Since April Fool's Day, I refereed and watched some soccer. The watching included two friendlies at the A-B Soccer Park in Fenton on 3 April: St. Louis U. vs. SIU-Edwardsville men, followed by AC St. Louis vs. Kansas City Wizards. Last Sunday (11 April), I was there to watch Saint Louis Athletica open WPS action with a 2-0 win over FC Gold Pride. The day before (10 April), I refereed two under-18 boys' games in Maryland Heights in a college showcase event. They went well; they were practically friendlies, intended for the players to show their stuff before college coaches in attendance.
You should notice something in new photos I'll have taken next week. Specifically, new eyeglasses. I had an eye exam done on 6 April -- the first time in about five years -- and the eyes are fine, apart from some nearsightedness in my left eye. I then ordered two pairs of glasses, which should come in the first half of next week.
I went to a networking event last Tuesday (13 April), where I got wind of a communications professionals networking group. That group has a meeting early next month, which I will attend, and maybe they can be of help to me in my job search.
Counting down the days until I start my US Census Bureau temporary job on 27 April, with four days of training. Should be interesting for about eight weeks.
Last Wednesday, I drove to Smartt Field, an airfield in Portage de Sioux, Missouri (St. Charles County) for a meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society. It's a group that's been around a bit, and it was my second meeting I went to. I hope to see this group grow in the years ahead.
That's it for now. Later.
16 April 2010
01 April 2010
A New Post (NOT April Fool's)
Last Friday, I joined the Stress Free Fridays crowd at the Black Label bar in downtown St. Louis. First time there and I like the place. I even autographed a $1 bill that was taped to the bar's rear wall.
Rain late last week caused my Saturday morning games to be called off, but I did get in the games Saturday afternoon. It was a tournament played at Sportport and it involved younger youth teams (under-14 and below), which made a nice change of pace for me. I worked three games, all of under-8 to under-11 kids, and they went fine. However, a lot of rain overnight washed out my games on Sunday for that tournament.
I got good news by phone last Monday, when the US Census Bureau asked me to come back to them as an enumerator this year. I had worked in this job a year ago, helping lay the groundwork for the 2010 Census. I would be doing the same, including visiting households that did not mail their census forms back. (Our household did so last month.) Training for four days would be in the last week of April, then the work would run for up to eight weeks.
Last night, I worked two boys soccer games at the SLYSA Complex. I had an armful in the under 17 match, when I had to deal with a rather unruly team and coach. I issued nine yellow cards -- six to one team -- and they were mostly for unsporting behavior. I also warned both teams' coaches, separately, for stepping out of their technical areas. One coach did it again, and I dismissed him. They were irate, especially as the match ended in a draw, with the tying goal scored at the end of the time I was adding on waiting for the coach to leave the field area. I wrote up a report and turned it in to the league office this morning. We just can't have that kind of behavior among coaches in youth soccer. It sets a bad example for their players and just makes the referees' jobs more difficult.
Looking forward to Stress Free Fridays tomorrow night, and Easter weekend. No big plans, except to watch a pair of soccer friendlies Saturday night at the Soccer Park in Fenton. At 5 pm, St. Louis U. and SIU-Edwardsville renew the Bronze Boot Game, followed by AC St. Louis vs. Kansas City Wizards at 7 pm. Should be neat.
Happy Easter all my fellow Christians. Later.
Rain late last week caused my Saturday morning games to be called off, but I did get in the games Saturday afternoon. It was a tournament played at Sportport and it involved younger youth teams (under-14 and below), which made a nice change of pace for me. I worked three games, all of under-8 to under-11 kids, and they went fine. However, a lot of rain overnight washed out my games on Sunday for that tournament.
I got good news by phone last Monday, when the US Census Bureau asked me to come back to them as an enumerator this year. I had worked in this job a year ago, helping lay the groundwork for the 2010 Census. I would be doing the same, including visiting households that did not mail their census forms back. (Our household did so last month.) Training for four days would be in the last week of April, then the work would run for up to eight weeks.
Last night, I worked two boys soccer games at the SLYSA Complex. I had an armful in the under 17 match, when I had to deal with a rather unruly team and coach. I issued nine yellow cards -- six to one team -- and they were mostly for unsporting behavior. I also warned both teams' coaches, separately, for stepping out of their technical areas. One coach did it again, and I dismissed him. They were irate, especially as the match ended in a draw, with the tying goal scored at the end of the time I was adding on waiting for the coach to leave the field area. I wrote up a report and turned it in to the league office this morning. We just can't have that kind of behavior among coaches in youth soccer. It sets a bad example for their players and just makes the referees' jobs more difficult.
Looking forward to Stress Free Fridays tomorrow night, and Easter weekend. No big plans, except to watch a pair of soccer friendlies Saturday night at the Soccer Park in Fenton. At 5 pm, St. Louis U. and SIU-Edwardsville renew the Bronze Boot Game, followed by AC St. Louis vs. Kansas City Wizards at 7 pm. Should be neat.
