The Ste.Gen. Warriors

Yesterday was the first soccer game of the new season for the Ste.Gen.Men.

Yes we are back. David Fritsch put his heart and soul in recruiting a bunch of Mavericks ready to battle some 20+ year old kids. After taking two hard hits in the last two games of the previous season, I contemplated retirement. But David wouldn't let me walk away from the game. He pushed all the right buttons, and just like Brett Favre - did I just compared myself to Brett? well we are both 40 and like purple - I decided to play one more season.

In the meantime, David had already - allegedly - 10 committed guys included himself + an extra 3/4 guys who would show up based on their availability.

Well, at 5.20 pm last night, we were only 6 + our goalie Bryce Roderick on the field.

Remember you need 5 players on the field at all time, meaning only 1 of our guys can rest while the others are trying to keep up with a solid Bosnian Team. Usually, we rotate 10 guys.

How can I describe the feeling of knowing we were way shorthanded facing a team we already lost to - 13 to 3 - during Season 1 when we had a full roster?.......



or maybe like.......



The ref. blows the whistle and the game is on its way. For the first 7 minutes, we are playing even. No score, lots of solid soccer. Bryce is already making some incredible saves.

We played a 2-1-2 formation. David Fritsch and Imran Zoberi on defense, Buzz Zarelli or me at midfield and Kevin McDaniel and John Garza as forward.

As we started to wear down a bit, the Bosnian Team managed to score 3 quick goals. At half-time, the score is 5-1.

I realized that Imran was the only guy on our team who didn't take a break. As it turned out, he would play the entire game without resting, then confessed to me that sitting would have make it worse to get back on the field. What a WARRIOR!

We played with courage and never argued or complained about the situation. We kept pushing forward despite the fact that physically, it was getting harder and harder.
Fritsch and Garza faded first but stayed on the field and fought like I've never seen them fight before. Mad Props to both of you as well.

The final score was 8-3, I believe. I must add that their goalie had a terrific game as we managed a ton of shots.

I am very proud of our guys. We never let go or quit...



If you want to join us on Sundays, Dave and I are still recruiting. Trust me, a game like the one we played yesterday makes us realize how fortunate we are to live in a neighborhood with such a special group of Guys/Dads with good heart and soul. It was a privilege to be on the battlefield with you David, Bryce, Buzz, Imran, John and Kevin last night... a very special night...

WW. Candidates for April 6 Election

Mayor & Board of Aldermen

Mayor
Laurence Howe

Ward 1
Judith Pohl

Ward 2
Mark Thompson
Tom Piotter

Ward 3
George Bruenning

Ward 4
Mike Dell'Orco

The only Battlefield will be in Ward 2 between two newcomers on the WW. Political Scene. As our beloved Mayor is stepping down, Larry Howe is stepping up to the plate, vacating his spot in Ward 2.

It will be interesting to hear about Mark & Tom's motivations in the upcoming weeks. Personally, I know Mark Thompson for a long time and I would never question his integrity and his love for Warson Woods.

I will keep a close eye on the race and will keep you posted with the latest.

The best Spa in the WW. area.

Have you heard of "Bye Bye Brow"?

I must say it is a Hidden Jewel in WW. Everyone I know raves about Fluffy's services.

So support our local businesses and give Fluffy a call...

The Winter Olympics are 22 days away...

Growing up I used to watch the Olympics for hours with my parents. And you, do you care about the Olympics?

I found this clip to warm up your morning... watch the faces of the guys behind the Athletes. They all know what is going on, they all giggle and stare but don't say a word... Typical Male Attitude!!

By the way, I love the soundtrack...

Ste Gen. Men Soccer - the Final Game today!

Let's wrap it up and say good bye.

6.10 p.m today Sunday at the Soccerdome in Brentwood.

After a tough start of the season, the WW. Men have been putting some very good performances lately. And today is the Tie Breaker against a extremely physical team -the Steve Wiebe All-Stars.

Last time we played them, words were exchanged on the field, yellow cards were thrown and bodies were flying.

Now it is the rematch. And none of us are willing to back down.

Here are both Teams' record so far:
Us: Wins zero - Tie 1(against them) - Losses 6 - Goals scored 13 - Goals scored against us 55
Them: Wins zero - Tie 1 (against us) - Losses 6 - Goals scored 18 - Goals scored against them 72

So today, we won't keep our Pants on the Ground.

CERT Classes coming up - Community Emergency Response Team

Thank you Berta & Neil Jones for sharing with us the upcoming schedule of the CERT Class. See below if you are interested.

