Fwd: One Word Topics, The Tower of Babbel and Lady MacBeth - a tendentious morning at EarlyBirds!



Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Self-described Lazy Topic Master Chris led us on monothematic topics.  We found out that....

* TM Ricardo smiles with his grandkids but finds it hard to smile at the local Chicago temperature.  Yikes!

* TM BeckyJo has discovered a fountain of potential plagiarism which she hopes will lead her to become The Queen of Remarkable Language Gems.

* TM Jim started out as a tv cameraman and is now mostly a Zoom cameraman.  He simply cannot forget flashbulbs and Instamatics. Those were the days, my friend....(sung to the tune of Those Were the Days My Friend)

* Guest Roslyn stated that as everyone knows, a frown is a smile upside down and proceeded to use the Word of the Day which left us all in awe of her talent.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Emmanuel (Manny) likes relaxation but relaxation eludes him.  He then went into an echo chamber where he proceeded to relax in peace.  Good job, Manny!

* I, Ana, love comedy and the camera topic reminded me of a tragicomic incident as a teenager where I carelessly disposed of my father's expensive camera lens.  Those were the days, my friend ... (see topic #2.)

Along came two fantabulous prepared speeches...

* DTM Mary Helen said GutenMorgenGutenTagGutenAbend for starters and told us about her adventures in the Tower of Babbel. She ended with Queridosmiosesunafabulosaformadehaceramigosenotrosidiomas. Next she will start on Russian - she likes the simple ones.

* TM Aleta told us about the Scottish Curse - which is also the Scottish Purse - where soliloquies are not to be confused with monologues and theatrical superstition is to be contended with incomprehensible Old English English Leather cologne.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

And then we had some great evaluations...

* TM Pam loved DTM Mary Helen's speech but asked her to use more vocal variety in German since it's such a monotone of a language.

* First time evaluator TM Gail asked TM Aleta to record her speech on UTube and TM Gail wants the movie rights.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

TENDENTIOUS, adj.

Formal word used disapprovingly to describe someone or something biased, partial or predisposed.

Example:  Expressing or supporting a particular opinion that many others disagree with is definitely tendentious.

Here's a link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU_zvlFGTk8

See you next week!

Tendentiously recapped

Ana

National Days, But For A Twist of Fate, Conflict Resolution - a non-brusque day at Early Birds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

I, Ana, brought up Table Topics commemorated on April 18.  We soon learned that...

* TM Jim G. fondly reminisces about his magic clothes hamper which came to a brusque end when he moved to college and the hamper was magic no more...

* TM Gail is avidly planning her Jurassic Park party catered by Velociraptor Food - the entree will consist of dinosaur chicken nuggets. We are all invited!

* TM BeckyJo agrees that candy rules and is a non-sequitur, told us that she hits her neighbor's bullseye in the shooting range - stay away from her!

* DTM Jim D admires the power of the electric linemen and gave us a heartfelt rendition of Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell, searching for overloads.

* TM Aleta looooves to high five everyone she crosses in her day-to-day chores - neighbors, friends, relatives, acquaintances, strangers.  Long live joviality!

* TM The Tom finds inexcusable to try to compare alphabet soup to the mighty classic animal crackers.  Heaven forbid!

* DTM Mary Helen has motherly conversations with a recalcitrant raccoon that has moved into her back yard and is making good progress in raccoonworld.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

TM Terri ran a very smooth program as first-time Toastmaster of the Day.

As far as prepared speeches go...

* I, Ana, on the anniversary of the fated Bay of Pigs failed invasion of Cuba, recalled my harrowing childhood experience of missing by a small twist of fate - having to grow up in repression, terror and poverty.  Yikes!   I Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jose told us that conflict is inevitable but disagreements are a good way to escape insanity - doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result - by doing something different: sticking to the subject and admitting to yourself, SILENTLY, that you are absolutely right!

As far as evlauations are concerned...

* TM Randolph thanked me, Ana, for the content of my speech because he has heard many ways of spelling Cuba but never as brusquely as I did today.  He's looking forward to more harsh interpretations of the same repression.

* TM Christine praised TM Jose for a well-organized speech and enjoyed the closeups of his very attractive face.  If he's available.... match.com is the word!  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

BRUSQUE, adj.

Blunt in manner or speech to the point of ungracious harshness.

