I turned one year older last Thursday (7 Feb.). Not that I really felt or noticed the change; after all, what's one year in my life. My colleagues at the car rental facility remembered my big day with a decorated large cookie they presented me before I left work early that afternoon, and my parents treated me to dinner at Chevy's Fresh Mex in south St. Louis County. (The three of us had slices from the cookie for desert after we got back home from Chevy's.) I did get a polo shirt and a DVD (the film "Beetlejuice") from my parents, two of my brothers each gave me a Barnes & Noble gift certificate, and the third brother gave me an ebook for my Nook. I received birthday wishes from my friends and acquaintances, mostly on my Facebook profile, plus a nice card from my friend Maria Falls. Overall, a fine birthday.
The last two Saturday nights (2 and 8 Feb.), I refereed youth futsal matches at GameTime in St. Peters. Overall, the games went well, although in one game on 2 Feb. I dismissed a coach who kept dissenting with my decisions. After coming home that night, I made a report to the league on this issue. Last night went real well, with a very good partner and teams that came to play.
There was plenty of work for me at the auto rental facility this past week, as plenty of customers came to us wanting to rent vehicles. I think many of them were people whose vehicles were damaged in accidents that the snow storm we got last Sunday was a contributing factor. Anyway, we had to scramble to get vehicles ready to go. Although hectic at times, at least I had plenty to do and the work days went along better. I'm very happy to be working for this firm at this facility, with a great group of people.
Last Tuesday morning (5 Feb.) saw me get my Corolla's license plates renewed for another year at the license bureau in Oakville. I also got a bit of work done on a model I hope to finish by next Tuesday's IPMS/Gateway meeting.
After supper on Friday (8 Feb.), I went to Club 270 in Ferguson for last week's Stress Free Fridays. The group's regulars saluted me on my birthday and I had a nice time, including dancing a bit. That got my weekend off to a fine start. Yesterday, I co-hosted a new edition of Writer's Block, the monthly program on Naturally Autistic Radio (streamed via Blog Talk Radio). Normally, this show runs the first Saturday of the month at 12 pm Central Time, but it was pushed back a week due to matters at Naturally Autistic. On this month's show, host Tim Pylypiuk and I discussed video games and the writing that goes into them. I have limited experience with video games, but I did my best to keep up with Pylypiuk on this topic for the hour. The show is now available to download from this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2013/02/09/writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-11am-pst
Later.
10 February 2013
02 February 2013
Work Rolls On, and A Movie Night
Work at the auto rental firm has been going well of late. Last week, it was a matter of adjusting to fluctuating temperatures, going from unseasonably warm to bitter cold in 48 hours. Still, I persevered and helped keep our branch running smoothly, between cleaning and preparing vehicles, picking up and dropping off customers, and running personnel and vehicles between the branch and the satellite locations.
Sunday afternoon (27 Jan.) found me at The World Cafe in south St. Louis for a discussion of intimate matters with the Human Sexuality and Relationships in the 21st Century (HSR21) Meetup. Our group raised sex questions and got informed answers. A very informative and interesting time.
On my day off last Tuesday (29 Jan.), I went to the license office in south St. Louis County to renew my driver's license. After supplying the required identification information, taking the vision test, and getting my image taken, I was issued with a temporary license. This will serve me until my permanent one (good for six years) arrives in the mail in the next 10-15 days. That night, I hosted the IPMS/Gateway business meeting, which had been postponed for a week due to potential weather problems. We planned our February meeting and discussed other club matters.
The next night, I was in Maplewood for a movie night with the STL Screeners Meetup. This was at a residence of our group's leader, and several of us gathered to watch a movie on home video. I provided the night's entertainment on DVD, the 1957 drama "Sweet Smell of Success." We all had a fine time together, enjoying and discussing this movie and getting to know each other better. I'm looking forward to more such meetups in the coming months.
Last night (1 Feb.) saw me at Andre's in Oakville for the Mehlville-Oakville Alumni Association (MOAA) Trivia Night. We had a good turnout for this event, which raised money for college scholarships for Mehlville and Oakville seniors. Our table did rather well, finishing in the top half of the 28 tables playing that night.
I'm off to referee youth futsal in St. Peters tonight. Take care and talk to you soon. I'm sure with my birthday coming up this coming Thursday, I'll have something to write about.
Later.
Sunday afternoon (27 Jan.) found me at The World Cafe in south St. Louis for a discussion of intimate matters with the Human Sexuality and Relationships in the 21st Century (HSR21) Meetup. Our group raised sex questions and got informed answers. A very informative and interesting time.
On my day off last Tuesday (29 Jan.), I went to the license office in south St. Louis County to renew my driver's license. After supplying the required identification information, taking the vision test, and getting my image taken, I was issued with a temporary license. This will serve me until my permanent one (good for six years) arrives in the mail in the next 10-15 days. That night, I hosted the IPMS/Gateway business meeting, which had been postponed for a week due to potential weather problems. We planned our February meeting and discussed other club matters.
The next night, I was in Maplewood for a movie night with the STL Screeners Meetup. This was at a residence of our group's leader, and several of us gathered to watch a movie on home video. I provided the night's entertainment on DVD, the 1957 drama "Sweet Smell of Success." We all had a fine time together, enjoying and discussing this movie and getting to know each other better. I'm looking forward to more such meetups in the coming months.
Last night (1 Feb.) saw me at Andre's in Oakville for the Mehlville-Oakville Alumni Association (MOAA) Trivia Night. We had a good turnout for this event, which raised money for college scholarships for Mehlville and Oakville seniors. Our table did rather well, finishing in the top half of the 28 tables playing that night.
I'm off to referee youth futsal in St. Peters tonight. Take care and talk to you soon. I'm sure with my birthday coming up this coming Thursday, I'll have something to write about.
Later.
24 January 2013
Back to Virtually Normal Health
I'm virtually over my recent chest cold now. Just a bit of cough now and then, and an occasional drippy nose, although that's mostly due to some real cold weather lately. This morning, it was about 20 degrees below freezing when I started work, with the wind chill making it feel a bit colder. At least it should get warmer over the next few days.
Last Thursday night (17 Jan.), I was at the Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting at Creve Coeur Airport. A slideshow history of aviation in Missouri was presented, and I was able to donate two items from an IPMS/Gateway mate to the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.
Work at the auto rental firm is still going well. There's a few times when it's real slow, but not too many. Good to have plenty of work to do, and a great crew to work with every day.
Last Saturday morning (19 Jan.), I was at Creve Coeur Racquet Club refereeing four games in the Midwest Regional Futsal Tournament. My partner and I did boys games (under 13s and 12s), and they generally went well, with no real problems to deal with. Those were my only games that weekend.
On my off day last Tuesday (22 Jan.), I got the transmission fluid replaced on my Corolla, and bought some work gloves and a tire pressure gauge. These gloves work out much better than the gloves I have been using at work lately.
Later.
Last Thursday night (17 Jan.), I was at the Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting at Creve Coeur Airport. A slideshow history of aviation in Missouri was presented, and I was able to donate two items from an IPMS/Gateway mate to the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.
Work at the auto rental firm is still going well. There's a few times when it's real slow, but not too many. Good to have plenty of work to do, and a great crew to work with every day.
Last Saturday morning (19 Jan.), I was at Creve Coeur Racquet Club refereeing four games in the Midwest Regional Futsal Tournament. My partner and I did boys games (under 13s and 12s), and they generally went well, with no real problems to deal with. Those were my only games that weekend.
On my off day last Tuesday (22 Jan.), I got the transmission fluid replaced on my Corolla, and bought some work gloves and a tire pressure gauge. These gloves work out much better than the gloves I have been using at work lately.
Later.
16 January 2013
Me Under (and Through) the Weather
In case you didn't notice, I didn't post here last week. That's because I was a sick man, due to a chest cold. It made me weak, contested, and not in a mood to write. I'm getting better now, but still a ways to go until I'm fully over this. Anyway, here's my latest post for you:
Work at the auto rental firm has been going very well of late. Been putting in some long hours there, but they've been productive hours. The supervisors have been most appreciative of my efforts (and those of my fellow vehicle service agents). Plus, the customers greatly appreciate my putting forth the extra effort, in sickness and in health. Today, I picked up six customers from their residences to take them to the rental facility, so they could be back on the road. I'm proud of my work with the firm.
I had youth futsal games at Game Time on Sat., 5 Jan. They generally went well, even in dealing with a potentially troublesome coach in the last game. This weekend, I'm working the US Youth Futsal Regionals in St. Louis.
Last Monday night (7 Oct.), I was interviewed on Naturally Autistic Radio about my work editing Naturally Autistic magazine and my editing work in general. The following Thursday, I took my new Nook reader to the Barnes & Noble store in Fenton for a Nook Night, where the host explained more about the Nook's features and capabilities to customers. I found it rather informative.
That's it for now. Trying to get some more rest before an early day at work tomorrow. Later.
Work at the auto rental firm has been going very well of late. Been putting in some long hours there, but they've been productive hours. The supervisors have been most appreciative of my efforts (and those of my fellow vehicle service agents). Plus, the customers greatly appreciate my putting forth the extra effort, in sickness and in health. Today, I picked up six customers from their residences to take them to the rental facility, so they could be back on the road. I'm proud of my work with the firm.
I had youth futsal games at Game Time on Sat., 5 Jan. They generally went well, even in dealing with a potentially troublesome coach in the last game. This weekend, I'm working the US Youth Futsal Regionals in St. Louis.
Last Monday night (7 Oct.), I was interviewed on Naturally Autistic Radio about my work editing Naturally Autistic magazine and my editing work in general. The following Thursday, I took my new Nook reader to the Barnes & Noble store in Fenton for a Nook Night, where the host explained more about the Nook's features and capabilities to customers. I found it rather informative.
That's it for now. Trying to get some more rest before an early day at work tomorrow. Later.
03 January 2013
Into 2013
Last Friday (28 Dec.), after a long day working at the car rental firm, I drove through a snowy night to Mike George's house in Florissant for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting. We planned the January meeting, discussed a bit of club business, settled on the special categories for the 2013 Modeler of the Year contests, and handed off to the new executive board. (I'm staying put at vice president again this year.)
The next morning (29 Dec.), I worked at the car rental firm. My duties cleaning and prepping the rental cars were complicated a bit by the snow-covered streets, but it was fine. After that, I drove to the Thornhill Branch Library in Creve Coeur to take down my models from the IPMS/St. Louis display there in December.
Sunday night had me at Christian Academy refereeing four high school boys futsal matches. The games generally went well, with no real incidents for my partner and I to worry about.
Back at work on Monday (31 Dec.), my colleagues and I were kept busy with getting rental vehicles ready for customers prior to New Year's. At least I'm busy most of the time, which is good. (I hate when things are idle and I have to wait for stuff to do. That's very seldom at my job.)
New Year's Eve was a low-key time. I wanted to get some rest after the long work day, and I ended up sleeping through midnight. No big deal for me. I relaxed at home on New Year's Day, and was back at work the next day.
I was off work today, which I used to get a haircut, color over my gray hair atop my head, and get some khaki slacks for work. Back to work tomorrow (4 Jan.).
Later.
The next morning (29 Dec.), I worked at the car rental firm. My duties cleaning and prepping the rental cars were complicated a bit by the snow-covered streets, but it was fine. After that, I drove to the Thornhill Branch Library in Creve Coeur to take down my models from the IPMS/St. Louis display there in December.
Sunday night had me at Christian Academy refereeing four high school boys futsal matches. The games generally went well, with no real incidents for my partner and I to worry about.
Back at work on Monday (31 Dec.), my colleagues and I were kept busy with getting rental vehicles ready for customers prior to New Year's. At least I'm busy most of the time, which is good. (I hate when things are idle and I have to wait for stuff to do. That's very seldom at my job.)
New Year's Eve was a low-key time. I wanted to get some rest after the long work day, and I ended up sleeping through midnight. No big deal for me. I relaxed at home on New Year's Day, and was back at work the next day.
I was off work today, which I used to get a haircut, color over my gray hair atop my head, and get some khaki slacks for work. Back to work tomorrow (4 Jan.).
Later.
28 December 2012
Happy Days: Starting New Job, and Christmas
I started with the car rental firm on Thursday morning, 20 Dec., with orientation at their HR office. I just over one hour, myself and three other new hires (including one who's also working at my location) filled out paperwork, went over company policies, and were issued company shirts and beanies. We also got our first work assignments. The weather was OK that morning; not so much that afternoon, causing postponement of that night's Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting.
I was at the rental location in west St. Louis County by 7:30 am to start my work. I learned from my supervisor about cleaning the cars: taking them to a nearby car wash, if necessary, then vacuuming and wiping the interior before putting them on our lot ready to rent. I was there until early that afternooon. So far, so good.
I was at Christian Academy in Maryland Heights for five futsal games the next afternoon (22 Dec.). I had one game that got real contentious and needed real close watch, but the rest of the contests were fine. After coming home to shower and change, I was at Del Miller's house in south St. Louis County for his annual Christmas party. It was a fine time, seeing several mates from IPMS/St. Louis and others Del knows. Several attendees congratulated me on the new job and we had plenty to eat and drink.
After a rather low key Christmas Eve (including an evening church service at Calvary), Christmas Day was quite nice. I was most pleasantly surprised to receive a NOOK HD reader from my brothers. It wasn't on my wish list, but it was most appreciated. After a hitch in getting signed on with this tablet, it has been working real good. I've already downloaded a few book samples and two books to it. I also received four DVDs on my wish list; "Help!" (1965), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "The Piano" (1993), and "Von Ryan's Express" (1965). My parents' friend Cindy Strohm came for the day and helped prepare a delicious turkey dinner for us.
Early the next morning, I was on the job at the car rental place, doing my work cleaning and prepping cars, plus occasionally picking up and dropping off rental customers. It was a full day (with lunch break), and I did the same yesterday.
Back at the job this afternoon, then at the IPMS/Gateway business meeting tonight.
This is likely my last blog post of 2012, so in case I don't post here sooner, Happy New Year!
Later.
I was at the rental location in west St. Louis County by 7:30 am to start my work. I learned from my supervisor about cleaning the cars: taking them to a nearby car wash, if necessary, then vacuuming and wiping the interior before putting them on our lot ready to rent. I was there until early that afternooon. So far, so good.
I was at Christian Academy in Maryland Heights for five futsal games the next afternoon (22 Dec.). I had one game that got real contentious and needed real close watch, but the rest of the contests were fine. After coming home to shower and change, I was at Del Miller's house in south St. Louis County for his annual Christmas party. It was a fine time, seeing several mates from IPMS/St. Louis and others Del knows. Several attendees congratulated me on the new job and we had plenty to eat and drink.
After a rather low key Christmas Eve (including an evening church service at Calvary), Christmas Day was quite nice. I was most pleasantly surprised to receive a NOOK HD reader from my brothers. It wasn't on my wish list, but it was most appreciated. After a hitch in getting signed on with this tablet, it has been working real good. I've already downloaded a few book samples and two books to it. I also received four DVDs on my wish list; "Help!" (1965), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "The Piano" (1993), and "Von Ryan's Express" (1965). My parents' friend Cindy Strohm came for the day and helped prepare a delicious turkey dinner for us.
Early the next morning, I was on the job at the car rental place, doing my work cleaning and prepping cars, plus occasionally picking up and dropping off rental customers. It was a full day (with lunch break), and I did the same yesterday.
Back at the job this afternoon, then at the IPMS/Gateway business meeting tonight.
This is likely my last blog post of 2012, so in case I don't post here sooner, Happy New Year!
Later.
19 December 2012
A Great Christmas Gift Arriving Early
I received great news last Monday (17 Dec.) about a job. More on that later.
Last Friday morning (14 Dec.), I was at Gravois Bluffs Shopping Center in Fenton with my fellow IPMS/Gateway member, Tom Bogacki. We presented our $400 check to the US Marine Corps Reserve for their Toys for Tots campaign in Metro St. Louis. Our club has raised funds to donate to Toys for Tots annually since 1990, and I know the Marines really appreciated our efforts. I got word out on our donation to IPMS/USA and to local media, although our happy news was overshadowed by the tragedy in Connecticut that same morning.
