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

Unusual words, Chocolate Trains and Murder & Mayhem - a pedantic morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests, Friends,

TM Gail, back in full force, led us with a soothing Buddhist invocation.

TM Aleta researched Merriam-Webster and threw some unusual words at us for interpretation.  We thus soon found out some unusual details...

* TM Jarrett converts bum to fun and his favorite weekend activity is shooting the breeze with pals while sipping from a beer fuzzle.

* I, Ana, am convinced that cattywumpus is the state of mind of feline owners after a connecting attempt with their disdainful pets.

* TM Paolo gave a masterful display of Toastmasterly impromptu cluelessness by even making rapscallion soup.

* TM The Tom would gladly collaborate in rapscallion cooking while reminiscing with funbuzzling and tomfoolery.

* TM Gail's car wavers between quag and mire by acting up and failing intermittently at local traffic stops.

* TM Pam researched teradiddle, a board game played asiduously by teradactile dynasaurs.  She Won Best Table Topics Awards.

* TM Jim G. likes to take brisk walks with bald professors, in what he knows as balderdashing.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Terri reminisced about her childhood and a fantasy chocolate electric train that turned out to be real and took her back and forth to the Hershey factory in Cuba (known to locals as Central Heeersi) She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM BeckyJo relived the fun she had the night she murdered TM Christine (ahem, never to be seen again) and a few other recalcitrant husbands in a night of mayhem.

And then came the evaluations...

* TM Marie praised TM Terri for rekindling Marie's taste for Hershey's Kisses and for having the honor of being the first exiled Cuban to tell a happy Cuban story, for once!  

* TM Chris loved TM BeckyJo's storytelling skills and begged her to use a real gun next time so she can kill a few more husbands next time.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

PEDANTIC, adjective

One who gives too much attention to formal rules or details; or emphasizes his or her own expertise, especially about trite and boring topics.

Example:  Pedantics are typically pompous know-it-alls, talking about topics of no interest to others.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/live/04BmgbMZMUo?si=40EVwO90b9XeQMw8

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

Weather music, Sparkles, Righting Writing and Yuletide Hero - a sanguine morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie did a thoughtful invocation based on yogi tea bags. 

DTM Mary Helen - before ziplining across the Honduran Mexican border-  led us in weather-related musical topics.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Marie can no longer howl at the full moon from her back yard because it's blocked by all the newly-erected tall buildings.  She now howls from her front sidewalk.

* TM Pam's back yard is suffering from a sprinkler crisis, hoses, tubes and craziness - and it's being paved with $5 bills.

* Guest Barry avoids the perfect storm by staying in the sun which puts a smile on his face while he oversees 15 miles of Prague from his very own balcony.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Chris has seen fire and has seen rain, and the sunny days that she though would never end, and she firmly believes that rain is the stuff of life.

* TM Jose lives in Javea, Spain - aka Drought City - and prays nightly for rainfall between 11 pm and 6 am so he can go boating with straight sunshine from 11 am to 5 pm every day.  Listen up, God of Rain!

Along came three prepared speeches...

* TM Terri took us on an enchanted outing in the Enchanted Island where she became a bioluminescent fairy who struggled to get back on the kayak - all in the name of son-bonding.

* TM Tom shared that he transfers his myopic mind's sorrows onto a piece of paper with Palmer-style cursive.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* Guest Speaker TM Dana taught us how to diffuse a Yuletide Family Feud by becoming a Yuletide Superhero, while competing with National Lampoon's Christmas decorations.

As far as evaluations....

* TM Pam asked TM Terri to consider dumping the powerpoint and concentrating on avoiding aquatic creatures in dark waters, no matter how much they sparkle.

* TM Chris applauded TM Tom for being proof positive that cursive handwriting once existed and oxblood red ink is cathartic to get rid of emotional baggage.

* TM BeckyJo praised TM Dana's capacity to navigate that most difficult family conflict which centers around creating a Winter Wonderland in the middle of the Oklahoma desert.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

SANGUINE, adj.

Optimistic or positive in an apparently bad situation.

Example:

True Confessions:  TM BeckyJo did declare that she is sanguine AND choleric, meaning she doesn't know where she's going but she's definitely inflexible about it.

Here's the link to the recording:

Link to the recording https://youtube.com/live/z9opXzU06ng

See you next week!

Sanguinely submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer. .

Table Topics Contest Fondest and Silver Linings - a plethoric euphoric day at EarlyBirds!

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

An exciting Table Topics Contest at EarlyBirds brought a plethora of new perspectives.  Our beloved SAA, DTM Mary Helen, suffered a temporary bout of Psychosis Susceptibility Syndrome, but quickly recovered after a second cup of Java and getting those other voices to agree with her.

A couple of contestants experienced premature ejection from the Breakout Room but were nonetheless able to pretend innocence in front of the Judges. Hear ye! Hear ye! The Court's in session, the Court's in session- here comes the Judge! Here comes the Judge!  (First rap song by Shorty Long in 1968)

Our Contest Master, TM Aleta, and Chief Judge, TM Jim G., aided by his own SELF  and TM Chris as Tech Cohorts, got the contest under way.

The theme was "Now or Never" 

It's now or never

Come hold me tight

Kiss me my darlingw

Be mine tonight

Tomorrow will be too late

It's now or never

My love won't wait

Just like a willow

We would cry an ocean

If we lost true love

And sweet devotion

(sung to the tune of "It's Now Or Never", but I digress)...

We found out that 

* TM BeckyJo exercised her choice of Now or Never... and chose Never.  So there.  She Won Third Place Award.

* TM Marie waxed philosophical about "Regrets - I've had a few... but then again... too few too mention..."  (sung to the tune of My Way by Ol' Blue Eyes). She Won First Place Award.

* TM Jose declared that he is NOW, unequivocally, going to an Asian restaurant for lunch, smack in the middle of the Mediterranean Paradise known as Javea, Spain.

* I, Ana, definitely choose NEVER to engage in thrilling sports such as paragliding, jumping our of airplanes and the like.  Videomatography is where it's at for me.

* DTM Jim D. is laser-focused on travel, travel, travel after retirement.  The time is NOW!

* TM The Tom is a man of action and will take action to be involved in action-packed adventures for the duration of the next coffee break.

* TM Paolo will jump at the chance to do now that which can otherwise never be done.  The decision to move to Italy?  Wait for the Sequel Speech in a few more years.  He Won Second Place Award.

And along came our prepared speech by our newest Toastmaster, Terri M.  Based on a true story...

* After breaking a leg in the mountains of New Mexico, she made it home to Miami where an array of friends, neighbors, sons, acquaintances, bakers, butchers, grocers and strangers equipped her, transported her, fed her, entertained her and made sure she never missed her daily "CORTADITO" (Cuban Cafe Con Leche, which resuscitates the dead, according to Calle Ocho lore).  She Won Best Speaker Award (as well as new member fastest  to hop on the Pathways track).

* She was evaluated by TM Marie, who thoroughly enjoyed Terri's  motivational speech and has already signed up for a Cuban Cantina (weekly meal plan) to be delivered right to her door, including CORTADITO.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

PLETHORA, noun

A large or excess amount of something.

Example: Some EarlyBird members joyfully take on a plethora of roles for the successful completion of the agenda.

Here's the link to the recording: 

https://youtu.be/NTngZ_W2L0k

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

End of summer, An Unlikely Journey and Ice Cream - a mercurial morning at EarlyBirds!



Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We inducted our newest Member, TM Terri.  Welcome to EarlyBirds, Terri!

TM Chris visually took us to end-of-summer pictures which were worth 1,000 words... We discovered that...

* DTM Jim D. reminisced about his times in le gay Pareee, having croissants and baguettes at the foot of the Tourrrr (guttural 'r')  Eiffel...

* TM Emmanuel didn't realize that Anhingas (aka snakebird, water darter, water turkey) are secretly scuba divers!

* TM Ricardo chases time zones worldwide so he can experience 6 summers per year.  He encourages us to try it - Argentina, Cascais, Denia, here we come!

* Guest Margalee lived in California, a country of its own, and greatly enjoyed the view from the Golden Gate Bridge into Alcatraz, Sausalito and Tiburon!!!

* TM BeckyJo lives in the Venice of America and her former Italian employer rowed a gondola on the Intracoastal for the Boat Parade party.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Guest Nett was last spotted after the meeting headed for a nearby fish market to buy king crab... for breakfast!!

* I, Ana, had to be lifelined about Mt Rushmore and its view from the Canadian side...  Research it, please, you'll see.

We had a fabulous icebreaker speech today...

* TM Terri (real name is unpronounceable by Gringos) revealed her heart-wrenching tale of escaping Communism and reaching the shores of freedom!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen's sweet delights speech took us down the path of yesteryear (and right now too) with  the ding-a-ling-a-ling of ice cream trucks,  coffee frappes, hot fudge sundaes, and Haagen Dasz 2 for 1 Publix offers we can't resist.

Along came evaluations...

* TM Pam, like the rest of us, was deeply touched by TM Terri's Terrifying Tale of Escaping from Cuba as a 7-year-old, only to fall in the hands of unscrupulous greedy 'foster' parents.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM The Tom is coming over to neighbor DTM Mary Helen's freezer to pick up all of her ice cream reserves.  Just mindful of her dietary concerns, you see.

The Word of the Day was

MERCURIAL, adj.

A rapid and unpredictable change of mood.

Example:  Freddy Mercury had a mercurial birthday and is currently orbiting around Planet Mercury playing Mercurial Rhapsody.

We hope the Terri Fan Club will continue to visit us!  Everyone is welcome to our Club's 60th Anniversary Party on September 16th chez DTM Mary Helen and Jim D.'s.   A Zoom alternative will be available for geographically-challenged members and friends.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/live/fC80y8NzKA4?si=TCKN35r7E8kQtup0

See you next week!  

Mercurially submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer