Herding Cats, Relationships and Old Dogs - a fun morning at Early Birds

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

 

TM Mildred flexed our claustrocovid muscles this morning.  Herein our “Closed Encounters of the Covid Kind”…. (Trademark owned by TM Aleta)

 

• I (Ana) self-designated homebody am thoroughly claustrofree as long as I don’t step into crowded elevators.
• DTM Jim D. is not claustrocovid as long as people keep a distance of 6 ft from him.  His breath of open space is a wild motorcycle ride he will take as soon as he leaves this meeting.
• TM Jim G. could safely tech host from a closed basement because he’s had ample training scuba diving in deep dark caverns.
• DTM Kip revealed that while on his honeymoon cruise, to avoid claustrocabin, he played things right on his wedding night by spending the night with his beloved up on deck.  It’s made the marriage last.  Securely enclaved by a Dungeons & Dragons or Game of Thrones backdrop, Kip said he simply looooves the light. Go figure.
• DTM Mary Helen grew up in open spaces; her many imaginary friends rescued her from small box enclosures and turned into an evil twin which occasionally interposes herself between Mary Helen and EarlyBirds.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

 

We then moved on to prepared speeches…

 

• TM Tom packed a wagonload of EarlyBird monkeys and took us to the Pathways circus.  The magic unfolded and several of us achieved multilevels in our Pathways journey.  Very sly, TM Tom!!
• TM Jeff regaled us with wise advice about healthy relationships… between his Corgi Queen, Daisy Mae, and her little brother, Roomba Dobby, who chases her hair all over the house.
• TM Pam confessed that her rogue cat is indifferent to learning time, he’d rather miaaaauuu loudly when hungry.  Pam is proving that you CAN teach an old dog (Pam) new tricks (Pathways) and that helps her to continue to like her hubby.  This too shall pass.   She Won Best Speaker Award.

 

As far as evaluations….

 

• DTM Kip admired TM Tom’s ability to herd cats (formerly monkeys, aka us) and teach us how to game Pathways.
• TM Marie expressed awe that TM Jeff’s Corgi Daisy barked on cue for his speech.  Ah,  these royal breeds are just so used to public speaking….  She Won Best Evaluator Award.
• TM Carmine praised TM Pam for her capacity to organize thoughts and reveal aspects of her life and times in a humorous, coherent way.  Sister Pam, TM Carmine loves you!! (In case you didn’t know).

 

The Word of the Day was

 

INTERPOSE, verb

 

1. Intervene between parties.
2. Place or insert one thing and another

 

Example:  DTM Mary Helen had some difficulty to interpose the WOD between her and her audience, but in the end she triumphantly screen shared it!

 

Below is the link for this week’s recording.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62fjGDZ0iw

 

See you next week!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Stones, Plan B and Help! I need somebody, oh yes, just anybody! - this is EarlyBirds

 

TM Aleta launched us off on the subject of stones.  We heard that…

 

• DTM Jim D. counters with a question (to which he already knows the answer) when caught in an otherwise  lose/lose situation.
• DTM Mary Helen has plenty of scars to prove that sticks, stones and words can certainly hurt you.
• TM Jose’s motto in life was, for many years “Let’s rock and roll” and the Stones opening a store in London has made his day.
• TM Beckyjo cannot for the life of her remember the 60s but she thinks getting stoned refers to bliblical times, which she remembers vividly.  Above all, don’t bogart the joint! She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• TM Pam’s granddaughters left no stone unturned on a camping trip to the Appalachians.  It’s in their DNA – Pam used to do it as a child.
• TM Jim G.’s rock of the ages is the Stones’London store.  After all, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
• I (Ana) philosophically pondered about hitting rock bottom and plummeting still further down – until you make a U-turn.

