Travel, Patience and Structure - a meeting with panache at Early Birds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We formally inducted our newest member into our Club.  Welcome TM Maria!!

DTM Jim brought up interesting table topics regarding travel and its joys and challenges.  We discovered that...

* TM Pam has experienced the transition from white gloves for air travel to the next person's foot on your armrest and no, thank you.  It's teleportation for a devout Zoomer like her.

* TM BeckyJo is a sideseat driver and has mistaught a whole generation of foreign students that in America it's the law to curse and scream at bad drivers.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Tom miraculously survived driver's ed to his 4 children but his gray hair and shot nerves are the remnants of that traumatic experience.

* DTM Mary Helen misses her teenage years when 20 kids piled up into a Volkswagen bug and go to a drive-in movie.  Ah the days of the Wild West!!

* TM Val gets panic-stricken at the thought of her niece getting home on a self-driving car, let alone flying on a pilotless plane.  That will be a no, thank you very much!

* TM Jim G.'s motto is always go forward in travel - with panache, especially because it's hard to drive RVs in reverse.

* Returning TM Astrid fondly recalled her outlaw, maskless drive from NYC to Miami at the start of the pandemic with her good friend and having an absolute blast!!

In the area of prepared speeches...

* TM Emmanuel inspired us to achieve success by exercising patience and avoiding impulsive decisions while moving to Sweden, the most patient country in the world.

* TM Aleta gave us a roadmap for 2023 to start our day drinking water and stretching and writing a Gratitude Journal which will increase our blessings awareness.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM BeckyJo asked TM Emmanuel to give us clear examples of "before and after", ie, cursing at other drivers versus enjoying a nice drive to work.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Marie praised TM Aleta for her timely topic and her exquisite use of hand gestures and polifacetic props.  

The Word of the Day was

PANACHE, noun

Energy, spirit and style

Flamboyant confidence of style or manner

Plume worn in a headdress or a hat

Example:  Many of our EarlyBird Toastmasters exhibit great panache in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Here's the link to the recording.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqAhy3uaYeI

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

New Year, Icebreaker and Split Personalities - a womanly morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Emmanuel led us in a heartfelt, moving invocation.

TM Val started us off with very intriguing quotes, and we soon learned that...

* TM Marie - unlike the rest of us- doesn't really know where she's going but it definitely won't be boring, only an adventure in acceptance and surrender!

* TM Emmanuel stated that every year we age, grow and mature - although some years we regress back just a little  (or a lot on leap years)

* TM BeckyJo is not emptying her junk drawer but is selling her friends' junk stored in her garage.  She has finally realized that her friends are not coming back to claim anything. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Aleta is a monkey hopping from tree to tree in the backyard of her life; other times she floats like a bubble over the ocean blue in hopes of making it back to solid ground.

* TM Tom used to spend New Year's Day stuck to the tv watching football but now he's only stuck to us EarlyBirds for the peak of the week.

* DTM Jim D. thinks these are the best of times and these are the worst of times, as was accurately predicted in A Tale of Many Cities.

Regarding our prepared speeches....

* TM Maria gave an outstanding humorous icebreaker where she told us that some people get jokes, some people tell jokes, some people are a joke!! Truer words were never spoken.  Good job, Maria!

* DTM Mary Helen revealed her many alter egos and it turns out she's a former prostitute and nun/sleuth who eats a lot of bacon from Pigs Plus Farm. She Won Best Speaker Award.

And then came evaluations....

* DTM Jim D. praised TM Maria for her good clarity and diction, audience awareness, comfort level and suggested she look directly at the camera, not at the paint smudge on her upper right hand corner wall.

* TM Aleta is honored to evaluate a pro such as Mary Helen and is convinced Mary Helen will become a detective nun in 2023.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

WOMAN, noun

None other than the most researched, vilified, commended, rescinded, offended, reprimanded, transgendered, politicized, ostracized, sexified word of the year.   No one knows what the real definition is but everyone adds their two cents just in case.

Example:   I am woman - hear me roar!!