The Glendale-Warson Woods CERT Program will host its third Basic CERT Training Class in March 2010. Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights with a practical exercise on a Saturday morning. Our 2010 Class dates are as follows:

Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 6 PM to 10 PM (classroom)
Thursday, March 4, 2010, 6 PM to 10 PM (classroom)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 6 PM to 10 PM (classroom)
Thursday, March 11, 2010, 6 PM to 10 PM (classroom)
Saturday, March 13, 2010, 9 AM to 1 PM (practical exercise)

The classroom portions will be held in the Glendale City Auditorium, 424 N. Sappington Road, Glendale, Mo.

The practical exercise will be held at the Warson Woods City Hall, 10015 Manchester Road, Warson Woods, Mo.

If you know anyone interested in taking the Basic Class, please let them know. This information will be posted in the Friday, January 15, 2010, edition of the Webster-Kirkwood Times and the Wednesday, January 20, 2010, edition of the Webster-Kirkwood Journal.

For more information, interested parties should contact our CERT Program Manager, Captain Chuck Helle, at (314) 965-7097 or chelle@glendalemo.org.

Shopping in St.Louis

Not sure where are the hidding shopping spots in St.Louis. I am on my way to New York this morning. Do you guys need me to do some shopping when I am down to the Meatpacking District where all the designers are?

Are you on Twitter?

Let's expand our local network and connections.

Find me on Twitter...
Account Name: WarsonWoods

The meaning of Life

Yesterday was the day when most my Nephews & Nieces and their friends were heading back to College. We had some very interesting topics of conversation with them over the week-end including one - The Lynzee Stauss Article. It is from 2008 I believe but for those of you who never read it... well.. enjoy...

Happy Father's Day - It is Football Playoff Week-End!!

Well, it is kind of Good News / Bad News type of deal for you Ladies. Forget about the romantic saturday night at this lovely Italian Restaurant. Going out tonight might imply hanging out with Couples at someone's house.

The upside is you have Football on TV all day today and tomorrow so grab the Credit Cards and lets enjoy those 70% discounts at your favorite Department Store.

If you take the kids - well watching their Dad screaming at the TV while eating junk food might not be a scene you want your kids to be exposed to - stay alert. With all these discounts, you might lose track of your little ones. I saw a sign at a store the other day:

Or if you don't have kids around and you don't want to watch Football with your Hubby, make a bold move and dress appropriately. Ok, not with the $799 dress you bought at Saks or Neiman Marcus... you are competing with Football.... Dress more like:

Yes, it is inexpensive but I bet you it would do the trick... you don't believe me? Bring your Hubby in front of the Computer right now and ask him.... See? Forget the Jets, the Eagles and the Cowboys, you just got yourself your own game.

Both of you can thank me later unless you go to overtime.

La Galette des Rois - King Cake

The Holiday stretch is over. Back on the Blog. Have you noticed that I joined Wikio to see where my Blog ranks among over 200,000 Blogs. 26,837!! Not a bad start.

How was your Christmas? Enjoying the cold weather? Tons of kids were sledding yesterday on the hills next to the Tennis Courts. How fun!!

I want to share a French Tradition that we celebrate this week in France and in my house in Warson Woods. My kids love it.

A celebration of Christ being visited by the Magi, the epiphany was set to January the 6th by Pope Julius II. Also known as le jour des Rois, this is the day when the three kings are traditionally added next to the crib. Over the years, this religious festival overlapped with pagan traditions that went back to the Roman Saturnalia.

From the Middle Ages, the epiphany has been celebrated with a special Twelfth Night cake: la galette des rois, literally the King's cake.

Here is the article from Wikepedia:“La galette des Rois” (the cake or "wafer" of the Kings) is a cake celebrating the Epiphany and traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after this date. In modern France, the cakes can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. The cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane.

Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany. A figurine, “la fève”, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Originally, “la fève” was literally a broad bean (fève), but they were replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain or - more recently - plastic. These figurines have become popular collectibles and can often be bought separately. Individual bakeries may offer a specialized line of fèves depicting diverse themes from great works of art to classic movie stars and popular cartoon characters.



The cakes are usually sold in special bags, some of which can be used to heat the cake in a microwave without ruining the crispness of the cake. A paper crown is included with the cake to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of cake. To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service. The King or Queen then has to choose his Queen or her King, by dropping the lucky charm in their glass.

Formerly, one divided the cake in as many shares as guests, plus one. The latter, called "the share of God," "share of the Virgin Mary," or "share of the poor" was intended for the first poor person to arrive at the home."



So where to find the King Cake?
My friend Olivier who owns "La Bonne Bouchee" makes a great "Galette des Rois".