TM Aleta took us down memory lane reminiscing about childhood events. We learned that....
* TM Randolph is impervious to physical pain which requires multiple sutures and a tetanus shot.
* DTM Jim D.'s grandma was a merry widow when she married his merry MYOB (Make Your Own Beer) grandpa.
* TM Jim G.'s wise and worldly teenage sister Debbie at times gave him disconcerting advice.
* I, Ana, spent joyous Christmases in my early days in Havana, followed by a disconcerting decade, to be subsequently recaptured again for my progeny. I Won Best Table Topics Award.
* TM Pam's all-time favorite childhood memory is digging clams in the cold Pacific waters after enduring warm Florida waters.
* TM Tom's uncovered family secret is that his great grandpa was involved in a shootout with the Dalton Gang in Coffeeville, Kansas - straight out of a John Wayne movie.
Along came the prepared speeches...
* DTM Mary Helen overcame being disconcerted by a cheeseless bruschetta (correctly pronounced by her) pizza and got a free cannoli as a prize.
* TM Marie (Mimi) successfully survived germ-carriers and mastered Eat, Pray and Love while living to tell her great grandchildren about the olden days of Zoom. She Won Best Speaker Award.
* DTM Kip showed his grit in overcoming a health challenge and displayed his chipper Southern and Irish core while asking for our unfaltering adoration.
And lastly, we had great evaluations...
* TM Chris was transported back to Roman ruins by DTM Mary Helen's speech and Prego! Prego'd her way to being excavated from them by Moose. She Won Best Evaluator Award.
* TM Pam praised TM Marie's outstanding vocal variety and Zoom mastery while suggesting she emulate the Royal Family's disconcerting fascinator hats.
* TM Tom highlighted DTM Kip's humor and bravado which are an inspiration to all of us and will inexorably point us to pick a Pathways, once and for all! .
The Word of the Day was
DISCONCERTING, adj.
How we feel when things are not going right.
Example: Filling in meeting roles at the last minute is no longer disconcerting for EarlyBirds - now it comes naturally.
Next TLI: June 18. Look out for more information.
TM Randolph performed the role of Presiding Officer impeccably, giving us a taste of things to come!
DTM Kip started us off on the subject of Leadership. This is what we learned...
* TM Carmine has been dragged into leadership roles, only to find out that he's not a leader but a facilitator and he thinks we're a bovine nation.
* TM BeckyJo is a non-compliant convicted felon since the age of 5.
* Guest Val thinks leadership is overrated. Try to explain a mission to 100 people, get 100 different versions of the mission. People are just refractory!
* TM Tom became a club secretary because of his good legs...He Won Best Table Topics Award.
* I, TM Ana, equate leading from the rear to reacting from the behind.
Then came our prepared speeches...
* TM Tom repeated last week's speech incorporating the evaluation - he limited his tribalism examples to a prominent Indian engineer from upstate NY, an overprotected tribalbiden you may have heard about, and a public school teacher in the 1920s who dared to be Catholic.
* DTM Kip moderated a panel of 3 with Leadership topics. The panel shared how they landed in EarlyBirds and what they have learned from it. Club elections are coming up! Get ready to vote early and vote often.... He Won Best Speaker Award.
As far as evaluations go...
* TM Jose praised TM Tom for having listened to the prior week's evaluation and sticking to the facts with good enunciation.
* TM Tom stated that DTM Kip gave a good cogent non-refractory speech and sheperded Carmine's sheep to a good conclusion. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
The Word of the Day was
REFRACTORY, adj.
1. stubborn or unmanageable
2. resistant to a process or stimulus.
Example: Being refractory in adolescence often leads a person to the School of Hard Knocks, followed by the University of Adversity.
TM Paolo will represent our Club this Friday April 29 in the Humorous Speech Contest. Please register to attend and support him! DTM Kip will send out the registration information subito.
Recently Northern Lighted TM Scott led us in very intriguing Icelandic table topics:
TM Carmine – who makes a mini speech even out of a self-introduction- philosophized that trolls and elves, gremlins and imps, devils and saints are all a projection. No more, no less.
DTM Jim D. thinks viking canoes would do pretty well in Lake Okeechobee and at least Florida is not as cold as misnamed Greenland.
TM Marie pictured having the Katla volcano near her home and would respect life more and watch the miniseries Katla with more intention. She Won Best Table Topics Award.
I, TM Ana, realized that I live in a rather safe neighborhood where I leave my front door – and often my garage door – unlocked overnight, so I won’t contemplate moving to Iceland anymore to escape crime.
TM Paolo, dry in Miami, lives up to ‘in vino veritas’ while in Italy and guzzles rose even with pizza. What’s life without vino anyway?
TM Chris would rename Fort Lauderdale the murder and mayhem Venice of Florida and entice others to move to Iceland. Her hidden agenda? To scuba dive with TM Jim G. in total exclusivity!
DTM Mary Helen surmises that Iceland has the highest publishing rate in the world because the population gets tired of jumping over geysers and watching volcanos and resorts to writing books – about geysers and volcanos.
TM Jose revealed that in spite of recent persistent downpours, Spain is in a drought and people must take dry showers to be ecofriendly. He’s starting next year!
TM Aleta used to own a quarter horse but prefers half horses, which abound in Iceland, and reminded us that you should never approach a horse from the rear, as Danny Saradon used to say.
Along came the prepared speeches…
TM Pam laid on her couch and -while eating Cheetos paired with Pinot Grigio - realized that seal repairs means fixing potheads in certain circles. She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip confessed that his church fundraiser owes its success to the fact that he sent unstapled letters out.As a very spiritual pastor said, “Your checkbook contains the footprints of your soul”.
In terms of the evaluations…
TM Randolph commended TM Pam for her professionalism and her great sense of humor which caused him to unmute and chuckle throughout her speech. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
TM Carmine praised DTM Kip, the Double Dipper Pathways Master Wizard, and still continues to give his evaluation at this very hour.
The Word of the Day was
HOT TAKE, noun
Piece of commentary typically produced quickly in response to a recent event, whose primary purpose is to attract attention.
Example: Political commentators give a hot take while eating a hot cake cooked in a hot bake oven.
Here’s the link to the recording. By the way, TM Chris added ALL the Recaps to our blog since we started meeting virtually. It’s all a hot take blog now. Thanks TM Chris!!!
TM Pam took us down memory lane with numbers. We found out that…
TM Jim G. stated that the ancient Speed Dial saved his life. And what’s a landline anyway?
TM Lois did not really liked multiplication but it taught her to become a dexterous finger counter.
TM Aleta is thoroughly enjoying Senior Perks and frantically trying to grow her IRA Contra account before those pesky distributions prevail.
TM Scott reminisced about rotary phones and his favorite subjects of recess and lunch, and forgot all about the worldwide liters versus Fahrenheit USA.
TM Chris pondered about what balancing a checkbook is – what’s a checkbook anyway? Thank heavens for online banking and QuikShooks, one thing less she has to teach dummies.
I, Ana, took a bite out of everybody else’s topics and informed the group that my next vacation will be a faraway one to the other side of my backyard and pool. I Won Best Table Topics Award.
Along came the Distinguished prepared speeches…
DTM Mary Helen revels in Jackie Screecher books which led her to find a cold first cousin twice removed, who reminded her of her aunt Rosalyn A-Flurry, who died at 104 in Albuquerque. She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip found a fun raiser project, sought the guidance committee and is heavily immersed in a relationship stressor of approvals and disclaimers. All in the name of … his Church?? No!! Parbleu!!! All in the name of Pathways….!!
As far as evaluations were concerned…
TM Carmine praised DTM Mary Helen’s subtlety and proved, once again, that he is not conversant with time management by blatantly blowing timing restrictions by about 5 minutes… or kilometers?? Or degrees Celsius???
TM Tom liked DTM Kip’s exquisite taste in finding an expert guidance committee of which Tom is one of the two members. He Won Best Evaluator Award by a landslide.
The Word of the Day was
CONVERSANT, adj.
Familiar or knowledgeable about something.
