Interesting topics, The Three Magi and The Tricky Durability of FB - neuroplasticy in EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Chris led us in thought-provoking topics.  We discovered that....

* I, Ana, think every age has a different charm and is ideal to meet the ups and downs of life.

* TM Pam would like to circumvent the world in a hot air balloon but for now will limit herself to the Gulf of Mexico, the Washington Tulip Show or The DownUnder.

* TM The Tom, a true Irishman, is funny, smart and athletic and adds liquidity to neuroplasticity with lotsa Irish coffees.

* TM Gail most resembles her grandmother, born in 1890, who was very close to her and very inspirational in her life.

* TM Aleta only blocked one longtime friend on FB for siding with a third friend who nastily refuted Aleta's point of view.  

* TM Marie's most rewarding work was teaching swimming to infants and toddlers and watch them transform from terrified screechers to little mermen and mermaids. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

And then came the prepared speeches...

*TM Jose delighted us with the inside scoop on The Three Magi, Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar, scholars from Persia and Babylon, who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to Baby Jesus.  This feast is highly commemorated on the night of Jan 5 - 6 in Spain and Latin American countries.  

* DTM Mary Helen, undeterred by Central Time, shared the emotions the Season brings and the many uses of FB which keeps friendships and relationships alive through the veil of time, distance and transit to the other side.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations...

* TM The Tom highly praised TM Jose for his excellent opening with a powerful backdrop, for his Spanish pronunciation and for revealing the true story of the Three Magi.  He suggested TM Jose avoid reading to add power to the speech and asked him to shorten his trip to Thailand for the sake of EarlyBirds.

* TM Aleta appreciated DTM Mary Helen's emotive speech about the many facets of FB which keeps memories alive and deceased people alive in our hearts and minds.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

NEUROPLASTICITY, noun

The brain's capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences.

Example:  Attending EarlyBirds meetings is a good way to keep our neuroplasticity up and running.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb1ZjNF0hk4

Neuroplastically submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Christmas Topics, "Tis The Season and The Night Before Christmas - a sparkling azzure morning at Early Birds!



Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta dazzled us with Christmas topics.  Who knew that...

* TM Chris is feeling Christmas more than ever trimming Christmas trees on a residential cruise currently in Paname.

* TM Terri's best thing that happened since last Christmas is the recovery of her sons which is truly miraculous.

* TM Jose has given back incorrect change in his favor to skeptical cashiers and received a random act of kindness that has led him to a much more geographically desirable ophthalmologist.

* TM BeckyJo (hereinafter to be known as BeckyJoy) aspires to learn to unmute and being on time to Toastmasters, and experienced the first miracle last night when she was 3 minutes early to pick up friends to attend the Days' Christmas Bash.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* DTM Mary Helen's favorite way to serve others in Christmas is to do the polls in EarlyBirds and to say errs and ummms with reckless abandon.

* TM Gail ranks #1 in the Geeks' Fan Club and is determined to create a Geeks on Tour International Holiday when dense members can finally learn to find their own photos, for Pete's sake.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM Marie recounted when John The Baptists, who lived off locusts and honey in 1 B.C. (Before Christmas) baptized people in the Jordan River and told them to Repent, nowadays a philosophy of "want what you have rather than getting what you want" or as Steven Stills  put it "Love the one you're with"... She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jim G. lived up to our annual tradition with a rendition of "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore, outfitted with a Panamanian Santa Claus jacket and displaying a prodigious memory.

Regarding the evaluations...

* TM Gail praised TM Marie for reminding us what the Season is really all about and her examplary use of vocal variety, eye contact and not wasting precious time.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM BeckyJoy loved TM Jim G's adherence to tradition and challenged him to channel the characters, list the raindeer with more gusto and for Saint Nicholas' sake, wear a hat!

The Word of the Day was

AZZURE, noun, verb, adjective - multifaceted word all right

Example:  In October 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean azzure.

The link to the recording will be sent separately.

Merry Christmas to all

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

Change and Mentoring - a cognitively rich contest at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

The recording captured a lively discussion of Jim and Chris G.'s plan to literally embark on an Oddysey and navigate the oceans on a semi-permanent world cruise.  Never a dull moment with the Geeks! More to follow...

The Table Topics Contest Topic was CHANGE.

* DTM Mary Helen wistfully reflected that change is inevitable, scary but at the same time exciting and she hopes to stay in the river of change.

* TM Paolo follows Darwin's discovery that only those who adapt to change survive - and he practices by moving his numerous offspring from one side of the pond to the next.  He Won Second Place.

* TM Chris is breaking free from the forcefield of routine to enhance her cognitive skills aboard the Odyssey (see above).  She Won First Place.

We had a wonderful Level 2 speech from TM Gail, which will propel EarlyBirds on its Gafor Distinguished of the Distinguished Clubs - thank you Gail! - and we also found out that...

* Her first mentor was her Mother, who taught her the (now) useless skills of back then - sewing, crocheting, darning - but instilled in her a passion for learning which led her to (2) PHDs and the road to her Master Mentors, Chris and Jim G., and ultimately embarking on Toastmasters' Pathways journey.  It's come full circle!  You're a great asset to our Club, TM Gail!

TM Paolo evaluated TM Gail's speech....

* He suggested she does not have to thank the audience - the audience ought to thank her! She conveyed powerfully the strong link she has to her Master Mentors and the audience was fully engaged and inspired by her speech.

The Word of the Day was

COGNITIVE, adjective

Related to thinking, learning, understanding.

Italians have difficulty saying cognitive because in Italian, cg is pronounced nye.  Signore, Signora, Signorina.  Vooolare, ooooh, Cantaaaare, Ohhhohhohh

Here's the link to the recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfkWfHr3hE

See you next week!

Loopily submitted (I think they gave me liquid Valium for the procedure, for real)

AI (absent intelligence) or 

IA (In absentia)

EarlyBird Evaluation Contest - What's Your Passion and Winter Activities

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Contest Chair Marie and Chief Judge Pam proved to be a dynamic contest duo and led us smoothly into the morning...

Test Speaker TM Dori discovered that touching people is her forte, and she put on her own glass slipper with crocheted socks, no Prince required, thankyouverymuch.  Thank you, TM Dori, for inspiring us to take up crochet...

We had some powerful evaluators:

* TM Chris fully related to the speech as she, too, discovered her true passion and made a career out of it (in between cruises).  She Won Second Place Evaluator.

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Dori for having found her passion and asserting herself in compliance with workplace safety.

* TM Paolo encouraged TM Dori to be more energetic and passionate delivering her passion with excellent pace, pitch and projection and please skip mentioning intro and conclusion.  He Won First Place Evaluator.  Congratulations, Paolo!

* TM Randolph was completely inspired by TM Dori's phrase "Your passion is fundable" and is adding it to his lists of motivational quotes.

I, Ana, led the group in Winter Wonderland table topics.  Who knew that....

* TM Jose classifies his New Year's Eve Celebrations in ascending order by wildest, wilder, wild, barely make it to midnight to eat the grapes.

* TM Terri will be roasting eggplant in her chimney, courtesy of her son The Chef.  EarlyBirds are coming over to partake, for sure!

* TM Gail, a native Floridian, has not had a snowball fight or even dreamed of one, but a brief stint in Albany has made her a Florida heat fan.

* TM Dori went once to the Christmas Boat Parade but did not engage in any bruhaha, although she and her friend were driven home as a precaution.

* TM Chris's idea of a Christmas Spectacular is kayaking down the Fort Lauderdale canals singing Christmas Carols.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* DTM Mary Helen loves substituting ice cream for lack of snowflakes and had a memorable Sober New Year's Eve Party when the moon was in the seventh house and Jupiter lined with Mars.

Our Test Speaker TM Dori introduced us to the Word of the Day

BRUHAHA, noun

Noisy, disorderly confusion

Example:  Ice skating in a frozen lake may lead to cracks in the ice and lots of unnecessary bruhaha.  We Floridians prefer artificial rinks.

Date to Remember:

Next week, December 12, is our Club Table Topics Contest.

DTMs Mary Helen and Jim D. are hosting a Christmas Spectacular at their home on December 18 from 5 to 9 pm.  More details to follow.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zfzc_XMTK4

Constantly contestantly submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer