Moving, Thai Paradise and What Now? A scintilla of a meeting at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Chris, shaker and mover, got us moving in various directions.  We found out that...

* TM Terri does not have moving in her genes but treasures her childhood pictures which miraculously made it out of Hersheytown, Cuba.

* TM Aleta's longest moves were back and forth between Pennsylvania and Florida, with lots of uncluttering along the way.

* TM Cory's shortest move was at age 20 when he moved 2 blocks from his Mom who visited every day, till he springboarded to Portland, Oregon.

* TM Paolo just went through a harrowing transatlantic flight with 6 bambini in tow so he wants to stay put for a while.

* Guest Jean's easiest move was from Europe to Florida.  His father helped and besides, he had beaucoup des francs a depenser (translation: quite a bunch of French francs to convert to dollars).

* I, Ana, do NOT like to move - miscellaneous objects live in perpetuity in my home so the Gulds are bringing their rnadoms and extras over.  I Won Best Table Topics Award.

Then came the outstanding prepared speeches...

* TM Jose took us on a scintillating trip aided by seamless visual/audio aids  to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (coloquially known as Thailand) and a few of the islands they visited - they had 1400 to choose from, as well as near-passing trains.  TM Jose and the entire Club is planning to visit the Gulds' Cruise in Phuket in November 2026.  Jose won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Marie expertly showed us ways to turn our energy from negative to positive, ignore the external narcissism and find the silver lining in every storm cloud.

Regarding the evaluations...

* The Tom Quinn praised TM Jose's presentation skills as simply magic.  He wants MORE, MORE, MORE!  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* First-time Evaluator TM Cory admired TM Marie's self-confidence, great energy, audience engagement and the ability to pose serious questions in a very gentle tone.  Great job, Cory!

ALERT FOR TM BECKYJO:  The Oxford Dictionary has officially recognized -and listed- the formerly slangy GONNA. 

The Word of the Day was

SCINTILLA, noun

Very small amount of something

Spark, flash

Example: EarlyBirds has way more than a scintilla of humor and joy to start us right on any given Thursday morning.

Here's the link to the recording:

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

See you next week!

Ana

VP Education

Fwd: Life Lessons, Icebreaker and Origin of County Names - a non-superfluous morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

One of our new members, TM Cory, started us off with thought-provoking Table Topics about life and lessons.   We soon found out that...

* DTM Mary Helen was insecure as a youngster, then at age 40, she relinquished her deep dark past and became secure.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Gail was a pioneer of the Community College system in Florida and it allowed her to study and work and get ahead in life.

* TM The Tom would give his younger self the reiterated advice to join the Navy (as he did) where he learned to make his bed and lay on it, too.

* TM Terri's best compliment as a young teacher in a Hialeah middle school minefield was "You're persistent".  And that she is, to this day!

* TM Jorge would, as a 9-year-old, maximize his Mom's last day with him to the fullest.

We then listened to TM Jorge's Icebreaker....

* Sitting in a waiting bus, he had a transcendental conversation with the bus driver which shaped the course of his life.  He joined the Navy and was sent to Italy; he is now bonding with his infant son till the next opportunity comes up.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

* I, Ana, Self-Appointed Local Reporter, sleuthed around to find out picturesque facts about several towns in our beloved Broward County.

Lastly, we had great evaluations...

* TM Gail praised TM Jorge for his intriguing Icebreaker and for his proficient use of Zoom.

* TM Jose loved my speech but asked that I stop flailing my notes in front of the camera, for heaven's sake.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

Our Area Director, TM Marcus Observicus, attended our meeting and complimented us effusively.

The Word of the Day was

SUPERFLUOUS, adjective

Exceeds what is necessary or sufficient, or is simply not needed.

Etymology:  It comes from the latin superfluuuus which in turn is derived from the Assyrian superiffffflllluuuus.   They've just removed a few superfluous vowels (and consonants) with the passage of millenia.

Example:  Why do we have superfluous but potentially deadly vestiges like the appendix or wisdom teeth?   

Here's the link to the recording

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

See you next week!

