An Interesting Weekend with Books and Soccer

A week ago tonight (26 April), I worked as a bagger at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair in the east garage by Macy's at West County Center. It was my first volunteer assignment at this event, and it came off well. I also worked bagging and cash wrapping at the fair the next afternoon, then I did a bit of shopping that night and again Sunday afternoon. Found a few good reads at inexpensive prices. Currently, I'm well into one of those finds, the book "Rome 1960" by David Maraniss, about the Summer Olympics that year. The Book Fair will be back same time next year, so feel free to visit their website: http://www.stlouisbookfair.org/

Saturday morning (28 April), I refereed some games in Lou Fusz's Midwest Cup Tournament at the SLYSA Complex in St. Charles. I worked three and a half games in the small sided (8v8) games. One of the assigned officials didn't show for the three games I was scheduled for, so I had to do two middles and a line (instead of one middle and two lines), and use a club linesmen for those games. (However, a regular referee did relieve the club linesmen for the second half of the third game.) Then, I filled in as an assistant referee for one half while the assigned official for that crew was late coming from another field. A busy day under sunny skies. Not so that afternoon at St. Louis U. High for three league games. The first and third matches were cut short by severe weather (lightning and strong winds in the second half of the first match, my middle; a tornado warning before halftime in the third). At least all of us--players, coaches, spectators, and officials--stayed safe. Heavy winds and rain on the drive home caused me to stop at a Starbucks for awhile until the weather improved enough to drive home safely.

No weather problems the next day (29 April), as I worked three small sided (two 8v8, one 9v9) matches at the Soccer Park. No real problems on the field, although the first game was missing one team, so the side that showed up pulled players from adjoining fields to play a practice game. At least the kids got to play and the time was not wasted.

Monday the 30th started with a bit of website copy proofreading, which I got done with in short order. That night, I was at Fred Amos' house in Hazelwood for the 2014 IPMS/USA National Convention planning meeting. Things are looking good for the plans, with packets from the Convention and Visitors Commission on the way. I'll be finishing up our part of the packet by this time next week. Should not be a problem getting that all good to go.

I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting Tuesday night (1 May), which went well, if generally uneventful. Week's been rather calm. Dad's doing OK in his rehab, although dealing with a bit of pain of late.

I'll be back online this Saturday, 5 May, at 10 am Pacific Time (noon Central Time; 1700 hrs GMT) with this month's edition of Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic Radio. Tim Pylypiuk and I will be discussing comedy and horror writing during the hour. Hope you can tune in (or catch the archived show later that day). Info at http://www.naturallyautistic.com./radio-show. The show is steamed through Blog Talk Radio, http://www.blogtalkradio.com

Later.

Meetings and Refereeing, with a Book Fair Ahead

One week ago tonight (19 April), I attended the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's monthly meeting in Clayton, where a presentation on the US Navy's Blue Angels was made. It was an enjoyable and informative program, which included a history of the display team and video of one of the Blue Angels' shows. I touched base with the presenters after the meeting, and told them about IPMS/Gateway. They were interested enough to give me their business cards, and I hope to contact them soon regarding speaking at a club meeting or banquet.

I had a busy weekend of soccer refereeing, starting Friday night (20 April), with lines on two under 14 boys matches at the Scott Gallagher Complex. The next afternoon found me at the Soccer Park, where I worked four 8v8 (under 11 and under 10) boys matches. The plan was for me to do two middles and two lines, but the colleague scheduled to do the other middles had to help cover an adjacent field, so I ended up with all four games in the middle. It was fine, working with two colleagues with little experience in officiating, but it ended up well. Sunday afternoon (22 April) had me at Scott Gallagher again for three under 14 boys matches. My middle was in the first contest, a rather even match (1-1 draw) that was rather interesting near the end with an injury causing me to add time. I sure felt tired by the end of the third game that day, but satisfied in having been an effective referee that day. That's nine matches worked in 48 hours.

Gokul, an Indian restaurant in west St. Louis County, was the site of the Human Sexuality and Relationships in the 21st Century (HSR21) Meetup Monday night (23 April). About 12 of us were there to discuss ideas for cheap first dates in Metro St. Louis. We had a fine time, I thought. The next morning had me at the GO! Network weekly meeting at the St. Patrick Center in downtown St. Louis. Several GO! alumni discussed how they landed their jobs, with ideas for the audience (including myself). That night, I was at Brad and Julie's Vaughn's house for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. We planned the May meeting and discussed other matters, including my proofreading a club brochure. (Very little needed changing, I thought.)