Link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H19jsIqCG4

Respectfully submitted,

Ana I.

Woman Recap Roaring Writer 

Holidays, Time and Old St Nick, a meeting imbued with the festive season

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam inspired us with holiday-related quotes.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Marie's commemorates Kwanzaa with gratitude for the building of all the bridges in downtown Fort Lauderdale, aka the Venice of America.

* TM Tom gave his Mother a (Cuban?) Christmas Angel he bought in Doral Fables and she later bequeathed it back to him.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* I, Ana, am convinced that as they teach in Findergarten, sharing is caring.

* TM Chris has loved the stars so fondly that she has been led to frugal tentless camping in mosquito-free zones.

* DTM Mary Helen fills her tree with pictorial ornaments of all her family members because only love can overcome hate.

* TM Paolo stated that whether the night is more alive and richly colored than the day,  totally depends on the day.

* TM Val has discovered her invincible summer by asking herself, in the middle of a challenge, what is the gift here?  And then proceeding to unwrap it.

* DTM Jim D., raised in chilly Syrafuse, NY, always borrows money in winter, where repayment is due in spring, which in his hometown falls on a Tuesday in August.

* TM Aleta always saves Santa the trip by being naughty in winter, summer, spring and fall.  Also, since the advent of Zoom, she hasn't combed her hair in the back.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Manny Metayer reminded us not to let our potential fade in the inertia of time, which is of the presence essence.

* TM Jim G., in full regalia and intelligently assisted by Superficial Sistelligence,  had us reminisce about prior visits from St. Nick.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

We had outstanding evaluations....

* TM Paolo  praised TM Manny for his powerful low pitch, well-timed pauses and clarity.  Add Carpe Diem for more power to the speech.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom appreciates the timeless poem which brings joy to our hearts and who cares? Was it authored by Clement Moore, or Dr Livingston - I presume?

Soon-to-be-inducted TM Maria was a first-time timer and did a mighty fine job of timing this time.

The Word of the Day was

IMBUE, verb

To cause someone or something to be deeply affected by a feeling or to have a certain quality.

For example

Enthusiasm will always imbue an endeavor with high-level energy.

Link to the recording:

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

Happy Holiday Season!!

See you next week for the last meeting of 2022.

Imbued with timeless gratitude,

Ana 

Recap Writer

Jolly Folly, Imprompting and Stonehenge Proliferation - a benevolent morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Jim G. led us with Season's Carols...  We learned who among us can hold a note...

* TM Aleta, in full seasonal headgear, regaled us with a potpourri of songs for the faithful...

* Soon-To-Be TM Maria launched off with Jingle Bell Rock and is planning to attend several benevolent musical and lighting displays during the season.  She's looking to be hired as a Christmas Carroller.    She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM BeckyJo is giving TIME to all her family, friends, acquaintances and strangers she meets during the season.

* TM Paolo is hiring local musicians dressed as shepherds to serenade his children smack in the middle of their living room in a little town in the heel of the Italian boot.

* TM Emmanuel gave a brief rendition of Silent Night and marveled at this quintessential Christmas song.

* TM Pam got maple sugar candy in her stockings and never, ever saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus in the heat of Florida Christmas.

* DTM Mary Helen's grandma would have volunteered to get run over by a raindeer (or in Florida, an alligator) due to her benevolent solidarity spirit.

* TM Tom reminisces about Joy to the World Christmases in Chicago hitching a ride in the back bumper of cars and praying for snow to be a'plenty.

* TM Marie grew up in a rural property where snow was indeed a'plenty and Christmas decorations were large and outdoors.

Along came prepared speeches...

* In a departure from conventional procedure,  TM Pam gave hilarious impromptu short speeches about peddling her maternal influence into her daughter's Kitty Cat Toy Company and persuading others that her appointment was meritorious.  Her second topic was the devastating natural disaster of RicketMaster breaking down and not having Kaylor Drift tickets readily available, as she unbenevolently explained she had tickets herself.  Ohwell.  So sorry.

* TM Chris gave us a panoramic aerial view of the multiple proliferations of Stonehenge where you can pick the American state of your choice and avoid crowds and entrance fee of the original U.K. monument.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go....

* TM Paolo was awed by TM Pam's challenging project, taking on not 1, but (2) table topics and injecting them with humor and the power of silence.  

* TM BeckyJo advised TM Chris to blurt out unknown words as no one knows how to pronounce them either and all will be good in the world of Stonehenge and its satellite offices.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

BENEVOLENT, adj.

Kindly person or action

A charitable organization

Example:   The spirit of Christmas season is generally benevolent - excluding porch pirates.

The link to the recording is here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikMWr1KVIg4

See you next week!

Benevolently submitted,

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Profound proverbs, Resilience and Barcelona tour - an unlachrymose morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta inspired us with profound international proverbs....

* TM Chris gave a rendition of Narcy Dinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walking when there were no sidewalks on which to walk!

* TM Pam grows zucchinis with worms and gathers crowds to watch freerange canine chickens harvest her crop of tomatoes.

* TM Marie walks like an Egyptian while doing good deeds and going for swims in the ocean.

* DTM Mary Helen really enjoyed a vulgarian proverb that drives her to help herself while helping God help Himself and other believers, atheists or agnostics.

* I, Ana, use lip glue to avoid getting in trouble by blurting out unfiltered thoughts.

* TM Paolo likes the Croatian motto that all that's well lasts short - namely his beautiful six children who are growing up waaay tooo fast.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Joshua has no shame in asking questions to Chinese people of all stations in life.

* Guest Maria asserts that lachrymose people who live in glasshouses should not throw stones from inside.  All others go for it!

We had two fantastic prepared speeches...

* Visiting TM Joshua motivated us to become resilient by taking up the sport of tennis and bouncing around like tennis balls.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jose showed advanced mastery of the Art of The Shared Screen while warning us to stay away from trams in Barcelona - lest we get run over like Antoni Gaudi.  The entire EarlyBirds Club is currently looking at airline tickets to go visit him.

As far as evaluations go...

* DTM Jim D. had a succint recap of TM Joshua's speech - perfect.  We are embarking on a collective project to design a bouncing coffee mug.

* TM Paolo loved TM Jose's pitch, pauses, projection, rythm and voice.  He suggested that Jose stand up and move about while awaiting TM Paolo's arrival in Barcelona.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

LACHRYMOSE, adj.

Describes someone who cries often, or something that brings you to tears.

Example:  Lachrymose people keep the tissue industry in business.

The link to the recording:

  

https://youtu.be/5MjndobzqOM

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

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Let's Get Talking, Public Service Woes and Should I Stay or Should I Go? A resilient EarlyBirds meeting

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta started us off with a wonderful Ode To A Boomer based on cherished song lyrics from when those were the days my friends....

TM Val led Table Topics in a game of Let's Get Talking.  We found out that...

* TM Jim G.'s historical nickname is King James and simply His Majesty to his close friends.

* TM Aleta, ever resilient and frugal, repaired a lawn mower and is currently assembling a tractor in her spare time.

* DTM Mary Helen would like to wear a t-shirt asking "What?" to elicit lascivious chest glances as conversation starters.

* TM Tom's favorite personal possession which he would never sell is this group, EarlyBirds.  We're relieved, Tom!

* TM Jose has taught us how to make paella, Spanish omelette, how to drive a Jimney and is working on his Empathize with Others curriculum.

* TM Marie emulates Seinfeld's parents and has dinner at 4 pm and breakfast the night before in order to rise and shine at 3 am every morning.

* TM BeckyJo would invite SPF, of FTX Fraud Frequent Flyer notoriety, as her first guest to her talk show. Deal with it, New York Chimes!  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* TM Tom got reeled into the late DTM Kip's orbit and left the rest of us in the dust regarding Pathways initials.  Just Do It!  Became Tom's motto and he's still battling the Condo Commandos.

* TM Pam momentarily became Kennyanne Rogers of The Gambler fame and taught us when to hold them, when to fold them, when to walk away and when to run - regarding native plants and the authoritarian regimes in Native Plant circles.

* TM Chris has been breathing underwater for decades now but would highly appreciate growing artificial gills to find weightless acquatic paradise.

Both speakers showed wanton disregard for timing requirements and did not qualify.  Some potential election fraud ensued but a recount was demanded and the controversy stopped dead in its tracks.

And then came the evaluations...

* TM Paolo praised TM Tom's resilience in that most difficult environment, HOAs.  He pleaded emphatically and sang Will The Real Tom Q please stand up? (sung to the tune of Will The Real Trim Brady Please Stand Up?)

* TM Chris is searching for native plants in a nearby nursery to start her own native plant yard tours and scenery.  Sign up asap.   She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The word of the Day was 

RESILIENCE, noun

Successfully adapting to challenging experiences; capacity to recover quickly from difficulties;  ability of a substance to withstand undue pressure.

Example:  Our local Club members showed great resilience in surviving Denny's skillet consumption in the days of yore.- especially in light of recent news.  EEEEOOOOUUUU.....

The link to the recording

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e170sg9XnO4..

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Lexicon, Cryptic Messages and Spanish in 3 easy lessons - an intellectual morning at EarlyBirds

  

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We mustered our gray cells to come up with new lexicon under the intelligent guidance of TM Aleta:

* TM Marie is very grateful not to live in the Ukraine where they have severe supply chain issues.  The plethora of grocery stores in the US have a plethora of products.

* TM Jim G. is an expert in washing, especially greenwashing the barnacles on the bottoms of boats.

* I, Ana, carefully survey snd measure the meat space at the butcher shop in order to buy the right cut of meat.  

* TM Paolo likes the real universe better than the metaverse, which is used to escape reality.

* TM Chris officially named herself adorkable (dorkgeek + adorable).  We all agreed!

* TM Tom is very aware of virtue signaling as a stiff drink of Johnnie Walker.  The rest are falsified memories - his own words. He Won Best Table Topics Awards.

Along came the fabulous prepared speeches....

* TM Val gave us descriptions of the stories behind poems - cryptic messages presented with great hand gestures and vocal variety..  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen traveled to Spain, Argentina, Peru, Mexico to learn Spanish in 5 easy lessons.  She's still at it but knows all kinds of cultures.

As for evaluations....

* First time evaluator TM Emmanuel condensed TM Val's speech into a metaverse and praised her soft, captivating voice.

* TM Marie praised DTM Mary Helen's tenacity in traveling through the long and winding road to achieve great vocal variety in Spanish.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

MUSTER, verb

To collect or assemble

MUSTER, noun

A group of peacocks

Example;  The muster of peacocks generously doused their Cuban Sandwich with muster.

Here's the link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NCl9kiJO4M

No meeting next week!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Ana

Recap Writer

Sayings, Parenthood and Are You Interested? EarlyBirds had a morning of sheer felicity

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

After a beautiful spiritual invocation led by TM Val, DTM Mary Helen elicited profound revelations from some well-known sayings.  We discovered that....

* TM Jose states that women have two brains and that's why they so felicitously multitask while men can barely handle the tv remote.

* TM Aleta is sorry to bother you but nevertheless inobtrusively reaches out to touch you physically or symbolically.

* TM Val felicitously signed up to build a wood banquet table and ended up signing "Easier Said Than Done" by The Essex - go to him, run to him, say sweet lovely things to him - tell him.... the table is the one!! Oh, Easier Said Than Done.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* DTM Jim D. perennially seeks a new direction but all roads take him to his Harley by way of the broken kitchen cabinets.

* Eternally optimistic TM Pam doesn't let the pesky idea that she doesn't know anything about it stop her.  Her next project is building a casket for any untimely death.

* TM Emmanuel gave us a rendition of "Meet Me In The Middle" by Parker McCollum while stating that it's the best spot to resolve conflict.

* TM Paolo had a yo-yo internet and drove with felicity and velocity in his car to an undisclosed location where we can practice "we don't have it all together but together we have it all."

* TM Tom combines Quakerism and Spunky Irishness to reject imperial control by others who want to bring him up to date.

* I, Ana, usually text (or WhatsApp) my brother to ask what are we doing next?  It's usually something felicitously fun.

* TM Marie prefers to meet people in the middle (again sang that song) and find out their extenuating circumstances that leads them to want to mess with her.

* Guest Millie was sure glad to meet us and praised our perceived eloquence with great felicity.

Along came prepared speeches...

* TM Emmanuel has learned the main parenting lesson:  DO NOT take your child on your tourist tours or your plans will be thwarted due to lack of enough snacks.

* TM Aleta has diametrically irreconcilable differences with her reflexologist and will limit their interactions to foot aromatherapy.  She Won Best Speaker Award. 

As far as evaluations go....

* TM Paolo praised TM Emmanuel for his deep voice, beautiful smile and power of parental forgiveness when travel plans are disrupted.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom thoroughly enjoyed  TM Aleta's perky disposition, beautiful attire and found that Aleta's reflexologist is very intrusive and is better off focusing on clients' feet.

The Word of the Day was

FELICITY, noun

Intense happiness

Ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts.

Example:   Felicity is The Peak Of The Week - especially in the midst of stormy Nicole.

Here's the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOHw6TaEC4M

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Fall, Culture Shock Follies and Childhood Memories - no procrastination at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We heard a very touching invocation by First Time Invocator TM Emmanuel, 

TM BeckyJo started us with words containing Fall or variations thereof.  We soon discovered that....

* DTM Mary Helen likes the warm rainfall of Florida in November to cool us off to frisky high 70s.

* TM Paolo loves windy days indoors in Puglia, the heel of Salvatore Ferragamo's boot, where the Adriatic and the Ionic Sea winds converge to mess up his ultra gelled hairdo.

* TM Emmanuel is Florida Power & Light's top customer - keeps his lights on 24/7.  He's moving to Alaska to lighten up his bill.

* TM Val remarked that fall rains are aggressive and beat the frail orange, yellow and brown leaves to the ground in preparation for snow submission.

* DTM Jim D. grew up in Syracuse NY, where less than 4 ft of snow was considered a lame flurry.

* TM Marie makes To Dos of her To Dos - like a circle in a spiral notebook, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel.

* TM Aleta's fallback position is on a pile of recently raked leaves before they go to compost.

* I, Ana, suffer from a condition known as tourist fallfoot which is cured with SuperTourist Glue.  I Won Best Table Topics Award

Regarding prepared speeches...

* I, Ana, recounted my first impressions of the United States:  ranchthousandislandsgreengoddessfrenchcreamycaesarraspberrywalnutsroastedsesamehoneymustard.  Closely followed by honeybunchesofoatscapncrunchcheeriosspecialkfrostedflakescocoapuffs.  I Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Jim Day was voluntold to speak by his Agent, told us that they paved Syracuse and put up a parking lot (sung to the tune of They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot).

First-time General Evaluator TM Val graciously led the evaluations segment.

* TM Paolo related to my foreigner experiences and kindly asked me to stop looking everywhere except at the camera, which gave him strabismus. (Look it up).  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen submitted a written affidavit to avoid bias and favoritism and praised DTM Jim for moving to another level of successful unpreparedness for a speech.  From one DTM to another.

The Word of the Day was

PROCRASTINATION, verb

To delay or postpone action needlessly.

Example:  Procrastination is a mystical land where 99% of human productivity, motivation and achievement is safely stored.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6wMgI4x8us

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Halloween, Bat Crazy and Raven Galore - an eerie meeting at EarlyBird Ghostmasters!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Offshore ever more, TM Jose launched us down eerie pathways....(pun intended).  Aghast, we soon learned that...

* TM Aleta (aka Bugsy Malone irredemption) stuffed herself with pillows and overdosed on sugar while dressed as an innocent tramp in her rural childhood.