Example: Grandma got run over by a raindeer walking home from my house Christmas Eve and became conversant with pop music.
TM Chris started us off with pictures – which are worth 1,000 words…. We thus learned that…
TM Jose likes cats that hang out to dry and used Jazmin the cat as a neckwarmer in frigid Montana in his college days.
DTM Mary Helen was awed by the memorable rear view of Mt Rushmore:
TM Lois was soooo excited that the python snake (?) in the picture was not 1,000 words. She’s happy to let science take over.
Returning TM Jeff painfully recalled trying to learn stand up paddle boarding and looking more like a stand up comedian!
TM Aleta called our Topic Master a stinker and gave a quick rendition of ‘dead skunk in the middle of the road’.
TM BeckyJo reminisced about the day her father caught the Great Crustacean of the Keys and had the party to end all parties, where clothing was optional. She Won Best Table Topics Award.
We had fabulous prepared speeches….
TM Jim G. reminded us that our first mentors and coaches are our own parents – his own Mom’s great breakfast-cooking skills are largely responsible for his happy 20-year marriage, and his Dad taught him perseverance and the ability to take the helm of any floating device – including aircraft carriers if necessary.
TM Marie waved the flag of surrender, showed her vulnerability and asked for help, and was mentored by a wonderful woman who will be laid to rest this coming weekend, leaving an impressive legacy behind. She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip has some sagacious strategies to increase his congregation’s Annual Pledge Drive – the main one is to talk to people about trivialities before hitting them up for money.
And regarding evaluations…
TM Paolo enthusiastically praised TM Jim’s verbal melody and thanked him for taking us on a harmonious melody ride, and to please consider standing up and expanding his chest for better posture.
TM Tom was entertained and informed by TM Marie’s speech and moved by the unexpected ending as a memorial to her beloved mentor/sponsor.
Fundraiser TM Jeff totally feels DTM Kip’s pain and was so inspired by Kip’s new strategies that he may join the pledge without even knowing to which congregation. The power of a speech! He Won Best Evaluator Award.
The Word of the Day was
SAGACIOUS, adj.
Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement.
Ex.: The VP of Membership in EarlyBirds performs sagacious investigations to determine the whereabouts of meandering members.
Multifaceted DTM Kip launched us off with Table Topics about Table Topics (Like a circle in a spiral, Like a wheel within a wheel, Never ending or beginning, On an ever spinning reel).* We discovered that…
TM Carmine remembers memorable speeches - an icebreaker speech where a 25-lb block of ice was smashed and an unprooted speaker who yanked a plant out of a planter in front of a mesmerized audience.
I, Ana, admire the creativ genius and inventive paramount capacity of contestants who attempt to make sense of bizarroworld, unrelated words. I Won Best Table Topics Award.
TM BeckyJo denied having opinions about everything but is of the opinion that many avoid contests because they don't want to take it to the next level. She rests her case.
TM Lois drags a wheeled suitcase with her and empties it on the Table Topics table.
Guest Elsa reminisced about a Math contest in which she participated years ago and which allowed her to drop her Math books for the rest of the school year. Bravo Elsa for participating!
Then came our prepared speeches…
TM Jose regaled us with the story of the Three Kings, which were Melchior (Persian scholar), Caspar (Southern India scholar) and Balthasar (Babylonian scholar) who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn King and invented decorating the top of the Christmas tree with the Star of Bethlehem and eating cake on January 6th in Hispanic countries. He Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip introduced the importance of a speech introduction (Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon, Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon)*….
As for evaluations…
TM Marie liked how TM Jose's speech went from general to specific as an inverted pyramid and he spoke in a soothing storytelling voice (Like a door that keeps revolvingIn a half forgotten dream, or the ripples from a pebblesomeone tosses in a stream)*. She Won Best Evaluator Award.
DTM Mary Helen praised DTM Kip (from one DTM to another) for placing himself in a little corner of the visual aids and for paying attention to the clock, for once!(For those who may not know, it is rumored that DTM really stands for Don't Time Me).
*Lyrics from "The Windmills Of Your Mind" best listened to under the influence of incense.
