Idioms, Idioms and Face the Devil - a salient morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

I started us off with idioms....  We discovered that...

* TM Randolph tells his kids to "Boom, run" which is the salient equivalent of making a beeline.

* TM Cory, MBA, recently celebrated in Mexico City and loved it all except he had to chew fat when he ordered a steak.  Heimlich Maneuver, here it comes!

* TM Gail made an approximation of Bill's Your Uncle to Bob's Your Uncle.  There you are...  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Veronica stays cool as a cucumber and prevents eye inflammation with cucumber beauty masks.

* TM BeckyJo likes all different kettles of fish except Tilapia and in her wild college days used to drink champagne and molusks.

* TM David reasoned that when pigs fly means that something is not bound to happen; however, he enjoys eating pork like his mother used to prepare.

We heard (1) humorous prepared speech and (1) motivational speech:

* TM Christine incited audience participation while introducing popular Americanisms that foreigners do not understand, ie highway robbery becomes daylight robbery in the U.K.

* TM The Tom reminisced about his futile attempt to condense the SS Costa Concordia vessel into 7 minutes and recommended that speakers keep it simple and mentor others who are fishing for minnows.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM David praised TM Christine for her Americanisms and suggested she speak slower so even Americans can understand her American-ness.  LOL!! He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM BeckyJo acknowledged TM The Tom's goal to encourage newer Toastmasters and suggested he condense and reiterate the beginning of his condensation.

The Word of the Day was

SALIENT, adj

Very important or noticeable

Example:  The salient truth is that Americanisms are twelve of one, half a dozen of another.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UblKKKMJh9U

Next week is our Evaluations Contest!!

See you then!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

First Day of School, Undesirable? Living Large, Living Small - let's stipulate it at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM BeckyJo started us off with carefully researched Table Topics about First Day of School customs in various countries....

* TM Gail exercised as School Principal only one year because First Day of School problems between students, faculty, janitors, supervisors, maintenance crew was simply too much and not stipulated in her job description.

* TM Jim, calling in from Japan, thinks an apple is still the best token of appreciation for good teachers/mentors, rather than flowers that wilt.

* Guest and former TM Kit's most precious possession is her wedding ring which came wrapped and enclosed in a $300 leather backpack, customary in Japan.

* Area Director TM Rachel is all for improving the workplace by providing food mindfulness and a siesta after a scrumptious lunch, as they presumably do in schools in France.   She Won Best Table Topics Award.  Note from Recap Writer:  Our French member, TM David, gently insinuated he does not recall 2-hour lunches in his school days in France.  Just sayin'.....

* TM Veronica's symbolic celebration is a dance party and implementing 2-hour leisurely school lunches in the US, much like they do in Spain and Argentina.  

* Guest and former TM Randy will command artificial intelligence  (more artificial than intelligent) to remove visitors' shoes when they enter his cabin.

* TM  Christine fondly recalls her first days of school and embarks on new beginnings with a MIckey Mouse backpack full of candy.

We had two fantabulous prepared speeches today...

* TM Marie led us down our collective path of phone addiction, which originally began in innocent, simpler days of avoiding the Molasses Swamp in Candyland and then we all mentally sang Laura Branigan's hit song Self-Control to relieve anxiety and stress.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Chris entertained us with her skillful presentation of their maritime sojourn since April and guided us into the future with a fantastic slideshow and maps depicting the trajectory of their residence ship, again proving that you can live small and live VERY large simultaneously. How does she create the moving little Villa Vie all over the mappa mundi???  Ah..... the wonder of it all...    Welcome back, TM Chris.

And then came Evaluations...

* TM Jorge (first-time evaluator? great job!) praised TM Marie for her inspirational speech steering us away from scrolling - the new smoking- to get out of our quagmire... and he subtly suggested she wear anti-glare eyeglasses.... 

* TM Randolph was captivated by TM Chris' ability to live in a small cabin within a VERY BIG house and he'd like to know where she got her bed risers for extra storage.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

Our General Evaluator, TM Jose, gave a comprehensive General Evaluation report, stemming from his keen sense of observation.  Good job TM Jose!

Our Area Director, TM Rachel, a self-proclaimed night owl, gave EarlyBirds a raving review and stipulated she will be our Guest Speaker in our Evaluations Contest.  Thank you, TM Rachel!

Dates to Remember:

Club Evaluations Contest:  Thursday August 28

Club Humorous Contest:  Thursday September 4

The Word of the Day was

STIPULATE, verb

To demand or request that something be part of an agreement or a contract between two or several parties.

Example:  Per our friendship agreement, it is stipulated that you will laugh at all my jokes, no matter how bad they are.

Here's the link to the recording....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P4fwXS-0pY

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Idioms & Proverbs, Leadership Styles and Unsung Heroes - a peopled meeting at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

In honor of our late TM Carmine, TM Randolph led us in idioms and proverbs.  We soon learned that...

* TM The Tom usually bites more than he can chew and tries to make sense of it  while speaking Gaelic.

* TM Veronica recalled this was one of her Dad's favorite expressions but if you enjoy something, do it often instead of once in a blue moon!

* TM Gail has counted her chickens before they hatched plenty of times and learned that it only leads to broken plans and disappointments.  Life is what happens while we're busy making other plans, as John Lennon used to say...

* TM David's grandpa used to say be happy with what you have instead of wishing for what you don't - bird in hand is better than 2 birds in the bush.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Christina's Dutch ancestry makes her avoid beating around the bush and she is very direct even if it's hard on the other person, but her Canadian side softens it up.

* TM Jorge ate plenty of pasta while spending time in Rome and doing as the Romans do....

* I, Ana, mused that words are empty when not backed by loud actions....

* TM Cory thinks he will build muscle by buying books on bodybuilding and stacking them neatly on his bookshelf.  Don't we all wish...

We had (2) excellent speeches...

* TM Pam described several leadership styles - coaching, innovative, authoritative (her favorite) and democratic while cajoling her youngest daughter to learn how to ride a bike in Long Key State Park.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta inspired us with the kindness of strangers who helped her untangle the chaos produced by an Act of Nature.

Along came evaluations...

* First-time evaluator TM Christina loved TM Pam's speech and as a child growing up in a helmetless world, she related to Pam's daughter...  Great job, Christina!

* TM David loved TM Aleta's phrase "Hope is never washed away" because perfect strangers become friends when disaster strikes.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was 

PEOPLED, verb

To populate, inhabit

PEOPLED, adjective

To be filled with people

Example:  It is people who are peopled by constantly peopling those peopled.

We had a plesantly surprising visit from TM Chris and TM Jim all the way from Japan, where cities are densely peopled!  Great to see you, friends!

Next week we will receive the visit of our Area Director.  

Here's the link to the recording....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDITWQ86bM  

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

Choices, Race to Space and Blue Bicycles - a moment to linger at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

TM The Tom led us in Table Topics and took some flak for (perceived) goofy choices... (they seemed very logical to The Tom)...

* TM Christina hates both massages - waste of time and money- and mani-pedis, since as a technician-pleaser she has walked around for 2 weeks with green nailpolish and not saying a word.

* TM Pam stays away from being too good at anything or she gets stuck being asked by slackers.  She's a self-described mediocre watercolor painter but by golly, she enjoys it and who knows, her art may someday be displayed at MOMA.

* TM Veronica hates to be tickled and would much rather be pinched for 3 minutes; however she prefers gentle Swedish massages and lets her husband be contorted into a pretzel by vicious Thai masseuses. 

* DTM Mary Helen will get a barking cat because she needs her house to be guarded and a meowing dog is a non-guardian freak of nature.

* TM Aleta avoids quacking like a duck and much prefers to chirp like a canary... or even better, she sings like a canary - but definitely not in a coal mine!

* TM Jose recalled the days of strobe lights and dry ice smoke in discoteques but is unfamiliar with foam parties or whipped cream (aka shaving cream) baths.  He's looking into buying a bathtub and will report back.

We had (2) outstanding prepared speeches today.

* TM Cory explained that the Race to Space is back on full force - Space X preparing trips to Mars and NASA preparing a lunar base.  There's collaboration rather than competition and the benefits have included GPS, hurricane tracking, robotic surgery, water filtration and potential new friends in other galaxies.

* TM BeckyJo painted a picture of blue bikes representing community in war-torn anti-semitic Holland during WWII, when her friend Wilhelmina (Ellie) lived in an armoire of kind Allied collaborators until they won.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

First-time General Evaluator TM David did an outstanding job... And as far as evaluations go...

* TM Randolph asked TM Cory to focus on captivating an audience who may not be so interested in space travel by using specific examples and more vivid stories.

* TM Pam praised TM BeckyJo for her storytelling skills and asked her to focus on looking straight at the camera instead of the little squares that fill the scrreen.  A challenging feat while in Zoomland.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

LINGER, verb

Slow in parting or quitting something

Still present but waning in strength

Example:  To understand Scots, you need to hurkle durkle and get your ears acclimated to their wee vocal variety.  Aye!

The link to the recording is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpUtJpigKB8

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

Administrator Console, But For a Small Twist of Fate, Protecting Girls' Sports - a morning of great impetus at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam introduced us to different facets of the Administrator's Console in our EarlyBirds website.  We realized that...

* TM Randolph understands that, although an annoyance, he needs a secondary email so when he drifts away from our group, we can reach out to him and reel him back in!!

* TM Marie joined EarlyBirds on a Mad Hatter day when our late DTM Kip was at his funniest and she just couldn't resist and joined on the spot.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Christina started FB while in college but doesn't use it anymore.  She uses - and recommends - Instagram, Instagram, Instagram.

* TM BeckyJo recommends that your pubic bio best include why you joined TM, why you stay.  If you have a colorful, intriguing life, describe it.  And keep your old picture in there!

Along came (2) longer-than-usual speeches...

* I, TM Ana, shared with the audience my personal recollections of leaving Communist Cuba in 1960 and shared some factual data about pre-Castro Cuba.  I Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta regaled us with a speech about her Protect Girls' Sports presentation in BPW (Business Professional Women),  which was arbitrarily handled outside of her presence and betrayed her, but primarily betrayed young girls and women.  We hope there is more action to be taken by you, TM Aleta!

As far as evaluations...

* TM Gail praised my father's impetus in taking the family out of an increasingly perilous situation and suggested I allow more time for audience questions next time.

* TM Jose lauded TM Aleta's courage, empathized with her feelings of having been betrayed, liked her appropriately sober virtual background and suggested she give us a better sense of BPW's structure and a stronger ending for our "Big Comeback Toastmaster"...  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

IMPETUS, noun

Force that makes something happen or happen more quickly.

Example:  The discovery of a hidden stash of cookies was the impetus for a sugar-fueled adventure that ended with a sugar crash and a smile on my face.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OywF7Dy1LIo

See you next week!

Ana 

VP Education

Musical Metaphors, Icebreaker and Cuba - then and now; a reverberating morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Randolph pushed our melomaniac (passionate, sometimes obsessive, love for music) genes.  We soon found out that...

* TM Jose is a Professor Emeritus on Led Zeppelin and The Forbidden from the University of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.    He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Christine S. is sometimes a firework, sometimes the guest who wonders if her pyromaniac friends will set their back yard ablaze to light up the night sky...

* Guest Beatriz name-dropped her park bench acquaintance with Queens native Art of  Simon & Garfunkel fame gazing at a bridge over troubled waters...

* TM BeckyJo is a complete unknown and thankful for having sowed her wild oats pre-computer and pre-iphone and pre-social media.  No proof exists!

* TM Veronica, a boombox melomaniac, obsessively played and replayed Eminem songs to memorize what turned out to be garbled lyrics.

* Guest Kristian is frankly way too young to catch a grenade for anyone, with places to visit, people to meet all while listening to Bruno Mars' s three-octave tenor vocal range.