Example:  Is he/she being brusque or is it an inability to suffer fools?  That, my friends, is the harsh question....

Here's the link to the recording:

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

See you next week!

Brusquely and yet abruptly

Very seldom do I often repeat myself

Ana I.

Recap Writer

If We Had Power to Change The Past, Fun in Dysfunctional and INaturalist - a morning full of conjectures at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

DTM Mary Helen launched us into the land of conjectures.  We soon learned that...

* TM Marie has concluded that DTM Jim D.'s piercing eyes follows our every move and we later found out he's a KGB agent!

* TM Randolph would turn back time and delve into stocks and trades - with a little insider conjectures turned to facts, to be on the winning side of that roulette game.

* TM Gail would have had a front row in JFK's snowy Inauguration - when he was a promising young President and now he's mostly an airport.

* TM BeckyJo has a special talent for following DTM Jim's sleuth cat at all times.  Spy vs Spy.

* TM Tom's cherished childhood memory led to present-day blind obedience to his feline best friend.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Aleta got her best piece of advice from former boss and lasting friend, Bob, who taught her to be diplomatic.

As far as prepared speeches go...

* Returning TM Christine bared her childhood soul and showed us how to turn life into a humorously cathartic physical likeness to Jesus, courtesy of Polaroid Foogle Photos.  Welcome back, Christine!

* TM Pam urged us - and her botanical society - to become citizen  scientists and easily identify troglodytes aedon, lepidoptera, odonates, beggarticks, coriopsis laneolata and other aromatic herbs from her back yard.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

We had some great evaluations...

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Christine's proficient and improvised use of multimedia and encouraged her to kinda sorta maybe prepare her speech a few minutes before delivering it, if she wants to relinquish her title of Professional Fuzzer.   She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Aleta already got the INaturalist App, the IMarlin for Birds and Wizards, the SnailMobile for escargots, the IFishteroids for... you guessed it!  - that's how well TM Pam's Persuasive Influence Pathways worked!

First-time Grammarian TM Gail picked a great Word of the Day:

CONJECTURE, verb

To form an idea without sufficient evidence.

Example:   TM Gail wiped away any conjectures about her sharp listening Grammarian skills.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/NTngZ_W2L0k

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

If I Could Turn Back Time..., Icebreaker at the Monastery and Enchanted Island - a scrumptious meeting at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

In a competitive competition about scrumptious husband cooks, our longtime member and lasting friend, TM Ellen, revealed to us that her Sardine husband cooks her a scrumptious and crispy fish fry.. She Won Most Scrumptious Husband Cook Award.

We then embarked on a quest for transcendental revelations led by TM The Tom.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Emmanuel would switch lives for a day with his beloved wife - although he gives himself the right to reconsider when he discovers what all his wife does in a day!

* TM Aleta's favorite activity is to help others - from lending a friendly ear to a suffering soul to figuring out power switches for remedial tech students.

* TM Randolph is all ready to join Elon Musk's SpaceX/Neuralink as an expert in either one of those company missions/visions - NOT.

* TM Marie wishes to go back in time via Zoom to listen in to our forefathers and their heated discussions about where to insert commas regarding correct grammar democracy and our Constitution.

* TM Jared learned the most from the many mistakes where he didn't learn anything, like a circle in a circle, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning. on an ever-spinning reel.

* TM Christine became Medical Technician for a day and on the fly learned to take vitals and misread vitals to Spanish-speaking patients who miraculously survived.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.  Welcome back, Christine!

Along came prepared speeches and we were in for a great icebreaker and Adventures in the Caribbean, part II...

* TM Gail became State Governor of girls' sports and signed legislation overriding Florida's Governor before becoming Superintendent of Superintendents Galore.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Terri shared her scrumptious bioluminescent lagoon adventure - click on the link 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOcBkgV1LQc

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Randolph praised TM Gail's icebreaker, including the screen shares and her latent talent as class clown which led her to head up various Archdioceses in the country.

* DTM Jim D. liked TM Terri's rendition of West Side Story's theme song "Puerto Riiiicoo... my heart's deevotion.... let eet seenk back in the ocean!! "   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

SCRUMPTIOUS, adjective

Extremely tasty, delicious food

Very attractive, pleasing person

Example:  First day of scrumptious Stone Crab Season is rightfully called "A Farewell to Arms".

Here's the link to the recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOcBkgV1LQc

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Fantasies, I'm Not Perfect and a Retrospective - finding our waypoint at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Jim G. led us on a path of fantasy.  We discovered that...

* TM Aleta converses fluently with a hiperclean Possum Family in her backyard - and they ended up snatching her into another dimension in front of our very eyes.

* TM Gail wants her superpower to be the capacity to sleep for 72 hours straight instead of doing algebraic calculations all night about her forthcoming icebreaker speech.

* I, Ana, revealed my weirdest dream where my late first husband and my current husband gyrated their single head in a perfect replica of The Exorcist.

* TM Marie wants cherry vanilla gelato for breakfast and was last seen headed for Baskin & Robbins.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM BeckyJo proclaimed to be Cherry Garcia in the flesh, head of a rockin'roll band of iceacream, backed by a mint chocolate chip bassist and a salted caramel electric guitar.

* TM Terri has an unusual talent for telling others what to do and for fixing them - she thinks.  The only problem is no one listens so she's had to find another waypoint.

We heard  two icebreakers today...

* TM Randolph analyzed who he's been, who he will have been, who he may have been, who he would consider being and concluded that perfect parents are those who do NOT have children... He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jarrett gave us a life retrospective flashback in the best Tim Burton style which took us back through the decades to his days as a toddler alternating meals of black beans and platanitos and corned beef and cabbage.  

As far as evaluations...

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Randolph's unwavering faith in his own beloved mother, who was seriously understaffed while raising 6 children!!  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom encouraged TM Jarrett to share with us how he met his wife in Rainesville before heading for the Taj Mahal. 

The Word of the Day was

WAYPOINT, noun

A point of reference that can be used for location or navigation.

Example: The hikers finally reached their waypoint on the trail only to find out it was now called Checkpoint Bobby.

Here's the link to the recording...

ZOOM-Youtube Broadcast

DUES ARE DUE !!  Please visit toastmastersinternational.org, log into your account and click on Renew in the right upper corner.  Or, call TM Chris.

See you next week!

Ana I.

Waypoint Seafarer at the Buoy

Visuals, Humor and Zoom Faux Pas: an accentuated morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Jarrett was formally inducted into our Club - and immediately voluntold to evaluate one of our speakers.  Not a moment to waste.  Welcome TM Jarrett!

TM Chris accentuated that a picture is worth a thousand words and we soon learned that...

* TM Tom likes Hawaiian pink frangipani (plumeria to horticulturalists) but his all-time favorite hereditary inclination are orchids, bar none (daytime drinking not accentuated).

* I, Ana, can't for the life of me tell the difference between an unpink flamingo, a gray swan and a anhinga (known to Floridians as a snake bird) waiting to wade in propane gas heated waters.

* TM Jarrett is highly allergic to cats who eat almonds but enjoys seeing funny memes of felines climbing on oak trees.

* TM Paolo lives in the heel of the Italian boot so he's closer to Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America, than to Venice, the Fort Lauderdale of Italy.  He Won Best Table Topics Award..

* TM Ellie is a devoted fan of  Ken - of Ken and Barbie - after seeing Ryan Gosling at the academy awards.

* TM Gail is advertising TM Chris and TM Jim's photoshopping classes which focus on realistic appendages.  She urges the Princess of Wales to sign up for their course.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM Ricardo shared the gross medieval origin of humor stemming from black cholera and bubonic plague fluids and then had us in stitches - no medical analogy- with jokes from hither and thither.

* TM Jim G. accentuated jokes and zoom faux pas from the days when the most overused expressions were  "Can you hear me?" and "You're muted!" (even when you weren't and we could hear the unhearable).  He Won Best Speaker Award.

We had two fabulous evaluations...

* TM Jose praised TM Ricardo's international joke repertoire and suggested he lower his eyeglasses to the tip of his nose to avoid camera glare and adopt a more academic jokemaster image.  

* TM Jarrett accentuated TM Jim's gestures and suggested he take off his wedding ring to avoid sending secret signals to his other half, which she ignores anyway.   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

.The Word of the Day was

ACCENTUATE, verb

Make more noticeable or prominent

Focus attention on

Bring, call, draw attention to

Example: Ecologic dishwashing liquids accentuate the need to thoroughly pre-rinse dishware and glassware while you sing

You got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

And latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mr. In-Between....

(Sung to the tune of Bing Crosby's 1945 hit)

Accentuate the Positive!

The link to the recording is below

https://www.youtube.com/live/CSFkL7QJcco?si=7rq1sbFrHIRNp13P

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Accentuator

Prevaricators, Equivocators and Quibblers - nothing but embellished truths at EarlyBird Toastmasters

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We inducted our newest member, TM Gail.  Welcome aboard!  

Without wasting any time, we showed off our unequivocal truthtelling skills....

* TM Aleta's ex, ironically named "Spike" was a lineman for the county and built her a 3-story treehouse on a Pennsylvania Sequoia, where Aleta currently resides and breeds frequent flyer snakes.

* TM Chris panned for gold in the Yukon, befriended a pet porcupine and bonded with a Sasquatch Bigfoot Yeti with magical powers who returned her to her gold-digging parents.  She Won Best Tall Tales  Award.

* TM Tom owned a bar for immigrants called Ellis Island smack in downtown Casablanca and sold the movie rights to the producer of Grand Hotel.

* DTM Mary Helen is not sure which language she's learning but Babel Live has brought her BFF Ghanan poligamist Prince Money Moody Gumbo while DTM Jim ponders it all...

* DTM Jim D. is a self-proclaimed word -and scotch - massager who wants to fly again on Aeropol Pot #13 with VIP Xerob and Chairman SplashScotchIfThere'sNo Vodka.

* I, Ana, am volting for the Man From Paris, who is currently running for Woke Mayor of Miami Beach for the proliferation of black beans and platanitos.

*  TM Jose traveled to hallowed sites like Benghazi and Tripoli, Libya, where oil sprinklers abound and now that Gaddafi is RIP, are converted into Olive Oil for Caesar Salads.

Because the order .does not alter the product (or so said my Math teacher back in the day), we then had Table Tropics, led by TM Aleta.  We soon learned that....

* TM Pam is having margaritas and singing La Cucaracha in honor of Mexico's Patron Saint, San Patricio.  Viva Chimichanga!

* TM Marie will spend Easter being Holy and gobbling down the perfect marriage - chocolate bunny ears combined with peanut butter.  Or what's a heaven for???

* TM Randolph is spending Spring Break searching for food at a Broward Fairground just a block away from home with his foodie kids.  No Elbo Room for him, no sireeee!

* TM Ricardo is planning a Toastmasters 100-year celebration in a Pacific deserted island.  All we need is a grammarian and Ah Counter.

* TM Gail West is hiring a computer savage maid to do her spring cleaning while she luxuriously sits in a hotel balcony overlooking the ocean.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM BeckyJo mostly watches her garden keenly and intently and she looooves weeds, which provide food for bees and thus she supports the Nature Channel.

General Evaluator TM BeckyJo read Yoodlie (Artificial Intelligence, better than Natural Stupidity)'s Ah Counter report:  Everyone scored 25 Ahs or more, 35 Errrs or more and 40 You knows in the course of the meeting.  She marveled at our group's capacity to tell the truth, the complete truth and nothing but the truth - so don't help us God!

The Word of the Day was

PREVARICATOR, noun

A person who speaks falsely; a liar

A person who avoids precise truths, a quibbler, an equivocator.

Example:  TM Pam is in direct competition with her prevaricator Rain Bird sprinkler timer for internet stability.  Rain Bird prevails, most of the time.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtube.com/live/hXpv4ZHP_Yk

Equivocally submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Fibber

Manipulating Time, Accentuate the Positive and Publicity Squad - an incipiently fun morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We received the Club Inspection visit of our Area Director, DTM Tim M.  Our hefty bribes paid off - we passed with flying colors!

I, Ana, started us off by confronting the starkly incipient advent of Daylight Savings Time.  At the end, the process became clear as mud...

* DTM Mary Helen doesn't even need kids and pets who can't tell time because she's got a permanent menagerie in her mind.

* DTM Tim is precise like a Swiss watch to set his clocks on military time.

* Incipient TM Gail is not a morning person, so being at EarlyBirds is as productive as her Daylight Savings Time will ever get.

* TM BeckyJo has learned to change all her clocks, use AI, install software, traverse computer systems and is joining The Geeks Squadron.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Incipient TM Barry has offered to give DTM Tim a crash course on understanding military time.