Happy Easter all my fellow Christians. Later.
25 March 2010
Amid up and down weather
Sorry for not writing here sooner. Just kept getting sidetracked.
Ran the IPMS Gateway general meeting on Tue., the 16th, which went very well. I also ran the club's business meeting one week later, in which we planned the April general meeting and discussed other club business.
Refereed some games last weekend. Glad they were on artificial turf, as it got a bit wet late in Saturday's set and on Sunday. The games went well, though.
I'm very happy that healthcare reform passed Congress last weekend. This country urgently needs it, no matter what the nay-sayers would have you think. It seems a bunch of know-nothings want to hijack this country. I say nothing doing to them.
On a lighter note, I went to Chaifetz Arena last night to see St. Louis U. beat Princeton 69-59 in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) semifinal. The Billikens advance to play Virginia Commonwealth in the CBI best-of-three finals starting Monday. Go Billikens!
Later.
15 March 2010
On the run, in the mist
This past weekend was interesting. On Friday, my sister-in-law Melissa passed to me a link to a job listing. It was for associate editor at a magazine group on the East Coast. I checked out the listing and the firm, and really liked what I saw, so right away I applied for this position. I also started contacting people I knew who might know something about the firm I applied to, and one person who did deal with that firm wrote a short e-mail recommending me to that firm. I'll check back in the next couple of days. Stay tuned.
Friday night, I was at Escalade in University City for Happy House with Stress Free Fridays (SFF). I had not been to one of SFF's events for a few months, due to one thing or another, but I had a nice time at this one. I had a couple of drinks, sampled chicken wings and salad from the buffet, and danced a bit to music spun by a DJ. Nice, if a bit inebriated at the end of the night. I also felt a bit sick to my stomach the next morning, but I gutted it out and officiated four boys games the next day.
Sunday morning started with a Midwest Regional League under 16 boys match in Maryland Heights, which started in misty conditions. It was a armful to control, and I sent one player off for his second caution of the match. (I had to write a report after the match, which went to the league office today.) After a rest time at home, I was back on the pitch, this time in Fenton, for two league games, played through a mist. That's seven games in two days -- a hard stretch. But, my colleagues and I got through them fine.
Today, I went to a forum in Clayton for Proposition A, a sales tax measure on the St. Louis County ballot next month for mass transit. Spokespersons for and against the proposition stated their cases, answering questions posed by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce (sponsor of the forum) and audience members. I am in favor of this measure and hope it passes.
After that, I went to the nearby Barnes & Noble for lunch in their cafe (soup and coffee). While there, I chatted briefly with one of the cafe people, who was a colleague of mine when we worked at the Barnes & Noble store in Chesterfield just over 3 years ago. She's still there and doing fine. We hadn't met in a few months and it was good catching up on things.
That's it for now. I have IPMS Gateway's meeting to run tomorrow night. Hope to see you at Calvary Presbyterian Church for that one. Later.
Friday night, I was at Escalade in University City for Happy House with Stress Free Fridays (SFF). I had not been to one of SFF's events for a few months, due to one thing or another, but I had a nice time at this one. I had a couple of drinks, sampled chicken wings and salad from the buffet, and danced a bit to music spun by a DJ. Nice, if a bit inebriated at the end of the night. I also felt a bit sick to my stomach the next morning, but I gutted it out and officiated four boys games the next day.
Sunday morning started with a Midwest Regional League under 16 boys match in Maryland Heights, which started in misty conditions. It was a armful to control, and I sent one player off for his second caution of the match. (I had to write a report after the match, which went to the league office today.) After a rest time at home, I was back on the pitch, this time in Fenton, for two league games, played through a mist. That's seven games in two days -- a hard stretch. But, my colleagues and I got through them fine.
Today, I went to a forum in Clayton for Proposition A, a sales tax measure on the St. Louis County ballot next month for mass transit. Spokespersons for and against the proposition stated their cases, answering questions posed by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce (sponsor of the forum) and audience members. I am in favor of this measure and hope it passes.
After that, I went to the nearby Barnes & Noble for lunch in their cafe (soup and coffee). While there, I chatted briefly with one of the cafe people, who was a colleague of mine when we worked at the Barnes & Noble store in Chesterfield just over 3 years ago. She's still there and doing fine. We hadn't met in a few months and it was good catching up on things.
That's it for now. I have IPMS Gateway's meeting to run tomorrow night. Hope to see you at Calvary Presbyterian Church for that one. Later.
11 March 2010
About last night
Before I begin, a correction: In my last blog entry, I mentioned visiting Tom Doll's house last Saturday. Actually, it was the previous Saturday, 27 February. I apologize for the error.
Moving forward, I am at home now awaiting word on a possible temp assignment I was first given word on Tuesday night. I do want to get outside today, as it's nice and sunny.
Late yesterday afternoon, I met up with some fellow supporters in downtown St. Louis in advance of President Barack Obama's visit to a fund-raising dinner. We gathered on the sidewalks near the hotel hosting the dinner, holding signs and chanting our support for health care reform. There was a good amount of Obama supporters on hand, along with some opponents on the opposite corner. We were there for about 2 hours and I felt good about standing up for what's right.
I'm looking forward to a happy hour tomorrow night, and some soccer refereeing this weekend. Take care.
Later.
10 March 2010
Roaring in like a lion...
Last week, I finished editing on a couple of articles for a new magazine coming out. I was asked to go back to the original articles, as the editor said they had more room for these articles than was first thought. I did so, though incorporating the facts checked on the previous edit. Hope to hear feedback on that job soon.
Saturday afternoon, I went to the Lake St. Louis home of Tom Doll, aviation historian and author. It was my first time to his place, which is like a mini-archive of aviation history (especially US Naval Aviation). He hosted a meeting of a group of aviation history enthusiasts, several of whom I know from my IPMS activities. This was my first time at the meeting, but it won't be the last. The group is starting to gel and we hope for bigger things ahead.
Had a busy stretch of soccer refereeing last weekend: four games within 18 hours. I had two under 18 boys' league matches Sat. night, including a rather busy middle in one game. I sent a player off for striking an opponent, and issued several other cautions. Both teams were a handful to keep in line, but the game ended well. The next morning, I ran lines on two Development Academy matches (under 16 boys, then under 18 boys). There was that added pressure of the competition level, but we got though them fine. At least I could chill out at home and watch the Academy Awards. I didn't have a dog in that show, but was fascinated by who would win Oscars. I did add to my home DVD collection with two I bought at a store yesterday (The Blues Brothers, from 1980, and 1992's Malcolm X), using a gift card Rick and Melissa sent me for my birthday last month.
Back to last weekend, I borrowed Mom's car for getting to and from my games, because my Saturn was in the shop. After being unable to get my emissions inspection situation fixed at the Firestone place, I took it to a Chevy dealer that was a Saturn authorized repair center. They had to replace some engine sensors that had gone bad, and the repair came out to around $500. (Ouch!) However, the car did pass inspection, so I got my Saturn back home and renewed the registration online, all on Monday.
I almost forgot: Last week I got my federal and state income taxes done. My Dad helped out using the computer program TurboTax. I got the tax returns filed electronically, and can look to a bit of a refund in the coming weeks.
Later.
Saturday afternoon, I went to the Lake St. Louis home of Tom Doll, aviation historian and author. It was my first time to his place, which is like a mini-archive of aviation history (especially US Naval Aviation). He hosted a meeting of a group of aviation history enthusiasts, several of whom I know from my IPMS activities. This was my first time at the meeting, but it won't be the last. The group is starting to gel and we hope for bigger things ahead.
Had a busy stretch of soccer refereeing last weekend: four games within 18 hours. I had two under 18 boys' league matches Sat. night, including a rather busy middle in one game. I sent a player off for striking an opponent, and issued several other cautions. Both teams were a handful to keep in line, but the game ended well. The next morning, I ran lines on two Development Academy matches (under 16 boys, then under 18 boys). There was that added pressure of the competition level, but we got though them fine. At least I could chill out at home and watch the Academy Awards. I didn't have a dog in that show, but was fascinated by who would win Oscars. I did add to my home DVD collection with two I bought at a store yesterday (The Blues Brothers, from 1980, and 1992's Malcolm X), using a gift card Rick and Melissa sent me for my birthday last month.
Back to last weekend, I borrowed Mom's car for getting to and from my games, because my Saturn was in the shop. After being unable to get my emissions inspection situation fixed at the Firestone place, I took it to a Chevy dealer that was a Saturn authorized repair center. They had to replace some engine sensors that had gone bad, and the repair came out to around $500. (Ouch!) However, the car did pass inspection, so I got my Saturn back home and renewed the registration online, all on Monday.
I almost forgot: Last week I got my federal and state income taxes done. My Dad helped out using the computer program TurboTax. I got the tax returns filed electronically, and can look to a bit of a refund in the coming weeks.
Later.
25 February 2010
Trying to Stay Warm & Optimistic
It's rather cold here in St. Louis today. As I write this, it's about 27 degrees F. Should warm up to the 40s this weekend.
Early this week, I put in the final editing touches on my first two articles on my parttime job. They needed to be cut down in size (word count) to fit in the magazine, so I did so. The firm I'm working for on this is very pleased so far with my work. They sent me another article to edit early this week. It needed to be cut down considerably, as well as fact checked. I should have this one done later today.
Been following the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on TV and online. It's always neat for me to watch the Olympics, since I find something to like in just about any sport.
Last Saturday afternoon, I joined with several others from IPMS Gateway in a Meet & Greet at HobbyTown USA in Arnold, Missouri. The good weather cut down on visitors considerably (first decent day in a few days), but otherwise our event was a success. I got started on another kit, and the store was very happy to have us.
Tomorrow night, I'm at the Eastern Missouri Soccer Referee Association's Trivia Night in Oakville, Missouri. Should be a fun time, and I'll let you know about that in my next blog entry.
Later.
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