* Guest Alissa recognizes that John Legend is indeed a R&B and Soul blender legend but certainly not in her time.   He's 48 years OLD OLD OLD...!

Along came our newest member's ICEBREAKER..

* TM Christina revealed she shares her hometown Newmarket, Canada with none other than  celebrities John Candy and Jim Carrey.  An aerospace designer by trade, she and her gourmet chef husband sailed on a yacht "From Capri to Amsterdam, Honolulu to Siam...."  She Won Best Speaker Award.  Go Christina!

Followed by a reading about Cuba:  Then and Now..

* TM Jose flawlessly read the tragic history of Cuba, the island that meant to have a political revolt to overthrow Batista's dictatorship and got cheated into a social revolution which plummeted  the island from the top of the tier to the bottom of the barrel... and counting.  Let this horror story reverberate to others ....

Along came evaluations...

* TM BeckyJo had some practical tips for TM Christina and suggested she not screenshare her points in a slide but work on using PowerPoint for future speeches.  She congratulated Christina for marrying a handsome man who cooks.  That fact alone outranks those rocketship designs... She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen was surprised that TM Jose dispensed of his now-famous PowerPoint presentations and was glad that he read the speech in his melodious voice.

TM Veronica handled her tasks as SAA and Pollmaker seamlessly.  Good job, Veronica!

The Word of the Day was

REVERBERATE, adj

Repetition of an echo

Repeated sound

Example:  The woman's shrill laughter reverberated throughout the movie theater.

Here's the link to the recording...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvKZB80uATA

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

What's in the H?, Am I Alone In This? What Happened Along The Way - a non-putative meeting of EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Our new Sergeant-at-Arms, TM Veronica, has her role down pat by now. 

Our Invocator, TM Jose, led us in a very timely invocation.

We were visited by our new Area Director, TM Rachel!  Very honored...

TM Gail introduced various H words for our consideration as Table Topics.   We discovered that...

* TM Pam described a whirlwind of alternatives to Hurricanes - Georgia Tech, Gators, Seminoles, UCF.... and handy, convenient t-shirt gifts aplenty.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Randolph's hobby is music because he considers cooking a survival skill rather than a hobby and he's now thinking of taking up gardening.  Go for it!

* TM Veronica so loved her Asian honeymoon that she is firmly intending to renew her vows every year in order to orchestrate a party and an exotic trip to follow.

* TM Christine had a good habit of studying which led her to her aerospace engineering career - and she's now working on taking it easier as the other side of  being driven by habits.

* Area Director TM Rachel is a putative night owl but made a firm commitment to do a 'crack-of-dawner' in order to join us this morning, on her birthday.  She's a firm believer in horoscopes.  We hope you come back!

* Guest Alissa has had many heroes in life and is looking forward to becoming someone's hero which will make her feel very self-realized.

We had (2) excellent speeches today...

* TM Christine delighted us with a very humorous speech about the trials and dilemmas of those dreaded Security Questions we face in order to gain Access to our finances, travels, medical records, and the like.  You're not alone, TM Christine, in pondering whether Chunky Monkey is one word or 2 in Password World.

* DTM Mary Helen shared a heartfelt family loss intertwined with learning in TM to be a good listener, which comes in handy when you're surrounded by compulsive talkers!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Jose praised TM Christine for her very funny speech which was well structured, engaged the audience and reaffirmed that we're all in this together, inaccesible passwords and What's Our Favorite Anything - who can remember anymore?  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM BeckyJo admires DTM Mary Helen's voice modulation, security and confidence, and prowess as a powerful communicator.  We usually don't realize what happens along the way until we look in the rearview mirror...

The Word of the Day was

PUTATIVE, adj

A state of being assumed or believed, rather than definitely established.

Example:  The putative father was, in reality, her stepfather.

Here's the link to today's recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzl9wJ_SjyA

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Idioms, Interdependence and Independence - a liminal day at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Today was a liminal day at EarlyBirds:  We thanked our Immediate Past President and former Officers for their work; we installed our new Officers in their new roles and we inducted our newest member, TM Christina.  Welcome to EarlyBirds, everyone!

TM Veronica did a superb job as first-time Sargeant-at-Arms.  TM BeckyJo took the baton from our Immediate Past President, and was particularly helpful in informing and welcoming our newest member and our guest, Kristian, and reporting to all of us the good news about TM Aleta who is thankfully overcoming a natural disaster suffered by her home.  We missed you TM Aleta, and hope you return soon....

DTM Mary Helen led us with very thought-provoking idioms.  We found out that...

* TM Gail is counting her chickens before they're hatched but hopefully this 3rd time is a charm and she will be boarding her cruise in Roma, Citta Eterna (per parlare della sua natura infinita).

* Returning TM Jarrett gave his wife a surprise  anniversary trip to the Keys including a loggerhead turtle and a Goliath grouper in their scubadiving.  Actions speak louder than words!  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jorge is happy he joined EarlyBirds when he did because it's definitely better late than never!

* TM Jose always chased the grass that was greener on the other side of the fence and found out that it was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!

* TM Veronica likes to look before she leaps but sometimes looking turns into staring and she wants to learn to shorten the observation stage.

* TM Christina believes that honesty is the best policy because frankly, she's a bad liar and she always gets caught...

* TM Cory is risk-averse and prefers a bird in hand than two in the bush.

* TM BeckyJo knows the early bird catches the worm because worms are out early morning before it gets too hot and besides, her neighbor's grass IS always greener than hers - or most of the year anyway.

* TM David knows that when in Rome you must do as the Romans do, or as our guest Kristian would say "when in Milan, have a veal milanese."

We had two fabulous speeches today...

* TM Pam related the history of EarlyBirds and how our interdependence has gotten us through liminal moments to how we are thriving today.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM The Tom gave a suspenseful speech about Gouverneur Morris, who hand-wrote The Preamble and the Constitution, created the street grid of Lower Manhattan and was homesteaded in a certain Gettysburg Address.

And then came the evaluations..

* TM David complimented TM Pam for her well-presented history of EarlyBirds and finding out about the Creator of the Peak of the Week.  

* TM Christine praised TM The Tom for keeping the main character of his speech as a Mystery Man with an unusual French name and, as Tom predicted, nobody had heard of him before.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

LIMINAL, adj.

Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.

Relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.

Example:  TM Jorge hit the bullseye choosing this Word of the Day as our EarlyBirds Club is in a liminal stage.  Good job, Jorge!

Here is the link to the recording....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUhsR-R2wNA

See you next week!

Ana

VP Education

Resilience, Glory of God and What's in a name? a morning of glimmer at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We inducted our returning TM Christine formally into our Club.  Welcome back, Christine!

TM Marie launched us on a glimmer of resilience.  We discovered that...

* TM Christine's heroic effort consisted of getting a degree in Oxford at midlife while doing standup comedy with a British accent.

* TN The Tom is "the comeback kid" - overcame a health hardship and turned into a fish in a glimmering pond.

* TM Aleta overcomes adversity day by day, step by step, shovel by shovel, while anticipating a visit from the glimmering Samaritan's Purse.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Cory is mastering rising above it, talking when the mind goes blank while envisioning TM Jorge's AH, ER, YOU KNOW screen flashing in his mind's eye.

* Guest Christina converts triggers into glimmers of the day and her family, work and trip to Fairfax and Toronto rank in top relevancy.

* TM Randolph's faith gets him through the challenges of daily life with an unwavering moral code.

* TM Jose likens his life to a chu-chu train with different stops for different folks and is managing the Reservations Desk for visiting friends at his home in Javea, Spain.

Along came our prepared speeches...

* TM BeckyJo regaled us with a sailor's tale of triumph over adversity while proclaiming The Glory of God.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* I, Ana, revealed the little-known story of the origin of our city's name, tracing it back to wee William Wallace, aka Braveheart, aka Mel Gibson,  glimmering hero of the Scots.

