Lottery, Kid Mindfulness and Men Caves - an accentuated morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam had us consider what we would do if we won a billion dollar in the lottery.  We found out that...

* TM Aleta has never been motivated by money but heck, she's now running to the store to buy a ticket, just in case...

* TM Chris won the lottery the day she was born to a loving, caring mother who taught her everything there is to know and more!

* TM Val is stopped by nothing in doing what she wants - learning, serving, inquiring.  Quilting, line dancing, writing - Zoom is the way to go!  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Tom is masterful at shortcuts although time and again he's shown that they don't work.  He is opening a Lost & Found Department in his own home.

* TM Randolph would definitely share 8 Million Pounds Sterling with a British gentleman but his motto, like Buddha's,  is "trust but verify".

* I, Ana, have no idea how financing the government with the lottery works, except I know such financing would get corrupted, just like everything the government touches.  My motto for the day is "accentuate the negative".

And then came the prepared speeches...

* TM Marie demonstrated a mind-blowing bubbles excercise that alters our Hippocampus (the name of a Madrid discotheque in the 70s), and Amygdala so that children end up with less gray matter and finally start behaving.

* DTM Jim Day used lotsa wine, roses, chocolates, ice cream and countless cruises to build an Extended Stay Man Cave in 7 years.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go....

* TM Chris accentuated TM Marie's impeccable multi-tech-tasking in one meeting, mission accomplished!  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph is starting to build himself a man cave and has hired DTM Jim D. as his general contractor.

First-time AH Counter TM Val caught all  AH and UM offenders and reported them.   As a first-time JokeMaster, she taught us how to break traffic laws and get away with it.  Good job, TM Val! 

Tech Tip of the Day:  TM Chris showed us how to move the gallery view from one side to the other when screen sharing is taking place, how to eliminate the gallery view altogether or how to just leave the speaker in plain sight.

The Word of the Day was

ACCENTUATE, verb

1. make more noticeable or prominent

2. focus attention on

3. call attention to

Example:  In the midst of turbulence, it's wise to be a contrarian and accentuate peace.

Here's the link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4MdKbW2bZ0

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Profound Revelations, A Moment In Time and Using Art In Personal Ways - moments of lucidity at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

DTM Mary Helen gave a Quechuan invocation (mostly in English).  Note of interest:  Bolivian Quechua speakers range from 2.3 to 2.8 million, making it the most indigenous language in Bolivia, slightly greater than Aymara, with roughly 2 million speakers in Bolivia.  They live in the Andean highlands (Altiplano).

TM Tom led us with profound quotes eliciting profound revelations...

* DTM Jim D. pondered about when the witching hour happens in Alaska when they have 24-hour daylight. Hmmmm. They save it for January, when they have 24-hour darkness.

* I, Ana, have had many 'wobblies' during the witching hour when my children were growing up which led me to lots of wobbly hangovers.  I Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jose stated that just as all storm clouds have silver linings, all thorns have a rose and his arms bled profusely as he mowed the lawn back in days of yore.

* TM Jim G. avoids counterfeits in distilleries, he lucidly looks for the jug labeled "The Real McCoy".

* TM BeckyJo spent the 50s in a stream of consciousness followed by the 60s being influenced and stays on track to avoid wobblies while changing horses in midstream.

* TM Pam avoids a dying duck in a thunderstorm because she instinctively knows that golfers holding metal clubs are sitting ducks for a bolt out of the blue.

* DTM Mary Helen passed the buck to TM Chris who warned us to avoid dark horses which are very fast and will undoubtedly win the race.

We went on to our prepared speeches....

* TM Val's outstanding icebreaker told us about pivotal moments in her life when she followed a feather trail at the Atlanta Olympics and filled in ancestry gaps a month ago in Ghana.  She Won Best Speaker Award.   Val is the author of Following a Feather Trail, Valeria V. Cordi Cray, https://a.co/d/6RiB2Ds.   

* TM Pam started off with weird art, followed by pulled hamstrings from a stationary kayak and ending up with a claustrophobic magnetic resonance imaging of very weird art.

As far as evaluations go....

* DTM Jim D. praised TM Val for her lucidity, her self-confidence, her poise and her impeccable timing.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.  

* I, Ana, commended TM Pam for speaking comfortably as if she's sitting in her living room, which she is.  She also mastered screensharing images.

TM Aleta lucidly kept us on time while ironically she has a wall clock background which reflects the local time in New Zealand.  Just to keep us on our toes.