Ana I

Recap Writer

Sports Idioms, Downsizing and Blinding Love - the opposite of obtuse at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

Our new TM Cory dove right into the program and led us with an inspirational invocation followed by The Pledge of Allegiance.

We inducted our newest member, Jorge (George). Welcome to EarlyBirds, TM George!

TM Aleta led us with very creative graphic slides of sports idioms.  We found out that...

* TM Chris is looking forward to a spectacular kickoff in her new fantasy life.

* TM BeckyJo was a slam drunk in younger years and now has tiny little toes and is an anomaly as a short person.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Randolph is into the latest hockey hoopla and will definitely not drop the gloves.

* TM Cory says tackling Table Topics is par for the course regarding public speaking.

* TM Jorge definitely does not jump the gun to resolve an issue.  He'd much rather use the synonym - get ahead of himself.

* TM The Tom is a devout front runner, much like his Alma Mater, Notre Dame, was, is and will forever continue to be...

* TM Terri's father was a boxing fan and although she finds it gross, she is also a fan who will not throw in the towel except to clean the blood.

We had, again, two fabulous speeches....

* TM Pam gave a rendition of Let It Go and stated categorically that her family are not hoarders, simply people with lots of hobbies and a big garage. She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen gave us some valuable tips for finding "the one" in a banquet of "the many", ignoring information overload.

And then came the evaluations...

* TM Paolo praised TM Pam for being a bird singing in the early morning and for her abundance of humor.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM The Tom was inspired by DTM Mary Helen's tips for virtuosity in others - kindness, respect and money in the bank for expensive dinners.

The Word of the Day was

OBTUSE, adj.

Someone who can't understand something clearly.

Example:  I was obtuse when it came to obtuse angles in Geometry.  Do the math....

Here is the link to the recording...

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

See you next week!

Ana I.

Obtuse Recap Writer 

Palantine's, Remix Part II, The Next Chapter - a gallant morning in EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We officially inducted our newest member, TM Cory, into our Club.  Welcome!

TM Gail started us off with Palantine's, Gallantine's and Love Your Pet Day topics..  We were about to discover that ..

* DTM Mary Helen's palantines are her Argentine friend and our loyal (absentee) member Ellie - they all share good times together, on Palantine's Day and any day, for that matter.

* I, Ana, reminisced about a memorable Valentine's Day on the eve of my middle daughter's wedding in Miami, surrounded by transatlantic and multistate friends from various stages of life.  And, after the wedding.... the marriage began!! (They are still married today).

* TM Cory and his partner will go to a new restaurant and celebrate with many surprises - balloons, candy and lots of online purchases.  TM Gail and several other Club members have signed up to be his Valentines too.

* TM BeckyJo has an ungrateful cat who only comes to her for food - lavishes all other feline endearments to BeckyJo's roommate.  Such is life, even on Love Your Ungrateful Pet Day!  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

We had (2) fantabulous prepared speeches today...

* TM Aleta regaled us with her Music Remix - Take 2 - an improved musicalized crescendo of her life and adventures.  She, too, did it her way!

* TM Jim summarized his and TM Chris' life in various chapters and described the new world marine adventure upon which they are embarking.  Then he had a vibrant Q&A session and told us about digitizing memories to addressing potential health concerns to handling temporary visitors to the cost of room and board.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations are concerned...

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Aleta for heeding the evaluator's feedback and enhancing her musical lifestory.  Put Nowhere Man in Penny Lane and there's your New Kid in Town....

* DTM Mary Helen was thoroughly impressed (as were the rest of us) with TM Jim G's visual aid mastery, seamlessly transporting us from their RV to the high seas on the good ship lollipop.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

GALLANT, adj.

Courageous, brave

Polite and respectful to women

Example:  Women are flattered by gallant men.

Here's the link to the recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycv6hPoV6bc

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Super Bowl, Lightening Up and Soaring Like An Eagle - a use case study in EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie led us in Super Bowl topics....

* TM Gail is driving down to TM Marie's home to savor those fantastic Super Bowl appetizers, in direct competition with the neighborhood's.

* DTM Mary Helen laments the high security at the stadium which deters fans from smuggling in guns and knives to deal with opposing fans.