The Word of the Day was
PARAMOUNT, adj.
Very important, of highest rank.
Example: Toastmasters is a learning lab of paramount importance to improved communication skills.
I started us off with eccentric New Year’s Eve customs. We learned that….
Returning TM Jose will gobble up minuscule seedless skinless grapes to avoid choking at the stroke of midnight, while carrying an empty suitcase around the block to ensure travel is a’plenty in 2022. He Won Best Table Topics Award.
TM Paolo will reinstate the as-of-late waning Italian custom of throwing furniture out the window on New Year’s Eve by disposing of his sectional divano and his gondola, for starters.
Guest Terry’s tenure in a large grocery store makes her follow some eccentric New Year’s Eve customs, especially the South American tradition of wearing red underwear for prosperity.
TM Jim will strictly adhere to the New Year’s Eve belief that cleaning house washes good luck away and with great self-control and sacrifice will refrain from vacuuming those dust bunnies under the bed.
TM BeckyJo will scare evil spirits and omens away by loudly snoring and purring on New Year’s Eve.
TM Lois will play “Dane for a Day” and smash lots of plates on the last night of the year, in direct competition with the Greeks, who specifically abstain on New Year’s Eve.
Then came the prepared speeches…
TM Marie raised our curiosity as to whether we as individuals are amiable drivers or expressive analyzers. One thing became certain: Marie is NOT a neutral gray sweater, by golly! She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip shared thoughts about effective evaluations and reminded us to avoid speaking from the chair of authority – which Paolo will have hurled out the window in Italy, anyway.
And speaking of evaluations…
TM Jose praised TM Marie’s presentation, preparation and her effective use of the little black box. He would like a Q&A period to ascertain who among us is indeed a neutral gray sweater. Determined to make up for lost time, He Won Best Evaluator Award.
TM Tom liked the rhythm and congruency of DTM Kip’s speech and encouraged him to use more emphasis while being rhythimically congruent.
The Word of the Day was
ASTUTE, adj.
Having an ability to notice and understand things clearly; mentally sharp and clever.
Example: Astute DTM Kip will yet find a way to use his thrice-thwarted Word of the Day, BYZANTINE. It’s his New Year’s Resolution!
TM Jim G. led us in a Solstice Invocation, which marked the way to Solstice-inspired Table Topics by TM Aleta. We thus discovered that…
TM Chris used to play midnight hopscotch growing up with her friends in Alaska, where solstice is known as an oxymoron. She Won Best Table Topics Award.
TM Paolo used to like Florida’s hot, hotter and hottest seasons but after 20 years he now likes it cold, colder, coldest – but balmy indoors.
DTM Kip does his level best to help the sun rise by reveling, partying, carousing and yuletiding – everywhere except in the Mediterranean, where the sun doesn’t need his help.
I, Ana, agree that guests and fish get smelly after a few days. This applies specifically to in-laws, and excludes my dear brother.
TM Marie is convinced that the elf-on-the-shelf is creating a new generation of paranoid humans with delusion of persecution. Her personal Santa Claus does not keep score.
And then came the prepared speeches…
TM Lois told the story of Judah Maccabee, who led the Maccabean Revolt against the Syrians which gave birth to Hannukah, when she and her family have a Secret Maccabee Gift Exchange. Her gifts were heartwarming this year.
TM Jim G. delighted us with an excellent rendition of “A Visit From St Nicholas”, a tradition started by late EarlyBird TM Neil many years ago. He Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip reminded us that in the world of speaking, laughs are gold. Call to action: Consider using a mentor, we don’t know how far we will go.
As far as evaluations…
TM Paolo lauded TM Lois for her passion, enthusiasm and excitement and encouraged her to stand up for her next speech to give us a greater range of vision. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
TM Marie praised TM Jim G., storyteller extraordinaire, for an almost ethereal impersonation of St. Nicholas, including the hearty laugh and the twinkle in the eye.
TM Aleta commended DTM Kip for his speech on mentoring. Kip, mentor of mentors. Motivational speaker par excellence…
The Word of the Day was:
ETHEREAL, adj.
Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
EarlyBirds voted to have another ethereal meeting next week, on the eve of New Year’s Eve.
TM Tom started us off with common and uncommon sayings. We thus discovered that…
TM Lois takes the plunge by daily swimming in her multiple heated pools while preparing her Toastmasters’ speeches.
TM Kip no longer has to pull his socks up because to avoid slips and falls he walks barefoot and besides, his clothes dryer has voraciously decoupled all his socks anyway.
TM BeckyJo returned to her birthplace, Hawaii, and to her dismay found that they paved paradise and put up a parking lot (sung to the tune of They Paved Paradise And Put Up a Parking Lot by Counting Crows)
TM Chris revealed candidly that she and her husband live in a menage a trois of only the two of them. He, she and the symbiotic ChrisJim.
Guest Terry relied on the saying better safe than sorry while working at Florida DOT – where sometimes it was sorry better than safe.
TM Aleta confessed that she’s a hugger, a toucher, a feeler, and a smoker, and a joker, and a midnight toker (sung to the tune of The Joker by the Steve Miller band)
I, Ana, like a deer in the headlights, talked about the homeless steer Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer heading for a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. I Won Best Table Topics Award.
And along came the prepared speeches…
DTM Kip is trying to get on with the endgame by decluttering stuff, reminiscing of strange people he met in strange lands in need of computer fixes and he now has a keypad lock for the rescue team to access the premises.
TM Chris recited The Cremation of Sam McGee and her journey from icy cold Alaska to sunbathing with baby oil in Florida beaches and making frequent visits to Florida State University’s popular bar called “The Late Night Library”.
I, Ana, aka Chaunceyna Gardner (*see PBS (Post Blog Scriptum) fortuitously became a well-renowned Pioneer of the Blogosphere – without even trying! I Won Best Speaker Award.
As far as evaluations go….
TM Marie praised DTM Kip for his zany interpretation of life as a computer repairman who makes house calls.
DTM Kip enjoyed the poetic opening and closing of TM Chris’ speech and the wooly gear that she donned. He encouraged her to wear a bathing suit for the beach portion next time.
TM Carmine liked my use of language and admired the fact that I’m clueless and here because I’m not all there. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
The very timely Word of the Day was:
FESTIVE, adj.
Indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor.
And by golly, we used it and lived our festive spirit well today!!!
P.B.S. “Being There” 1979 movie starring Peter Sellers and Shirley McLaine.
Middle-aged, simple-minded Chance lives in the townhouse of a wealthy old man in Washington, D.C. He has spent his whole life tending the garden and has never left the property. Other than gardening, his knowledge is derived entirely from what he sees on television. When his benefactor dies, Chance naively tells the lawyers that he has no claim against the estate and is ordered to move out.
Chance wanders aimlessly, discovering the outside world for the first time. Passing by a TV shop, he sees himself captured by a camera in the shop window. Entranced, he steps backward off the sidewalk and is struck by a chauffeured car owned by elderly business mogul and advisor to the President of the United States, Ben Rand. In the car is Rand's glamorous and much younger wife Eve, who mishears "Chance, the gardener" in reply to the question who he is, as "Chauncey Gardiner". Chauncey is introduced to the Prez, and In a discussion about the economy, Chance takes his cue from the words "stimulate growth" and talks about the changing seasons of the garden. The President misinterprets this as optimistic political advice and quotes “Chauncey Gardiner” in a speech. Chance now rises to national prominence, attends important dinners, develops a close connection with the Soviet ambassador, and appears on a television talk show during which his detailed advice about what a serious gardener should do is misunderstood as his opinion on what would be his presidential policy.
Though he has now risen to the top of Washington society, the Secret Service and some 16 other agencies are unable to find any background information on him. During this time Rand's physician, Dr. Allenby, becomes increasingly suspicious that Chance is not a wise political expert and that the mystery of his identity may have a more mundane explanation. Dr. Allenby considers telling Rand this, but realizing how happy Chance is making him in his final days keeps him silent.
