Summertime, Milei and Letter to My Son - no fake news at EarlyBirds today!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam's Solstice Invocation in memory of DTM Kip started us off.

I, Ana, led with summer-themed table topics.  We realized that...

* TM Paolo's favorite summer activity as a teenager was chasing girls, and his favorite summer activity as a father of teenagers is watching the teenagers without blinking.

* TM Marie was spat upon by a large fish in Universal theme park which grossed her out but managed to keep her cool.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Tim loves all food but his favorite summer food is eating watermelon near the Ohio River and having seed-spitting competitions with his brother.

* TM Jose's favorite summer song is Alice Cooper's School's Out, school's out for the summer, school's out forever, I'm bored to pieces - and then he chased the girls....

* TM Aleta wore a skimpy itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polkadot bikini... and in the water, she wanted to stay...One, Two, Three, Four, Tell the People What She Wore!

* TM The Tom's favorite summer childhood memory was staying cool with the Maid of the MIst waterfall in Niagara Falls.  Oh what a summer that was!

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Ricardo shared the sad decline of Argentina as the top country in the world to the 70th - or 140th by some accounts - due to generations of widespread corruption and how the current President, Javier Milei, is attempting to right that ship of state.  Viva la Libertad, Carajo!!

* TM Randolph read us a heartfelt letter to his son, where Randolph now has allowed space for his son's dreams to play into his son's life, and he, Randolph, is just a loving father.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding the evaluations...

* TM Aleta praised TM Ricardo for the educational nature of his speech where we learned that a President's hair does not need to be coiffed to decrease inflation and eliminate corruption.

* TM The Tom totally related to TM Randolph's letter to his son and agreed that parenting does not come with a User's Manual.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

FAKE NEWS, noun

False stories that appear as news, spread on internet and other media, and are created to influence political views or intended as a joke.

Example:  In this day and age of instant communication and Artificial Intelligence, everything is technically fake news.  That's the story - and we're sticking to it!

Here's the link to the recording

https://youtube.com/live/q3b2zhgUjpY?feature=share

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Visuals, Humor and Zoom Faux Pas: an accentuated morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Jarrett was formally inducted into our Club - and immediately voluntold to evaluate one of our speakers.  Not a moment to waste.  Welcome TM Jarrett!

TM Chris accentuated that a picture is worth a thousand words and we soon learned that...

* TM Tom likes Hawaiian pink frangipani (plumeria to horticulturalists) but his all-time favorite hereditary inclination are orchids, bar none (daytime drinking not accentuated).

* I, Ana, can't for the life of me tell the difference between an unpink flamingo, a gray swan and a anhinga (known to Floridians as a snake bird) waiting to wade in propane gas heated waters.

* TM Jarrett is highly allergic to cats who eat almonds but enjoys seeing funny memes of felines climbing on oak trees.

* TM Paolo lives in the heel of the Italian boot so he's closer to Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America, than to Venice, the Fort Lauderdale of Italy.  He Won Best Table Topics Award..

* TM Ellie is a devoted fan of  Ken - of Ken and Barbie - after seeing Ryan Gosling at the academy awards.

* TM Gail is advertising TM Chris and TM Jim's photoshopping classes which focus on realistic appendages.  She urges the Princess of Wales to sign up for their course.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM Ricardo shared the gross medieval origin of humor stemming from black cholera and bubonic plague fluids and then had us in stitches - no medical analogy- with jokes from hither and thither.

* TM Jim G. accentuated jokes and zoom faux pas from the days when the most overused expressions were  "Can you hear me?" and "You're muted!" (even when you weren't and we could hear the unhearable).  He Won Best Speaker Award.

We had two fabulous evaluations...

* TM Jose praised TM Ricardo's international joke repertoire and suggested he lower his eyeglasses to the tip of his nose to avoid camera glare and adopt a more academic jokemaster image.  

* TM Jarrett accentuated TM Jim's gestures and suggested he take off his wedding ring to avoid sending secret signals to his other half, which she ignores anyway.   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

.The Word of the Day was

ACCENTUATE, verb

Make more noticeable or prominent

Focus attention on

Bring, call, draw attention to

Example: Ecologic dishwashing liquids accentuate the need to thoroughly pre-rinse dishware and glassware while you sing

You got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

And latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mr. In-Between....

(Sung to the tune of Bing Crosby's 1945 hit)

Accentuate the Positive!

The link to the recording is below

https://www.youtube.com/live/CSFkL7QJcco?si=7rq1sbFrHIRNp13P

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Accentuator

Profound revelations, Ephemeral Life and A Visit from St Nicholas - an elaborate morning at Early Birds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Returning TM Paula led us with elaborate but not shallow, frivolous Table Topics.  We slowly discovered that...

Alonso del Rio, Andean medicine music man, inhaled a lot of funny things while elaborating theories for Table Topic use, such as Pachamama and Pachakamaq, spirit and matter, the invisible path and absolute and relative unity.  Get it, people???  Alll joking aside, Paula did a great job at Table Topics and stirred our brains into motion.

* TM Chris listens to her mind so as to avoid wrecking her body, dreams of running without a bum knee.

* TM Jose has transcended from material cares to spiritual cares but mostly has become a paella foodie.

* TM Emmanuel (Manny) firmly states that habits are the great teachers of the heart so he's elaborating new habits for 2024.

* TM Aleta has enrolled in Psychotherapy to discern why They Call the Wind Mariah. The wind - both beautiful and whistling with destruction in its path.

* TM Jim G. reminisced of old days when he heard My Peace I Give You, My Peace I Take From You in the House of the Rising Sun.

* I, Ana, am still trying to elaborate who I was, who I am, who I will be, when I will find that last object I lost and be able to improve my daily puzzle ..ment.  I Won Best Table Topics Award.

The last one was Wisdom Costs Flesh and Heart but we were ... saved by the bell!  Pfiiuuuu.....!  

As far as prepared speeches go...

* TM Ricardo reminded us of the ephemeral quality of life when flying around in a home-made motorized lawn chair and a striped awning.  Thank God he's now improved the ultralight trike by using a sturdier beach chair and a polkadot awning.

* TM Jim G. gave us his annual rendition of A Visit from St. Nicholas, of questionable authorship but with Jim G. copyrighted superb, timeless multifaceted backdrops.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

And then came the awaited evaluations....

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Ricardo for speech technique experimentation and for surprising the audience with exciting adventures.  She can only anticipate the next speech will be Snow Skiing Ahead of an Avalanche in Kilimanjaro".  We can't wait!

* TM Terri appreciated TM Jim G. (aka St Nick) for his enthusiasm, his baritone voice and for bringing a timeless poem to life in front of our very eyes.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

ELABORATE, verb or adjective

Verb:  to develop or present an idea in detail.  Example:  She planned an elaborate wedding celebration and now is planning an elaborate divorce commemoration.   

Adjective:  involving many carefully arranged parts or details.  Example:  The elaborate Edible Arrangement was devoured in an instant.

Below is the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8m9hVWgbOs

Merry Christmas!  Feliz Navidad!  Joyeux Noel!  Buon Natale! S Rozhdestvom! (for our missing Russian guests)

See you next week!

Ana I.

Elaborate Recap Writer (methinks)

Generators, Canal Cruises and Cliches - no siree, no inertia for EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Terri started us off with a beautiful Invocation in the Christian tradition.

TM Aleta juggled our morning inertia by starting us on loose but interwoven topics. We soon discovered that...

* TM Jose is still waiting for the governmental subsidy for solar batteries for power outages.  Keep those candles handy!

* I, Ana, saw my generator-acquisition husband transform from an idiot to a visionary in a matter of 24 hours before Wilma.

* TM Terri chickened out from getting a generator because many generator owners in South Florida end up six feet under from the emanations.

* TM Marie, essential employee, became even more essential during Wilma with the help of  handsome and essential military guys who gave her essential assistance.

* DTM Jim got a complete generator... right after Wilma.  That's why he's honing his timing skills in Toastmasters very often.

* TM Aleta has a generator in SW Pennsylvania but doesn't use it because she sleeps best in dark, quiet and secluded environments, while ignoring the falling 100-ft trees!

* TM Tom looks at the moon and the stars in awe and wonder while everyone frets during hurricanes.  He Won Best Table Topic Award.

Then we had 2 prepared speeches...

* TM Ricardo streamlined his Cruise de Midi speech, eliminated verbiage and added a map which helped us sail through 30 of the 64 locks in the canal.  Good job Ricardo!

* I, Ana, reviewed a few gazillion cliches and touched on some malaphors (wrong blend of cliches) - not to be confused with malapropism (wrong usage of a word or term).  Too many chefs in too many pies!  I Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go....

* TM Paolo sailed the Midi Cruise himself "All Aboard"  "All Aboard" with Captain Ricardo.  Good inertia in motion!   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM The Tom enjoyed my speech but suggested I use Spanish cliches next time so I can roll the rrrrrs as I pronounce them.  That's his favorite!

The Word of the Day was

INERTIA, noun

To do nothing or remain unchanged

Example:  I lean forward in the car by inertia when the brakes are applied suddenly.  

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/VbxrnpMriyg

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Brief Topics, Cruising the Midi Canal and Finally Getting Warmed Up - an anecdotal/antidotal morning at Early Birds!

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

In honor of our late DTM Kip, TM Pam did a Universalist Unitarian Halloweenish invocation that got us right in the mood.

DTM Mary Helen is preparing us for upcoming contests by providing us with 2-word topics.  We found out that..

* TM Marie loves so-called holiday savings, recently on Prime Day her husband stocked up on grass-fed, prime t-bones to be cooked with some obscure kitchen utensils I have not heard of before.

* I, Ana, have experienced a few second chances and have more than likely missed quite a few, but I'm on alert for future ones to come.

