Dual choices, Humorous Paths and Tell-As-You-Go Humor, a flibbergibbit morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT:  EarlyBirds is President's Distinguished Club!  Thanks to everyone for your participation in achieving this goal and to soon-to-be-inducted TM Ricardo for becoming our 20th member.

Remember to auto pay before July 31 for $45, instead of $60 after August 1. Instructions will follow.

TM BeckyJo propelled us into a world of vehement dualities.  We discovered that...

* TM Emmanuel, my kindred soul regarding animals, respectfully acknowledges other people's therapeutic need for pets, but he keeps his distance, thank you very much.

* TM Chris prefers live theater but needs close captioning to even understand the title of the play.

* DTM Jim D. asserts that salad indicates that food is coming, so definitely steak for him and let kale go to hale.

* I, Ana, impersonated Nancy Tunatra Boots in a moment of flibbergibbetry.  I Won Best TAble Topics Award.

* TM Jim G. uses planes, trains, automobiles, camels, RVs, elephants as his common means of transportation... to go grocery shopping.

* TM Aleta uses gonna instead of going to because she's close to the border of West Virginia, so she's legally exempt from correct grammar.

* TM Randolph is stage managing a comedic murder mystery with his kids, unbeknownst to them.  Insanity is hereditary - we get it from our kids.

As far as prepared speeches...

* TM Pam used tried and tested parenting skills - which we all share- of doing as I say, not as I do, and emphasized that listening to your evaluators will teach you how to get the chicken to reach Level 5 of Pathways.

* TM Chris impromptued a couple of mini speeches about men and women tackling raging forest fires.  Vive la Difference!  Alexa is now formally the family's adopted French daughter.  Vive l' Intelligence Artificiele!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding evaluations...

* TM Jose praised TM Pam for her hand gestures and suggested that she find another humorous chicken to be framed within the square.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom lauded TM Chris's continued home runs and quarterback short pass, long pass, through pass and back to hitting it out of the park.

The Word of the Day was

FLIBBERGIBBIT, noun

A frivolous, flighty or excessively talkative (onomatopoeic) person.

There were lots of flibbergibbits in The Throes of the Volcano.  

There is no link to the meeting recording.  Today, let's practice self-service by logging in to the blog.

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

Blarney Stone Kiss, Quagmire Ascension and Strange World Poobahs - advocating at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests, Friends,

TM Chris had us symbolically kiss the Blarney Stone and we developed the Gift of Gab - ironic, since the Stone is near Cork, Ireland - which should instead put a cork on our verbosity.  Oh well, I digress.    We uncovered and discovered that...

* TM Pam is rubbing her hands anticipating her grown children to reciprocate for all the pristine diaper-changing that she lovingly bestowed upon them. 

* TM BeckyJo vividly recalls discovering color TV in Hawaii amidst PuPu Platters and after Rin Tin Tin, color TV has never been the same. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Randolph advocates for a light football Hurricane season in the midst of a light natural disaster season without toppling his childhood treehouse.

* TM Paolo is still circling Miami in his flight from the heel of the boot in Puglia and needs an alarm clock to set his circadian rythms straight.. sometime next week.

* DTM Mary Helen found a thoroughly trained DTM Jim D, thanks to the advocacy of his late first wife and now Mary Helen's best friend forever.

* TM Jim G. gets chills down his spine when he visits and revisits the bridge of his childhood near the Jersey coastline.

We heard two prepared speeches...

* TM Marie was finally able to untangle herself from Mom's flowing skirts at the tender age of 30 and joined a group of contemplative scholars to break through the Pathways barrier.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Jim D. has indeed met  oddball friends in unlikely aviation circles - Terminator Cop,  Erectyle Dole Pineapple, Transformer Bruce, Barry O. and presumably the only alleged pervert worth negatively singling out, The Donald McRonald.  

Along came the evaluations...

* TM Tom praised TM Marie for staying on point and taking risks while ricocheting her shymeter in the midst of a heterogeneous group.

* TM Aleta encouraged DTM Jim D. to use more vocal variety because monotones become homophones and then it's creek vs creak; hole vs whole; incite vs insight and dangerously lead to homonyms - accept vs except, affect vs effect.   You get the drift.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

We arrived at several momentous revelations...

* By popular acclaim, we will start collecting $500 per Ummm and Errrr in order to cross the pond and celebrate our Club's 60th Anniversary in Xavea, Spain.    The date is Saturday, September 16, 2023.

* TM Jim G. has officially joined the Refurbished Hippy Movement as honorary President.

The Word of the Day was

ADVOCATE, noun or verb

To support or argue for

To plead in favor of

It's always better to be the backer, defender, promoter, supporter, lawyer than a plain old arguer.

The link to today's recording:

https://youtu.be/-xSEZCeh5IQ

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Memorable June Days, the Irish in America and Flag Day - a pliant morning at EarlyBirds!

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta had us wondering about special June days.  We discovered that...

* DTM Jim D. favors banana splits with bacon so that he covers all the food groups in one fell swoop.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jim G.'s aunt was a certain Norma Jean of world notoriety who drew Jim to her bosom and he certainly liked it hot!

* TM BeckyJo played tennis in Stanley Park, Vancouver, with a cuuuuute instructor who almost created a pickle between her parents and that's how pickle ball was born.

* TM Tom wants flags to be disposed of with respect but meanwhile can't get TM Jim G.'s aunt out of his mind.

* TM Marie has filed a petition in Court to have owners of tattered flags be fined and possibly thrown in prison and taught how to preserve flags in good condition.

* DTM Mary Helen is fascinated to this day by the movie career of TM Jim G's aunt, eospecially after her movies were adapted for the small screen.

* TM Randolph thinks there's a lot in a name and all his children have been conscienciously named because names are not to be taken lightly, in case you run into trademark/copyright issues and have to become "the person formerly known as xxx"

In the prepared speeches...

* TM Tom educated us about the daring and brave Irish, Germans, Italians who built the bridges in New York and dug the Erie Canal.  We eat fruit from a tree we did not plant, for sure!  

* TM Jim G. displayed the US's manifest destiny from sea to shining sea in the progression of our flag, especially influenced by the pliancy of a certain mustached Tafty Taft.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

And then came the evaluations...

* TM BeckyJo loved TM Tom's speech and asked him to contextualize it to an often geographically-clueless audience, and to bring sensory images to word pictures, such as the waves crashing against the pilons of the Erie Canal.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Jim G. for his expert display of visual aids on the flag at a time of year when we feel patriotic and for transmitting his warmth to the audience so flawlessly.

The Word of the DAy was

PLIANT, adj.

Able to bend without breaking; flexible

Too easily influenced or controlled by other people

Example: Palm trees are famous for being pliant to hurricane strength winds - except when they land on top of the house roof!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/jqBWZ02zP8c

See you next week!

Ana I.

Temporarily voiceless Recap Writer

--

Of fruits and vegetables, Sharing Your Popcorn and Nothing We Do Is Wasted - a morning of blandishment at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam's inquisitiveness explored our fruit and vegetable patches on full moon.  We soon discovered that she threatens her plants to bloom or be composted.  It works! We also learned that...

* TM Chris picked you guessed what at Cranberry Island in Anchorage, Alaska.

* TM Randolph's favorite fruit are nectarines and peaches, although he can't tell which is which, but they must be juicy and have the right texture.

* TM Jim G., our miracle bionic hippy, would not plant rutabagas (aka Swedish turnips) but would overplant radishes, for which he has a tried and tested green thumb.

* I, Ana, long for the days when peeling an onion made me cry because seedless multicolored watermelons and other genetically commingled produce will definitely cause our early demise.

* DTM Jim D. won the NY State Fair handcrafted item category and started a lucrative business at the ripe age of 12 before his parents got arrested for child forced labor.

* TM Tom's transcat (she/her)'s  favorite dessert is banana cream pie with vanilla wafers and cookie crumbles.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Guest Ricardo described watching a rising full moon over the ocean in Denia, Spain, while avoiding X-rated details.

* TM Paolo declared himself a morning lark while reporting underwater drinking espresso from a  wifiless spot in Italia.

We had some notable prepared speeches...

