Beach Snow, Design Tools and Cat Scratch Fever, an obdurate morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam launched us with a Unitarian Invocation about the Whip of Winter.

TM Christina introduced the tropical snowstorm concept to us...

* TM The Tom stated that Floridians are obdurate in avoiding snow-driven mistakes by migrating South from the cruel harsh northern winters.

* TM Veronica dreams of building beach snowmen, beach snow cones and posting the pictures on social media.

* TM Jorge was horrified at multiple-car crashes in MIami traffic when driven by a snowstorm.

* TM Aleta has found a good job for Florida teenagers experiencing a snowstorm... if they own a John Deere snow plow.

* TM Jose saw real snow in one year in Montana and when we first moved to Madrid from Cuba in the Navacerrada mountains surrounding the capital.

* TM Pam looks forward to winter olympics, mostly ice skating and ice racing, one a spring, one an obdurate sport.

* TM David laughs at Miamians' winter gear -including himself- when the thermometer hits 70 degrees fahrenheit.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM BeckyJo made a mistake as a 6-year-old by diving into snow in her flipflops. She had to be rescued by her compassionate uncle.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM David presented a speech about his printing company and their sophisticated platforms to make customers and other businesses lives easier.

* TM BeckyJo emphasized her 2 degrees of separation from Ted Nugent by suffering her Cat Scratch Fever - and now she's immunized.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding the evaluations...

* TM Jose was impressed with TM David's speech, his great presentation and he suggested he explain what B to B and B to C stand for.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM The Tom thoroughly enjoyed TM BeckyJo's speech, her vivid descriptions of the feline scar on her finger and surviving Mersa.

The Word of the Day was

OBDURATE, adjective

Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action; hardened in fellings.

Example: The difference between obdurate and obstinate: Obdurate implies a hardened, unfeeling resistance to persuasion (often morally) while obstinate suggests a more willful, perhaps unreasonable, persistence in one's opinion, often linked to pride or pigheadedness, though it can sometimes be admired as tenacity.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LflNAdjB9sc

See you next week at the Group International Speech Contest!

Ana I.

Obdurate Recap Writer

The Laughing Librarian, A Funny Thing Happened and The Invitation - great momentum at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM The Tom started us with a profound invocation about Father Fulton Sheen, known as the first Televangelist, soon to be canonized after a life of introspection.

TM BeckyJo introduced us to British children's analogies posted on FB's The Laughing Librarian.  We found out that...

* TM Pam wistfully reminisced about the Disco Era, when the walrus sang while making sounds like rusty farm equipment.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM The Tom's eyes twinkled like dew drops on the mustache of a man with a cold... And Won Best Laughing For The Duration of a Table Topics Award.

* TM Marie quoted "Sorry to see you leave and happy to see you go" as the reasoning behind magnetic back attraction and front repulsion.  Or something like that...

* TM Veronica compared the beauty and delicacy of a ballerina extending her leg at impossible angles and the strength of a dog lifting his leg at a fire hydrant.  Both are very impressive...

* TM Jose liked Canadian bacon while living in the US, which reminded him of one of his cars which had attractive back fenders and repulsive front benders.

* TM Aleta's cats get their ragged nails caught in her shag carpet and demand vacuuming often = the mustache topic reminded her of TM Jim G.

* I, Ana, pondered about the medical uses of lampshades as an instrument of isolation for dogs when licking wounds is not permitted.

Regarding prepared speeches...

* TM Christine gave her speech from a plane seat and recounted when one of the dogs in her care gave birth to 2 puppies in her shag carpet while she was flying back from LA - it turned out the doggy daycare is somewhat of a dog promiscuity center.... She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Marie wrote her speech in less than an hour this morning and highlighted the impact that accepting certain invitations has had in her life - Toastmasters, Al-Anon, Centering Prayer....  more will be revealed!

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Aleta thoroughly enjoyed TM Christine's speech and found it very hilarious - so much so that she totally ignored any (superfluous) time constraints while she laughed and laughed and laughed...

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Marie for her superb speech crafted last minute and delivered in such a profound lasting way.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

MOMENTUM, noun

Force that keeps something moving forward, progressing.

Force or speed of a moving object, calculated as mass + velocity.

Example:  This morning's meeting gathered momentum once we shifted all the roles around several times.

Here's the link to the recording...

https://youtube.com/live/WdM3xaJxXzA?feature=share

Note:  The International Speech Contest has been postponed till February 5th.  

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Florida Arbor Day, Traditions and Idioms - a jocund morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie got us started with an invocation by Walt Whitman.  TM Pam inspired us with Arbor Day topics...  we uncovered and discovered that...

* TM The Tom planted a tree when his dear Mother passed away, which still brings back bittersweet memories of his loss.

* TM Aleta plants trees so she can grow her own firewood and spends most of her days watering them.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Christine currently has a job that requires her to climb a ladder and dust off otherwise unreachable cabinets in newly-remodeled houses.

* Guest TM Vika explained that there are lots of Argentinian woods to walk and discover in Argentina, where she's been living for 10 years.

* TM Veronica described her favorite Argentine tree, the jacaranda, which offers an explosion of lilac coloring to Buenos Aires twice a year.

We had (2) prepared speeches...

* TM Jose made our mouths water with a visual presentation of the scrumptious mid-morning snack in Valencia, Spain, called Esmorzaret.  Ah to be Spanish and thin....

* I, TM Ana, described some of the often used but rarely understood hundreds of idioms that color our everyday language.  I Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations...

* TM Veronica - first time evaluator- praised TM Jose's clear, confident voice, the good speech structure and descriptive food language.  She asked him to please Fedex her a huge bocadillo for practicing Valencia traditions.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.  Great job, TM Veronica!

* TM Christine loved my speech, chock-full of idioms, and asked that I stop rustling my notes so close to the microphone or altogether discard them so I can make more hand gestures.  Just sayin'....

The Word of the Day was

JOCUND, adj

cheerful, merry, lighthearted

Example:  EarlyBirds is a jocund group on any given Thursday morning.

Here's the link to the recording....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSx9ahC4s3E

Date to Remember:  International Speech Contest at EarlyBirds will be held on Thursday, January 29.  Get your speeches ready!

See you next week!

Ana I.

Jocund Recap Writer

On this day..., Face the Fear and Bloom Where You're Planted.. no procrastination permitted at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam led us with a New Year inspirational invocation.

I, Ana, introduced some date-specific Table Topics.  We found out that...

* TM Christina knows vaguely about Pete Repeat Galileo Galilei and loves to watch the stars at night much like he did.

* TM Jose reminisced about the Who's deaf guitarist who wildly swung his arm to the tune of My Generation.

* TM Aleta honors National Blood Donor Month by eating all the rare steaks she can get her canines on.  High cholesterol? Who cares... she's now complying with the new food pyramid!

* TM Veronica went scuba diving with a deaf and blind group who used Braille and sign language under the ocean blue.

* TM BeckyJo practiced the art of the pivot by telling us about her blind friend who had a large-Braille Bible.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jorge used to love country, rock, heavy rock, R&B music but now cherishes silence in the car.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM The Tom inspired us to stop procrastinating, step out of the cocoon of safety, get unstuck from sameness, face the fear and transform ourselves by acting 'as if'.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Pam enrolled a few EarlyBirds to join her central Florida Bloom and Grow Garden Society - it sounds like great fun!!

Regarding Evaluations...

* TM David praised The Tom's great shirt and great background and suggested more pauses and more hand gestures - but keep asking questions of the audience for total engagement.  

* TM Christina marveled at how TM Pam handled technical glitches, with equanimity, professionalism and blooming where she was planted. She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

PROCRASTINATE, verb

To delay or postpone doing something.

Example:  "Taylor Swifties are those who do not procrastinate."

Here's the link to the recording...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFqSvmsRqx0

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer