EVENT: Toastmasters

Today during lunch, I went to my first Harris Toastmasters meeting as an official member and served as the official timer. Officially.

Nga gave a Prepared Speech about coming up with speech topics, and for Table Topics, Debbie offered the group natural disasters. There were hurricanes, lightning, floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes -- the last one was mine.

Table Topics are 1-2 minute unprepared talks about a given topic. Oh, how I would have loved to have hurricanes or lightning... what do I have to say about tornadoes?

My first words were "Um" and "Frick".

And to make a painful story short, I talked about my hometown in Anderson and how boring it was meteorologically (though not with that word... that would've require a little more planning), and that my advice for surviving a tornado or any other natural disaster was to exaggerate your character because lead actors are less likely to perish if it had been an actual movie.

... not very graceful in presentation, but I guess I possessed an element of charm adding some levity and owning my nervous energy because I won the award for Best Table Topic! I'm totally letting it go to my head! I think that the kudo comes too soon, but hey it's sustenance for a 6-day week so I'm taking it. And I'll scan the ribbon once I get home tonight.

(Here it is, courtesy of Cedric-of-the-Future!)


Woo!

This morning, Ron and I were able to signoff on a couple of my PTRs, so the sense of accomplishment for today has been achieved. Everything that happens for the rest of the day is just gravy. It really does help to be around other people... it makes the day go faster, and it makes me feel like I'm capable of social interactions... something that needs reinforcement when one gets accustomed to living alone.

Anyways, back to work. Gravy-time!