TigerCon, SLIFF, and Scott Kelly in Town

Last Friday morning (3 November), per usual, I stopped by Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/) to buy some doughnuts for my colleagues on the way to work. The day went well at work and all hands were able to get our vehicles cleaned and positioned on the lot before calling it a day.

My IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) colleague Bill Wagner came by my house the next morning to pick me up, then drove to Hazelwood to pick up our mate Nick Elliot before before heading to Columbia, Missouri. We--and others from the club--were there for TigerCon, the annual scale model contest presented by IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers (CMSM) (http://www.cmsm-ipms.org/). After a pretty good drive, we three arrived at Hickman High School, the show venue, and checked in our contest models. (I had four entries.) We touched base with others there, including our fellow club members, admired the models in the contest room, and shopped among the vendors. I bought one aircraft kit and two tools from vendors there.

I also helped to judge automotive entries in the contest, which went rather well. IPMS/CMSM said this was the most number of attendees and contest entries for TigerCon, which was in its 7th year. I did not win for any of my entries, but a few of my club mates won awards. I also won an aircraft kit in the raffle. Overall, a nice day in Columbia for us. We got back to town early that night.

Sunday morning (5 November) found me at Kolping Fields in south St. Louis County, officiating youth soccer matches. I refereed the first match and ran lines on the other two. They went well, and the warm and humid weather for this time of year meant I wore my short sleeve uniform shirt.

That night, I was at .ZACK (http://www.kranzbergartsfoundation.org/zack/) for my first volunteer assignment at this year's St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) (http://www.cinemastlouis.org/about-festival). I scanned tickets for attendees before they entered the theater to watch the documentary feature "Working in Protest." (My friend Kim Althage was among those who attended the screening.) Myself and the other volunteer were in the lobby during the screening, and right afterward took fan ballots and demographic surveys from the attendees. The ballots were counted and the venue captain then reported the results to SLIFF organizers. It was a pleasant night to be out at the movies.

Back to work on Monday morning, and we had one very busy morning with many customers coming in to pick up or drop off vehicles. I was sure kept on my toes. We got through the day just fine, though.

After work on Tuesday, I went to St. Louis University High School (SLUH) (http://www.sluh.org/) in west St. Louis. I attended a talk by former astronaut Scott Kelly (http://www.scottkelly.com/), who spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station in 2015-16. The event was presented by Left Bank Books (http://www.left-bank.com/), and my ticket to the event included a signed copy of Kelly's book, "Endurance." Ramanath Cowsik, James S. McDonnell Professor of Space Sciences at Washington University of St. Louis, interviewed Kelly about how he became an astronaut and his experiences in space. Then, Kelly took a few questions from the audience. It was a most interesting talk--informative throughout, with a bit of wit. I am very much looking forward to reading "Endurance."

Work yesterday was well--after a calm late morning and early afternoon, we had a most busy late afternoon. We still got it done, though, exceeding customer expectations.

Off work today, I spent time helping Mom out in trimming some shrubbery, doing my laundry, and starting work on this month's issue of IPMS/Gateway's newsletter, The Arch Scaler News. (I'm now editing this publication.) This afternoon, I headed to the Plaza Frontenac Cinema (https://www.landmarktheatres.com/st-louis/plaza-frontenac-cinema) to watch a SLIFF film. Going in free thanks to the voucher I received for Sunday's volunteer shift, I saw the Belgian/French comedy "Lost in Paris," which I and the audience found very funny. Tonight, I'm at the Tivoli Theatre (https://www.landmarktheatres.com/st-louis/tivoli-theatre) for a SLIFF volunteer shift. Hope to see you there!

I also have SLIFF volunteer shifts Saturday at the Missouri History Museum (10:30 am to 3 pm) and at Webster University's Moore Auditorium (6:45 to 10:30 pm), and Sunday at Washington University's Brown Hall (7 to 10 pm). Maybe I'll see you there.

Later.

Communicators, Model Cars, and Halloween

We had a good day of work at the rental branch on Friday (27 October). Jesse, a new vehicle service agent, reported for work with us that morning. He, like Marvin, was an older man there to work part time. I really appreciated the extra hands in the wash bay, and so do my colleagues. We also said goodbye to management assistant Kory, who was leaving our branch and car rental to work for Enterprise Car Sales (https://www.enterprisecarsales.com/) in Manchester.

The next morning saw me going to the St. Louis Artists' Guild (http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/) in Clayton for the Missouri Professional Communicators (http://www.mpc-nfpw.org/cpsiteframepage.lasso?-token.lpuserref=113815.113118) meeting. After a continental breakfast, we took in a presentation by Deb Reinhardt (http://www.deborahreinhardt.com/index.html) on the National Federation of Press Women (https://www.nfpw.org/) work shop in Alabama in September. Deb recapped the workshop speakers and their presentations. Janice Denham then gave a talk about MPC's communications contest, and those in attendance talked a bit about themselves and any lessons or tips they have from their careers.

Sunday morning (29 October), I was at the Kirkwood Community Center (http://www.kirkwoodmo.org/content/City-Departments/1856/community-center.aspx) for the Midwest Model Vehicle Association--St. Louis (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/MMVAStLouis.html) Fall Swap Meet and Model Contest. IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) had a table with a model display and some club literature, and I helped staff our table and provided several models for the display. Additionally, I was able to walk around the room visiting the other vendors, chatting with scale modelers I know, and admiring the contest models. This was a nice show and we got the word out on our club.

Back at work Monday morning, having three car preps in the morning was quite a difference, as we got through the backlog of returned vehicles in rather short order.

Halloween was the next day. Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) branches were all decorated for the day, in themes chosen by each branch's manager. In our case, it was the long-running television game show "The Price is Right." The lobby was decorated with signs like those on the game show's initial game, and we--Manager Cory, assistant manager Miranda, management trainee Tyler, and I--wore color coordinated outfits, while Jesse was the master of ceremonies. A judging team from the area office--costumed as dolls or something like that--came around to evaluate our decorations and costumes, as prizes would go to the best branch setups. All in all, it was fun.

Off work today, I first went to the Firestone Complete Auto Care (http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/) in Mehlville, where they installed a replacement hubcap on my Corolla. Mine had gone missing soon after I drove off that lot a week ago, probably due to it not being fully installed in a likely inadvertent misstep. I greatly appreciated this gesture, which was done in about one minute and at no charge. Great bit of customer service by the staff there.

I then had my semi-annual dental exam in Kirkwood. My teeth were cleaned, and the dentist noted no problems with my teeth. I then celebrated with a mocha and coffee cake at Kaldi's Coffee (https://kaldiscoffee.com/) in downtown Kirkwood, before going home for lunch.

Before I go, two plugs for this weekend. First, I'll be in Columbia, Missouri on Saturday for TigerCon, a scale model contest presented by IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers (http://www.cmsm-ipms.org/). I will join with several other IPMS/Gateway members to attend and support this show, which will be held at the Event Center of Hickman High School from 9 am to 2:45 pm. Hope to see you there.

Sunday night, I perform my first volunteer assignment at the Whittaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) (http://www.cinemastlouis.org/about-festival), which begins tonight. I will be at .ZACK in midtown St. Louis from 7 to 10 pm. I have four other SLIFF volunteer assignments: Tivoli Theatre, Thu., 9 November, 8 to 11:55 pm; Missouri History Museum, Sat., 11 Nov., 10:30 am to 3 pm; Winifred Moore Auditorium at Webster University, Sat., 11 Nov., 6:45 to 10:30 pm; and Brown Hall at Washington University, Sun., 12 Nov., 7 to 10 pm. Hope to see you there!

Later.

Attending a Fundraising Barbecue, and Getting Car Repairs Done

I drove to Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) Saturday afternoon (21 October) to attend a fundraising barbecue being held by the Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (https://armyav.org/st-louis-missouri/). It was a really nice event, which was partly an open house for the Chapter. I was able to tour their hangar at the Airport, where a Bell UH-1H Iroquois (also known as a Huey) was being restored. The Chapter also has a Bell OH-58 they are restoring, which I also saw at the event. Besides those aircraft and a few others on display--including a Douglas EA-1E Skyraider--several classic cars and motorcycles were on display.

A few of my mates from the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) were there, and we sat together for a nice buffet-style dinner with barbecued hamburgers, hot dogs, and bratwursts. A cover band performed live music, and they had raffles and silent auctions at the event. Proceeds from this barbecue would going to restoring the Chapter's two helicopters.

Sunday afternoon found me at World Wide Technology Soccer Park, refereeing girls' matches. I had the middle on the first match of the set, and ran lines on the other two contests. Things generally went well.

Back to work Monday morning (23 October), and we had Marvin working in the morning to help me in cleaning and driving cars. This was most welcome, and we were able to stay ahead of things during the day. This week has gone well for us.

After work Tuesday night, I drove to Rick Keasey's house in Edwardsville for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting. We planned next month's meeting and discussed other club business, especially a proposed revision to the club's Constitution and By-Laws. It looks like it will be ready to present to the membership rather soon. I also presented my proposed revisions in presentation for the club's monthly newsletter, which I am now editing. The board members attending agreed these pages looked good.

Off work today, I took my Corolla to Firestone Complete Auto Care (http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/) in Mehlville early this morning to deal with some noise I've been hearing from the undersurface of the car in recent days. The mechanic told me it needed quite a bit of work: Replacing a front wheel rotor, replacing the brakes, and replacing all four tires. I decided to bite the bullet and have it done, which it was by midday. It will be quite a financial hit for me, but Mom assured me this means peace of mind for me. I agreed.

This afternoon, I drove to the Cliff Cave Branch of the St. Louis County Library (https://www.slcl.org/) in Oakville. It was the first time I've been there since renovations were completed last year. I walked through the library, getting to know the lay of the place, seeing where the books and other media were stacked. I also got a new library card; my previous one was lost. I noticed a few books I may want to check out of there in the coming weeks.

Later.

Dinners with Brazilians and Soccer Legends

Work at the rental branch late last week was good. I was kept plenty busy on the Friday (13 October) and the next morning. Fortunately, no bad things happened on Friday the 13th.

After work last Saturday afternoon, I headed to Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) in Maryland Heights for a vintage aircraft fly-in. It was neat seeing quite a few aircraft--mostly light planes--on hand. I also saw some mates in the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/), who just had a tribute to legendary McDonnell test pilot Bob Little. I arrived after the party ended, but did get some food--including a slice of birthday cake--and chatted with them for a bit. Additionally, I browsed through the aircraft on display at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum (http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org/), which was open and free to the public that day. Interesting to see the aircraft on display there.

After coming home to change, I went to St. Joseph Catholic Church (http://www.stjoemanchester.org/) in Manchester for the annual Taste of Brazil Dinner, presented by Viva Brasil STL (https://sites.google.com/view/vivabrasilstl/home). I came there to be a volunteer server at the dinner, which followed a mass in Portuguese in honor of Our Lady of Aparecida (http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/brazil/our_lady_of_aparecida.php), Brazil's patron saint, whose feast day is 12 October. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Virgin Mary statue by fishermen working on the Paraiba River in southeastern Brazil. This 4th annual dinner was very well attended in the church's cafeteria and celebrated life along the Paraiba River. After appetizers of Pão de Queijo (cheese bread) and Pate de Atum (Tuna Pate), I helped to serve the main course. This consisted of Frango Caipira com Batatas (Brazilian Soul Food--Chicken and Potatoes) and Cuscuz Paulista (a vegetable couscous from São Paulo).

After helping serve all the guests, us volunteer servers were invited to eat, so I got the main course and sat down with a few others to eat and talk. It was nice to get to know these people at my table, neither of whom I had known before. Then, it was time for dessert, which consisted of Doce de Banana e Queijo (Sweet Banana and Cheese) and Doce de Abobora (Pumpkin candy). I helped serve this before getting my share. I drank fruit juice and a bit of wine; they also had beer and soda.

There was a slide show on Viva Brasil STL, a raffle of a nice pen and pencil set to benefit the organization's scholarship fund, and a trivia quiz. After this ended, I helped to clean up and straighten out the cafeteria. I also received a jar of Doce de Banana as thanks for my efforts that night.

The next morning (15 October) found me at World Wide Technology Soccer Park refereeing three under 12 girls soccer matches. I worked all three matches in the middle, as my two crewmates were young officials not yet ready to be in the middle. The matches went well, overall.

Back to work the next day, and we had a pretty full day at the branch. Same for Tuesday, though Wednesday was a calmer day. That afternoon, I was sent to our Kirkwood branch to help with car prep and driving there the rest of the day. Their vehicle service agent was out sick and their manager was at a meeting, and they were short handed. I was most glad to help my colleagues out.

Tuesday night (17 October) after work was the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). This featured a demonstration of model parts casting with resin, which was very interesting. The model of the month "beauty contest" was also held, and there were a good number of entries there.

Off work Thursday, I got my hair cut at Great Clips (https://www.greatclips.com/), which did its usual superb job. I then visited Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) branches in Ballwin, Manchester, and Creve Coeur. I chatted briefly with my colleagues there and dropped off cookies for their branch staff, which were most appreciated.

That night, I met up with four of my soccer referee colleagues and went with them to America's Center (https://explorestlouis.com/meetings-conventions/americas-center/) in downtown St. Louis for the 47th annual St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame (http://www.stlsoccerhalloffame.com/) induction banquet. After drinks and conversation in the hallway, we entered The America's Ballroom for a nice sit down dinner, followed by the program, with Bill McDermott as master of ceremonies. Eleven St. Louis soccer legends were inducted, including my Saint Louis University friend Pat Baker, a goalkeeper and later a youth coach, and my refereeing colleague Herb Silva. Several special awards were also presented. Our party did not stay the whole time, as it was getting late for us. Overall, it was a wonderful evening and it was great for me to be among local soccer legends.

Yesterday at work was great, and not just because I brought in some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/). Our new vehicle service agent was there that afternoon. He started the day before with us--he had previously been at our Creve Coeur location--and will work Monday mornings, all day Thursday, Friday afternoons, and Saturday mornings. That is a major help to my branch mates and I. We were able to get out of there last night before 6:30 pm, some time earlier than before he arrived.

Later.