Labor Day Memoirs, Let's Win, How to Sleep Productively - lots of denouements at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests, and Friends,

TM Marie launched us off with denouements around Labor Day.

We discovered that...

* TM Randolph is searching for the balance between sacrifice and priorities - now that Back to School is in full swing.

* Guest Miki is looking for her dream job in Japan - torn and confused between food and drinks, IT or school management.  What will be the denouement?

* TM BeckyJo's work advice is "Show Up, Be on Time, Put Your Stuff Away and the only wrong question is the one you don't ask.

* TM Ricardo's first work experience led to his penchant for the French words which bring about happy denouements.

* TM Jose changed industries several times and in all of them made long and lasting friendships from all walks of life.

* TM Tom developed the brilliant skill of keeping his mouth shut.  That was a result of common sense and situational awareness. He Won Best Tasble Topics Award.

* TM Pam's 2023 Summer Highlight is in the works, includes ripping out torpedo grass in her yard and the EarlyBirds 60th anniversary.

* DTM Jim D will ride his bike on Labor Day and work (for free) on his Honey Do List.

And then came the prepared speeches...

* TM Aleta has joined Area 13, 14, 15, 16 as Contest Master and Area Director and is determined to win this thing together - first by organizing the contest in 2024, in direct contrast to disorganized contests of years past.

* TM Chris showed us how to make money while we sleep.  All we need to do is create a website, training videos, YouTube programs, write Books and start blogs, learn HTML, Dream Weaver, Cold Fusion, infusions, Profusions and Delusions,  Wordpress and we're all set! Piece of cake!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations....

* DTM Jim disappeared at midpoint into the ethernet and in true team fashion, the eval was concluded by TM Tom.  They both agreed TM Aleta has great clarity, which will greatly assist TMI's lack thereof.

* TM Randolph totally enjoyed the superb sound effects of the speech and wishes all teachers used them to convey the message, not the mess.   He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

DENOUEMENT, noun

The outcome of a situation, when something is decided or made clear.  

Example:  I waited for the denouement of the story before drawing erroneous conclusions.

By courtesy of our Proxy Voters, the Gs, we watched the First Place speaker at the International Convention.  She demonstrated, once again, that you can participate in a Triathalon even if you don't know how to swim or bike by simply focusing on the running portion of it and gesticulating a lot when you tell the Tall Tale.  Thanks Jim and Chris!

Our first-time Grammarian, TM Ricardo,  came up with the Best Grammar Trophy to TM Tom for most flowery language symbolized by the phrase "I learned to shut my mouth."  Ah, the irony of it all!..... Great job, Ricardo!!

Here is the link to the recording....

https://youtube.com/live/3MMINWvEn1I?feature=share

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

Self-created Table Topics, Magical History Tour and Caterpillars and Larvae - variety is the name of the game!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

Our meeting was all about flexibility, improvisation, omissions and spontaneity today. 

We skipped the Invocation and the Joke but we enthusiastically recited The Pledge of Allegiance, yes siree, we did!!

Our Topic Master, Tom, had spent inordinate amounts of time preparing a topic and then decided, last minute, to leave all the work to the participants.  We had to pick our own Topic!

We thus found out that...

* DTM Jim D. couldn't hurkle-durkle on his last trip as he had to catch one crack-of-dawner flight after another!

* I, Ana, am reading Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba as I hurkle-durkle with a Rum & Coke (aka as The Lie, formerly Cuba Libre) while flipping the pages.

* TM Jose told us about a remarkably humble musician named Rodriguez who made it big in South Africa and remained in construction to hurkle-durkle instead of rewriting his employment history.

* TM Ricardo used the theory behind Eat, Pray, Travel to reconnect with his 3 sisters, who taught him how to understand complicated females without even trying!

* TM Marie today celebrates her anniversary to a creative Rock who designed a fairytale wedding and whose marriage has succeeded mostly thanks to the precipitation levels of rain  in Fort Lauderdale.  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Pam recently found out that wasp larvaes are carnivore, not vegan.  Attention everyone - more will be revealed in Part II.

* TM Aleta thinks she lives in Dull City, USA, a minuscule section of the large cosmos, where she sits on various Boards, is a labor mediator, a John Deere tractor troubleshooter, a brush-cutting, tree-chopping, fireplace stoker, and other 'minutae'. 

And then came the terrific prepared speeches...

* TM Jose took us on a Magical History Tour of the Principality of Andorra, a tax haven for influencers under 25 years of age who like to golf at high altitudes and pledge allegiance to France's Emmanuel Macron and the Bishop of Urgell (a third cousin twice removed of Richard the Lionheart and his illegitimate son Philip of Cognac).  

* TM Pam gave vivid comparisons of her own life metamorphoses versus Kafka's charming roach story and is ever so grateful that her soul is timeless and although her hands tell a weathered story, her spirit is still a teenager's, so she's been practicing the Limbo Rock - how low can you gooooo???   She Won Best Speaker Award.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Tom praised TM Jose's spiritual message of his golden labradoodle riding on a cable car barking at the lowly cows below.  Jose's impressive library collection so impressed him that he suggested Jose blurs it next time.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen unequivocally stated that TM Pam's speeches render her, MH, speechless and that it's a good thing hummingbirds have not been able to eat us due to a challenging size discrepancy between our two species.

The Word of the Day was

HURKLE-DURKLE, noun

200-year-old Scottish word meaning to lie in bed or linger about when one should be up doing things.

Example:  Hurkle-Durkle is the reason the Scots's expertise focuses on time-travel tv series versus working on improving their accent so everyone besides other Scots can understand them.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PGV7dJ5yo

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer 

Hurkle-Durkle not for now

This and That, Cats & Dogs, What's Going On In the District? A nuanced meeting at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

TM Aleta started us off with an inspirational invocation from Charles Swindall titled "Attitude", which set a beautiful mood for the meeting.

 

I, Ana, led us in Table Topics regarding "This and That"...  We soon learned that...

* TM Ricardo is a fearless daredevil whose next adventures will include climbing a mountain, swimming across the Mediterranean from Denia to Ibiza - all in one week!

* DTM Christine is finally discarding her 1970s granny dresses and settling for hot pants and fluorescent eyeshadow!

* TM Jose is a music legend in his own mind and enlisted EArlyBird members to be his groupies at his home music studio playing the Top Forty Hits. He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Aleta, whose motto is "If It's To Be, It's Up To Thee", states that her favorite old-time saying is "Right on, Brother"

* TM Emmanuel does not remember the strangest dream he ever had but he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was indeed strange.

* Guest Miki finds that Japan's national motto needs to be "Smile - It won't kill you" because her compatriots are annoyingly serious and suspicious of those who smile, like Miki!  The Imperial Royal Family has been notified of her campaign instructions.

* TM Jim has no guilty pleasures, just a lot of pleasures that are not guilty - no nuances there!

We had 2 fantabulous guest speakers today:

*TM Giyora taught us that countries may be enemies, governments may be hostile to each other, but individuals are much the same and can co-exist peacefully, much like cats and dogs - sometimes.   Good luck in the contest!  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Lois, our District Director, told us about our District and where do we belong.  She inspired us to lead and introduced us to the Bahamas Convention Contest Master, a happy loggerhead turtle swimming in her virtual background. She Won Best Speaker Award, too!

And then came evaluations...

* TM Tom absolutely loved TM Giyora's universal message of brotherhood among cats and dogs and is suggesting an Urban Outfitters casual top for the contest.

* TM Marie thinks DTM Lois needs to go into the construction business and make grand experiments with test balloons.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

NUANCE, noun or verb

A subtle difference of shade or meaning

Give nuance to...

The effect of a word is nuanced by the tone of voice.

DTM Lois commended EarlyBirds for having won President's Distinguished Club for 59 consecutive years, and then she executed her LLL 3 (listen, learn and leave), as preparations are underway to celebrate a Hybrid 60th Club Anniversary on September 16.  Check our website for more information and to sign up to participate!

Safe travels, TM Chris and Jim G., as you represent us at the Reef Convention By Proxy next week.  

Here's the link to the recording

https://youtube.com/live/cNIG_16C2eQ

See you next Thursday!

Ana I.

Nuanced (methinks) 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

Movie quotes, Pay Attention to the Insurrection, a sanguine meeting at Earlybirds

 

I fear something went wrong with the YouTube recording - it ends after just 14 minutes. I'm trying to jot down a few notes from memory here since Ana was not able to attend - get better soon Ana!
Chris Guld

WELCOME TO RICARDO! You know it's going to be a good meeting when we start with inducting a new member. Ricardo Viti joins us from Spain and claims to mainly give his ice breaker speech next week!