* TM Emmanuel is keenly aware that time starts ticking the minute we exit Mom's womb and is determined not to miss a minute of it!  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jose consults Saint Google (officially canonized in Spain) to make a tortilla, to walk The Camino, and he originally thought the name was dumb.  Who would have thunk??  Spanish citizens are ready to revolt at the prospect of a St. Google taxation without representation.

* TM Randolph is trying to teach his daughter to press the dishwasher button after loading.  (Note: daughter is pushing 30, but she's making progress).

* TM BeckyJo gets helpful tips from crime movies, and exerts gentle pressure on a victim's elbow or hand fingers to make them compliant.  She's losing patience so straight marching orders are best.

* TM Paolo recalls his first time as a Table Topic speaker, an unforgettable disaster that motivated him to become an accomplished adrenalin-filled impromptu speaker.

* TM The Tom asks "What? What?" when asked to remind someone of something.  Who can remember anything anymore??

* DTM Jim D.'s most frequent plea is "Forgive me! Forgive me!" - it's much easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission - motion is usually NOT granted.

* TM Pam and her husband mark their glass door to the garage with dry erase markers and then cannot even figure out who, out of the two, wrote it or what for.  One example is "ANTS".  Huh????

We were in for two outstanding prepared speeches.

* TM Ricardo delighted us with an educational speech about his trip with his sisters down the MIdi Canal, built by Louis XIV, who took 2 baths in his life and was surprisingly NOT decapitated - no one could get close enough to him with the smell.  He used great visuals of the canal views.  More to come!

* TM Aleta recited the Cremation of Sam McGee, who from Tennessee had the not-so-great idea to go gold prospecting in the Yukon, where he happily welcomed being cremated in a warm furnace instead of spending one more second in the freezing cold.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Paolo thoroughly enjoyed TM Ricardo's educational speech and is currently booking a canal cruise by gondola in Italy. He's already got the Captain's hat as a prop.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph marvels at TM Aleta's capacity to make such great eye contact by looking straight at the camera.

The Words of the Day were

ANECDOTE, noun

A short or amusing story about a real person or incident.

ANTIDOTE, noun

A medicine taken or given to counteract a poison

Example:   A good anecdote about a headless mouse is the best antidote against  early morning somnolence.   It awakens your senses IPSO FACTO (look it up in Saint Google)

Our dates for Evaluations/Table Topics and THE OTHER contest (following today's theme, I can't remember contest of what) have been set for November 30 and December 14.

Stay tuned and get more dry erase markers for murky Notes To Self.

Here's the link to the recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YecKkM7yBU

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Favorites, A Kiss is a Kiss, Who Are They? An inherently rich morning at Early Birds!

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

Our Prez TM Jim G. started us off with an inspiring invocation about our mutually supportive communication enhancement objectives.

TM Randolph asked us about our favorite...

* song.... TM Aleta's inherent ballroom dancer's DNA awakened and she waltzed around the room to the tune of Sweet Caroline.

* app .... TM Tom's is OFF, DISCARD, DISCONNECT, DROP OFF, IGNORE, THROW OUT, STOMP phone... which he, like the rest of us, cannot live without.  He Won Best Table Topics Award but his phone has been confiscated by Apple.

* holiday...  TM Ricardo likes Christmas Eve midnight dinner, when his family toasts, kisses, hugs, dances while reminiscing about the ghosts of Christmas past.

* industry... TM Chris asserted that many individuals don't know technology training exists but you must be inherently avid to learn for her to even come near you!

* age... I, Ana, prefer my first 10 years as a competitive swimmer - a giant among short people and carrying around my birth certificate to prove my age.

* book... DTM Mary Helen is reading Zuruck zur Liebe (a Return to Love, Volver al Amor) just to learn to tell Jim Ich Liebe Dich...

* first job... DTM Jim delivered papers in snowdrifted Syracuse to buy a Schwinn black phantom bike.  He got the bike but suffered frostbite!

We had a great icebreaker and a great speech today...

* TM Ricardo likes to write short stories, prepare videos and fly glider planes, and had an inherently emotional father-son moment when his father became his brother-in-flying.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Jim finally revealed what we all suspected:  he comes from a long line of undercover La Cosa Nostra Lincoln Towncar drivers disguised behind very tall hedges.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

Along came the evaluations...

* TM Aleta concluded that TM Ricardo is a fearless risk taker who speaks with clarity and likes high altitude kisses in the mouth.

* TM Pam concluded you cannot judge "The Family" by its book covers and liked DTM Jim D's Rayban sunglasses as seen from a high angle.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

INHERENT, adj

Existing in something as permanent, essential or characteristic.

Example:  The latitude and longitude of Florida on Planet Earth make it inherently hot, hotter and hottest all year round.  Why do people act surprised?

Being inherently an international club, we were visited by our former member and lasting friend, Miki O.. now residing in her native Kumamoto, Japan.   Happy to see you again, Miki!

Next week, our Area Director, DTM Lois M., will speak at our Club.  Be sure not to miss it!  

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3S9K47H7lA

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer