All Saints Day

On Friday 30 October, veteran Toastmaster and DTM Arnie Buss led us through a very exciting meeting with a theme of "All Saints Day". Sixteen members and three guests were present, for the largest attendance in several weeks.





Past Area A-3 Governor Bob Aston

Visiting Toastmaster and past Area A-3 Governor Bob Aston presented the club with a new timing light and attachments which he made for us as a military club. He had previously made a similar timer for the Toastmasters Club at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. It's Bob's way of honoring the military. The enthusiastic applause reflected our appreciation. Acting President Moyara Ruehson accepted on behalf of the club, and we put the new timer into immediate use. Bob took the old timer to repair the problem with the battery slipping out of its enclosure.



Jason Lin provided chuckles with his opening remarks:



Margaret Stevens won best Table Topics - responding to TT Master Fred Sadler's question:


Lacey Raak delighted us with a speech and pictures from her October 10 wedding in Minnesota. Her #5 speech The Big Day garnered her Most Improved Speaker:


Lacey was evaluated by Joe Tacker:


Moyara Ruehsen hit her #6 "Your Body Speaks" out of the park with a demonstration of belly dancing, in It's Not About the Hips. She was awarded Best Speaker:


Moyara was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer, who was also selected Best Evaluator by GE Elizabeth Mitchell:


Tonya Holloway enthralled us a remarkable story of her heritage, in her #7 manual speech "Research Your Topic" titled What's in a Name?


Tonya was evaluated by Jim Burlison:

What's Your Sign?

First, congratulations to the Division A Humorous Speech Contest winner, our very own Tonya Holloway, who won the Division contest in Aptos last Friday. Come suppert Tonya at the District contest on November 21!

Also, congratulations to Lacey Raak, who tied the knot on October 10.

Club president Art Testani served as TMoD with an entertaining and creative theme of "Astrology." Art continues to set the bar high, and the printed agendas were especially valuable (future TMoDs take note!)


Karen Woodson gave Opening Remarks:


Art called on Jason Lin to explain the vote counter's role.


Art was ably assisted by wordmaster Aaron Sanchez, whose choice of word ("Lunacy") perhaps reflected some skepticism about the topic. Filling the other functions were Cat Grant as Ah counter, Dennis Hickman as Grammarian, and Margaret Stevens as timer.

Table Topic Master Tonya Holloway asked some challenging questions of Cathy Lee,


Moyara Ruehsen,


and Dennis Hickman, with Dennis being voted best table topics speaker for his take on the Mayan calendar's "end of world" in 2012 forecast.


The prepared speeches were outstanding! Juliette Ferguson led off with Castles in the Sky, a number 3 speech ("Get to the Point"), for which she was voted Most Improved Speaker:


Juliette was evaluated by newlywed Lacey Raak, who added Best Evaluator to her collection:


Next Elizabeth Mitchell gave a dramatic and eventful number 5 speech ("Your Body Speaks") Traveling in the Black Hills, with highlights including elk and prarie dogs:


Elizabeth was evaluated by Moyara Ruehsen:


Finally, Fred Sadler took home the gold with his #1 speech from the advanced manual "The Entertaining Speaker" entitled A Whole New Attitude, in which that selfsame attitude was illustrated and the origin of his famous "Indiana Fred" fedora was revealed.


Fred was expertly evaluated by Cathy Lee:


General evaluator Arnie Buss gave the meeting high marks and selected Lacey as best evaluator:


Newest member Jason Lin served as vote counter:

Silence is Golden!

Area Governor Alisha Empleo inducted new officers Moyara Ruehsen: VP Education, Elizabeth Mitchell: Secretary, and Aaron Sanchez: Sergeant at Arms.

Elizabeth Mitchell as TMoD created a masterful meeting on the theme of "Silence":





Jason Lin was inducted into membership by club president Art Testani.

Dennis Hickman's Opening Remarks:


Cat Grant won best Table Topics speaker by expertly channeling her father and his glasses:


Moyara Ruehsen was voted Best Speaker and Most Improved Speaker for her outstanding #6 speech, Babies and Boogers: They Grow Up Fast!"


Moyara was evaluated by Arnie Buss:


DTM Arnie Buss gave his sixth Icebreaker speech to begin another trip through the CC manual. His talk was titled The Boy in Me:


Arnie was evaluated by Tonya Holloway, who was selected Best Evaluator by GE Fred Sadler:


Congratulations to Aaron Sanchez for being voted in as our new Sergeant at Arms!

Stock Market Crashes

You would never know it was Moyara Ruehsen's debut as TMoD! Bringing her economics expertise and considerable stage presence to a timely theme of "Stock Market Crashes". As General Evaluator Carl Thormeyer remarked, "I learned more about stock market crashes today than I have in the rest of my life!" Thirteen members and one (about-to-become-a-menber) guest enjoyed a very fine meeting.







Tonya Holloway's Opening Remarks were brief and to the point!


Fred Sadler gave the best Table Topics response, albeit the one that provoked the most squirming!


Aaron Sanchez starred in his Icebreaker Speech The Plan to Win, demonstrating advanced speaking skills and giving us a window into his life. He was voted Most Improved Speaker:


Aaron was evaluated by Jim Burlison:


Margaret Stevens demonstrated the lighter side of Table Topics and her ambiguous relationship with TT's in her entertaining #6 speech Table Topics - From fear to Fun. She was voted Best Speaker for her energetic and captivating performance :


Margaret was evaluated by Art Testani and was selected Best Evaluator:

This Day in History

With 12 members and one guest present, Tonya Holloway as TMoD led a creative and fun-filled meeting on the theme "This Day In History." She channeled Walter Cronkite as News Anchor and turned our functionaries into reporters from the field. Who knew that October 2 was such a rich day in history?




Table Topics Master Moyara Ruehsen provided a creative twist to impromptu speaking by asking that the respondents be correspondents and report the "news." Margaret Stevens was thinking quickly when she passed the baton to Carl Thormeyer, who earned best Table Topics speaker:


Fred Sadler led off the prepared speeches with a #3 from the advanced manual The Entertaining Speaker. His speech, titled Useful CME - An Ode to Doctor Martin Samuels garnered him Best Speaker:


Fred was evaluated by Club President Art Testani:


Arnie Buss followed with an inspirational #10 speech from his fifth time through the CC manual, entitled Walk With Me. Arnie was voted Most Improved Speaker:


Arnie was evaluated by Karen Woodson, who was selected Best Evaluator by GE Elizabeth Mitchell: