.
Back to work tomorrow morning, and I will be able to wear shorts to work. The manager told me on Tuesday that, in hot weather, I could wear khaki shorts instead of trousers. Earlier tonight, I found a nice pair of shorts I can wear to work and will have those on when I report to work in the morning.
Later.
05 June 2013
Busy at Work, and Getting Together with Other Aspies
The week of 27 May was a busy one for me at work. The auto rental branch was closed on that Memorial Day (27 May), then I was working all four weekdays that followed (full days that Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, the first half of the day on Thursday), plus Saturday morning. Plenty of business for us that week, and this week so far. This past Monday (3 June) was a very busy one, as was the following morning, before it eased up yesterday afternoon. I'm back in on Friday.
Besides work, there was the IPMS/Gateway business meeting on 29 May, at CRM Hobbies in south St. Louis. We crowded around a table in the lobby to plan the June general and business meetings and discuss other club business. This past Monday, I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting at Thornhill Branch Library. Only one other member showed up. We met on Monday rather than the standard Tuesday as the meeting room wasn't available to us on Tuesday, which cut into the crowd.
Last Saturday afternoon (1 June), I was at the County Library Headquarters in Frontenac to attend the STL Aspies Meetup. There were about 16 of us, all diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, getting together and getting to know each other. It was my first time with this group since last December. (They had a couple of meetups in the meantime, but I wasn't able to make those.) After the meeting, many of us went to the nearby Panera Bread Co. for dinner. There, I chatted with the Meetup's organizer, who suggested I look into doing monthly podcasts talking with fellow Aspies and therapists. I said I was interested and he promised to get info to me.
Later.
Besides work, there was the IPMS/Gateway business meeting on 29 May, at CRM Hobbies in south St. Louis. We crowded around a table in the lobby to plan the June general and business meetings and discuss other club business. This past Monday, I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting at Thornhill Branch Library. Only one other member showed up. We met on Monday rather than the standard Tuesday as the meeting room wasn't available to us on Tuesday, which cut into the crowd.
Last Saturday afternoon (1 June), I was at the County Library Headquarters in Frontenac to attend the STL Aspies Meetup. There were about 16 of us, all diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, getting together and getting to know each other. It was my first time with this group since last December. (They had a couple of meetups in the meantime, but I wasn't able to make those.) After the meeting, many of us went to the nearby Panera Bread Co. for dinner. There, I chatted with the Meetup's organizer, who suggested I look into doing monthly podcasts talking with fellow Aspies and therapists. I said I was interested and he promised to get info to me.
Later.
27 May 2013
Watching Soccer and a Good Week at Work
Today, I'm pausing to remember those American warriors who fell in the line of duty. Although Memorial Day is the end of a three-day weekend that unofficially kicks off summer, let's not forget why this day is special.
A week ago Saturday night (18 May), I arrived at the Soccer Park to work two games. Calling the assignor when the third person on our crew didn't show, I found out: 1. the person would not arrive, so we needed to get a club linesman for the match, and 2. the second game was cancelled. Fortunately, the first game was no problem. The next morning, I worked three games, also at Soccer Park, and dealt with hot weather by the last contest. (It felt at least 100 degrees F on the artificial turf field.) Thus ended the Premier League spring season, and I'm off until this summer, when we start the season off again.
Work at the auto rental facility has been going well. A new employee started out at the branch last Monday (20 May), doing vehicle service duties like me. She's new to this duty, but not to the firm: She'd been working part time at another branch for about a year, so she knows the company drill. It's good to have someone to help out, especially on those peak times.
After work Monday, I was at the Bridgeton Trails Library for the monthly soccer referee in-service clinic, but it was cut short due to the threat of hail in the area. I drove out of the storm's path to ride it out until I went home later that night.
Tuesday night, right after work, I helped get the Fellowship Hall at Calvary Presbyterian Church opened up for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a build night and a quarterly contest for Modeler of the Year. Since I didn't have any contest entries, I volunteered to help judge the contest. Some very nice entries in the contest.
Thursday night (23 May), right after work, I headed to Busch Stadium for the soccer friendly between English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City. I was fortunate to get a ticket thanks to my brother Doug, who bought it from a ticket reseller. (The game sold out minutes after tickets went on sale in March.) It was a nice night and a rather entertaining match, as Manchester City rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chelsea 4-3.
Saturday afternoon (25 May) started at O.B. Clark's in Brentwoood, where I joined other soccer fans to watch the UEFA Champions League Final on TV. This was another entertaining match, as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Afterward, I drove to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for the St. Louis County Greek Fest. I took into Greek music and dance, crafts and souvenirs, and food. A real fine time I had there.
Yesterday, after watching the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 on TV (two of my favorite auto races), I drove to Frontier Park in St. Charles for the Missouri River Irish Fest. It was pretty nice, taking in the music, drink, crafts and souvenirs there. I also walked to nearby Main Street to window shop.
Off work today (the auto rental firm is closed on Memorial Day), but back at it tomorrow morning.
Later.
A week ago Saturday night (18 May), I arrived at the Soccer Park to work two games. Calling the assignor when the third person on our crew didn't show, I found out: 1. the person would not arrive, so we needed to get a club linesman for the match, and 2. the second game was cancelled. Fortunately, the first game was no problem. The next morning, I worked three games, also at Soccer Park, and dealt with hot weather by the last contest. (It felt at least 100 degrees F on the artificial turf field.) Thus ended the Premier League spring season, and I'm off until this summer, when we start the season off again.
Work at the auto rental facility has been going well. A new employee started out at the branch last Monday (20 May), doing vehicle service duties like me. She's new to this duty, but not to the firm: She'd been working part time at another branch for about a year, so she knows the company drill. It's good to have someone to help out, especially on those peak times.
After work Monday, I was at the Bridgeton Trails Library for the monthly soccer referee in-service clinic, but it was cut short due to the threat of hail in the area. I drove out of the storm's path to ride it out until I went home later that night.
Tuesday night, right after work, I helped get the Fellowship Hall at Calvary Presbyterian Church opened up for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a build night and a quarterly contest for Modeler of the Year. Since I didn't have any contest entries, I volunteered to help judge the contest. Some very nice entries in the contest.
Thursday night (23 May), right after work, I headed to Busch Stadium for the soccer friendly between English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City. I was fortunate to get a ticket thanks to my brother Doug, who bought it from a ticket reseller. (The game sold out minutes after tickets went on sale in March.) It was a nice night and a rather entertaining match, as Manchester City rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chelsea 4-3.
Saturday afternoon (25 May) started at O.B. Clark's in Brentwoood, where I joined other soccer fans to watch the UEFA Champions League Final on TV. This was another entertaining match, as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Afterward, I drove to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country for the St. Louis County Greek Fest. I took into Greek music and dance, crafts and souvenirs, and food. A real fine time I had there.
Yesterday, after watching the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 on TV (two of my favorite auto races), I drove to Frontier Park in St. Charles for the Missouri River Irish Fest. It was pretty nice, taking in the music, drink, crafts and souvenirs there. I also walked to nearby Main Street to window shop.
Off work today (the auto rental firm is closed on Memorial Day), but back at it tomorrow morning.
Later.
18 May 2013
Busy Week!
Nice to have some time to post this item on my blog today. I'm refereeing youth soccer tonight and tomorrow morning-early afternoon.
This past week was a busy one for me at work. My vehicle service work at the car rental firm ran for all days and hours this week. Yes, I pulled full work days (10 hours, with one hour for lunch) Monday through Friday, plus just over four hours this morning. I got though that week with my determination and effort. Overall, things are going well at our branch. We're adding a new vehicle service person starting this Monday, so I'll show that person the ropes. That would help take quite a work load off me. However, my bank account won't complain about this past week.
Last weekend (11-12 May), I had soccer games I officiated, and it was a busy weekend as well. Last Saturday, I had four small sided games (three 8v8 contests, then a 9v9 match) at the Soccer Park. The two referees I worked with had done games earlier that day, so they asked me to do the middle on all four matches. I was scheduled just for two middles, but I did get through all four in the middle and the games went fine. The next afternoon, at St. Louis U. High, I had three under 14 boys games. I worked the middle in the first match, which went pretty good, then ran lines on the others. By the time the final match was played, I was ready to be done--that's how tired I was from that weekend's games.
Yes, I remembered Mom on Mother's Day last Sunday (12 May), and on her birthday today, and remembered Dad on his birthday last Tuesday (14 May). You could say my parents were born 16 years and 4 days apart.
Later.
This past week was a busy one for me at work. My vehicle service work at the car rental firm ran for all days and hours this week. Yes, I pulled full work days (10 hours, with one hour for lunch) Monday through Friday, plus just over four hours this morning. I got though that week with my determination and effort. Overall, things are going well at our branch. We're adding a new vehicle service person starting this Monday, so I'll show that person the ropes. That would help take quite a work load off me. However, my bank account won't complain about this past week.
Last weekend (11-12 May), I had soccer games I officiated, and it was a busy weekend as well. Last Saturday, I had four small sided games (three 8v8 contests, then a 9v9 match) at the Soccer Park. The two referees I worked with had done games earlier that day, so they asked me to do the middle on all four matches. I was scheduled just for two middles, but I did get through all four in the middle and the games went fine. The next afternoon, at St. Louis U. High, I had three under 14 boys games. I worked the middle in the first match, which went pretty good, then ran lines on the others. By the time the final match was played, I was ready to be done--that's how tired I was from that weekend's games.
Yes, I remembered Mom on Mother's Day last Sunday (12 May), and on her birthday today, and remembered Dad on his birthday last Tuesday (14 May). You could say my parents were born 16 years and 4 days apart.
Later.
11 May 2013
Pretty Good Week
I'm off refereeing youth soccer later today, but wanted to dash off this post. A rather quiet week, dodging some rain during parts of this past week. Nothing severe, though. Work at the auto rental firm has been fine. Looks like I may be getting some added work hours next week, due to some personnel shifts. I'll learn more on that matter this Monday.
After work last Tuesday (7 May), I was at the Thornhill Branch Library in Creve Coeur for the IPMS/St. Louis meeting. We chatted about hobby news and rumors, and admired two nice models brought in by club members.
Last night, I joined my parents for dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill by South County Center. We had a very enjoyable dinner there. It's Mother's Day dinner two days early, what with the rush the restaurants will have tomorrow, plus I'm refereeing games tomorrow afternoon. Sunday starts a big week for my parents, with birthdays coming up for Dad (Tuesday, 14 May), and for Mom (Sat., 18 May).
Later.
After work last Tuesday (7 May), I was at the Thornhill Branch Library in Creve Coeur for the IPMS/St. Louis meeting. We chatted about hobby news and rumors, and admired two nice models brought in by club members.
Last night, I joined my parents for dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill by South County Center. We had a very enjoyable dinner there. It's Mother's Day dinner two days early, what with the rush the restaurants will have tomorrow, plus I'm refereeing games tomorrow afternoon. Sunday starts a big week for my parents, with birthdays coming up for Dad (Tuesday, 14 May), and for Mom (Sat., 18 May).
Later.
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