 

In the area of prepared speeches…

 

• DTM Kip told us about his Plan B for Pathways, where a drum circle of ageing hippies and a Toastmaster revealed to him that life is circular, not linear, just like Pathways, and you just keep going round and round….while you look at the Pathways cheeseburger from the side and Mommy will still love you. He Won Most Improved Speaker Award.
• TM Tom cried for HELP and gathered a drum circle of ageing hippy Toastmasters to meet him via Zoom on a Saturday at 8:30 am to overcome the Pathways obstacles created by some bureaucrat who’s never had to climb any mountain, swim any ocean, turn any stone.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

 

And lastly, for the evaluations…

 

• TM Marie lauded DTM Kip for his poignant analogies, especially when describing Pathways’ multiple choke points.
• TM Mildred commended TM Tom for his AHA moment which led him to recruit a thinktank to propel him forward in his quest to climb any mountain, swim any ocean, turn any stone.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

COUTH

 

Adj.: cultured, refined, sophisticated.

Noun: refinement, sophistication

 

Example: The Rolling Stones’ new store in London is chock-full of couth memorabilia, including mossy uncouth stones.

 

 

Recording of Kip on Free Toast Host:   https://youtu.be/TCbFNsftHbA

 

 

YouTube recording of today’s meeting :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsT3omB035U

 

 

See you next week!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Labor Day, Stardust and the Electoral College - EarlyBirds talks well!

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

 

I (Ana) started us off with Labor Day-related Table Topics.  Some of the things we found out….

 

• TM Jose enjoyed many Labor Days running through the sprinklers and ending up with a big splash in the pool.   Ah those endless summer days….
• TM Chris demurely reminisced about her teenage drive-in movie outings and has lately been spotted with hubby Jim at a converted Walmart parking lot enjoying popcorn and a movie – She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• Guest Bruno Borges lives 30 minutes from the beach in Brazil and plans to bike or ride to the beach and drink lots of Caipirinhas, Labor Day weekend or not!
• TM Mildred has always participated in Labor Day parades, and to this day her favorite part is waving, followed closely by throwing candy to the unsuspecting crowd.
• Visiting TM Prasanna reminisced fondly about childhood picnics at her friend’s house and will restart the practice as an adult.
• TM BeckyJo cannot recall her favorite Labor Day back in the 60s, although she is vaguely sure that it involved lots of water and a boat full of rum runners.

 

And then we heard prepared speeches…

 

• TM Carmine came across loud and clear with his brand new equipment and pondered about the fact that all our fruit and clothes are grown and made  outside our borders.    As a tribute to Orangina, the French soda, he was wearing an orange t-shirt made in Haiti.
• TM Tom told us about the Electoral College and in spite of rude hecklers in the audience, got his point across that the E.C. is what makes the United States unique and is a complex mechanism, not to be tampered with, much like his father’s watch. If we switch to popular vote, we could soon be celebrating Labor Day in May….    He Won Best Speaker Award and Most Improved Speaker Award.

 

As far as evaluations…

 

• TM Mildred commended TM Carmine on his vocal variety, his analogy between stardust and international buffets.  She reminded him to wash his hands constantly with liquid soap made in China.  It’s the easiest to find.
• TM Marie praised TM Tom’s professionalism and poise in delivering his speech and suggested he not be so nice to hecklers and just ask the host to mute them outright.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.
•  

Our Tech Watcher, TM Chris, implored  those of us without modern laptops, to refrain from using virtual background because it projects  light out of the sockets of your eyes and frightens the audience.  In other words, it’s the Zoom equivalent of the “red eye” in Instamatic pictures of yore.

  

The Word of the Day was

 

RUDE, noun

 

To speak unkindly, unpleasantly.

 

Below is the link to today’s meeting recording:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJDYc0m4hzQ

 

See you next week!

 

Ana

Recap Writer

Humorous contest - let's have some fun at EarlyBirds Toastmasters!!

 Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

 

Our humorous speech contest started off with a rap’s inspirational lines (rapped to the tune of ….. rap)

 

• Everybody lookin' at you crazy (crazy!)
  What you gonna do? (what you gonna do?)
  Lift up your head and keep moving (keep moving)
  Or let the paranoia haunt you (haunt you)?…An attempted break-in at a Denny’s in his youth took TM Jeff, instead, to the Boulevard of Broken Rapper Dreams… He made the local paper’s front lines as the fastest runner East of the Metacomet Range.  He Won Second Place.

 

• TM Aleta fondly reminisced about her Relay for Recovery, where she piggy-backed her little friend Courtney across 3 football fields while dragging a Flintstone-style homemade cardboard box on wheels.   Aleta has singlehandedly supported her chiropractor for decades now.  He’s been spotted lighting  candles for Relay for Recovery.

 

• TM Joe hilariously told us about one of his wacky Sicilian family’s vacation to Canada with huge watermelons flying inside the car every time  his aggressive driver father hit the brakes, Uncle Enrico the exhibitionist traumatizing the kids, his father dumping a banana peel and the car keys into the dark woods.  Joe sold the movie rights to National Lampoon Goes On A Gitto Vacation and the rest is ….literally…. history.    He Won First Prize.
•  
• TM Carmine introduced us to Senator Big Jim Foghorn, an independent thinking Californian with a Southern drawl, who taught us valuable lessons about money, greed and taking bribes from every side.   In other words, your average politician.
•  
• TM Pam is a self-described somewhat woke person, who has discovered that Pinot Grigio couples very nicely with Cheetos while lying on the couch.  It’s also known as seal repair (pothead) while eating a kiwi fruit and learning native New Zealand language.   “A person walks into a bar, another person walks into a bar, a third person ducked.” Get with the joke telling, unwoke people!  She won Third Prize.
•  
• We received the visit of several members of a Toastmasters Club in Southern India.  Virtual technology has removed barriers of distance and time.
•  

Below is the recording for the meeting:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luiwdxmCIp0
•  
• See you next week!
•  
• Ana I.
• Recap Writer

Maya Angelou's wisdom and Mentoring, Mentoring - an educational morning at EarlyBirds

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

 

TM Carmine started us off the inspirational quotes by Maya Angelou, and we discovered that…

 

• TM Chris tries to be a rainbow in someone’s life, not rain on anyone’s parade, and to sing like a bird- even when caged.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• Guest TM Roosevelt has realized that love saves all and we’re all more alike than we’re different.  He remembers his father’s proud smile when he (Roosevelt) made a great athletic pass as a youngster.
• Returning TM Mildred highlighted that great achievements require time – but most importantly, they require knowledge.
• TM Jeff has worked diligently to achieve work-life harmony – beyond balance – and takes inspiration from Jeff Bezos.
• TM Aleta pointed out that most people don’t show their true colors at first, then followed with a good rendition of Good Golly Miss Molly.
• DTM Jim D., bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 3:00 am local Anchorage, Alaska time – NOT- recommended we all wear masks to avoid illness.
• TM Jim G. urged everyone to VOTE on November 3 or forever hold your peace. 

 

Then came prepared speeches from two of our beloved TM Titans:

 

• DTM Kip, ever the  rugged individualist, used to be his own counsel and messed up any genuine attempts by others to mentor him. Now older and wiser, he recognizes that rules are meant to be bent, not ignored, and acts accordingly.   He Won Most Improved Speaker Award.
• DTM Mary Helen cleverly interwove her personal life when she developed a zest for books. They provided a window into another world.  She’s currently in a TM Book Club and they are reading Dale Carnegie’s 1936 all-time best seller “How To Win Friends and Influence People”.  Conclusion:  back to basics.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

 

As for evaluations….

 

• TM Pam lauded DTM Kip for turning a corner and delivering a positive speech about mentoring.  As a result, she’s all in for the mentoring movement. She Won Best Evaluator Award.
• TM Tom loved the artful way in which DTM Mary Helen interwove her family life and being a book aficionado to her ability to win friends and influence people.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

AFICIONADO, noun

 

Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject or pastime.

 

Next week is our Humorous Speech Contest.  Come ready to laugh and have a good time!

 

If you’re interested in the Book Club (Saturdays at 7 pm) please email DTM Mary Helen directly for login information.

 

Below is the link to today’s recording

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_KjsEjXbA

 

See you next week!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Win/Win Masks, Evaluations and A Variety of Adventures - a fun contest at EarlyBirds!

 

Dear Members, Guests (yes, from Durban, South Africa and from Tokyo, Japan) and Friends,

 

TM Aleta did a fantabulous job as Contest Master and DTM Kip was our Chief Judge par excellence.  Our Test speaker, TM Charu, delighted us with…

 

“Everyone Wins When Everyone Wears A Mask”, in which she persuaded us with power that the unshackled facts speak forcefully to uncover blood in the hands of those who don’t believe in the spaghetti monster.   It turned out to be tomato sauce….

 

• TM Beckyjo praised the speaker’s gracious tongue-in-cheek and scrupulous bashing.  She Won Runner Up Award.
• TM Jeff pointed out that it’s a blasphemous concept to not wear a mask, especially when eating spaguetti.   He Won Third Place Award.
• TM Tom liked the analogy of carrots boosting the economy and the allure of the speaker’s dangling earrings while he wore  a coordinated mask/tie ensemble.
• TM Marie encouraged the speaker to proclaim her truth with gusto and own her power.  She Won First Place Award.

 

While ballots and hanging chads were counted and backroom schemes took place,  DTM Kip led us in adventurous Table Topics:

 

• TM Denis competes with self, cooperates with others – and loves the DUSI Canoe Marathon, where he hauls his canoe over the shoulder across a mountain range….   (Note from Recap Writer:  No comment….)
• TM Pam loves to be Chief Judge in a contest because she scrupulously takes bribes,  especially the Fort Lauderdale Boat Parade, where her guests floated tiny boats on her swimming pool and won a prize for most lit boat or boat owner.
• TM Kei was attending his first contest and liked it so much that he’s now motivated to participate in DUSI Canoe Marathons with TM Denis.
• DTM Mary Helen relishes being assistant to DTM Kip in contests.  She pointed out she won several contests with an -in her estimation- unfunny tale about her love affair/altercation with an ostrich.
• TM Annie has planned many contests and much prefers planning them than participating in them.  Her mind is made up so let’s not shackle her with the facts.   She Won Best Table Topics Award.

 

The Word of the Day is

 

SCRUPULOUS, adjective

 

Diligent, thorough, paying great attention to detail, having integrity.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCDbg2ljgpA

 

See you next week!

 

Ana

Recap Writer

Technobabble, Renaisscattered Woman and Pathways Choke Points -another fun meeting of EarlyBirds

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends:

 

Table Topic Master  Chris delved into the linguistic semantics of technology.

 

• DTM Mary Helen definitely thinks Google is Goddle with a few typos and inverted letters.
• Visiting TM Charu pondered about the bittersweet story of Yahoo – exuberant in Hindi and a cautionary tale of the fall of a technogiant.
• TM Jose thought metadata is a Greek deity who cavorts with Amazons in the rainforest writing code.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.
• TM Jim G. liked the comic book Androids- which allow us to move our consciousness into newer buildings.  Ahhhh if only…..
• TM Aleta had never heard the word QR Code before but she’s pretty sure it’s the precursor of Q-Tips.
• TM Carmine thanks Chrome Books for allowing him to communicate simply while reading Android comic books.

 

Next….

 

• TM Marie delighted us with her speech about her stance as a Scattered Renaissance Woman.  Her scrutinizing lens provided the silver lining in the Covid clutter cloud before the avalanche from her bedroom closet shattered it to pieces.   She Won Best Speaker Award.
• DTM Kip asserted that, much like his own life, Pathways runs in circles.   He worries about folks who will be found on the floor, dehydrated next to their computers from their inability to log in.  That’s the first snarkily choke point in Pathways. He Won Most Improved Speaker Award.

 

As for evaluations….

 

• TM Charu praised TM Marie for her eloquent speech and particularly liked the closet avalanche analogy because she periodically experiences them herself.

She Won Best Evaluator Award.

• TM Aleta praised DTM Kip for his storytelling abilities and his open dinner invitations to friends or strangers who agree to evaluate his speeches.  Anything to get through Level 5 in Pathways.  She’s particularly glad that he likes mushrooms.

 

 

The Word of the Day was

 

CORNICHE, noun

 

A road built along the coast or along the face of a cliff.

 

Ex.:  Do not eat Cornish Hens while driving in a Rolls Royce Corniche along the California corniche – you’ll get grease on the upholstery.

 

Our visitor TM  Miznuma K. invited us to visit her club, Tokyo ESS TM.

 

Here’s a recording of today’s meeting: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udtvz00pnIw

 

 

And here’s a path along the labyrinthine Pathways:

 

https://d4tm.org/index.php/educational-program/pathways/paths-and-projects.html?22LoaO

 

See you next week at the Speech Evaluation Contest!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

 

Nuances, movie romances and techcircumstances - another fun morning at EarlyBird

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends:

 

Table Topics was about English idioms – senseless sayings that are part of our daily vernacular and make foreigners scratch their puzzled heads.  And so we learned that….

 

• DTM Kip is the fountain of all knowledge and reminisced about the days pre-anesthesia, when soldiers got their legs sawed off while biting a bullet to preserve their teeth by the skin.   He Won Best Table Topics Award.
• Avid diver TM Jim G.has cleverly concluded that having a shark pull your leg would not be what you might describe as comfortable.
• DTM Mary Helen wistfully reminisced about her (then) soon-to-be husband wrapping his head around any clothes he could find in the closet on their wedding day. That sealed the deal – head wraparounds are forever.
• Visiting TM Denis is determined to avoid engaging in wild goose chases because in his native South Africa, geese are like tigers, and tigers are… well, also tigers, so that’s not an option.
• Although he thinks literally there is no skin in our teeth, TM Joe has had a lifetime of barely getting by – starting in elementary school.  He’s made it so far and plans to continue to do so.
• TM Jeff’s ship has sailed, both in a nautical sense and in golf terms, but he’s looking forward to the next ship’s arrival.
• TM Marie is the Rainmaking Queen –attendance at public events she chaired was counted by wet tickets from the rain of cats, dogs  (and ales) that she had conjured up.

 

Along came the prepared speeches….

 

• Glittering, glamourous TM Aleta regaled us with a nostalgic look at the world of  social issues, racism, patriotism, infidelity, crime and romance, which came together through the magic of movies - ahhh the tricky durability of celluloid (today MP3s).    She treated everyone to popcorn.  She Won Best Speaker Award.
• Amid noisy hecklers, an unperturbed TM Chris (aka Mrs. Geek) displayed her deep knowledge of the smart phone, which is decidedly smarter than us- but not smarter than her!   Note from Recap Writer:  Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble.   She Won Most Improved Speaker Award.

 

As for the evaluations….

 

• TM Tom praised TM Aleta for her glamorous speech masterfully delivered by smart phone in the unnuanced environment of a West Pennsylvania McDonald’s.  None of us could have pulled it off, for sure.
• TM Jeff commended TM Chris for her generous sharing of such important information and suggested that she be more forceful in addressing hecklers (this goes for life in general).   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

 

Evaluating our entire meeting, TM Pam clarified that the hecklers were preplanned, lest EarlyBirds’ reputation be forever marred by those who hear the recording without this important piece of knowledge.   (There’s a lot at hanging in the balance here, folks!)   Our Grammarian TM Marie praised the abundance of creative expressions and pointed out that we need to be mindful of ‘gonnas, haftas, wannas, kindas, sortas.’   The solution: pretend we’re behind  the lectern in Denny’s, not trying to virtually slip by unnoticed…

 

The Word of the Day was

 

NUANCE, noun

 

A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression or sound.

 

Here is the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO_6dcTdnys

 

See you next week!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Table Topics by the dozen, , To Mask or Not To Mask and Mentoring or Ministering - a fun meeting of EarlyBirds

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends:

 

DTM Mary Helen launched us off in a multifaceted and marathonic Table Topics this morning.  We found out that….

 

• TM Carmine sailed right through his second chance in life and is currently on his 5^th chance, dutifully wearing a mask.
• I (Ana) avoid “If Onlys” and “What Ifs” because although hindsight is intelligent, once the past is gone, it’s gone.
• TM Marie likes “Right On” because it’s affirming and since the Age of Zoom, she has not had to use Google Maps again.  Note:  We were told by a certain millennial that the 2020 word is “That’s lit”.
• TM BeckyJo corrected my (Ana’s) un-Americanism by renting The Wizard of Oz (which I had not seen, to her horror) and a bucket of popcorn and making me watch it.  Then, and only then, did I become officially American.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• TM Jeff mused about UK’s parliament’s pesky habit of prefacing contentious issues,  such as Brexit and fishing rights with “Hear Ye, Hear Ye”.  Construe you, construe you too.
• TM Chris confessed that although she could be laying back and reading good books, she’s got blind ambition to finish writing a book and discovering if anyone is interested in it besides her immediate family.  She’s considering joining Obsessive Writers Anonymous.
• Having construed  that his Fellow Men have consistently messed things up, and totally based on New Zealand’s female PM’s results with the pandemic, TM Jim has changed his motto to Fellow Woman.
• TM Jose does Reality Checks many times a day – by running things by a trusted friend and only listening to scientific reports on tv and radio.  If only the scientists could find a consensus!
• TM Tom was amazed at being asked about a fruitful experience.  The best he can construe is acceptable, tolerable.  Are we ever satisfied? He pondered.
• TM Aleta evokes memories of hugging other human beings.  Connections rejuvenate the spirit.  The old corporate slogan “Reach out and touch someone” has been replaced by “Reach out and Zoom someone.”
• DTM Kip was served a steaming cup of coffee in front of our very eyes by his loyal caterer.  He confessed that once he’s awake, he’s obnoxiously happy, which is often misconstrued by grouches and grinches around him.
• TM Pam reminisced – and educated the millennial in the room – about landlines and long distance charges and how blurry our recollections and perceptions become.  Luckily she doesn’t remember much of anything anymore.

 

Along came the prepared speeches….

 

• In her usual rich style, TM Pam took us on an exhilarating roller coaster ride of pumpkin seeds, bacchanal regattas, political masking and unmasking, skipping dreaded Thanksgiving dinners, getting bikini ready in our ripe old bodies….   She Won Best Speaker Award.
• DTM Kip entertained us by telling us how he confused mentoring with ministering and in the process, he hired shady characters who flawlessly soldered the wrong parts together and blew smoke at motherboards under cover of failed security clearances.  He Won Most Improved Speaker Award.

 

As for evaluations….

 

• TM Carmine highly commended TM Pam for her amazingly high IQ which allows her to weave exquisitely intricate speeches and encouraged her to publish her speech and join Obsessive Writers Anonymous with TM Chris.
• TM Marie was thoroughly entertained with DTM Kip’s storytelling abilities and cautioned him about breathing too close to the mic – it’s creepy, although it fit very well with this particular thriller speech populated by stateless Lebanese characters. She Won Best Evaluator Award.

 

The Word of the Day was

 

CONSTRUE,

To understand or explain the meaning of something in a particular way

 

Synonym – to interpet

 

Meeting Recording is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekv226o7uZI

 

See you next week!

 

Ana I.

Recap Writer