Got your number? 123456 And Me, Church Fun Raisers - a conversant morning at Early Birds!!

 

Dear Members, Guests, and Friends,

 

TM Pam took us down memory lane with numbers.  We found out that…

 

• TM Jim G. stated that the ancient Speed Dial saved his life.  And what’s a landline anyway?
• TM Lois did not really liked multiplication but it taught her to become a dexterous finger counter.
• TM Aleta is thoroughly enjoying Senior Perks and frantically trying to grow her IRA Contra account before those pesky distributions prevail.
• TM Scott reminisced about rotary phones and his favorite subjects of recess and lunch, and forgot all about the worldwide liters versus Fahrenheit USA.
• TM Chris pondered about what balancing a checkbook is – what’s a checkbook anyway?  Thank heavens for online banking and QuikShooks, one thing less she has to teach dummies.
• I, Ana, took a bite out of everybody else’s topics and informed the group that my next vacation will be a faraway one to the other side of my backyard and pool.   I Won Best Table Topics Award.

 

Along came the Distinguished prepared speeches…

 

• DTM Mary Helen revels in Jackie Screecher books which led her to find a cold first cousin twice removed, who reminded her of her aunt Rosalyn A-Flurry, who died at 104 in Albuquerque.  She Won Best Speaker Award.
• DTM Kip found a fun raiser project, sought the guidance committee and is heavily immersed in a relationship stressor of approvals and disclaimers.   All in the name of … his Church??  No!!  Parbleu!!! All in the name of Pathways….!!

 

As far as evaluations were concerned…

 

• TM Carmine praised DTM Mary Helen’s subtlety and proved, once again, that he is not conversant with time management by blatantly blowing timing restrictions by about 5 minutes… or kilometers??  Or degrees Celsius???
• TM Tom liked DTM Kip’s exquisite taste in finding an expert guidance committee of which Tom is one of the two members.  He Won Best Evaluator Award by a landslide.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

CONVERSANT, adj.

Familiar or knowledgeable about something.

 

Example:  Grandma got run over by a raindeer walking home from my house Christmas Eve and became conversant with pop music.

 

Here’s the link to the recording:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgo0WGPUZ1I

 

See you next week!

 

Ana

Recap Writer and Proud Landliner

 

 

 

 

Moonstruck, Karma and What's Next - a fun morning at Early Birds!

 

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Scott was reinducted into the Early Bird fold.  Welcome back!  He lost no time to jump right back into the swing of things.

DTM Jim D. led us in a hopscotch of table topics.  We soon learned that….

• TM Tom’s originally outdoor cat is now a fully masked N-95 indoor cat who has led his owner to be moonstruck and oblivious of timing lights.
• I, Ana, with great hindsight would enjoy my last vacation more fully and with pandemic blessings, I have morphed into an unabashed germophobe.
• DTM Kip once had a disastrous interview with a hostile female who misread him and prevented him from gainful employment to ungainful but happily independent self-employment. 
• TM BeckyJo had a pickpocket student guest who stole change from the Church’s coffers and returned it not out of guilt but due to international travel luggage weight limits.
• TM Jim G. recommends repairing loose wires in the bilges of a boat amidst foul surrounding smells only when your olfactory sense is impaired by The Virus.
• TM Carmine is gathering up courage to go skydiving – in the meantime he enjoys scrumptious lunches at Italian restaurants where Zoom acquaintances become lifelong friends.
• TM Jeff’s last camping adventure involved caterpillars falling out of the sky and he’s thankful they were not iguanas.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came the intriguing prepared speeches…

• TM Pam compared her La Leche League’s support of Mom’s Milk and Baby Pupils to Toastmasters, where proteges soon become empowered mentors.  She Won Best Speaker Award.
• TM Aleta found out that Horrorizon covers the entire US but becomes truly w-i-r-e-l-e-s-s on her property.   She spent the early part of 2022 wearing a surgical boot on her spur-less pinky toe raised above her heart trying to figure out what’s next?  She soon found out….

And then we heard helpful evaluations…

• DTM Mary Helen related to the sheer terror of having a first baby who came without an Owner’s Manual and not having the wisdom of your own mother to guide -or misguide you-along.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.
• TM Paolo enjoyed TM Aleta’s speech for its vocal variety, body language and great humor.   Now we all know that moonstruck SouthWest Penn Hover & Flight live up to its name.

TM Marie evaluated the entire meeting and praised TM Randolph for being a solid anchor, keeping us on time and on task.

The Word of the Day was

 

MOONSTRUCK, adj.

 

Unable to think or act normally, especially when dumbstruck by love.

Mentally deranged by the influence of the moon.

 

Example: 

 

Woke werewolves howling on full moon nights have demanded to be known as romantic moonstruck lobos.

 

Here is the link to the recording:

 

https://youtu.be/0MYSrJDjdXU\

 

See you next week!