* Guest Cory reflected how being here for each other in a divided environment is proof positive of good sportsmanship.

* I, Ana, am clueless and without use case of the Super Bowl and i'll have a personal fowl (chicken) for dinner that night to celebrate the winner.

* TM Terri is also oblivious of Super Bowl details but she's looking forward to becoming a soccer fan when they build a Beckham stadium next to her house.

* TM Pam's victory will consist of raising personal fowl with high security (against predators) because she's starting a lucrative business selling pricey eggs on the side. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM Chris wants to lighten up and let go of fear, worry, doubt.  Out with the seriousness, in with the levity, okey dokey??? She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Paolo's hologram inspired us to become eagles rather than chickens and start anew without ever looking back.

As far as evaluations...

* TM Aleta praised TM Chris's smile which is infectious and contagious and avoid politics... until we possibly acquire a 51st state....

* TM Terri liked TM Paolo's video presentation which shows, time and time again, that his diction, vocal variety, enunciation and modulation are soaring with the eagles.   She Won Best Evaluation Award.

The Word of the Day was

USE CASE, noun

A description of how a user interacts with a system to achieve a specific goal.   

(Not to be confused with CASE USE, which is a goal that systematically interacts with a specific user).

Example:  The restaurant staff carried out their use case in an exemplary manner.  Huh???

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CpZnLNBShQ

See you next week!

Ana I.

Use Case Nut Case Writer

Idioms, It’s Not Them and Musical Remix - a segue into other realms at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

I, Ana, started us off with Table Topics...

* TM Chris is proof positive that no pain, no gain is a truism and she is soon-to-be prouncing and hopping around on her brand new knee! 

* TM Marc finds that it's always darkest before the dawn in an astronomical sense, especially when he does a crack-of-dawner to join EarlyBirds!

* TM Randolph is unsure when to throw caution to the wind and when to act with prudence, he is going to google it.

* TM Gail admires the Gulds for throwing caution to the wind, embarking on a seafaring adventure and spilling the beans about it!

* TM Marie thinks ladders are an endangered species, soon to be replaced by drones.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM BeckyJo's off-her-rocker teenager was brought back to the recliner by her off-her-rocker Mom.

* DTM Mary Helen thinks well begun is half done, expecially when making banana cupcakes.

We then segued into our prepared speeches...

* TM Pam firmly believes in random acts of kindness to them/they/she/her/him and especially to her frenemy husband, in a striking evolutionary move ahead of neanderpoliticals.

* TM Aleta, our very own version of Casey Kasem's Top 40s, succumbed to DTM Mary Helen's 35-year pleas and after wishing she could turn back time, decided to update her Spotify playlist.  See attached link for your musical enjoyment.  She Won Best Speaker/Singer Award.  (Here is the spreadsheet of all her songs.) 

Along came evaluations....

* In a topsy-turvy turn of events through no fault of her own TM BeckyJo praised TM Pam's timeless speech, delivered with smooth transitions, easy flow and vocal variety, evoking BeckyJo's cousin who thinks she's off her rocker.

* TM The Tom admired TM Aleta's way of connecting music to her life and making great pauses from one title to another.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

SEGUE, verb

To proceed to what follows without pause or hesitation.

EarlyBirds is a fun way to segue into the rest of our Thursday.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/live/_QPpMvuYa_w?si=oFAfDfIe9tSwa2YT

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer 

Visuals, Soar Like An Eagle, The Rest of the Story - raconteurs at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Chris led us in a Daoist inspiring Invocation about Letting Go.

*TM Paolo incited us to stop acting like chickens and join the Mile-High Club.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

*TM The Tom told us the rest of the story about the Airport Advisory Board bully who became the Hospital Noise Abatement Challenger.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM BeckyJo led us in Round Robin evaluations...

* TM Gail thought both speakers were the ultimate raconteurs.

* TM Marie praised TM Paolo for his passion and TM The Tom for his eloquence.   She Won Best Round /Robin Evaluator Award.

* TM Aleta soars like eagles and faces up to bullies.

* TM Terri liked TM Paolo's energy and TM The Tom's emphasis.

* DTM Mary Helen is going to read the referenced Awareness book again.

* TM Ana discovered she is hard of hearing...

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Paolo for reinventing himself and TM The Tom for reinventing the bully.

TM Terri led us in miscellaneous slides of Table Topics....

* TM Marie indicated that she wears her heart on her sleeve, not in her hand. It's all a matter of perception!

* DTM Mary Helen said glittering city lights remind her of telenovelas where the maid always elopes with the owner's son and lives unahappily ever after...

* TM Aleta told us through chattering teeth about the heavily weighted snowy branches in her icy driveway where the pizza delivery guy skidded his way to the door.

* I, Ana, reminisced about Lake Titicaca in the Bolivian Andes and Lake Michigan, in the icy shores of Chicagoland.  I Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Gail has taken many pictures of lighthouses while growing up by the sea, cherished memories of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

* TM Pam is an easily diverted time waster who currently spends her precious time contemplating kitten watercolor painting techniques.  She promises to stop.

* TM BeckyJo used to play 'red light, green light' with Sunday school children and concluded that boys are wiggly and girls are staid until they discover boys and become wigglers too.

The Word of the Day was

RACONTEUR, noun

A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way.

Example:  In Toastmasters we become witty raconteurs and effective public speakers.  Yes, sireeee!

The link to the recording is

recording,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxk6pM6uL-k

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Raconteur

Elton, Labels and Canterbury Tales - a parlayed morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

DTM Mary Helen evoked our musicality with lines from Elton songs...

* TM Chris is still standing, and after a 50-year-old injury in a black diamond ski run, is getting a new knee  while enjoying a good joint.

* TM Randolph was dating his wife, forming a music group, preparing for college and starting to realize that he didn't know everything, all at 17.  He Won Best Table Topics Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta looks presentable from the waist up because she knows that, besides her hips, the camera never lies.

* TM Pam pondered who she'd be if she were you and you were her or they/them were us/ours and who is she anyways, she wonders when she wakes up every morning....

* TM Paolo would like to feel the love tonight although with (2) bambini in bed it's easier to feel the love in the house and the morning pandemonium.  This too shall pass...

* The Tom mused that yes, he should have sent flowers at times - there's always an opportunity to be softer.  Ahh... the powers of hindsight....

* I, Ana, had a wild and crazy night at a joint Billy Joel/Elton John concert many moons ago and with a cold heart left my commitments behind.

* TM Jim G. reflected on the circle of life - the birth of his son, the death of his father and hopes there's still another chapter to fill...

* TM Marie considers us all dear friends, although she only sees us in the zoom squares, but she fully believes we are all real people.

We heard 2 interesting speeches today...

* TM Marie distinguished between helpful Flora pasta labels and childhood adhesive labels - ie shy, butterfingers, accident-prone, clumsy, chatterbox - which we carry through life until we are baptized in the Jordan River, Epcot Center, USA.

* TM Terri had a college dorm experience at age 50 in Kent, England, where she pierced the veil of time in Greenwich Village and traversed to AM/PM to meet Geoffrey Chaucer sitting in the Mermaid Chair at Land's End, currently a mail order clothes catalog.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

And about evaluations...

* TM The Tom thanked TM Marie for taking him back to childhood bullying to parlay himself into a purposeful, loving, being loved human being.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Paolo praised TM Terri as a captivating teacher with great vocal variety and asked for a map marked with an X to find the Mermaid Chair.

The Word of the Day was

PARLAY, verb

To bet

To exploit successfully

To increase or otherwise transform into something of greater value.

For example:  His gambling addiction was parlayed into a successful career in Finance with a day job in Congress.

Next week, January 23, is our Club International Speech Contest.   Area Contest will be held on March 8 in Davie, Florida.

Here's the link to the recording: 

https://youtube.com/live/9mfnreCpzIQ?feature=share

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Connections, Back To The Future, Travel The World and The Seven Seas - Acronyms in EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie gave us FFT (food for thought) with certain ideas....

* TM Randolph practices more understanding of simple gestures and states that smiles dress us up.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Pam, loves hand-written notes and recently found 3 misplaced and unsent written thank you cards from her 1900s wedding.  Ohwell....