* TM Marie focused on the positive and explained how to pour the jelly of life into a Pathways mold and sharing your popcorn without even blinking.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen, hereinafter to be known as Two Dollar Mary, has 50-year-old clippers and a barber's cape full of cigarette burns and offers cheap haircuts.  Offer may end soon! Don't miss out!

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Randolph praised TM Marie for her good flow and urged her to speak with her eyes closed so no one can tell she's reading her notes.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom commended DTM Mary Helen for her red hair and her red blouse and we are all still looking up his incomprehensible syncopated verbal barrage.

The Word of the Day was

BLANDISHMENT, noun

Something said or done to coax or persuade an individual or a group to do something.  

Example:  It takes blandishment for a group to vote for someone other than the favorite candidate.   I think.

NOTEWORTHY NOTES:

After a tough campaign and extensive blandishment, we have new officers for the 2023-2024 EarlyBirds year:

President       Jim G

Sargeant-at-Arms   Mary Helen D

VP Education  Chris G

VP Membership Ana I

Secretary         Pam S

Treasurer         Jim D

VP Public Relations   Randolph B

Thanks, TM Marie, for your great job as the Nominating Committee!

Date to Remember:

Saturday June 17

TLI Officer Training from 9 am to 10 am EST

https:// toastmastersd47.org

Followed by HYBRID LUNCH AT THE GULDS.  More details to follow.

The link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/D9WcGx-herM

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

June, Flying on Asphalt and Barging on a French River - everything but an obscure morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie led us with Table Topics about Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Fun Fact: Juno Beach, FL becomes a weekend destination for many couples in distress and at least they get a nice tan.

* TM Paolo's first born bambina has just turned 13 and the fun is just about to start! Ma preparati....

* TM BeckyJo's pearl of wisdom is to keep it simple and not complicate things. You want to live a long life?  Just don't die...As simple as that.

* I, Ana, pray for patience to say something nice to one particular person who shall remain in obscurity for the purposes of this dialogue.

* TM Pam is considering putting a lingerie bag to wash her cat in the washing machine.  She would use the 'gentle' cycle, though, cat lover that she is...

* TM Aleta met her best friend over healthy fried chicken and waffles just prior to a serene and peaceful yoga class.

* DTM Jim D. loooves coffee almond mocha ice cream and limits himself to a conservative 1/2 gallon a day.

* TM Jim D's footloose and fancyfree attitude has propelled him to make most major life decisions by flipping a coin and ending up in Moscow... Idaho.

* DTM Mary Helen stated that effective communication stems from being genuine, such as the orphan kid from America's Got Talent who had the judges in tears. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came the prepared speeches, both of which plunged into timeless disqualified obscurity...

* TM Jose gave us vertigo by taking us on a virtual ride on an Aston Martin Formula 1 KERS with carbon fiber, traction control and great camaraderie with the Red Bull team at 300 miles per hour.

* TM Chris taught us how to roll French "R"s by holding a #2 lead pencil in our mouth and pursing our lips just so while eating lots of mustard on baguette and plenty of vin in Dijon prior to boarding the barge at the ecluse.  Merci.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Paolo praised TM Jose's good pace, excellent pitch and broke his own tradition by lauding his use of headsets.  Formula I virtual background a must for the next speech!  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Mary Helen gave TM Chris an "A" for her ability to sing Sur Le Pont D'Avignon l'on y danse, l'on y danse, sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse tous en rond while eating fromage in front of the Mona Lisa (Gioconda for TM Paolo).

-The KERS Hybrid Brunch at the Gulds' on June 17 has been postponed till further notice. due to a TMI Learning Institute taking place that same day.  Hold the mimosas!

-Next week, June 8, we will hold officer elections at our meeting.  As DTM Kip used to say:  "Vote early and vote often!" (Just like in our political elections).

-TM Aleta justified and attributed her abundant double clutches today to her double vision. Ahem....

The Word of the Day was

OBSCURE, adj.

Not discovered or known about; uncertain

OBSCURE, verb

Keep from being seen, conceal

Example:  The Dark Ages must have certainly been obscure.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/Y2faQ6vyrdk

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer Extraobscure