Meeting Minutes – 10.01.2020

Hi Everyone,

After watching the Presidential Debate, it was great to return to Silicon Speech where rules are observed and decorum is encouraged. Our Toastmaster, Len Kung made sure childish behavior was kept to a minimum and she ran the meeting with practiced efficiency. Our first speaker was Karan Bavandi who was positively radiant, basking in the glow of new computer lights. His speech was an exploration of how our minds work and the importance of symbols. The speech was supported with great visuals including a Picasso. It was another great, thought-provoking effort from Karan.

Alex Schams recently participated in a bike riding, fundraising effort for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. 355 miles and $3,400 later, Alex recounted for us each step along the way and his story was positively inspirational. Not only did Alex raise funds but he also encouraged his friends and casual acquaintances to participate and together they raised over $13,000. He also reminded us that one of the great things about Zoom is that we didn’t have to smell the cycling jersey he was wearing for the speech, the one he wore for all 355 miles.

Genevieve Kelly did a great job as a first time, Chief Evaluator. She introduced our evaluators Armando Yee and Blake Samuelle who also new to that role. Both Armando and Blake delivered insightful and supportive feedback to our speakers and Genevieve recapped the meeting with a detailed account of the proceedings.

For regular readers of the SS Minutes, you know that Table Topics are next. Last night, we traveled back in time to revisit Love Connection thanks to Lauren Clayton who played the role of Chuck Woolery. The segment even included the Love Connection backdrop (see photo above). We love it when members go the extra mile. And, we learned a few things…

The most important person in Alex Scham’s life is his father and the biggest compliment he can receive is when people say that he’s just like him.

Kenzi Rose loves helping others because, “When I do, I help myself”.

Blake Samuelle told us about her worst date ever which was a brief outing with a bogus sniper turned borderline stalker. “Thank you Tinder!”

Shar McBee reminded us that people still date in their 70’s and the bad news is that it doesn’t get any better.

Finally, Len Kung and Luis Hurtado gave us their recipe for a real Love Connection which includes mutual respect and not keeping score. Good advice for a solid relationship or a game of coed softball.