* TM Paolo's childhood was Halloween-deprived but he had 100 times more fun than the Halloween a'plenty childhood of today's kids.  Long live tiramisu!

* TM Val depletes the candy shelves of her local stores so her tree-filled brick-facade home will not be toilet papered and egged.

* DTM Mary Helen became a candy hoarder early on in childhood and could care less about political or celebrity costume lookalikes.

* TM Tom's sugar high is provided by sexy revealing dream girl, Elvira.

* TM Emmanuel is scared of carved pumpkins, eerie costumes, skeletons, spiderwebs and candy, but Halloween's one redeeming quality is pumpkin soup.

* I, Ana, no longer decorate my home as there are no kids in my neighborhood but spent my childhood years in Havana dressed up as a zebra for Halloween.

* TM BeckyJo,  in cognito, is scared of driving in the dark.  We all ought to be scared of her driving in the dark. Her favorite costume is as an Italian dinner.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Chris revealed that her scary creature of the night is none other than her husband- and the raven that follows them everywhere in the RV.

Along came the prepared speeches and we were to learn that...

* TM Marie was hell-bent on dispeling our fears of bats, on International Bat Week.  Only .333333% of bats drink blood - but boy, are they thirsty.  They have bellybuttons and have good vision.  But they're eerily crazy for sure. She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jim G. delighted us with a rendition of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.  Leonore, Leonore, to the core and nothing more, except for the raven with psychedelic eyes.

Along came evaluations...

* TM Tom confessed that after hearing TM Marie's speech, his new heroes are bats, those cuddly self-grooming mammals with opposable thumbs.

* TM Paolo loved the delivery of The Raven although he asked for subtitles next time.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

TM BeckyJo evaluated the entire meeting and gave it a gold star but would not reveal where COGNITO is.  More will be revealed.

The Word of the Day was

EERIE, adj.

Strange and frightening

Example " Kid ghosts sit around campfires telling eerie human stories."

Answer to the riddle "Where do deviled eggs come from?"  is:  FROM EVIL HENS!!

Link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLVzQJdo6Bg

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Ghostamzayas Writer

Pre-Halloween, Parenthood and These Boots Are Made For Walking - a writhing morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

DTM Jim D got us into the swing of things with creepy recollections of Halloween...We discovered that...

* TM Marie was the attention-hoarder Blue Bird of Happiness at her son's elementary school and her son, in turn, became an unhappy ignored Ninja.

* TM Jose and his hippy friends starred in their own Halloween comedy caper in the humorless Halloweenless country of Spain (in the 70s) and almost got arrested.  He Won Best Table Topics Award. 

* TM BeckyJo's wildest costume was as a boxer - to conveniently cover a black eye.

* TM Pam loves treats and has signed up for a birthday freebie of hot bacon popcorn - which sounds more like a trick.

* TM Randolph is getting ready to go trick-or-treating with his kids - at his wife's command- and sad to neglect the trick-or-treaters who regularly count on him dishing out candy for them.  His wife rules, though.

* TM Tom's former wife used to hand out cooked spaghetti dipped in cold water and passed them off as worms, to the squealing delight/horror  of the neighborhood kids.

* I, Ana, created outrageously common average unspooky decorations and left the creativity to my daughters.

Along came the prepared speeches...

* In an amazing Icebreaker, TM Manny revealed to us that parenting is absolutely traumatic with generous measures of pride and joy sprinkled therein; and that insanity is definitely hereditary - we get it from our kids.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta is in the midst of a strict training regimen to shed the spare tire in her midriff and time travelling via Sony Walkman as she sings "Pretty Woman, Walking Down the Street...." (sung to the tune of "Pretty Woman").

As far as evaluations go...

* DTM Jim D. praised TM Manny for his formidable Icebreaker and for using up the timing requirements to the very last second, all with a captivating smile.

* TM Paolo was so motivated by TM Aleta's confidence and inspirational talk that he was last seen walking to Miami Airport to catch the next flight to Italy.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

WRITHE, verb

To twist body or a bodily part, usually in pain.

Example:  The Beatles's first hit was originally called "Twist and Writhe" and later renamed  to honor the resulting sound effect "Twist and Shout".

Here's the link to the recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuqF5WQn9qM

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Influential pictures, Around the Track and Pearly Whites - an intuitive morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We inducted our newest member, TM Emmanuel - welcome to EarlyBirds, Emmanuel!

TM Aleta got us thinking about influential photographs of momentous times.  We soon found out that...

* TM Val wanted to know what lunch the construction guys sitting on a beam at 15,000 ft of altitude were having.

* TM BeckyJo stated the world has once again lost its collective mind and one person needs to stand in front of those tanks in Tianamen Square again.

* TM Paolo wants to keep the oceans blue so Earth pictures taken from the moon will still have that peak of the camera quality to them.

* New TM Emmanuel reflected on the atomic explosion over Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the scary nuclear threats that are being hurled around today. He Won Best Table Topics Award.  Bravo, TM Emmanuel!

* TM Tom would have liked a marine instead of a squishy sailor to kiss the unknown girl on Broadway to celebrate the last South Pacific performance.

* TM Randolph likened the despairing women with a child in their arms to a Bible story with a happy ending.

* DTM Jim D. marveled at how laborers toted bricks on their shoulders like feathers even before the invention of franchise gyms in our country.

As far as prepared speeches...

* TM Pam took a race driving course for no reason other than to awaken her attention deficit lethargic disorder and to prove to herself that car spinning is lotsa fun.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* I, TM Ana, asserted that Scottish highlanders in the 17th Century did NOT have beautiful smiles, except in Hollywood.

And then came evaluations...

* TM Val wanted to know, first and foremost, where did TM Pam get her raingear.to go around the race track.

* TM Chris told me in no uncertain terms to read my (funny) speeches at reading school.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

COUNTERINTUITIVE, adj.

Contrary to intuition or common sense, but nonetheless sometimes true.

Example:  An honest politician is truly counterintuitive but also supercalifragilisticexpialidotious.  

The link to the recording:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI75bsvuTK8

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Fav Movies, Straight & Wavy, Humor in High Places - a somewhat discombobulated morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

I, Ana, led with Table Topics about our favorite movies.... We found out that

* Returning TM Astrid started watching horror flicks at the tender age of 6 and has become a fan of Friday the 13th (now rated G) for life.

* TM Paolo is an absolute fan of gangster movies to the detriment of old "spaghetti westerns"; give him Pacino and DeNiro if only he (and the rest of us) could distinguish between the two.

* TM Tom liked The Entertainers and their slapstick humor which had cars flying over bridges and other hilarious occurrences.

* DTM Mary Helen delighted us in a duo with TM Chris about washing that man right out of their hair.  Ah, those beloved musicals....  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jim G. loved Tron, the first CGI (computer graphic imaging) movie, a precursor to the CT-SCAN and the MRI. His all-time favorite is still Flash Gordon.

* TM Val was forever impacted by the restaurant scene in When Sally Met Harry and she's been Sleepless in Macon ever since.

Then came the prepared speeches...

* TM Jose (aka Miguel) inspired us to buy his hair beauty business in Spain after we bleach that gray right into our hair, like in Fame of Phones.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Aleta regaled us with humor, quips and one-liners of our past Presidents, and taught us the valuable skill of how to diaper a baby like it's a baseball field.  

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Pam was enthralled to be grayishly fasionable au naturel as she is not willing to add one single  penny to the staggering $500 billion a year hair product industry.

* TM Tom praised TM Aleta's nicely woven story and asked her to cut the flushing of the toilet part to meet the time requirements.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

DISCOMBOBULATE, verb

To confuse or disconcert; to bewilder

Example:  In Toastmasters we learn not to let hecklers discombobulate us when we're speaking in public.  Pathways allows us to practice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsCIqX3YJQU

See you next week!

Ana