Last night, I was refereeing under 14 boys matches at Sportport in Maryland Heights. It was unseasonably warm (upper 80s F for the day's high) and the action got rather hot in my middle in first match. It ended up 3-1, with all goals in the first half, but one or two more goals could have been scored in the second half. I had an injury to deal with (a player off the ball fell down hurt, possibly a knee ligament problem), and a player I cautioned for running into the opposing goalkeeper late in the match, but overall things worked out well. I have a busy late this weekend: Three 8v8 games in St. Charles for a tournament on Saturday morning, three under 14 league games in west St. Louis that afternoon, then three more 8v8 games the next day in Fenton.

Tonight, I work the first of two volunteer shifts at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair, which runs tonight through Sunday at the lower level of the Macy's East Parking Garage of West County Center in Des Peres, Missouri. This book fair--which I have attended often in previous years--is the Midwest's largest charity book sale, with proceeds benefitting local education and literacy programs. I work tonight and tomorrow (Friday) late afternoon-early evening. Hope to see you there! For more information, please visit www.stlouisbookfair.org.

Later.

A Wet Weekend, and Dad's Good News

Last weekend, a lot of rain fell on St. Louis. Last Saturday (14 April), I was first in Richmond Heights, Missouri to attend the monthly MPC (Missouri Professional Communicators) meeting at The Heights. It was a presentation on getting published by two authors--one of trade books on nutrition, the other on social good writing. I was the only man there among some 18 women attending the meeting, but I felt welcome and it gave me a chance to do a bit of networking.

Right after that meeting, I headed to Mueller Field in St. Charles, where I was scheduled to referee tournament games that day. I knew before I drove to the MPC event that the early games at Mueller were called off due to the heavy rain, but when I arrived for my first scheduled game, nobody was there. I called my assignor and he confirmed that all games in the tournament were cancelled, due to the wet field conditions. (I explained that I had been away from my computer late that morning, and he understood.) The next morning (15 April), I did two league games on the artificial turf football field at St. Louis U. High, and they went well.

Monday afternoon (16 April), Dad had his right hip replaced by an artificial one at St. Anthony's Medical Center. I arrived in the waiting room, where Mom was, while Dad was under the knife. The surgeon arrived after the operation to tell us that it went well. This afternoon (19 April), Dad was being released from St. Anthony's to go to an assisted care facility near our house to recover. He's been rather weak lately, with little appetite, and this care center would be better for him than at home for a few days. Our family's received quite a bit of support from family, friends and well-wishers in recent days, which has been most appreciated by us.

Last Tuesday night (17 April), I got Calvary Presbyterian Church's Lewis Fellowship Hall set up for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. Two days before, Rich Dann said he had to go out of town, due to a death in his fiance's family, and asked if I could give his Centennial of Naval Aviation Heritage Paint Project presentation in his place. I said yes and Rich emailed the presentation to me. It worked out well, as I presented this as best I could. The attendees liked the talk a lot. I'll probably see Rich tonight, at the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's monthly meeting in Clayton.

This afternoon, I proofread some website copy for a editor's client. I got all 19 pages proofed and sent back right away, and may have some more work from her next week. Always welcome.

Yesterday, I broke down and bought a new computer printer. My two-year-old HP printer finally bit the dust. After shopping around and evaluating projects on CNET, I bought an Epson printer/copier/scanner unit on sale at Office Max. It's hooked up and doing good so far.

Later.

A Less Than Happy Easter Weekend

Last Friday (6 April) was my parents' 49th wedding anniversary. They have put the celebration on hold, because Dad was taken to the hospital late last week. He has pain issues in his back and hip, which made it very hard for him to move around or to even sit in his recliner. He's resting at the hospital as I write these words. Mom said she and Dad will celebrate their anniversary after he is released from the hospital, which hopefully will be in the coming days. On behalf of my brothers, I ordered an arrangement of flowers, which I did not pick up until Monday morning. My Mom really liked that set.

Naturally, this did put a damper on our Easter. I was at home all day Sunday, just taking it easy. Been dealing with a bit of pain in my knees lately. I hope it's not too bad to prevent me from refereeing games (I have some this weekend). The day before Easter was more active for me. Early Saturday morning (7 April), I drove to the Thornhill Branch, St. Louis County Library to reserve IPMS/St. Louis' meeting dates for July through December. (The library takes meeting room reservations semi-annually.) I was first in line that morning, so it was no problem to get our meeting room for the first Tuesday night of the month. More info on the club at http://www.ipms-stlouis.org.

That afternoon, I co-hosted the April edition of Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic Radio. I phoned in my role (literally) on the hour-long show, which went well. It is now archived and available to download for podcast at http://www.naturallyautistic.com/radio-show. Our next edition of Writer's Block is Sat., 5 May at 10 am Pacific Time (12 pm Central Time; 1800 hours GMT).

Tuesday morning (10 April) found me at the GO! Network workshop at St. Patrick Center, taking in a presentation on accountability in your life. I'll be working on one of GO!'s projects, helping promote it. Details to come next week. Tuesdays night, I started at the Holiday Inn South County for the monthly Yellow-Tie networking event. It was pretty nice, talking with one or two people I know and meeting a few I have not met before. Then, I headed to Crusoe's in Oakville for the Mehlville High Class of 1982 Reunion Committee meeting. I joined with several classmates to find out how many of our classmates we have reached so far, at least to get their email addresses (just over 25 percent of the class to date). I broke away from the committee meeting to represent our class at the Mehlville-Oakville Alumni Association meeting, also taking place at Crusoe's. I briefed them on our reunion (Sat., 6 Oct.) and received an update on the alumni association's plans.

That night, my brother Rick and his son Alex arrived after a two-day road trip from Charleston, South Carolina. They are doing well and will be here for a few days.

Before I go: Tuesday of next week (17 April), the IPMS/Gateway meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church will feature CAPT Richard S. Dann, USNR, who talks about the Heritage Paint Project he headed for the Centennial of Naval Aviation last year. Should be a real neat program. More info at http://ipms-gateway.com.

Later.

Summer Comes Early; Worries About Dad

I have concluded that Summer 2012 arrived last week. Proof of that was last weekend, when I refereed games in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher College Showcase tournament. Saturday afternoon (31 March), I worked three matches at Soccer Park in Fenton. They generally went well, with my middle (in under-15 boys) a rather cracker match, a 1-0 result that could have gone rather differently. The next day (April Fool's Day) found me at the Scott Gallagher Complex in Maryland Heights for two matches. The last one was played with temperatures in the upper 80s F, with competition that was hot to match. Fortunately, the match did end well.

I got my hair cut last Monday. Nothing fancy, as usual; just a professional looking, low-maintenance hairstyle. I was at the GO! Network workshop in St. Louis the next morning, where I learned some new stuff (at least to me) on interview preparation and execution. That night, I ran the IPMS/St. Louis meeting at Thornhill Branch Library, which went well.

Mom and I have been worrying about Dad's health a lot lately. He's taken to sitting in his family room lounge chair a lot and he's often slept in that chair as well. Dad has been rather weak and not eating much of late. Naturally, Mom and I are concerned and hoping things pick up for Dad soon.

I should add that tomorrow (Friday, 6 April) will be Mom and Dad's 49th Wedding Anniversary.

Rather quiet this Easter weekend, with no soccer games to work, but I will be hosting this month's Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic Radio. The hour-long show on writing and editing from the autistic perspective airs through Blog Talk Radio. Our show comes on at 12 pm Pacific Time (2 pm Central Time; 2000 hours GMT) this Saturday. Info at www.naturallyautistic.com/radio-show. Hope you can tune in and tell your family and friends.

Happy Easter, my fellow Western Christians, and Happy Passover, my Jewish friends.

Later.

A Trip to Brittany Without Leaving St. Louis

Last Thursday night (22 March), I was at the monthly Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting in Clayton. We had a presentation by Fred Roos on St. Louis aviation pioneer Tom Benoist, who designed and built aircraft just before World War II. This included the flying boat used in the world's first scheduled airline service, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line in early 1914. We also had Rich Dann's presentation of US Navy/Marine/Coast Guard aircraft painted in retro schemes for the Centennial of Naval Aviation in 2011. Dann will also give that talk at the April IPMS/Gateway meeting (Tue., 17 April) (http://ipms-gateway.com).

The next day, I was at Saint Louis University--specifically, the basement meeting room at St. Francis Xavier College Church--for the annual Pro-Am Day by the St. Louis Chapter, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). It was aimed mostly at college students, but myself and a couple of others went to do a bit of networking, plus a resume critique. I think it was time and money well spent. I was back in Clayton that night, at Bocci Bar for Stress Free Fridays' happy hour.

I refereed under 14 soccer games Saturday morning (24 Mar.) at Mehlville High School and Sunday afternoon-evening (25 Mar.) at Scott Gallagher Complex. In both sessions, I was on the line when a player was sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Both cases, the referee was a relative newcomer who hadn't dealt with this before. I was in a position both times to help the referee out, made sure the correct call was made, and also supplied the referees with report forms to fill out for the league.

After my games Saturday, I then drove to the Daniel Boone Branch, St. Louis County Library in Ellisville for the Cultural Arts Meetup. It was a presentation on the French region of Brittany, given by my friend Linsey Daman, artistic director of the Cultural Arts Center of St. Louis (http://cacstlouis.com/). It was an interesting presentation on the distinct culture, language, dress, and customs of the Bretons (people of Brittany). There was an audience of about 15-20 for the talk, I estimate.

Following the meetup, I went to the Czech Educational Center in south St. Louis to take in their annual Czech Festival that Saturday, then drove to CRM Hobbies for a bit of browsing and chatting with fellow scale modelers there.

Dad was taken to the hospital this morning. He's been chair ridden lately and hasn't been able to eat much. Hopefully, the doctor will get to the bottom of this matter soon. I have a planning meeting for the 2014 IPMS/USA National Convention bid committee tonight at CRM Hobbies.

Later.

The Fundamental Things Apply/As Time Goes By

Last Friday late afternoon and evening (16 March), my parents and I were in front of the TV watching NCAA men's basketball tournament games of particular interest to us. Missouri (Dad's alma mater) was upset by Norfolk State in the second round, but Saint Louis University (my alma mater) upset Memphis in the same round. I was over the moon with that one. Two days later, the Billikens were eliminated by Michigan State after a valiant effort, but SLU had a great run this season.

I drove to the Scott Gallagher Complex in Maryland Heights early Saturday afternoon for some games, but the weather prevented the matches from happening. Lightning touched down not far from our location, plus a major storm front was headed our way. Since USSF guidelines say for us to wait 30 minutes after the last lightning touchdown in the field's vicinity before starting or restarting play, and with the storm front passing through, the games were called off for my crew and the teams. The next afternoon (18 March), we had nicer weather for the two games we did at Scott Gallagher.

Monday afternoon, I finished up a short proofread job for the marketing communications committee of GO! Network; namely, a two-page brochure insert on Go's new veterans outreach program. I emailed the proofread copy back to the committee head late that afternoon, and seeing her the next morning at the GO! Network workshop, the committee members greatly appreciated my help on that bit. The workshop this week had speed networking, as attendees were placed up to eight at a table and given 60 seconds to state our case (the "elevator speech" approach) and exchange business cards. Then, after everyone at our table had his or her say, we were sent to other tables to interact with a new group. There were five such cycles, so we had quite a few people to give our presentations to and perhaps find someone who can be of particular help in our respective job searches.

That night, I got the fellowship hall at Calvary ready for hosting the IPMS/Gateway meeting. I have a demo on adding cockpit and landing gear areas to aircraft models lacking these details, using bits of sheet plastic. It was a nice meeting and I stayed afterward to clean up the hall and stack tables and chairs.

Last night, I was at the Great Escape Gravois Bluffs Cinema in Fenton to watch a special, one-night-only, 70th anniversary screening of "Casablanca." It's one of my all-time favorite movies, and a favorite of quite a few people. I ordered my ticket online that afternoon and it was a good thing, as they had a sell out crowd for the screening. I really enjoyed seeing the movie on a large movie screen in a dark theater with others. You can't beat that experience.

Later.