I was refereeing soccer and futsal the next day, starting with running lines on two National Premier League (NPL) girls' matches at the Soccer Park that afternoon. It went rather well, with no incidents for our crew to deal with. That night, I was at Creve Coeur Racquet Club for four youth futsal matches. The next afternoon found me at GameTime in St. Peters for four more futsal matches.
Late Monday afternoon, I received a phone call from the auto rental firm I had interviewed with six days before (Tue., 11 Dec.). They called to offer me the customer service job, as a part-time vehicle service agent. Basically, I'd be cleaning up, topping up and preparing rental vehicles for their next customers. I accepted right away, and the human resource person told me to report for orientation Thursday morning (20 Dec.). I'm really looking forward to getting started with this job, and we'll see what happens from there.
I was in a very good mood that night when I was at the Eastern Missouri Soccer Referee Association (EMSRA) party at d. Dooley's 026 Grill in Fenton. A bunch of us referees were there, and we had a fun time socializing, eating and drinking.
Early next morning, I took my Corolla to the dealership for an oil change and service check. The technician recommended some other service--some of more higher priority--and I went with some now and others will wait for early next year. After I got home, I finished up my Christmas shopping for the family. That night, IPMS/Gateway held its monthly meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church. We had elections for next year's officers--I was re-elected vice president--and we had our annual model kit recognition contest, which I scored very well at.
This morning, I attended the Job Readiness Training meeting at MERS-Goodwill. It was my last one, since I found work, but I was able to provide inspiration for my fellow job seekers. This afternoon, I began in earnest getting out my Christmas newsletter (which I send in lieu of Christmas cards) to family and friends. I was mailing out those that could only be sent by U.S. Mail today; the rest of the list can be handled via e-mail.
Later.
Last Friday morning (14 Dec.), I was at Gravois Bluffs Shopping Center in Fenton with my fellow IPMS/Gateway member, Tom Bogacki. We presented our $400 check to the US Marine Corps Reserve for their Toys for Tots campaign in Metro St. Louis. Our club has raised funds to donate to Toys for Tots annually since 1990, and I know the Marines really appreciated our efforts. I got word out on our donation to IPMS/USA and to local media, although our happy news was overshadowed by the tragedy in Connecticut that same morning.
I was refereeing soccer and futsal the next day, starting with running lines on two National Premier League (NPL) girls' matches at the Soccer Park that afternoon. It went rather well, with no incidents for our crew to deal with. That night, I was at Creve Coeur Racquet Club for four youth futsal matches. The next afternoon found me at GameTime in St. Peters for four more futsal matches.
Late Monday afternoon, I received a phone call from the auto rental firm I had interviewed with six days before (Tue., 11 Dec.). They called to offer me the customer service job, as a part-time vehicle service agent. Basically, I'd be cleaning up, topping up and preparing rental vehicles for their next customers. I accepted right away, and the human resource person told me to report for orientation Thursday morning (20 Dec.). I'm really looking forward to getting started with this job, and we'll see what happens from there.
I was in a very good mood that night when I was at the Eastern Missouri Soccer Referee Association (EMSRA) party at d. Dooley's 026 Grill in Fenton. A bunch of us referees were there, and we had a fun time socializing, eating and drinking.
Early next morning, I took my Corolla to the dealership for an oil change and service check. The technician recommended some other service--some of more higher priority--and I went with some now and others will wait for early next year. After I got home, I finished up my Christmas shopping for the family. That night, IPMS/Gateway held its monthly meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church. We had elections for next year's officers--I was re-elected vice president--and we had our annual model kit recognition contest, which I scored very well at.
This morning, I attended the Job Readiness Training meeting at MERS-Goodwill. It was my last one, since I found work, but I was able to provide inspiration for my fellow job seekers. This afternoon, I began in earnest getting out my Christmas newsletter (which I send in lieu of Christmas cards) to family and friends. I was mailing out those that could only be sent by U.S. Mail today; the rest of the list can be handled via e-mail.
Later.
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