FRTM - Recap - Meeting 2/7/19
- From: "J. K." <jonathan.kolber@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: frtm <frtm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2019 18:48:35 -0700
The theme of this meeting was "The Not-So-Dark Ages". First time
Toastmaster Monica presided. She announced, "Today, I'm going to shatter
your preconceptions about the Dark Ages."
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Our meeting in two days is on Valentine's Day!! President Jennifer gave
members our marching orders, "Convince your significant other that a
Toastmasters meeting is romantic!" (*Ouch! OK, I'm coming, I'm coming!*)
(REQUIRED DISCLAIMER: The above in no way refers to whips or flagellation.
The need for this disclaimer will become apparent below.)
Robin announced that the Club Contest will happen on March 7. An email will
soon follow with details. There are plenty of opportunities to participate.
Winners will receive a trophy to keep!
Dirk said that the "Moments of Truth" survey will be conducted and
discussed online, to save club meeting time. It's sure to be a lively
exploration of member views and opportunities to improve.
Monica shared tidbits that showed the ancients weren't quite as ignorant as
we commonly believe. For example, 2,600 years ago, Pythagoras (often called
the father of mathematics) demonstrated that the Earth is round.
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Greeter was Alan
Ah Counter was Jennifer
Grammarian was Colette, whose word was *Antiquity*
Timer/Joker was Katelynn
Inspiration was Alan
Gesture Master was Katelynn
Quiz Master was Jonathan
General Evaluator was Bill
Table Topics Master was Robin
Our first Speaker was Pattie, evaluated by Ray. Her speech was "Facts About
Groundhog Day". (The annual event, not the eponymous movie.) Pattie regaled
us with information about this popular yet little understood holiday,
including its German origins and the surprising proven immortality of a
certain rodent. (YHTBT.)
Second Speaker was Kathleen, evaluated by Jeff. Her speech was "Spectrum of
Flavor Benefits". It included a dazzling set of slides, showing the full
palette of food colors in a dastardly attempt to get the audience hungry.
(OK, maybe I am generalizing here...) She imparted a LOT of information
about little-known healthful compounds in foods, and how to attain the
elusive healthy vegetable diet.
Third Speaker was Dirk, evaluated by Jonathan. His speech was "How Our
Brains Are Changing in the Digital Era." It included a lot of surprising,
and sometimes disturbing information about the benefits and costs of our
increasing reliance on "Outsourced memory" (the internet) and how different
methods of writing and reading affect our thought process.
(My big takeaway: when you need to be creative and see deep relationships,
try taking a walk, writing by hand, and/or reading at least partly on paper)
After a short break, Robin led us in Table Topics. This session was
characterized by two unique attributes: (1) Some of the most arcane
questions I've heard and (2) A few questions that were actually longer than
the answers they elicited.
Speaking of the answers... Jennifer was asked a question that resulted in a
completely factual description of whip-making techniques throughout the
ages. Perhaps this would have been the end of it, until Bill was asked a
question that he chose not to answer, elaborating on her answer instead,
including reenacting a SNL sketch about a questionable band of pirates.
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There was significant uproarious laughter at this meeting. YHTBT!
The Winners were:
Best Speaker Kathleen
Best Table Topics Bill
Best Evaluator Jonathan
Until Next Time,
I am Your Club Secretary
PS--Bonus Cartoon:
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- » FRTM - Recap - Meeting 2/7/19 - J. K.
