Primary (Election) Matter, and Cheering from the Berm

This past week has been well. Work at the car rental branch has been going well. Plenty of business for us and that's great all around. Morale seems to be very good at the branch.

Before work this past Tuesday (15 March), I drove to Andre's Banquet and Catering (http://www.andresbanquet.com/andres_southlocation.html) in Oakville to cast my vote in the Missouri Presidential Primary. There were about 20 people ahead of me just after 6 am, when polls opened, but it all went rather quickly, as the only issue was the race for President of the United States. I cast my ballot for Bernie Sanders (https://go.berniesanders.com/page/content/splash) in the Democratic race; however, he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in Missouri, and that was only called for her the following Friday. Due to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) being one of the other polling places, the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting scheduled for that night was postponed to this Tuesday (22 March).

During this past week, I completed editing work on the Spring issue of Naturally Autistic Magazine, published by Naturally Autistic ANCA (http://www.naturallyautistic.com/). This issue will come out in a few weeks, and I am looking forward to it.

Thursday night (17 March), after a corned beef and cabbage dinner at home with mom for St. Patrick's Day, I went to Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for this month's meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/). The meeting celebrated the 60th anniversary of the McDonnell F3H Demon's initial squadron deployment, with a presentation on the Demon's (often troubled) development and operational service. Quite a nice presentation, I thought. Also, I recently stepped down as editor of the Society's Journal, Middle Marker, due to time constraints on my part. I will still be contributing to the journal, though.

After work the next night, I traveled to Restituo Coffee Shop (http://restituo-stl.com/index.html) in St. Louis' Shaw neighborhood for the first gathering of the STL Tea Club Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/StL-Tea-Club-Meetup/). Six of us got together to discuss our group and what we want it to be. It was very nice, and I look forward to our next meetup next month.

Yesterday afternoon (19 March), I journeyed to Ralph Korte Stadium on the SIU-Edwardsville campus for a friendly match between SIU-E (http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/m-soccer/index) and Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index). I joined with a bunch from the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) in cheering on Saint Louis FC from atop a berm across the field from the grandstand. The match ended in a scoreless draw, but we had fun. Saint Louis FC's season starts on the road this Saturday. Can't wait.

After a fluctuating week of weather, in which the temperature hit 80 degrees F (26.7 degrees C) on Friday, Spring arrived today with light snow this morning and a late afternoon temperature of 35 degrees F (1.7 degrees C). Oh well, that's St. Louis weather for you.

Later.

Work at the Branch and Home

Things are going well at the car rental branch in recent days. We're going at full strength to keep our customers satisfied. It has been a challenge in the past couple of days with limited parking space for our vehicles immediately by the branch, but we're working around it.

At home on my off time from the day job, I've been editing articles for the Spring issue of Naturally Autistic magazine (http://www.naturallyautistic.com/), the semiannual publication of Naturally Autistic ANCA. There are just a couple of short columns left to be edited and this issue will go to press. There are some fascinating items in this upcoming issue. I'll hold off mentioning more until the issue comes out in a few weeks.

Also this past week, I proofread some web site copy a friend was writing for one of her clients. I'll keep it confidential, but the job went very well.

Last Sunday (6 March), I was at the International Tap House (iTAP) in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis (http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/). The occasion was the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the St. Louigans (http://stlouligans.com/), a soccer supporter group. A large group of over 160 members attended the AGM, packing iTAP. The St. Louigans discussed plans for the upcoming season of Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index), including trips to selected road matches and making tifos (huge banners) for matches. Several Saint Louis FC players, along with the club's general manager Jeremy Alumbaugh and head coach Dale Schilly, also attended. Alumbaugh, Schilly, and a couple of players spoke to our group. It was quite a great get together and I am feeling pumped for the start of the Saint Louis FC season later this month. I also came away with a St. Louigans scarf, which I had pre-ordered.

After work Wednesday night (9 March), I was at PW Pizza (http://pwpizza.com/) just southwest of downtown St. Louis for dinner. It was a dinner for the Friends from Around the World Meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/Friends-from-around-the-World/). It was a large crowd there, including many foreign interns here in St. Louis, so I had to wait a few minutes to get a seat. When I did, I did chat a bit with a few of the others there and enjoyed a Magherita pizza (tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella & parmesan cheeses).

Daylight Savings Time starts here tomorrow at 0200 hours local time, so I'll let my clocks ahead one hour before retiring for the night. This Tuesday is the presidential primary election. I'll cast my vote after work.

Later.

The Lion of 2016 Enters

It was a pleasant end of February, weather-wise, and work has been great. Our crew has been settling in very well and we're doing very well with our customers, which is what matters most.

Saturday afternoon (27 February), I restored the headlights on my 10 year old Toyota Corolla. The headlights has became cloudy and yellowed over time, which degrades my headlight performance at night. About an hour of work using the Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit from Meguiar's (http://www.meguiars.com) cleared up the headlights and made them like new. I noticed right away the better effectiveness with the clearer headlights. Plus, it looks much better.

Much of last weekend I spent trying to get more work done on the new issue of Middle Marker, journal of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org). I was trying to get text on a story to flow from one column to the next, but I was having trouble getting that to happen. Maybe I'm missing a step somewhere. Anyway, I want to get some more done on that this weekend.

With my mom, I watched the Academy Awards (http://www.oscars.com) on television. Not having seen the nominated movies, I didn't have any dog in this fight, but I just wanted to see how this would go. It was rather interesting.

It was most pleasant over the weekend, with temperatures approaching 70 degrees F (21.1 degrees C) and sunny skies. That changed early this week, as it got cloudy, with a bit of rain early in the week and temperatures dropping to 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). It will pick up again this weekend. Got to love St. Louis weather!

After work last night (2 March), I walked to the nearby St. Louis Taco and Pita Grill for the Ethnic Restaurant Fans Meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/Ethnic-Restaurant-Fans/). Seven of us had a nice dinner at the restaurant, which has a mix of Mexican, Greek, and American fare. I had a taco and enchilada dinner, which was most tasty. I have dined there twice before and, like last night, enjoyed generous portions at a reasonable price.

Later.

Warm, Then Snowy

Last Thursday night (18 February), I attended the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (MOAHS) (http://moavhist.org/) meeting at Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/). The featured speaker was Paul Segura of Boeing, who spoke about the company's 100th anniversary this year, which included info on the founders of Boeing's Legacy Companies (Boeing, Douglas, North American, and McDonnell). He also spoke about the 50th anniversary this month of the aircraft crash at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport that killed the Gemini IX prime crew. A fascinating program. (Boeing's 100th anniversary website is: http://www.boeing.com/boeing100/.) I also gave an update to the MOAHS president and vice president on the journal, Middle Marker, which I'm editing and should come out in a couple of weeks.

Work has been going great of late. Our branch has been doing a great job exceeding customer expectations, as reflected in our high customer satisfaction score. We were going to have a happy hour after work yesterday to celebrate this feat, but weather postponed it until next week. Speaking of weather, it got very nice on Saturday (20 February), reaching 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).

Sunday, my mom assisted me in straightened out my scale modeling workbench area, removing trash and reorganizing tools and supplies. I also was able to find a missing part on my ship model and finished the cruiser Prinz Eugen, which I then placed in my display case.

Back at work on Monday morning (22 February), the work week started off strong. The weather was another story, as we got some wet snow--up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) in Ellisville--early yesterday morning. It was a rough commute (about 45 minutes in my case, instead of the standard 30 minutes), but I got there safely and so did my colleagues. We got the snow cleaned off the cars and the sidewalk in front of our branch. Although a few reservations were cancelled, we got our customers taken care of and things proceeded well. The drive home was better, in that much of the snow melted off the roads, thanks to warmer weather that afternoon.

The night before (23 February), I grabbed some dinner at Jack in the Box (http://www.jackinthebox.com/) in Mehlville before driving to Bill Wagner's house in Oakville for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting. It went well and we planned our March general and business meetings.

Today, I took my Corolla to Firestone Complete Auto Care (http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/) in Mehlville. There, the car's transmission fluid was changed, and a heat shield on the under body was bolted back into place. (It was jolted out of place a week ago.) So far, the car's running well. I also had coffee and cake at Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com/), did my laundry, and worked some more on Middle Marker.

Later.

Snow and Sun, and Models This Week

It was below freezing last weekend and we did get about 2 inches (5 cm) of snow by Sunday afternoon (14 February). I was able to easily shovel it off the driveway and walkway, due to the snow being dry. I also did some work on a couple of scale models. That was the fun I had on Valentine's Day, with no sweetheart nearby. (There is a sweetheart in Brazil, though.)

Work has been good this week. We got past the snow and freezing temperature at the start of the week, and kept things running well as the weather improved. By yesterday afternoon (17 February), the snow had pretty much melted. This weekend promises temperatures topping 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C). That would be most appreciated.

After flexing out Tuesday afternoon, I shopped at a couple of hobby shops, hoping to find a kit that has a part I am missing from an identical kit I'm finishing, but with no success. Thus, I had a ship model with a missing part (German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen) and an aircraft model (F4F-4 Wildcat) to enter at the Out of the Box Contest of the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) in Mehlville. There was a great turnout of 47 models for the contest, which I helped judge (obviously not in categories I was entered in). I didn't win a place, but I won't lose sleep over that. (I did request a replacement part from the kit manufacturer, and hope to hear back within the next month on that one.) I was happy with the performance of my airbrush on both models--the first time since I replaced the hose and added the regulator to the compressor--so that's boding well for the future.

Off today, I got my hair cut at Great Clips (http://www.greatclips.com/) in Mehlville. Then, I had my car washed at Westport Car Wash (http://www.westportcarwashstl.com/) in Mehlville. After browsing at some shops at South County Center (http://www.shopsouthcountycenter.com/), I went to The Sports Authority (http://www.sportsauthority.com) and bought a St. Louis Blues cap. Midday, my mother (who ran errands earlier today) and I went to Crusoe's Restaurant in Oakville for lunch. It was a good meal, though the service was rather slow (perhaps a real busy time). I had a discount coupon I received for my birthday to the place, which I used on my entree.

Tonight, I'm at the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/) meeting at Creve Coeur Airport. More on that meeting in my next post.

Later.

Another Birthday in the Books

I worked a week ago Friday (5 February) and the next morning, and things went well. I did my best to help make sure our branch took care of its customers and exceeded their expectations.

Last Sunday (7 February) marked my birthday. It was a quiet time at home, with my mom giving me a gift card and treating me to lunch at TGI Fridays (http://www.tgifridays.com/#gmms-landing-popup) in Concord Village. It was a very nice lunch and then we went home. Watched some of the Super Bowl that night, mostly for the commercials running between the action. I also acknowledged the greetings I received online from friends around the world for my birthday.

The next day (8 February), my colleagues at work celebrated my birthday by giving me a decorated large cookie. That was very nice of them to do so. We got some snow on Tuesday afternoon and night, which came up to about 2 inches (5 cm). I had a real rough drive into work on Wednesday, as a three-vehicle accident on northbound Highway 141 made me an hour late from work. At least I got into work safe and sound.

The past few nights (and weekend days) saw me at my model workbench, working on a couple of models. I am getting them ready for the Out of the Box contest this coming Tuesday night (16 February) at the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I am getting close. It was the first use I made of my airbrush since I got the new hose and regulator, and it was been working very nicely for me.

Yesterday morning (12 February), I stopped by Krispy Kreme (https://www.krispykreme.com/) as I usually do every other Friday to get some doughnuts for my colleagues. I also went to Hardee's (http://www.hardees.com/) to buy a sausage and egg sandwich. Proceeds from yesterday morning's purchases are going to Heat Up St. Louis (http://www.heatupstlouis.org/), which helps needy people in the St. Louis area afford their heating bills. I was glad to help people in need.

This morning, I braved the sub-freezing cold to attend this month's Missouri Professional Communicators (http://www.mpc-nfpw.org/cpsiteframepage.lasso?-token.lpuserref=113815.113118) meeting at the St. Louis Artists' Guild (http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/) in Clayton. An intellectual property attorney spoke to the group about the legal side of creativity, covering copyright law, intellectual property ownership, and social media. It was a most interesting talk and I found I learned much from it.

Later.

Party Time with Colleagues; February Begins

We at the rental branch had a good day of work last Friday (29 January). I welcomed our latest employee, Leah, who looks like she'll be another great asset to our branch. The next night, many of my colleagues gathered at Budweiser Brew House at Ballpark Village (http://www.stlballparkvillage.com/) in downtown St. Louis for a company party. It was a very nice social get together, with complementary finger foods and drinks along with socializing with colleagues and their significant others (where applicable). It was nice meeting with colleagues from our branch and others, including from former Ellisville colleagues now elsewhere. I had a very nice time there.

The only snag occurred when getting out of the parking lot, when I had to cover the remaining $1 in parking charges. (We got a voucher for three hours of free parking, and I left just past three hours from arriving.) First one charge card, then my debit card was used, but neither could be read by the machine at the exit, despite the parking attendant's best efforts. Finally, another charge card I had did the trick and I was able to depart for home.

Spent some time over the weekend working on a couple of model kits, which I hope to have done by the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting on 16 February. Both models should be entered in the Out of the Box Contest that night. (That means no modifications to the kit parts.) Tuesday night (2 February), I hosted the IPMS/Gateway business meeting meeting, which was pushed back by one week due to the general meeting being rescheduled for the previous Tuesday. Those in attendance planned the February meetings and discussed some other club business. It went very well.

Work this past week has been good as February got underway. The weather had been unseasonably warm early in the week, with high temperatures nearing 60 degrees F (16 degrees C), but chilling below freezing from midweek. it will be chilly early tomorrow, but warming up as the day progresses.

This morning, I got my car's license plates renewed for two more years, after showing required papers and making payment at the license bureau in Oakville. I also got my laundry done, took care of a few financial matters, and fixed a support for my bed. I can rest easier now.

Later.