 

Derangedly moonstruck,

 

Ana

Recap Writer

Love is in the Air, Everywhere I look Around - it's ubiquitous!

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

 

TM Aleta set the mood with Love-themed Table Topics.   We learned that…

 

• TM Paolo offers his services as Toaster-for-Hire at your next wedding.  His enthusiasm is contagious and guarantees 100 years of marital bliss.  Talk to his agent.
• TM Carmine stated that love of marriage fills you.  As our former member Jerry used to say:   “Go into marriage with your eyes wide open; stay in the marriage with your eyes half closed.”
• TM Chris spoke affectionately of her today absent scuba husband and revealed that the best way to resolve a disagreement is to ask yourself: “How important is it?”  (It isn’t).
• TM Jeff is not very much into good pickup lines although he listens closely to good pickup lines from others in case he needs them one day.
• TM Tom pledged the 5^th about having loved and lost and then waxed poetic about the beauty of having loved and lost.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.
• Returning TM Scott missed the onset of online dating but would not hesitate to engage in it given half a chance.
• DTM Jim D.’s father wisely taught him that relationships are partnerships, not dictatorships.  It’s worked well for him, since his last word is always “Yes, Dear”.
• DTM Mary Helen believes in marital reciprocity of love and communication.  However, she unilaterally likes Jim’s last words “Yes, Dear.”

 

Along came the prepared speeches….

 

• I, Ana, revealed the murderous and savage origins of Valentine’s Day which turned – through ubiquitous and unrelenting marketing – into a trifecta of Hallmark, Godiva and the Colombian Rose Cartel.  I Won Best Speaker Award.
• TM Marie told the story of Babette’s Feast, a culinary genius extraordinaire in Paris, who won 10,000 francs in the lottery and suffered from unrequited love.

 

As far as evaluations go…

 

• TM Paolo thoroughly enjoyed my Cupid background and hot pink blouse and scarf, the right setting for murder and mystery by love.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.
• DTM Mary Helen was spellbound by TM Marie’s speech which fascinated her mind and captured her heart.  She particularly loved the wine glass and the candle. Great props!

 

Our Toastmaster of the Day, DTM Kip, led us smoothly, zooming in from Cabbage Patch Key in Margaritaville – where a quickie before breakfast refers to a drink.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

UBIQUITOUS, adj.

Present, appearing or found everywhere.

 

Example:  “The ubiquitous feeling of love was felt by the entire group.”

 

Below is today’s recording:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWme1P22EG0

 

 

See you next week!

Lovingly submitted

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Love is in the air... Inspiration and Communication - a veracious Early Bird meeting!

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

 

Table Topics were inspired on Love Songs.  We learned that….

 

• TM BeckyJo has indeed done a lot of foolish things that she really didn’t mean, and the main one was signed, sealed, delivered - I’m yours for 25 years.   And then the backout was good.
• With a backdrop of meteorites flying through space, DTM Kip admitted that he’s much more amiable when he’s made to feel good.  It knocks him right off his feet – and he wasn’t even referring to Pathways!
• TM Paolo would have agreed that when a man loves a woman, he’d trade the world for the good thing he’s found -  if only he had heard it.
• DTM Mary Helen delighted us with a brief rendition of “It Had To Be You” – and yes, it had to be DTM Jim.  They are even melodically synchronized in their Table Topics time.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• DTM Jim D. agreed that the power of love is a curious thing and for him it all started on their first lunch together, and here they are, six happy years later….

As far as prepared speeches go, we had plenty of inspiration today…

• TM Lois reminded us that happiness is not what happens, but how we interpret what happens.  She climbed a mountain and continues to challenge herself.  Keep going, Lois Lane!
• TM Jose demonstrated that the last two years have been a bullet with a silver lining and is living proof that when life gives you lemons… you can make great sangria!!  He Won Best Speaker Award.
• Returning TM Randolph revealed that he is a multidimensional man –  sociable, enthusiastic, while systematic and perfectionist.  A devoted father with musical talent. 

 

We had excellent evaluations…

 

• TM Chris commended TM Lois for implementing new ideas into her speech delivery and suggested that she modulate her voice to match the emotions she is expressing.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.
• TM Aleta praised TM Jose for showing us the good, the bad and the ugly that we’ve all faced and reminding us that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at, change.  She suggested less screen share, more Jose for his next speech.
• TM Pam lauded TM Randolph for his many sides and she’s looking forward – as we all are- to hear more about his musician side.  She urged him to never let the truth get in the way of a good story – a quote whose source is dubious.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

VERACIOUS, adj.

 

Habitually truthful or honest; accurate, precise.

 

Example:  A good Table Topics need not be veracious – simply entertaining.

 

Here is the link to today’s recording:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thmdhhhVY_g

 

TM BeckyJo provided this link to a melodious symphony:

 

https://youtu.be/afPh1slPAsc

 

Next week:  love, love, love… makes the world go round!

 

Lovingly submitted,

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer