Capital City Toastmasters

Today, if you had puffed on a Gauloise, donned a beret, and discussed vinification with our very own vintner, notre chère Madame Maureen, you would have been in the right place, because it was time to celebrate “le quatorze juillet”, Bastille Day.

Brian gave the Invocation, Pledge, and Chuckle.  There was some friendly competition in the joke arena with our guest Tony.  It seems talking about the French tends to loosen things up a bit, non?  I wonder what the French do about snake bites.

Madame Maureen led us through the Table Topics with an extended sortie since we had some extra time due to only two prepared speeches.  [Taline - you need to rename your speech when you give it to be Gelid Water Revisited, to incorporate a recent Word of the Day.  Let's not leave any money on the table here!]

Erin.  An engineer who can recite poetry?  And pick a great poem on top of that?  Erin gave an inspiring speech based on a sailing poem, highlighting the risks and rewards of our professional and personal lives and how to approach these with our ears and eyes wide open.  She talked about her move from Portland to Baltimore and did a great job on it – without notes.  The poem is entitled George Gray, written by Edgar Lee Masters, and follows below for ease of reference.

Susana followed Erin with a speech on Father’s Day.  [Hot Shots follow their own schedule.  Her next speech might be on a favorite Halloween costume in August.]  The title, “Eso!” lent itself well to understanding Susana and, by extension, the other actor in the speech, her father, since she explained contextually what Eso! would mean.  It was along the lines of “that’s the way”, “there you go”.  Dad and daughter head to the lake with Susana driving the truck and boat (is anyone else scared yet?) and she has already warned her Dad that she would be in charge of everything that day (admit it, you are really scared now).  They are in the boat and Susana does a bang-up impersonation of fishing reel sounds plunking in the water.  Susana struggled with getting the hook out of the squirmy fish’s mouth and eventually had to concede that she would indeed need a little bit of help.  Dad rescues the fish, christens him Lorenzo, and they are on their way.  Susana did a great impersonation of the Dad’s voice as she acted out this man-to-fish exchange.

Eric was the timer.  He proved that sometimes the colors on the timekeeper light may indeed be ignored when under his control.  But thankfully everyone was on time anyway – it could have been a hanging chad moment.

John U., the grammarian, brought up great usages of French words such as when Lora used “à propos.”

Ribbon Winners:

• Best Table Topic – Jenny
• Best Speaker – Susana
• Best Evaluator – Lora
• Best Humor – Susana
• Most Enthusiastic – Susana

George Gray

I have studied many times

The marble which was chiseled for me—

A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.

In truth it pictures not my destination

But my life.

For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;

Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;

Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.

Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.

And now I know that we must lift the sail

And catch the winds of destiny

Wherever they drive the boat.

To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,

But life without meaning is the torture

Of restlessness and vague desire—

It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

Edgar Lee Masters