One-word topics, Food is Critical and Scam Alert - EarlyBirds are flourishing!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM BeckyJo is preparing us for Table Topics contests with one-word topics. We discovered that...

* TM Gail proliferates in her use of thingamajig, a catch-all descriptive word to find anything, reach for anything, drop anything or use anything.

* TM Veronica does not worry about chinhair YET - wait till age catches up with her!

* TM Jorge is reminded of leprechauns and pots of gold when he envisions a rainbow.

* TM David gets a dose of vitamin C and positive energy when he eats an orange.

* TM Cory got out of the box and delivered a speech in front of 100 team members while thinking of us last Thursday.  Go TM Cory!

* TM Aleta does not diet per se but keeps a healthy body by dividing her food intake into liquids for one week, fruits and veggies another and light protein the third.  On the fourth week she flourishes....

* I, Ana, make a distinction between joy and happiness and gave a non-sequitur recap of the House of Orange festivities in The Netherlands.  I Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came (2) outstanding prepared speeches...

* TM David revealed that he loves to eat and cook healthy food - ater discovering that fast food stays one minute on your lips, forever in your hips- and healthy cooking is a spiritual experience.  We the local EarlyBirds are going to his home for an exquisite meal SANS CROISSANTS.... He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Gail got scammed by AI impersonation and shared very helpful tips to avoid being victimized.  Think about this:  1.3 BILLION personal records were compromised last year in the U.S.of A.  Thank you for raising awareness among the potentially scammable crowd, TM Gail!

Regarding the evaluations...

*TM The Tom thoroughly enjoyed TM David's speech and encouraged him to repeat it again incorporating a few gourmet recipes for added spirituality!

* DTM Mary Helen thanked TM Gail for her helpful practices to make us aware of the cunning sophistication of Scammers Unlimited flourishing in the world.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

FLOURISH, verb

To grow luxuriantly, to thrive

To achieve success

Example:  Those of us with a fear of public speaking thrive and flourish in Toastmasters.

Note: Due to technical difficulties, today's recording will be made available soon - maybe.   Stay tuned!

See you next week!

Ana

VP Education

Hard Topics, Communication Styles and Living in a Tree - a penchant for adventure at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We inducted our newest member, TM Roslyn - Welcome aboard!

TM The Tom gave us a choice between hard topics and easy peasy topics, and guess what we picked...

* I, Ana, am grateful of the alphabet A to J and fully cognizant of the easy peasy life that I enjoy.

* DTM Mary Helen overcame her reluctance to physical activity and became a runner and is now a walker.

* TM Jose asserts people can change on their time, not anyone else's.  He quit smoking, moved to Spain and regained spirituality - not necessarily in that order.

* TM Jim G. has a fantastic wife and hence also has a fantastic life.  The secret is Stayin' Alive (sung to the tune of Stayin' Alive by the Gree Gees)

* TM Roslyn worked hard to chase the close - money, property, prestige.  Now she has slowed down and finds time to smell the flowers.

* TM Marie has nothing to stop her from getting what she wants and she's grateful for unplanned blessings of yesterday - dancing impromptu with husband Guy right in front of the dinner casserole bubbling on the stovetop.  She Won Best TAble Topics Award.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Gail used multiple communication styles while discharging her duties as a Catholic Diocese High School Principal - addressing the elephant in the room - how to pronounce plural diocesiseseses....  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM BeckyJo, consummate storyteller, who is self-banned from bookstores, lived an adventure read in a book while at Hanahau'oli School in Makiki Street, Honolulu, and leading 3 classmates to learn to live in a tree in the Makatuki Mountains while hitchhiking in the opposite direction and running into Principal Gail West. She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations are concerned...

* TM Randolph is fascinated by TM Gail's rich life while dancing at a Salsa Party with her Cuban guidance counselor and would recommend more vocal variety while singing "My Hips Don't Lie"...

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM BeckyJo's passionate, creative tale of escapism in the jungles of Hawaii and suggested BeckyJo play around with her camera so she can make eye contact with her audience during storytelling.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

PENCHANT, noun

Strongly marked taste in a person or an irresistible attraction in the objection

Example:  Wolves have a penchant for howling at the full moon.

Here is the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNViqvL-7Ek

See you next week!

Ana Illsen

Recap Writer

What Could Have Been, June is in the Air and Remember When? (No...)- Bitcoins at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We nominated and elected the new slate of officers effective July 1 as follows:

Sargeant-at-Arms:  Jim G.

President - Aleta R.

VP Ed - Ana I.

Treasurer - Jim D.

VP Membership - Mary Helen D.

VP Public Relations - Beckyjo B.

Secretary - Terri M.

TM Jim G. led us in Table Topics and got us thinking about what could have been... We found out that...

*DTM Jim D. would have been an instant expert in contract law, conducting analysis, evaluations, comparisons, projections, alignments, estimates.... to save failing companies.

* I, Ana, have had some fantastic meals of Cuban food, bar none, and dislike exotic nouvelle cuisine undercooked in Michelin=star restaurants.

* TM Chris treaded carefully as her hubby is the family cook, and she made it clear that she dislikes siracha and put-together found in the fridge sardines and condensed milk.

* TM Emmanuel loves animals that talk and thinks the funniest are dogs, goats and lambs - they are humble and humorous.

* TM Jose would wave a magic wand and get rid of the current autocratic ruling goverment and bring back the country to its constitutional state.  Those who don't like it, adios amigo!  

* TM BeckyJo likes free will, she wants her mistakes to be of her own doing.  Unpounded alligator was her worst meal, ever.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Guest James D.'s favorite family tradition is Little League Opening Night, where he lives his childhood vicariously through his children, amidst the fireworks!

We had 2 excellent speeches...

* TM Gail challenged us to think outside the box and engage in June activities, graduations, weddings, hurricanes, flipping a coin, trail hikes, protecting the reef. She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen finally remembered that she experiences transience, absentmindedness, blocking, misattribution in the space of a New York minute.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Marie praised TM Gail's vocal variety and encouraged her to pause to bring up more gusto when she relatedly calls on group members.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Paolo couldn't remember what he was supposed to do but at last remembered that DTM Mary Helen delivered her speech with elegance and humor.

The Word of the Day was

BITCOIN, noun

Form of digital currency that eliminates need for central authorities such as banks or governments.  Uses blockchain technology.

Example:  Getting Rich with Bitcoin - a story called "That Ship Has Sailed".

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

https://youtube.com/live/qOk3kc0-FQ0?feature=share

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Mint Juleps, Sun and Moon Signs and Experiments in Democracy - machtnichts at Early Birds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam transported us in equine motorcoaches to the Derby, hat and all.  We discovered that...

* TM BeckyJo wants to be a catalyst - causing reactions and explosions - but come to think of it, she's created some of those and perhaps she'd rather be an inhibitor.

* TM Chris said macht nichts, just take the trophy and run.  Also the jockeys' silks although they are so tiny but again mach nichts!!

* TM Jarrett reminisced about his epic ride to Space Mountain in DisneyWorld, where up became down, side became front, front became back and his world has never been the same!

* I, Ana, came to a point where I realized that I had to change if I didn't want things to go on endlessly, again and again, repeatedly, consistently, predictably and .... endlessly.  On the other hand, macht nichts!

* DTM Mary Helen had a stronghold on the bars of her cart at a Worse Than Space Mountain ride in DisneyWorld, and then kept a stronghold in her stomach to prevent you know what....

* TM The Tom repeated "Merciful Heavens" "Merciful Heavens" "Merciful Heavens" , I'm old and female which revealed that he's a woke Society Man without even knowning it!

* TM Aleta visualized the powerful muscles of Fierceness galloping by and we need to gallop through life and keep our muscles toned to address the horse jumping obstacles of life.

* TM Marie's favorite horse is named Honor Marie, and this Saturday she will be on herself that she will be a support to her family, friends, acquaintances while wearing a pastel colored wide Derby hat.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

As far as formal speeches go, we learned some very interesting facts today...

* TM Gail informed us about the Western and the Chinese Zodiac, and it was revealed that members of EarlyBirds rely heavily on these for choice of careers, choice of partners, choice of tv miniseries and all sorts of important patterns in the intricacies of life.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jose presented Part II of Experiments in Democracy and gave us a first-hand look of a distorted campaign motto "President, We Can't Live Without You" - when everyone knows that what Spaniards TRULY can't live without is PAELLA....

Along came evaluations...

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Gail for being neutral about astology and helping us to connect with the universe in less than 7 minutes.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Marie called Jose "Man in the News" for his direct, informative and neutral reporting that Generalissimo Franco came out of the grave, defying Chevy Chase's prediction that "Generalissimo Franco is STILL dead".  It's all about corruption and influence peddling....

The Word of the Day was

MACHT NICHTS, noun

Pronounced MOX NIX by the unDeutsche

Originated with American soldiers in Deutschland after World War II. It means "It Doesn't Matter" or "That's OK", or "It's Not Important".

Give us EarlyBirds a foreign word and we run with it, using Macht Nichts indiscriminately throughout the entire meeting.  Mox Nix, except for Oktoberfest!

We are the first group in our Area (formerly 21, currently 20) in District 47, to achieve President's Super Duper Extra Distinguished Award!  Go EarlyBirds!!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KYTiW60P7c

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

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 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOcBkgV1LQc

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOcBkgV1LQc

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer