Quietly Busy Week

After a lazy Sunday at home, it was back to work on Monday (4 April). Our branch said goodbye to three of our management trainees, two of whom were transferring to the Airport and a third to the Manchester branch down the street. One management trainee came to us this week from the Airport, with another joining us late this week. Things are going well at the branch, working with our customers and adjusting to the inventory, weather (a bit of rain yesterday), and reduced available parking slots. The latter is due to a business opening soon in our old location next door, which means we won't be able to use the parking slots by their for our vehicles. We'll work around it, though.

Not much happening here this week. Been rather tired. Must be because I have a hard time sleeping. Hope that improves soon. This afternoon, on my off day, I did shop for some new cargo pants and found a nice pair at the Old Navy (http://oldnavy.gap.com/) store in Mehlville.

Later.

Highs and Lows This Week

A week ago tonight (26 March) found me at the International Tap House in Soulard (http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/#!locations/c5ob), where I joined with other St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) in cheering on Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) season opening match. Saint Louis FC opened the season at Real Monarchs SLC, which we witnessed via YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/). Real Monarchs won 1-0 with a 90th minute goal. A disappointment for sure, but it was fun with the large crowd (about 180) of St. Louligans in the house. (Saint Louis FC lost its second match, 3-0, at LA Galaxy II Wednesday night; they are at Orange County Blues tonight.)

Work this past week has been good, with some busy stretches. A particularly interesting time was had yesterday (1 April), and that wasn't an April Fool's joke. I was detached with a colleague to deliver vehicles to the Kirkwood branch, which was very busy. I ended up cleaning up a vehicle there, helping keep the counter going well, and going to our Creve Coeur branch to get another vehicle for Kirkwood. I was returned to Ellisville some three hours later. It was real calm back at Ellisville while I was gone, but picked up before closing time. I worked this morning there and it was quite busy, but our customers were taken care of in good order, as usual.

After flexing out Tuesday afternoon (29 March), I stopped by HobbyTown USA in Ballwin, which is going out of business. The cashier told me the store owner was retiring. I bout a model kit and a die-cast aircraft model, both at 40 percent off list price. That night, I was at the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting, held at Marion Morris' house in Maplewood. We planned the April meetings and discussed other club business.

My off day Thursday (31 March) was full. I got my hair cut at Great Clips (http://www.greatclips.com/) at Tenholder Plaza in Mehlville. After starting my laundry, I headed to the Enterprise branch at Lambert Airport to drop off a card for my friend and colleague Kerry, who gave birth to a baby girl earlier in the week. Then, I drove to the Saint Louis Science Center (http://www.slsc.org). I went there to tour the exhibit "Above and Beyond," which looks at aerospace technology today and in the future. Very nice, with many hands-on exhibits. The exhibit runs until 8 May.

After grabbing lunch in one of the Center's cafes, I took in the Omnimax film "Living in the Age of Airplanes." It's a movie about the role of aircraft in connecting the world through tourism and business. I was very impressed with this movie. I then browsed at the Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium, where Mercury and Gemini spacecraft were on display. I also viewed an F/A-18B Hornet fighter in Blue Angels colors and markings displayed just outside the Planetarium. Overall, a very nice day. I needed that, after feeling rather down the day before as I wondered if I really was somebody with a future. My colleagues assured me I did.

After work today, I grabbed lunch at Steak 'n Shake (http://www.steaknshake.com/), then drove to the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in Ladue (http://www.slcl.org/content/headquarters). The STL Aspies Meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/STL-Aspies/) met for the first time in about a year. About eight of us got together to tell ourselves how we're doing. It was a nice discussion and then we retired to St. Louis Bread Company (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) at nearby Plaza Frontenac (http://www.plazafrontenac.com/en.html) for refreshments and discussion. A good time, and we'll meet again in August.

Later.

Easter Eve 2016

This past week saw some nice weather and chilly weather, all within the space of 24 hours. I guess Spring was having second thoughts about getting going.

Work at the branch has been good, with plenty of business due to some schools on spring break and people traveling ahead of Easter. I flexed out early on Tuesday (22 March), as I worked this morning.

Tuesday night found me at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's meeting--one week later than usual due to the previous week's presidential primary election--of IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/). We had a nice turnout for the meeting, considering the date change, with the Model of the Month "Beauty Contest" and a presentation on scratch-building drag race cars. I brought in my now completed model of the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen for display.

After a full day of work on Wednesday (23 March), I headed to the Schlafly Tap Room (http://schlafly.com/tap-room/) for a Meet the Team event with Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index). I picked up my 2016 season ticket member scarf and had a Schlafly beer. I also briefly chatted with a few Saint Louis FC players and head coach Dale Schilly, wishing them all the best in the season, which begins tonight on the road.

My off day Thursday was spent in part with proofreading some website copy for a friend--the copy was for one of her clients. I got it done, noting a few items (mostly capitalization issues) for my friend to look over. That afternoon, I did my 2015 federal and state income taxes, using Turbo Tax software (https://turbotax.intuit.com/).

Last night, I was at the Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) in Brentwood, for a Meet and Greet of the STL Movie Buffs Meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/stl-movie-buffs/). I joined two others in the group for a chat about movies have seen or want to see.

At home now after work, but will be going tonight to International Tap Room in Soulard (http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/#!locations/c5ob), to join the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) at a watch party for Saint Louis FC's season opening match away to Real Monarchs SLC. Home with my mother for Easter tomorrow.

Later.

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.