Technical Tip:  Look up old speeches in the EarlyBirds blog and send them to TM Jim G. or TM Chris. who will replay them when we end early.

The Word of the Day was

LUCIDITY, noun

1. Clarity of expression, intelligibility

2. Ability to think clearly, especially in intervals between confusion and insanity.

3. Bright, luminous

Example:  TM Jim G. experienced moments of lucidity while dwelling with chaotic Italian cows.

Here is the link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gJY5Mmbb8g

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Bucket Lists, Eastbound Travel and Vapid Cliches - a commemorative morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Our President, TM Randolph, introduced the meeting with a heartfelt commemoration of the late DTM Kip, former mentor and lasting friend.  We Will Go On!!

First time Invocator TM Val inspired us with a moving invocation.

TM BeckyJo brought thought-provoking topics based on the movie The Lid.  We soon learned that....

* TM Val is visiting every continent and moving to Bali within the next year.  She will Zoom in every Thursday while sipping a frozen Bali Colada.

* DTM Jim D. was a paper route assistant at age 6 and has retired 9 times so far, and counting.  Next stop, Dubai in September.

* TM Tom declared he's good although he didn't die young and pondered how he fits into the Bubble telescope within the limitless universe.   He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Chris firmly believes in a life spent, not saved.  She plans to slide down that final ramp used up, worn out and having the time of her life into the beyond.

* TM Jim G. is focused on what will outlast his life - a legacy of goodness rather than a legacy of horror.

* TM Aleta is a cheap date, she'll eat anything - except for slimy cooked okra, which triggers her gag reflex big time.

Next came our prepared speeches....

*  TM Jose, who moved West as a young man (Montana) has now moved East as an unyoung man (Javea, Spain) where he has become a digital nomad while driving a small 4-wheel drive.  The entire EarlyBirds Club wants one of those toys too!

* I, TM Ana, dwelled into the land of vapid cliches and murky bath waters chock-full of happy clams and cool cucumbers.  I Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding evaluations...

* TM Jim praised TM Jose for his entertaining and informative speech, hand gestures, and gave some helpful tips to counter Voom glitches.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom would like me to say the cliche 'raining cats and dogs' with a Spanish accent, Margarita.

We then lovingly watched a video of the late DTM Kip explaining how to eat a pizza with courage (from the front edge, not the sides) and bombarding it with anchovies to keep pizza predators away.  Quintessential Kip.

The Word of the Day was

COMMEMORATE, verb

To show honor to the memory of a special person.

Example:  Today we commemorate the memory of our dear DTM Kip, VP of Education Emeritus for EarlyBirds Toastmasters Club.

Here's the link to the recording:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSfk4eXzHgk

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

Profound Revelations, Meals and Ordeals - persistence is the name of the game at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

TM Randolph led us with thought-provoking quotes from Neat, Stray and Dove.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Aleta sometimes slams the door before eating a box of bakery or home made cookies.

* DTM Jim D. purposely does not wear glasses when he looks in the mirror because he likes blurry images.

* DTM Mary Helen pondered that "if it is to be, it's up to me" is truly a truism.

* TM BeckyJo has concluded that resentments corrode the resenter and forgiveness heals from the inside out.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jose used to time travel and presently stays in the present and persistently avoids mosquito raids.

* I, Ana, made a commitment to not get any tattooes because they're tough to erase when girth expands.

* TM Pam has no resentments because her mind's doorway has been completely cleared.

* TM Val affirmed that tears heal and cleanse the soul especially while showering.

* TM Jim G. stated that 'dolce far niente' comes very naturally to him and he persistently practices it.

* TM Tom attained a balanced life after several attempts at crawling without balance.

Then came the prepared speeches...

* DTM Jim D. delighted us with his epicurean adventures in a family diner where he hurled 17,000 gallons of batter, 25,000 eggs, 40,000 bacon strips and 30,000 hash browns to feed a crowd of 20.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Tom revealed that he carries a dynamite stick in his back pocket when he presides over his Condo Commando board meetings, while persistently taking his blood pressure.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM BeckyJo loooved DTM Jim's hilarious speech, those internal questions we've all asked ourselves and wants to know who cooks breakfast in his household.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph makes spaguetti 'al dente' and instead of pushing or pulling it, he simply hurls it against the kitchen wall.

The Word of the Day was

PERSISTENCE, noun

Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

Example:  Most notable achievements are a labor of persistence.

Below is the link to today's recording.

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

That's all, folks!  See you next week,

Ana I

Recap Writer