* TM Paolo admits that the pillars of old, sincere friendships are unmovable and enhance reconnecting.

* TM Marc reflected that having a sense of belonging is not instantaneous and must be built up. Tricky, not easy but well worth it!

* DTM Mary Helen collects notebooks as powerful reminders of who she used to be, her feelings, goals, dates, musings.

* TM Aleta first joined EarlyBirds in 1980 and some of its pioneer members made a deep impact on her and lift her soul, week after week.

We heard (2) powerful speeches...

* TM The Tom talked about Gatsby's Dilemma ,,, "and so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  Old Gatsby, Old Sport.

* TM Thoroughly Modern Chris suggested we get a Google account and visit mymaps.google.com to place markers (oh ever so easy) on past trips, future trips, present trips, imagined trips, color coded, with infrared insights, while Thoroughly Old Fashioned Chris disposed of 4 old papers in a treasure trunk.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding the evaluations...

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM The Tom for a well-organized speech that was relatable whenever she undertakes a task and ends up reading an old book, dragging a sack of ash behind her.

* TM Paolo was so enthusiastic about The G's future many times around the world cruise that he almost jumped out of his Zoom square and became an in-person evaluator in front of our very eyes!  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

ACRONYM, noun

Abbreviation formed by taking initial letters of words in a phrase and creating a new word that is pronounceable.

For example:  SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus); NASA (National Aeronautical & Space Administration); RADAR (Radio Detection & Ranging); YOLO (You Only Live Once), FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Attention Please!! Acronyms are not to be confused with Initialisms - here are some Senior Citizen Texting Codes: ATD (At The Doctors), BFF (Best Friend Fell), BTW (Bring The Wheelchair), BYOT (Bring Your Own Teeth), FWIW (Forgot Where I Was), GGPMBL (Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low), GHA (Got Heartburn Again), IMHO (Is My Hearing Aid On?), LMDO (Laughing My Dentures Out), OMMR (On My Massage Recliner), ROFLACGU (Rolling On Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up)

Our International Speech Club Contest will be held on January 23, 2025.

Here's the link to today's recording:

 https://www.youtube.com/live/gsc1vQl6kZ0?si=jTK5z5Kw2ctpChdo

See you next week!

Ana I.

JADE  (no need to Justify, Argue, Defend or Explain)

Recap Writer

Single Words, Happiness and Resolutions - a potpourri of a meeting at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Jim G. led us in single-word topics.  And as we now know...

* DTM Mary Helen practices gratitude every day of her life - especially considering  how privileged our lives are.

* TM Marie admires our adventurous fellow Toastmasters and wonders if she will have the courage to be who she truly is in 2025. Yes, Marie, you will!

* TM Terri believes that travel equals discovery, inspiration, innovation and renovation.  An inward interior design of transformation!

* TM Randolph achieves growth through self-evaluation, for which he uses the Pathways evaluation forms.

* Guest Debbi concluded that as she gets older, her potential becomes more obvious and she reaches out to grab it!  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came prepared speeches...

* I, Ana, elaborated on various definitions of happiness versus joy versus delight versus musical renditions.  Conclusion: "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (to the tune of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" .  I Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Pam decided to get rid of bad habits by decluttering "a box a week is not for the meek" and she is not joining Quitters Day, no sireee....

Regarding evaluations...

* TM Jose stood up for the occasion and challenged me to look at the camera, not at the squares, and to stand up to improve gestures.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Aleta praised TM Pam's sincerity and challenged her to work some more on the pesky technology of sharing screens and other mysteries of zoom.

The Word of the Day was

POT-POURRI (noun)

- A mix of dried flower petals, leaves and spices to create a scent.

- A collection of various things.

Example:  Pot-pourri elicits a highly controversial pronunciation challenge between green-gos, who correctly pronounce it POW-POURRI,  Hispanics, who incorrectly pronounce it POT-PUREE and the clueless, who pronounce it OLLA PODRIDA.

Our Club International Speech Contest will be held on January 23, 2025.  Dust off your speeches, locals!

Here is the link to the recording:

https://youtube.com/live/WTf_nQ_lT-k

Ana I.

Recap Writer