Our Emperor, Albert, helped start out the new year and new decade with a meeting to acknowledge the decades that have defined our lives and the opportunities we come across.  He also reassured us in his State of the Kingdom report the Kingdom is indeed strong and the economy picking up steam.  Long live the Emperor!

Amy, a child of the television watching 1960’s, was our Table Topics Master.  She quizzed Stuart on which decade gave us the greatest music and Stuart responded showing his class and culture by extolling Bach and classical music.  Amy then called on Li to discuss the decade that provided the greatest fashions; Li named the first decade of the 21st Century since people seem free to where whatever fits their fancy for the day.  Finally, Brad chimed in to tell us about the most mind-boggling technological advance in the last decade, naming Tweeter as an “advance” that he just doesn’t get.

Kim, Erin and Cynthia were our first speakers of the new year and decade.

Kim gave her third speech, which she titled “Smell”.  We learned she has no sense of it along with 2% of the human population.  She amused us with her stories of trying to teach herself to smell and her excitement in finally picking up on the scent of cooked ketchup and ammonia.  However, her lack of smell has not slowed her down in life in the slightest, she even enjoyed a stint as a successful perfume sales women.  Clearly, Kim has talent and we look forward to hearing more speeches from her.

Erin was this year’s second speaker giving her speech titled “Seriously?!”.  It was an amusing anecdote about a run-in with a traffic cone and a police officer, which left her $167 poorer and 8 hours of traffic school smarter.  Remember folks: a police barricade is a police barricade even when it only consists of traffic cones.

Cynthia gave her ice-breaker speech today starting off the new year and her toastmaster debut with a bang.  She had us chuckling as she told us about her Italian, English, and Irish heritage.  And now we know who to talk to for travel tips, the latest information on thermoplastics, and where to get the best ethnic cuisines.  Right off the bat, her delivery, poise and humor in her speech illustrated she has a great speaking foundation from which to work.  She also gets an extra gold star for being the only person at today’s meeting who did not have an “um” or any other such filler words – nicely, done Cynthia!

Ribbon Winners:

Best Table Topic – Stuart

Best Speaker – Erin

Most Enthusiastic – Brenda

Best Evaluator – Patrick

Best Humor – Erin