Table Topic were led by the ever sanguine and cheerful Tom Quinn.

We learned that:

• Jim Day would Be a Contender if he could only stop procrastinating
• Ricardo Viti isn't in Kansas anymore because he was in Portugal, surrounded by Spain. He won Best Table Topic speaker
• Pam Schrimsher doesn't read from the same song sheet as anyone else, and she thinks we should follow her. We all agreed she needs to see the movie A Few Good Men so she can learn to handle the truth.
• Jim Guld does not agree with Pam because he is the Captain and the captain's word can never be questioned.
• Marie Rock suggests that Sangria on Ice is the best recipe to maintain a sanguine outlook on life.
• Mary Helen exudes sanguinity? because she always expects the best.

Our prepared speeches were exemplary

• Pam Schrimsher made us sit UP and pay attention while putting our phones DOWN. Although our current technology is oh-so useful, it is also oh-so-addictive. She challenged us to go one hour without our phones once a week. She may be asking a bit much for us geeks.
• Aleta Richmond scared us by indicating that she would be speaking on the insurrection. We were all envisioning angry crowds at the capitol on Jan 6 2021 when Aleta showed up in colonial costume and told us the story of the whiskey rebellion in Western Pennsylvania in 1791 between the settled, civilized East and the wild west of Pennsylvania. She won best speaker

Evaluations were ably delivered 

• Jim Guld was proud of Pam for following the rule of "Tell em what you're going to tell 'em, then Tell 'em, Then tell 'em what you told em. Even though he disagreed that there is any time when a smartphone should be face down. He won Best Evaluator
• Tom Quinn scolded Aleta for setting us up for controversy, but he loved how her Betsy Ross-like costume was congruent with the story she actually delivered. 

The word of the day was Sanguine: "Sanguine" means being confidently optimistic and cheerful, or having an eager hopefulness. For example, you might say "He's remarkably sanguine about the problems involved".

Synonyms of "sanguine" include:

Lively, Animated, Enthusiastic, Buoyant, Upbeat, Positive.

The word "sanguine" comes from the Latin word "sanguis" which means "blood".

Memorable Movies, Let's Take a Look and Experiments with Democracy - a biotic morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We were honored with the presence of our Area Director, DTM Tim M., who alerted us to multiple TMI acronyms, proved to be a keen Ah Counter and finally taught us to which  Division and Area our Club belongs. It's only taken a few decades! Thank you, DTM Tim!

TM Jim G. will vote by proxy for our Club at the contest in The Bahamas - while scuba diving from the reef.

Getting back to our own biota, TM BeckyJo led us with memorable quotes from memorable movies.  You didn't have to name the movie but she was giving extra credit if you did....

* TM Pam ponders which speech she will give next and how to save the micro and macrobiota.  Other than that, frankly my dear, she doesn't give a you know what.

* DTM Jim D. met some flavorful characters in Detroit but then in Moscow, he met some Czechians that made the Detroitians look like Little Red Riding Hood. They all made him offers he couldn't refuse!

* TM Chris loves baseball movies although this has nothing to do with getting critters off her lawn as she alerts them to go ahead and make her day.  Her RV days taught her that Arizona equals cacti, jabalies equals Big Bend of Texas, and Florida curly-tailed lizards.  Great biota!!

* TM Marie is mad at the biopa but has decided to take it anyway because she can't move to Pennsylvania, where the grass is always greener on the other side.

* TM Jim G. met a very weird character who was always asking "Are you talking to me?" and naturally named him Best Man at his first wedding held at a deli in the Jersey Shore.

* TM Randolph watches animaniacs cartoons and knows for a fact that if you build it, they will come.  He's going to switch to Yakko's World.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* DTM Tim said that frankly, my dear, he doesn't give a you know what that Houston has a problem.

* TM Aleta wistfully reminisced about the days of femme fatales who get murdered and wishes someone would come up to see her sometime.in her wild biota which has survived knocked-over sycamores and tornado-blasted bouganvillas.

In the prepared speeches...  

*DTM Mary Helen took a look at our club and likened it to a brothel frequented by Russians, Finns and Himalayans whose brains pop, sparkle and fizz.  Invite guests, people! Anyone with a pulse will do.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Jose took a look at Democracy turned Autocracy in Spain and explained that the country is sadly divided between Tapas-Devouring Conservatives and Paella-Gobbling Leftists.  The menu will be decided on July 23.  Stay tuned with a vino tinto.and a fried calamari (calamar frito).

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Aleta praised DTM Mary Helen for her analogy of a restaurant where word-of-mouth is instrumental in building the biota with any critter that happens by.

* TM Randolph thinks TM Jose is a cool, smooth teacher who shares too much information in a few minutes.  We need a Part Two (to be continued after the July 23 election).  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

BIOTA, noun

The flora and fauna of a region (desert, ocean, backyard)

Example:  Sometimes my aorta doesn't care an iota about the biota.

Save the Date:  

August 8 from 12 to 1

via Zoom

TLI

Here's the link to the recording!

https://www.youtube.com/live/NM4w91Ch8qw?feature=share

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Proverbs, Yodeling with Yoodli (him/her) and Worried Warriors - an outlandish morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We officially met the criteria for President's Distinguished Club!  Hooray!!

TM Aleta launched rockets of Proverbs.  We realized that...

* TM Emmanuel asserted that just as the path is made by walking, the Ahs are counted by listening.

* I, Ana, know first hand that those who are deaf have selective listening and I, too, suffer from that at times.  Closed Captioning is the way to go.   I Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jose gave a rendition of Walk Like an Egyptian and time never got tired of running during his recent trip to the Egyptian Pyramids.

* TM Jim G. stated that big fish are going away and all that are left are midsizes and compacts.  So hurry up and rent yours today!

* DTM Jim D. gave us the Cow Drones Industrial Average for today 34,347.43 0.00 (0.00%); which rallied 300 points on cool CPI inflation Data.  It's all about infrastructure. Just sayin'....

In the area of prepared speeches...

* TM Chris awed us with the new TMI Yoodli (him/her) which, among other things, is the new woke  Ah Counter.  Today's human Ah Counter, TM Emmanuel, vehemently rejected this artificially intelligent competitor.

* Guest speaker, International Contest Semi-Finalist, Kiwi TM Giyora delighted us with his family's 25andMe Worrier Warrior Genealogical Chart and in the last 25 seconds urged us to Just Say No To Worry and Just Be Happy, for Pete's sake! It's just that simple.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

And then we proceeded to an unprecedented and outlandish duel of DTM dual Evaluations...

* DTM Jim D. advised TM Chris to avoid the extra and focus on the random.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Giyora for staying up past his bedtime to polish his multigenerational warrior worrier public speaking skills and find out where exactly the Bahamas are located.  

The Word of the Day was

OUTLANDISH, adjective

Strikingly strange or unusual

Claims or rumors beyond reasonable limits or bounds.

Example:  Eating spaghetti with pineapple sauce while riding as a passenger in a golf cart in downtown Manhattan is rather outlandish, would you say?

Dates to Remember:

August 10 - Our District Director, Lois M. and our Guest today, TM Giyora, will speak at our club.  Make sure to be here!

August 15 - 19 - Hybrid contest in Bahamas.  

The link to the recording will be available under separate cover, as the old saying went.

See you next week!

Ana I.

Outlandish Recap Writer

Forest Gump Quotes, TM Hierarchy and Round Robin - a loquacious morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Randolph got our minds working with memorable Forest Gump quotes.  We soon discovered that...

* TM Aleta had a profound revelation that only we can determine what our destiny is, forget the chocolates and unsolicited parental advice.

* TM Chris thoroughly enjoyed Bubba Gump Shrimp where stupid is as stupid does and where eating speaks louder than yapping.

* I, Ana, am in the eternal dilemma of which chocolate to daintily pick when in polite company rather than gobbling them all down sequentially.

* TM Pam realizes that hot cocoa is C-A-L-I-E-N-T-E and she doesn't want normal, she wants variety - and what's normal anyway?  She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Marie strives to do the best with what God gave her because growing up she had a loquacious sister who took up everyone's talking space.

* TM Tom explained loquaciousness versus clarity and thinks he can explain to his grown kids in a way they definitely will not understand.

*TM Jim G. explained to us the until-now mysterious, enigmatic Toastmasters International structure in his Inaugural Address.  We found out that there are actually Grand Poobahs filling in positions at the District, Division and Area Level who in the past have visited our club without actually having been there.  He Won Best Speaker Award.

* TM Chris G. led us in a Round Robin Sequential Story, where we determined that

- Kids are irresponsible wannabe puppy owners

- They are much better off with robotic ones who are self-supporting

- Robotic puppies are rambunctious, playful furniture destroyers

- Puppy technicians learn how to build robotic semi-human puppies

- Robotic puppies are taking over the world

* TM Tom was amazed that there is actually Toastmasters life beyond the Club level and praised our President for his calm, centered, purposeful, charismatic gravitas.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

LOQUACIOUS, adj

Known to talk a lot, verbose.

We learn how to be loquacious but time-constrained in Toastmasters.

And so it was that our out-of-the-norm meeting came to an end.  We had a good time!

This is the link to the recording 

https://youtu.be/xO38p-WLcGI

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Dual choices, Humorous Paths and Tell-As-You-Go Humor, a flibbergibbit morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Friends and Guests,

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT:  EarlyBirds is President's Distinguished Club!  Thanks to everyone for your participation in achieving this goal and to soon-to-be-inducted TM Ricardo for becoming our 20th member.

Remember to auto pay before July 31 for $45, instead of $60 after August 1. Instructions will follow.

TM BeckyJo propelled us into a world of vehement dualities.  We discovered that...

* TM Emmanuel, my kindred soul regarding animals, respectfully acknowledges other people's therapeutic need for pets, but he keeps his distance, thank you very much.

* TM Chris prefers live theater but needs close captioning to even understand the title of the play.

* DTM Jim D. asserts that salad indicates that food is coming, so definitely steak for him and let kale go to hale.

* I, Ana, impersonated Nancy Tunatra Boots in a moment of flibbergibbetry.  I Won Best TAble Topics Award.

* TM Jim G. uses planes, trains, automobiles, camels, RVs, elephants as his common means of transportation... to go grocery shopping.

* TM Aleta uses gonna instead of going to because she's close to the border of West Virginia, so she's legally exempt from correct grammar.

* TM Randolph is stage managing a comedic murder mystery with his kids, unbeknownst to them.  Insanity is hereditary - we get it from our kids.

As far as prepared speeches...

* TM Pam used tried and tested parenting skills - which we all share- of doing as I say, not as I do, and emphasized that listening to your evaluators will teach you how to get the chicken to reach Level 5 of Pathways.

* TM Chris impromptued a couple of mini speeches about men and women tackling raging forest fires.  Vive la Difference!  Alexa is now formally the family's adopted French daughter.  Vive l' Intelligence Artificiele!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

Regarding evaluations...

* TM Jose praised TM Pam for her hand gestures and suggested that she find another humorous chicken to be framed within the square.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom lauded TM Chris's continued home runs and quarterback short pass, long pass, through pass and back to hitting it out of the park.

The Word of the Day was

FLIBBERGIBBIT, noun

A frivolous, flighty or excessively talkative (onomatopoeic) person.

There were lots of flibbergibbits in The Throes of the Volcano.  

There is no link to the meeting recording.  Today, let's practice self-service by logging in to the blog.

See you next week!

Ana 

Recap Writer

Blarney Stone Kiss, Quagmire Ascension and Strange World Poobahs - advocating at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests, Friends,

TM Chris had us symbolically kiss the Blarney Stone and we developed the Gift of Gab - ironic, since the Stone is near Cork, Ireland - which should instead put a cork on our verbosity.  Oh well, I digress.    We uncovered and discovered that...

* TM Pam is rubbing her hands anticipating her grown children to reciprocate for all the pristine diaper-changing that she lovingly bestowed upon them. 

* TM BeckyJo vividly recalls discovering color TV in Hawaii amidst PuPu Platters and after Rin Tin Tin, color TV has never been the same. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Randolph advocates for a light football Hurricane season in the midst of a light natural disaster season without toppling his childhood treehouse.

* TM Paolo is still circling Miami in his flight from the heel of the boot in Puglia and needs an alarm clock to set his circadian rythms straight.. sometime next week.

* DTM Mary Helen found a thoroughly trained DTM Jim D, thanks to the advocacy of his late first wife and now Mary Helen's best friend forever.

* TM Jim G. gets chills down his spine when he visits and revisits the bridge of his childhood near the Jersey coastline.

We heard two prepared speeches...

* TM Marie was finally able to untangle herself from Mom's flowing skirts at the tender age of 30 and joined a group of contemplative scholars to break through the Pathways barrier.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Jim D. has indeed met  oddball friends in unlikely aviation circles - Terminator Cop,  Erectyle Dole Pineapple, Transformer Bruce, Barry O. and presumably the only alleged pervert worth negatively singling out, The Donald McRonald.  

Along came the evaluations...

* TM Tom praised TM Marie for staying on point and taking risks while ricocheting her shymeter in the midst of a heterogeneous group.

* TM Aleta encouraged DTM Jim D. to use more vocal variety because monotones become homophones and then it's creek vs creak; hole vs whole; incite vs insight and dangerously lead to homonyms - accept vs except, affect vs effect.   You get the drift.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

We arrived at several momentous revelations...

* By popular acclaim, we will start collecting $500 per Ummm and Errrr in order to cross the pond and celebrate our Club's 60th Anniversary in Xavea, Spain.    The date is Saturday, September 16, 2023.

* TM Jim G. has officially joined the Refurbished Hippy Movement as honorary President.

The Word of the Day was

ADVOCATE, noun or verb

To support or argue for

To plead in favor of

It's always better to be the backer, defender, promoter, supporter, lawyer than a plain old arguer.

The link to today's recording:

https://youtu.be/-xSEZCeh5IQ

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer

Memorable June Days, the Irish in America and Flag Day - a pliant morning at EarlyBirds!

 

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Aleta had us wondering about special June days.  We discovered that...

* DTM Jim D. favors banana splits with bacon so that he covers all the food groups in one fell swoop.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Jim G.'s aunt was a certain Norma Jean of world notoriety who drew Jim to her bosom and he certainly liked it hot!

* TM BeckyJo played tennis in Stanley Park, Vancouver, with a cuuuuute instructor who almost created a pickle between her parents and that's how pickle ball was born.

* TM Tom wants flags to be disposed of with respect but meanwhile can't get TM Jim G.'s aunt out of his mind.

* TM Marie has filed a petition in Court to have owners of tattered flags be fined and possibly thrown in prison and taught how to preserve flags in good condition.

* DTM Mary Helen is fascinated to this day by the movie career of TM Jim G's aunt, eospecially after her movies were adapted for the small screen.

* TM Randolph thinks there's a lot in a name and all his children have been conscienciously named because names are not to be taken lightly, in case you run into trademark/copyright issues and have to become "the person formerly known as xxx"

In the prepared speeches...

* TM Tom educated us about the daring and brave Irish, Germans, Italians who built the bridges in New York and dug the Erie Canal.  We eat fruit from a tree we did not plant, for sure!  

* TM Jim G. displayed the US's manifest destiny from sea to shining sea in the progression of our flag, especially influenced by the pliancy of a certain mustached Tafty Taft.   He Won Best Speaker Award.

And then came the evaluations...

* TM BeckyJo loved TM Tom's speech and asked him to contextualize it to an often geographically-clueless audience, and to bring sensory images to word pictures, such as the waves crashing against the pilons of the Erie Canal.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

* DTM Mary Helen praised TM Jim G. for his expert display of visual aids on the flag at a time of year when we feel patriotic and for transmitting his warmth to the audience so flawlessly.

The Word of the DAy was

PLIANT, adj.

Able to bend without breaking; flexible

Too easily influenced or controlled by other people

Example: Palm trees are famous for being pliant to hurricane strength winds - except when they land on top of the house roof!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/jqBWZ02zP8c

See you next week!

Ana I.

Temporarily voiceless Recap Writer

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Of fruits and vegetables, Sharing Your Popcorn and Nothing We Do Is Wasted - a morning of blandishment at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Pam's inquisitiveness explored our fruit and vegetable patches on full moon.  We soon discovered that she threatens her plants to bloom or be composted.  It works! We also learned that...

* TM Chris picked you guessed what at Cranberry Island in Anchorage, Alaska.

* TM Randolph's favorite fruit are nectarines and peaches, although he can't tell which is which, but they must be juicy and have the right texture.

* TM Jim G., our miracle bionic hippy, would not plant rutabagas (aka Swedish turnips) but would overplant radishes, for which he has a tried and tested green thumb.

* I, Ana, long for the days when peeling an onion made me cry because seedless multicolored watermelons and other genetically commingled produce will definitely cause our early demise.

* DTM Jim D. won the NY State Fair handcrafted item category and started a lucrative business at the ripe age of 12 before his parents got arrested for child forced labor.

* TM Tom's transcat (she/her)'s  favorite dessert is banana cream pie with vanilla wafers and cookie crumbles.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.

* Guest Ricardo described watching a rising full moon over the ocean in Denia, Spain, while avoiding X-rated details.

* TM Paolo declared himself a morning lark while reporting underwater drinking espresso from a  wifiless spot in Italia.

We had some notable prepared speeches...

* TM Marie focused on the positive and explained how to pour the jelly of life into a Pathways mold and sharing your popcorn without even blinking.  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* DTM Mary Helen, hereinafter to be known as Two Dollar Mary, has 50-year-old clippers and a barber's cape full of cigarette burns and offers cheap haircuts.  Offer may end soon! Don't miss out!

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Randolph praised TM Marie for her good flow and urged her to speak with her eyes closed so no one can tell she's reading her notes.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Tom commended DTM Mary Helen for her red hair and her red blouse and we are all still looking up his incomprehensible syncopated verbal barrage.

The Word of the Day was

BLANDISHMENT, noun

Something said or done to coax or persuade an individual or a group to do something.  

Example:  It takes blandishment for a group to vote for someone other than the favorite candidate.   I think.

NOTEWORTHY NOTES:

After a tough campaign and extensive blandishment, we have new officers for the 2023-2024 EarlyBirds year:

President       Jim G

Sargeant-at-Arms   Mary Helen D

VP Education  Chris G

VP Membership Ana I

Secretary         Pam S

Treasurer         Jim D

VP Public Relations   Randolph B

Thanks, TM Marie, for your great job as the Nominating Committee!

Date to Remember:

Saturday June 17

TLI Officer Training from 9 am to 10 am EST

https:// toastmastersd47.org

Followed by HYBRID LUNCH AT THE GULDS.  More details to follow.

The link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/D9WcGx-herM

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

June, Flying on Asphalt and Barging on a French River - everything but an obscure morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Marie led us with Table Topics about Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Fun Fact: Juno Beach, FL becomes a weekend destination for many couples in distress and at least they get a nice tan.

* TM Paolo's first born bambina has just turned 13 and the fun is just about to start! Ma preparati....

* TM BeckyJo's pearl of wisdom is to keep it simple and not complicate things. You want to live a long life?  Just don't die...As simple as that.

* I, Ana, pray for patience to say something nice to one particular person who shall remain in obscurity for the purposes of this dialogue.

* TM Pam is considering putting a lingerie bag to wash her cat in the washing machine.  She would use the 'gentle' cycle, though, cat lover that she is...

* TM Aleta met her best friend over healthy fried chicken and waffles just prior to a serene and peaceful yoga class.

* DTM Jim D. loooves coffee almond mocha ice cream and limits himself to a conservative 1/2 gallon a day.

* TM Jim D's footloose and fancyfree attitude has propelled him to make most major life decisions by flipping a coin and ending up in Moscow... Idaho.

* DTM Mary Helen stated that effective communication stems from being genuine, such as the orphan kid from America's Got Talent who had the judges in tears. She Won Best Table Topics Award.

Along came the prepared speeches, both of which plunged into timeless disqualified obscurity...

* TM Jose gave us vertigo by taking us on a virtual ride on an Aston Martin Formula 1 KERS with carbon fiber, traction control and great camaraderie with the Red Bull team at 300 miles per hour.

* TM Chris taught us how to roll French "R"s by holding a #2 lead pencil in our mouth and pursing our lips just so while eating lots of mustard on baguette and plenty of vin in Dijon prior to boarding the barge at the ecluse.  Merci.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Paolo praised TM Jose's good pace, excellent pitch and broke his own tradition by lauding his use of headsets.  Formula I virtual background a must for the next speech!  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Mary Helen gave TM Chris an "A" for her ability to sing Sur Le Pont D'Avignon l'on y danse, l'on y danse, sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse tous en rond while eating fromage in front of the Mona Lisa (Gioconda for TM Paolo).

-The KERS Hybrid Brunch at the Gulds' on June 17 has been postponed till further notice. due to a TMI Learning Institute taking place that same day.  Hold the mimosas!

-Next week, June 8, we will hold officer elections at our meeting.  As DTM Kip used to say:  "Vote early and vote often!" (Just like in our political elections).

-TM Aleta justified and attributed her abundant double clutches today to her double vision. Ahem....

The Word of the Day was

OBSCURE, adj.

Not discovered or known about; uncertain

OBSCURE, verb

Keep from being seen, conceal

Example:  The Dark Ages must have certainly been obscure.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://youtu.be/Y2faQ6vyrdk

See you next week!

Ana

Recap Writer Extraobscure