TM Jose performed as first-time General Evaluator and glimmered steadily throughout...

* TM Cory asked TM BeckyJo to clarify if Boston Whaler and Laser is a marine mammal with a Boston accent and having laser cataract surgery.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph asked that for the love of Scots, I repeat the speech with a wee bit of humor added to it.

The Word of the Day was

GLIMMER,

noun - a faint or unsteady light

verb - shine faintly or unsteadily

Example: To identify your glimmers, pay attention to your senses, notice what brings you a sense of peace or joy, and reflect on activities that make you feel energized and alive.   So there....

Here is the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmMBSIjcL5U

See you next week at Inauguration!  Dress code:  pyjama pants and a chic top will do!

Ana 

VP Education

First liners, Core Strength and Influencers - a curated meeting of Early Birds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM BeckyJo gave us intriguing literary first liners.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Gail is living in the best of times and the worst of times but through it all we need to help and serve each other.

* DTM Mary Helen wishes her benign, frail grandmother had exploded and been a stronger role model in her life...

* TM Randolph really envisioned his imaginary twin children meeting up with dragons in the vegetable garden.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM David segued impeccably from getting the willies to living in the best of times and the worst of times.  Well done, TM David!

* TM Jorge agrees that families are not uniformly unhappy and parents are responsible for making a positive or negative impact on their kids.

* I, Ana, knew that my topic came from a bright cold day somewhere in Europe because it used the ever-confusing military time.

We had (2) outstanding prepared speeches...

* TM Jose educated us about Pilates, formerly known as contrology but too controlling of a term to prevail and reform the core of your inner sanctum.

* TM Marie talked about the fleeting fame of influencers and the lasting community of true world restoration.  She Won Best Speaker Award.  Note: Her story is from The Birthday of the World by Rachel Naomi Remen.

Along came evaluations...

* TM David praised TM Jose for his educational, masterful speech delivered in a smooth soothing voice.  TM David may heed the call to action and sign up for concentration, control and breathing.  Go Pilates!  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph admitted TM Marie's speech captivated him from the start and this will be a praiseful evaluation, and he kept his word!

The Word of the Day was

CURATE, verb

To select the best or most appropriate for presentation.

Example:  It is wise to curate our clutter  when we are planning to move.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FHTN4B6m2I

See you next week!

Ana I

Curated Recap Writer

Father's Day, Small Claims Case and Dad Collection - no minutia at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

I started us off on Father's Day-related Table Topics....

* TM Marie will accommodate her wonderful husband's request for Father's Day by gifting him a day of peace and quiet1

* TM Jose declared himself the Great White Hunter of pesky mosquitoes on Spain's Father's Day (also his Saint's Day), and US Father's Day.  He enjoys every celebration!

* TM David reminisced about his own father, an intelligent, clever, compassionate, old-school Father who was born in Martinique.

* TM Randolph cannot pinpoint a memorable Father's Day because they are all memorable - and he has learned not to treat his children's problems as minutiae.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

We then had prepared speeches...

* TM David recounted a landlord-renter small claims case he is currently experiencing where he wants to establish fairness, clarity and justice.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Christine shared her Dad Collection - men who were father figures to her in assorted ways - by answering her questions "Do I have value?" and "Am I loved?" 

As far as evaluations went...

* TM BeckyJo gave very helpful tips to TM David about Florida laws and how to masterfully present his case to the judge.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph praised TM Christine for her touching speech and encouraged her to make more eye contact with her audience.

The Word of the Day was

MINUTIA, noun

A small or minor detail

Example  The important things in life are usually mistakenly considered minutae.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OdYHshjJOw

Our new officers will be installed in early July by the incoming Area Director.

Sargeant-at-Arms:  Veronica

President: BeckyJo 

Immediate Past President: Aleta

VP Education: Ana

Treasurer: Marie 

Secretary: The Tom

VP Membership: Cory

VP Public Relations: David

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

June, The Elks Rest, A Commonplace Book - a tech-risible morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta led us in a June series of Table Topics.  We found out that...

* TM Jose is aka Mr. Chocolate for his all-time favorite ice cream flavor.... He loves "polos" - chocolate ice cream on a stick that gives you both mobility and edibility.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Veronica watched the Marilyn Monroe documentary and feels compassion for such a beautiful person - inside and out- who lived such a tragic life.  Had she avoided drugs and alcohol, who knows? She would perhaps be celebrating her 100th birthday next year!

* TM Pam has never been to a professional tennis match but her kids were once coached by Jimmy Evert and they didn't even know it!

* TM BeckyJo had a handsome tennis coach in Vancouver hired by her mother who really enjoyed male eye candy... BeckyJo ran marathons on Summer Solstice Day, just so you know....

* TM Gail has a special flag from her son which she will keep forever and she recalls  displaying all United Nations flags as a school project in the 6th grade.

* TM Christine could not think of Dad jokes but she is an avid tennis fan and has watched many professional matches.

* Guest Kris has no idea why there are so many June weddings - all she knows is she's having a birthday coming up... First things first!

* TM David has no objection to girls named June but his favorite girl's name is Catherine with a French accent.  Ohlala....!

Along came the prepared speeches...

* I, Ana, talked about a fascinating piece of Fort Lauderdale history:  The Elks Lodge, host venue of many memorable events, watering hole of many legendary celebrities and soon to be reopening after a long legal battle.

* TM The Tom regaled us with a helpful speech about A Commonplace Book, where one keeps quotable quotes, ideas for speeches and other sources for speech topics.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM David enjoyed my speech and suggested I use more vocal variety, hand gestures, and introduce exciting stories into the speech that will captivate the audience.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Christine kindly asked TM The Tom to step out of the closet - or at least blur it - or the audience starts to make mental grocery lists.  She enjoyed the purpose of the speech - to give practical tips to the rest of us to find topics for speeches.

The Word of the Day was

RISIBLE, adj.

capable of laughing, disposed to laugh

Example:  Today's meeting was chock-full of risible technical bumps; however, we pulled ourselves together and risibly figured them out.  Go EarlyBirds Learning Lab!

The link to the recording is here (thank you Jose!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BMtz1NV_PQ

See you next week!

Ana I.

Risible Recap Writer

Looking back, The Model Prayer and Let It Go - a gallant morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM David launched us off by having us take a look at our past....

* TM Gail would tell her younger self to take the job she turned down, although in hindsight, it turned out to be the right choice!

* TM The Tom made a turning point decision to write down his memoir for his children to enjoy.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Guest Kimberly would not compare herself to others if she could change one thing about her life.  She would focus on her own life!

* TM BeckyJo took longer to learn math, which she thought was irrelevant, and it turned out to be present everywhere in her life.  2 + 2 = 4

* TM Jorge regrets having dropped out of high school although he later made out all right!

* TM Veronica's most valuable lesson has been not to get distracted by distractions and focus on being herself.

* DTM Mary Helen wishes she had learned to ski as a girl, learned a musical instrument, although she became a professional astrologer  while playing the ukelele and signing German songs.

* I, Ana, would have chosen to study a career instead of wasting my time figuring out how to buy myself trendy clothes.

Then we listened to prepared speeches...

* TM Aleta presented a detailed description of The Lord's Prayer, where we pour out our hearts to God instead of using it as a private wish factory.

* TM Pam redid her Let It Go speech about purging holy family relics by storing them in Nostalgia Plastic Bins.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding our evaluations....

* TM BeckyJo commended TM Aleta for speaking at a moment's notice and urged her to watch prolific speakers to improve her vocal variety.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM The Tom praised TM Pam's ability to purge her belongings while singing Let It Go in B-minor and assigning her husband one storage drawer in the entire household.  

The Word of the Day was

GALLANT, adj

brave, heroic

Example:  At EarlyBirds we learn to be gallant while improvising different tasks.

The link to the recording is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5j-t_WEPM4

See you next week!

Ana

VP Education