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 wasTENDENTIOUS, 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:See you next week!Tendentiously recappedAna
Friday, April 26, 2024
Fwd: One Word Topics, The Tower of Babbel and Lady MacBeth - a tendentious morning at EarlyBirds!
Thursday, April 18, 2024
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:
See you next week!
Brusquely and yet abruptly
Very seldom do I often repeat myself
Ana I.
Recap Writer
Thursday, April 11, 2024
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:
See you next week!
Ana I.
Recap Writer
Thursday, April 4, 2024
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
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
See you next week!
Ana I.
Recap Writer
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