While the President delivers a speech at Rand's funeral, the pallbearers hold a whispered discussion over potential replacements for the President in the next term of office and unanimously agree on Chauncey Gardiner as successor. Oblivious to all this, Chance wanders off through Rand's wintry estate. He straightens out a pine sapling flattened by a fallen branch, then walks across the surface of a lake. He pauses, dips his umbrella deep into the water under his feet, then continues on, while the President is heard quoting Rand: "Life is a state of mind."
TM Marie started our meeting with various aspects of the holiday season. It was revealed to us that….
TM Pam is searching for lost donation checks in 3 homes ago; Dang! Who knew it was soooo hard to give money away! She’s starting in January 2022 to make the “Giving Tuesday” November 2022 date.
Guest Brittany does not partake in “Black Freeedaaaay” (as it is known in Spain) because – like most of us – she avoids “spending money she doesn’t have, buying things she doesn’t need, to impress people she doesn’t even like”!
TM Lois did declare that this is indeed the most wonderful time of the year – she gave her family a magnanimous Thanksgiving speech and was loved right back by them!
Newlywed TM Jeff is adapting to his bride’s new holiday traditions, starting with a very different – nonetheless beautifully simple- Christmas tree, and eliminating sparkly nonsense.
TM Chris and TM Jim deplete greeting card companies’ inventory for TM Jim’s extended family and then omit mailing or hand-delivering the greeting cards. It’s all for the forgetful greeting card giver, presumably.
TM Jim concurred that it is indeed important for greeting card givers who don’t give greeting cards to remember that they must help greeting card manufacturing companies. It’s all about being magnanimous to the greeting card companies’ survival in this Virtual Age Of Thumb and Send.
TM Paolo reminisced about looking for moss, wood and hay to create a natural Nativity scene in the home of his youth. He will do it this year with his own children and build the manger in the wine cellar. He Won Best Table Topics Award.
DTM Jim D.has concocted a Machiavellian plan to have a bucket of water drop on the heads of Porch Pirates, while hoping it’s not a relative showing up unannounced.
TM Aleta conspires and dreams by the fire, hypnotically conjuring up plans for roasting chestnuts and pondering which chainsaw to buy on Black Friday….
And then came the much-awaited Dealing With a Difficult Audience speech by Unflappable Maestro DTM Kip…
Being accosted un-magnanimously by the audience of innate hecklers, DTM Kip kept his cool and insisted that Canadian Parliament reads bills – not once, not twice, but THREE times – in unison before obtaining Royal Assent from the Faraway Queen in Balmoral Castle who is on Direct Dial with the Canadian Governor General, as it’s practically the last remnant of their Old Dominion Commonwealth holdings. Now what they do in Saskatchewan… that’s another story. Hecklers varied from deeming it a humorous speech to repeatedly stating that they were in the wrong meeting. DTM Kip Won Best Speaker Award in an absolute landslide.
As far as the evaluation is concerned….
TM Paolo was fascinated by the amazing exercise of DTM Kip handling a difficult audience and recommended a more composed posture to attempt to control the uncontrollable hecklers and to refrain from conversing with them under any circumstances by keeping his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the camera at all times. Eyedrops before the speech may help. And one might ask, why Canadian Parliamentary Procedure??? In another contested race, TM Paolo Won Best Evaluator Award.
The Word of the Day was
MAGNANIMOUS, adj.
Generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.
Example: Alliteration King TM Carmine had a field day with synonyms Benevolent, Beneficent and Big-Hearted, and magnanimously urged those who don’t know what Alliteration is to go look it up.
Note from the Recap Writer: Just hang around TM Carmine a little longer and you won’t need to look it up!
We did not falter in the face of a morphing schedule, and I, Ana, started us off with some definitely twisted cliches….
TM BeckyJo revealed that she's had some serious dreamy time warps and likes to access EarlyBirds from the comfort of her natural habitat.
TM Aleta does not look gift unicorns in the mouth because their long protruding horn could cause irreparable indentations.
TM Lois compared the souffle crumbles to an unfaltering resolve to approach every day crumble-free.
TM Randolph urged everyone to let the confetti fall where it may, much like he does!
Guest Brittany has great fun engaging in worldwide zoomeranging.
TM Jim reminded us that after all, love is a battle between privates and corporals.
TM Carmine rejoiced in not faltering to jiffy his way through life, in spite of shrinking parts. He Won Best Table Topics Award.
We had 2 excellent prepared and unprepared speeches….
TM Pam foresees the macabre day when the State of Florida (aka Heaven's waiting room) will renew her driver's license at age 102.
In unprepared topics, DTM Kip pictured himself as an anchovy schooling in a can and the Communist plot to revise the Coca Cola recipe which led him to Pepsi. He Won Best Speaker Award.
As far as evaluations go….
TM Aleta praised TM Pam's ability to learn new tricks and her very clearly disdainful facial gestures as she recalls the motto: no vax, no visit, no brainer. She just got her 5th booster.
TM Chris praised DTM Kip's outstanding ability to be prepared to be funny and unprepared. It's all about eating the pizza slice pointing at him. She Won Best Evaluator Award.
The Word of the Day was
FALTER, noun and verb
V: walk, talk unsteadily
N: the act of pausing uncertainly
Ex. When faced with smooth sailing, do not falter! Turn the boat engines on…. (Huh?? Whatever)
TM Pam started us off with great quotes that inspired us….
TM Lois dreamily conjured up devoted visions of Gregory Peck, whose memory opens doors in her faithful heart.
TM Tom revealed that improving with age is not gender-specific and his own mother was the best example. He Won Best Table Topics Award.
TM Aleta’s all-time favorite is Lucille Ball, whose formula for old age was honesty – except about her own age. TM Aleta diverges from this theory by revealing her true age.
TM Paolo agrees that it takes courage to grow up to become who you really are – recently demonstrated by his family’s major decision to partially relocate across the pond.
TM Marie feels pure unmitigated terror that her crazy high school classmates are now running the country. She rests her case.
TM Carmine agrees that old age and treachery beats youth and exuberance while he’s challenged to correct his weekly calendar to the right day.
TM Jim G. fully concurs with Einstein’s theory that human stupidity is infinite and thinks Al should have better managed his uncoiffed hair, but then, it’s all relative.
DTM Mary Helen thinks the bastion of education is New Hampshire, closely followed by Massachusetts. At least they know where New Mexico is!
Along came our prepared speeches…
I, Ana, reminisced descriptively about the cigar cabal. From the onset, the industry was an Equal Opportunity Employer (see attached pictures of he/she cigar rollers). It was just not COED.
TM Chris shared tales from the road as RV Debris, never Trailer Trash. The audience clamored for a Part II, Part III and Part IV. She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip pushed Pathways with a detailed presentation that reminds us, again, that we don’t need to consider it the doldrums, just choose one of 11 paths and move on.
Lastly, the evaluations…
DTM Kip enjoyed my speech and suggested I strategically position my notes so my eyeballs don’t bounce up and down – it’s quite distracting. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
TM Tom called TM Chris’s speech whimsical, delightful, entertaining and wants to know more about how they enjoy the outdoors while making scrambled eggs in a moving vehicle.
TM Carmine congratulated DTM Kip for his comprehensive presentation and pondered how he makes it sound so easy. He encouraged DTM Kip to engage in thunderous speech finales.
The Word of the Day was
CABAL, noun
A group secretly united in a plot.
Example: Our children form a most potent cabal against the parentals.
Welcome back, Gondoliere Paolo, we look forward to you representing our Club at the next contest level!!
TM Aleta led us with an inspirational invocation followed by thought-provoking topics. We noticed that….
TM Jose, who used to think a good life consisted of fast motorcycles, cars and loud music now searches for happiness inside, paired with fast cars, loud music and solid family relationships. He Won Best Table Topics Award.
TM Lois Lane confirmed that names are important to her, so much so that she sometimes sings people’s names while searching for those now non-existent telephone booths.
If TM Jeff could teach one concept to humanity it would be that every opinion is worthwhile, starting with his own. He’s the sworn enemy of smugness and groupthink.
I, Ana, believe that pain is part of life, but suffering is optional. I make a story about everything because I drag around old suitcases without wheels.
To find out who people really are and why they behave the way they do, DTM Mary Helen asks them if they got enough sleep the night before. Invariably, the answer is NO.
DTM Jim believes animals have the same feelings as humans but, unlike humans, they know the true meaning of respect. It’s all because they sleep 20 hours a day.
We were inspired by some of the over-loquacious speakers, which inspired the (stoic) Timer to use the blinking screen lights feature….
Eternal Pathways traveller TM Carmine gave us an interactive course of commonly used facial, upper torso, arms and shoulder gesticulations. It turns out he and our today-absent Gondoliere President majored in Pronounced Gestures for Very Italian People at the University of Civitavecchia.
TM Chris recounted the under-publicized story of German U-Boats which mercilessly sank US Merchant Marine ships off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. Ship explosions provided weekend entertainment for local families in those slow post-war years. For more details, watch the excellent movie Das Boot.
At meteoric speed, DTM Kip showed us slides of communication styles and his scores – then and now. Once he realized TM is not the military, his communication style changed from Direct to Mellow. He Won Best Speaker Award.
And lastly, we heard some excellent evaluations….
TM Tom loved TM Carmine’s speech, the enthusiasm, the facial gestures, the zest, the shoulder shrugs, and the spontaneous audience interpretation. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
DTM Kip admired TM Chris’s storytelling talent and encouraged her to make the slides of ships blowing up her virtual background, for added effect.
TM Jeff praised DTM Kip’s next evolution of our zooming capabilities by the way the speaker used the slides. In a frequent occurrence -and due to suffering from a Zoom curse- Jeff’s audio went KAPUT as he was finishing his evaluation.
The Word of the Day was
INSPIRE, verb
fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
"his passion for romantic literature inspired him to begin writing"
DTM Jim D. gave us thought-provoking ‘best and worst’ topics. We thus learned that….
TM Aleta’s latest best decision was to singlehandedly fix her lawnmower’s beastly broken belt. Proof positive that alliterations allow us to do anything!
TM Carmine described exotic foods – sheep’s brains, snails, prickly pear (martinis) and alerted us to the fact that spaghetti was the origin of the swimming pool game called “Marco Polo”.
I, Ana, had an influential friend and mentor who taught me how to be an attorney impostor while conducting legal research in computer demos.
TM Chris’s latest worst decision was to bike to what she thought was a nearby restaurant which turned out to be 18 miles away. Ever the positive person that she is, she realized that her 3-month exercise quota was met!
TM Tom makes it all about today’s mindfulness in checking the bucket’s water level periodically to see what he can learn, or unlearn, on any given day.
TM Pam has found a memory-jogging word – bucket- which reminds her to ride the scooter to buy a stroller. She Won Best Table Topics Award.
Along came prepared speeches…
TM Bastien described some of the tragi-comedic joys of parenting, which give God space to have a few hearty laughs and gifts parents with access to Sponge Rants Bobby and his cohorts.
TM Marie urged us to shed our personas – those false bravado masks we wear- and reconsider giving moments of grace to others. In other words, let them fulfill your To Do lists! She Won Best Speaker Award.
DTM Kip gave us solid body language coaching: renounce shared screen foolishness, avoid virtual background flaming, accept being seduced by moving objects, use the mirror function to trim your beard, and for a dramatic speech finale, lock knees and fall over.
As far as evaluations are concerned….
TM Pam praised TM Randolph for his vivid descriptions, encouraged him to pursue the Humor Pathways – it’s the only way to survive parenting multiple children. She speaks from experience. She Won Best Evaluator Award.
TM Jim G. commended TM Marie for her camera awareness which equals eye contact in Zroom world and for implementing his suggestions from the first evaluation.
TM Tom was inspired by DTM Kip’s ever-improving level of performance, ease of delivery and for giving us a new meaning of the concept of flaming.
The Word of the Day was
VIBRATO, noun
Rapid, slight vibration in pitch while singing or playing a musical instrument, producing a stronger or richer tone.
Example: I excel at vibrato when someone – literally and figuratively- steps on my toes.