* TM Randolph is leading  an activist movement to start Daylight Savings Time  on Friday at 4 pm.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Pam has guts, grits and werewithal to acctivate her confidence gene, which is sometimes on a dimmer switch.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta claims doing Evaluations has enabled her to hear a pin drop in a thunderstorm.  For real.

As far as evaluations.go...

* TM The Tom praised TM Pam for not succumbing to her recalcitrant water pump which  almost modified her planned tombstone epitaph.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Terri applauded TM Aleta's use of pompons as realia (objects and materials from everyday life, used as teaching aids) and was last seen headed to a sports outlet to buy some.

The Word of the Day was

INCIPIENT, adj.

Beginning to come into existence or to become apparent.

Example:  The funnel clouds signaled the arrival of a nasty tornado.  Run for it!

Next week the theme is TALL TALES - where everything goes.... except the truth!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtube.com/live/z_KoSNoOEio

See you next week!

Ana I.

Incipient recalcitrant indomitable Recap Writer

Weather music, Sparkles, Righting Writing and Yuletide Hero - a sanguine morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie did a thoughtful invocation based on yogi tea bags. 

DTM Mary Helen - before ziplining across the Honduran Mexican border-  led us in weather-related musical topics.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Marie can no longer howl at the full moon from her back yard because it's blocked by all the newly-erected tall buildings.  She now howls from her front sidewalk.

* TM Pam's back yard is suffering from a sprinkler crisis, hoses, tubes and craziness - and it's being paved with $5 bills.

* Guest Barry avoids the perfect storm by staying in the sun which puts a smile on his face while he oversees 15 miles of Prague from his very own balcony.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Chris has seen fire and has seen rain, and the sunny days that she though would never end, and she firmly believes that rain is the stuff of life.

* TM Jose lives in Javea, Spain - aka Drought City - and prays nightly for rainfall between 11 pm and 6 am so he can go boating with straight sunshine from 11 am to 5 pm every day.  Listen up, God of Rain!

Along came three prepared speeches...

* TM Terri took us on an enchanted outing in the Enchanted Island where she became a bioluminescent fairy who struggled to get back on the kayak - all in the name of son-bonding.

* TM Tom shared that he transfers his myopic mind's sorrows onto a piece of paper with Palmer-style cursive.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* Guest Speaker TM Dana taught us how to diffuse a Yuletide Family Feud by becoming a Yuletide Superhero, while competing with National Lampoon's Christmas decorations.

As far as evaluations....

* TM Pam asked TM Terri to consider dumping the powerpoint and concentrating on avoiding aquatic creatures in dark waters, no matter how much they sparkle.

* TM Chris applauded TM Tom for being proof positive that cursive handwriting once existed and oxblood red ink is cathartic to get rid of emotional baggage.

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Dana's capacity to navigate that most difficult family conflict which centers around creating a Winter Wonderland in the middle of the Oklahoma desert.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

SANGUINE, adj.

Optimistic or positive in an apparently bad situation.

Example:

True Confessions:  TM BeckyJo did declare that she is sanguine AND choleric, meaning she doesn't know where she's going but she's definitely inflexible about it.

Here's the link to the recording:

Link to the recording https://youtube.com/live/z9opXzU06ng

See you next week!

Sanguinely submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer. .

George's Birthday, Topic Tips and Tunnel Vision - a serendipitous morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

After a beautiful sea glass invocation by DTM Jim D., and some eerily  familiar marriage jokes by TM Terri, we embarked on intriguing table topics by TM Pam revolving around the Father of our Country.

We soon discovered that...

* TM BeckyJo knew some myths about Washington but knew way more about Martha's housemaid who ran away to die a free woman in Massachussetts without wooden teeth.

* DTM Jim D.'s father was born on Washington's birthday, his mother on Columbus Day and he, Jim, was born on Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  So there.

* TM Jarrett spent last Monday hoping that they invent Banking holidays and include them in Corporate America's calendar, sheesh!

* TM Terri had a daydream of buying a GE or SubZero French double-door refrigerator with a silhouette reminiscent of George Washington's Mount Rushmore effigy.  

* TM Marie confessed that she's a wolverine who howls at the moon and has subsequently become a lunatic of the first caliber.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.  She also debunked the wooden teeth myth and stated George's dentures were made of ivory tusks.

* TM Chris started a club contest where members voted that she and TM Jim must open that dusty $50 bottle of wine regardless of the pesky scale.  A votre sante!

And then we had prepared speeches...

* TM Aleta gave us helpful tips to address dreaded topics with non-glare glasses and a hocus pocus where's my focus attitude.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* I, Ana, first-time Zoom stander, told about Henry Kinney the visionary journalist who ended up being a tunnel.

As far as evaluations go....

* TM Jose praised TM Aleta for her vast capacity to rein the audience in, give us helpful hints to respond when we have no idea what we have been asked.  It's really an art!

* TM Marie asked me fervorously to find another Zoom location or get rid of my ceiling fan because the blades look like cranial propellers. She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

SERENDIPITY, noun

Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

Example:  Serendipitous geography joined some of us EarlyBirds together, converged us into a Denny's back room; and the pandemic joined us virtually from different hemispheres and latitudes.  Who would have thunk????

Here's the link to the recording:.

 

https://youtube.com/live/qVqf9q3C5tE

Best wishes to our representatives at the Contest this Saturday!

See you next week,

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Match Game, Arboretum Botanicus, Sequential Magic Carpet Ride - a non-enervating morning at Toastmasters!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

What a fantastically fun meeting!  TM Aleta brought us back to the days of Family Feud, with a Table Topics Match Game.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Chris gets all sugary around her sugarbabe while degustating sugar cubes - out with artificial sweeteners!

* TM BeckyJo actually worked for the mouse, although she thought he was a strange dude.  Minnie was ok but oh boy his friend Goofy.... and then they put her to drive a tram so she decided she better get a college degree.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Marie stated otherwise, but she knew far too well how to fake sounding sick to make us believe she never called in sick to work.  Cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle.  Hummm.....

* TM Terri keeps everything in her car - and we mean everything- so her home is actually minimalist and she parks in her own living room.

* I, Ana, had plenty of runs in my pantyhouse but shattered the puritan heritage of the descendants of pilgrims who were aghast when I displayed bare legs in summer.

* DTM Mary Helen likes all musical things but her favorite is to dance to shake and rattle with her DTM counterpart, in the midst of a rolling earthquake.

And then we heard a prepared speech....

*TM Pam lives in a 9B/10A Zone and recommends planting Quercus Virginiana, Cupressus (with Rogaine hair growth to overcome baldness), Prunus Caroliniana, Carya Illinoimensis and Bursera Simaruba to support pollinators and rejuvenate Ground Zero in Old Town Hall.  She Won Best Latin Speaker Award.

* We heard a replay of Kip's Sequential Story from May, 2022, in which those present participated to ride a magic carpet while all smoking funny things and getting the munchies at 7 am Eastern Standard Time.  It's truly worth watching the video today because it's like the Sixties.... you know the rest of that saying.

As far as our evaluation...

* TM Emmanuel praised TM Pam for her agrarian forestry rejuvenation schemes and suggested pausing and varying the Toner to allow the age-defying invigorating humidifiers to penetrate the epidermis.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Jim D. simply said "LET'S DO ONE AGAIN" about the highly sensical sequential Table Topics 

The Word of the Day was

ENERVATE, verb

To sap someone or something of physical or mental vigor, vitality or strength.

Example:  Toastmasters protects us from becoming enervated by helping us release our otherwise pent-up self-expression.  Clear as mud....

The recording for today's meeting is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCsh1yEYPJE

See you next week!

Ana I., Recap Writer

Black History Month Quotes, Corporate Secrecy and AI - an audacious morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie launched us off with some thought-provoking topics by or about blacks.

We discovered that...

* TM Terri is grateful that as a 6-year-old she was sent alone to the US from her native Cuba because it made her the audacious person that she is today.  She's proud to be an American, where at least she knows she's free (sung to the tune of "God Bless America")

* TM Jose reminded us that character equals to face adversity and overcome fear, a shining example being the US military ground troops. He's proud to be an American, where at least he knows he's free (sung to the tune of "God Bless America").   He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM The Tom knew of baseball legend Jackie Robinson who had to face racial discrimination with a great display of character.

* Guest Jarrett wants to live a poetic life and is following the dreams set forth by renowned poet Kahlil Gibran.

* I, Ana, was a chronic complainer but, unlike my late mother-in-law, I was able to find enough music in musicals.

* TM Chris found that humanity is everywhere - the uppity French were kind to her on 9/11 and urged Jim and her to brush up on their French by reading Le Monde, parbleu!

* TM Aleta looks back at her achievements and is able to overcome her fleeting moments of feeling inept and irrelevant.

* TM BeckyJo remarked that words are powerful- they can create or they can destroy.  MLK Jr. chose love and was audaciously inspirational!  And she has officially notified us that she will use AI for her next Table Topic reply.

Along came "The Dueling Jims" with their prepared speeches...

* DTM Jim D. revealed the mystery behind Liggett Corp in NC and Moscow, hidden behind attorney-client privilege, which was broken by Ben, the Marlboro Man, and whereby bodyguards were offered and declined while the ugly truth was revealed.  Now half the planet is strictly on doobies.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jim G. prefers Artificial Intelligence over Natural Stupidity to prepare Toastmaster speeches.  By golly, you can write your speech while you idly wait to get your tooth extracted at the dentist.  

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Pam reconfirmed to herself that money buys silence and praised DTM Jim D. for revealing the dirty secrets of corporate America and encouraged him to channel TM Paolo - wild hand gestures, use of graphics, extremely Italian vocal variety.  .

* TM Paolo lauded TM Jim G. for an educational speech and asked him PER FAVORE not to start the speech by announcing the speech since the Toastmaster already did that.  And, conclude the speech with THUNDER.  GRAZIE GENTILMENTE.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

AUDACIOUS, adj.

confident, daring, bold and surprising

Example:  It's pretty audacious for a modern-day politician to pretend they're very honest and transparent.  Puaffff!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtube.com/live/KqFAZiO3TXg

See you next week!

Ana I.

Audacious Recap Writer

Choices, Master Chef and Pathways Culmination - an educational program at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Returning TM Emmanuel inspired us with an uplifting invocation. Welcome back, Manny!

I, Ana, led Table Topics about CHOICES.

* TM Emmanuel looooves cold weather, so much so that he moved to Wisconsin for a few years; however, for vacations he prefers the Caribbean.

* TM BeckyJo likes cappuccino and crumpets - or better yet, cappuccino, cappuccino, cappuccino.

* DTM Jim D. is retired and spends his days dreaming of Death by Chocolate desserts oozing fudge and chocolate syrup.

* TM Jose likes the best of both - soccer and football.  It just depends which side of the pond he's on... A man for all continents!.

* DTM Mary Helen is currently a city bumpkin and enjoys watching the reservoir near her home and pretending she is a country girl.

* TM Pam is undecided whether to fly or cruise amid the invasion of iguanas that have proliferated in South Florida.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Chris likes blackjack, blackjack, blackjack and reminisces about the days when $20 could last a whole day in a Lake Tahoe casino - today a quotidian recipe for financial disaster.

Regarding the prepared speeches...

* TM Marie donned an apron and exposed us to her failed recipe for SALTIBARSCIAI (Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup) and Mrs. T's pierogis, a booming business started by Marie's  great uncle's neighbor's au pair.   She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta traced her adventures in Pathways, including 17 icebreakers, where she finds that self-motivation is more challenging than encouraging others.  She's currently working on her 11th - and last existing - Pathway.  Editors at HQ are busy inventing more Pathways....  We love ALL your speeches, please keep them coming!

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Paolo likes 'barbabietole' (beets in Italian) and praised TM Marie for her vocal variety, tone, projection, pitch.  He gave some flora decorating tips and asked her to wear a colorful chef hat, perhaps to match the beet soup color.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen was inspired by TM Aleta's motto 'keep on keepin' on' in spite of her non-quotidian self-doubts and praised TM Aleta's cleverness in titling her speeches to then take us in another direction and averting potential strife.

The Word of the Day was

QUOTIDIAN, adjective

Occurs every day or routinely.

We learned it in 3 languages - cotidiano (Spanish), quotidien (French) quotidiano (Italian).  Step aside, Babbel!!

Example:  E un evento quotidiano;  Es un evento cotidiano;  C'est un evenement quotidien.  TM BeckyJo is a quotidian because she quotes a lot.  So there!.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzbYpWO3YTQ

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer