November 2, 2009 Minutes

From Austin Toastmasters (Balcones, Club #3407)

Fred Maynard did an excellent job of switching hats back and forth as our President and Toastmaster. His theme was 'home towns.'

Jerry Barrett, from El Paso, Texas, was our Timekeeper. El Paso is famous for a gun battle where 5 people were killed in 5 minutes - faster than Tombstone, Arizona's OK Corral. Jane Sanford's great, great uncle was a Deputy Sheriff under Wyatt Earp (Sheriff of Tombstone during the time of the OK Corral gun fight), but he was in Bisbee that day. Whew! All table topics participants were within time. Michael Giles and Dugg Tankersley went over time on their speeches.

Keith Taylor was our grammarian, who chose the word 'irenik,' meaning 'tending to promote peace; conciliatory.' Kieth gave a very detailed report.

Harry Salvio was our Table Topics Master and asked questions based on the lyrics to country music, which he has been hooked on since he heard the lyrics to "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road."

• Mary Buker - Best Table Topic - says that she doesn't look for men anymore, but what she loved about her husband was that he was witty. Passion and romance don't sustain, laughter is very important. He was the "icing on the cake of her life."
• Jon Beall was overwhelmed by the choices Harry gave him. He said his "give-a-damn is busted" over politics. He's been reading Andrew Jackson's biography and it was just as tough politically back then as it is now.
• Jonathan Hulzingh said that his firefighter training didn't work out, but that has helped him to make the decision to go to seminary.

Bill Williams is from Corpus Cristi, as is Farrah Fawcett. His speech was entitled "Attitude". Bad attitudes stem from feelings of uselessness, self-pity and fear. You can continue to have a positive attitude as you age by stretching your mind, reading, giving speeches, staying engaged, and enjoying life. Laugh a lot. And if you feel a sneeze coming on, let it out!

Rohit Chaube - Best Speaker - is from Mombai, India. He spoke on "Marriages in India." One of the most life changing experiences is marriage. In India, the culture has gone from arranged marriages with little or no input from the bride and groom, to today's internet generation, where there are marriages based both on love and arrangement. Because people can meet over the internet, this helps people learn about each other before marriage. Some are forming love relationships outside the caste system. Marriage in India is a lifetime commitment and is still seen as a very strong thread throughout Indian society.

Michael Giles is from Boston and gave a speech on "How to Hypnotize Yourself." The five steps are 1) notice what's going on around you, 2) take full responsibility of feeling good, 3) truly experience the success you want, 4) feel really good now and 5) vividly experience the success.

Dugg Tankersley is from Tyler, Texas, as is Sandy Duncan and Jane Sanford's no-account relative, Wyatt Taylor, who was shot in the back for womanizing in the late 1800's and for whom her sister Mary Wyatt Taylor is inexplicably named. Dugg gave a speech called "So You Want To Sell Your House." Prior to listing, consider getting your house pre-inspected and possibly having it appraised. This shows good faith to buyers and can help price the house correctly - which is extremely important. During the listing, leave the house when people want to see it and keep it immaculate. After an offer has been accepted, keep the property in the same condition as it was when the buyers saw it.

Mike Prentice evaluated Bill Williams. Bill did a fine job, but could be a little bit more organized. He used notes and was able to do it well, without being distracting.

Jane Sanford - Best Evaluator - evaluated Rohit Chaube. Jane is from Alexandria, Virginia and grew up right down the street from George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. George's famous false teeth (one of many sets) are indeed housed at the museum there and are not made of wood, but of human and cow teeth, as well as elephant and walrus ivory. Rohit was very relaxed physically, used pauses to perfection, especially when talking about the old folks planning who would get married next, and was very organized. Made his point with style and ease. Needs to watch aimless pacing and rocking.

Steve Gonzales evaluated Michael Giles. Michael is unpredicatable and enthusiastic. He used good physical gestures like washing his face. Possibly taper down the points so that the audience can remember them.

Charlie Cole, from Minneapolis, a twin city, evaluated Dugg Tankersley. Dugg was extremely well organized. He has stature and is very natural and authoritative. The speech could use a stronger ending and possibly include some stories for the various points.

Comments:

• Esualdo became a new Balcones Toastmaster member. It was a great meeting and he looks forward to coming more.
• Scott, our Area Governor, is from Giddings, Texas, where a famous outlaw was hung. He enjoyed the meeting. We have a thriving club.
• Jim Comer is re-reading the Road Less Traveled and is finally understanding it this time.
• Patricia Oehlert was so glad she came to the meeting. She was reminded to have a good attitude and really learned so much from all of the speeches.
• Jonathan said that he had been wanted to come back and visit, and since this meeting was after Daylight Savings Time changed, it was his best chance of getting to the meeting on time.
• Anne Childs is from Oakridge Tennessee, which may or may not have anything to do with the Oakridge Boys, but she doesn't think so.
• Dugg Tankersley said that Anne and Gary Childs used all of his tips during the sale of their house and it worked beautifully. They were model sellers.