On achieving my DTM from Toastmasters today

Today I was formally awarded my Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation by Toastmasters International. I performed an excerpt from A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" with the wonderful Justin Knepper as my stellar scene partner. At the conclusion of my piece, as is tradition in my club when you receive an award, I received a standing ovation from my fellow Voyagers. (They also surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of sunflowers.)

To clue you in on why achieving my DTM today was such a big deal, here's the short list of all the stuff I had to do to get there:

• Leadership role at the District Level (1 year commitment)
• 40 speeches
• 5 workshops
• 1 four-month leadership project
• Mentor to new member
• Sponsor for a new club (4 month commitment)

I joined Voyagers (my home Toastmasters club) in July of 1999, and 10 years later, here I am. Here's the long version of the two tracks (Communication and Leadership) you have to complete to achieve your DTM. (List courtesy of fellow Voyager Happy Aston.)

Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)

The Distinguished Toastmaster award is the highest our organization bestows and it recognizes both communication and leadership skills. To be eligible for the award a member must have:

• Achieved Advanced Communicator Gold award
• Achieved Advanced Leader Silver award

COMMUNICATION TRACK

Competent Communicator (CC)

• Complete 10 speeches in the CC manual.

Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB)

• Achieved CC award
• Completed two Advanced Communication manuals (10 more speeches)

Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS)

• Achieved ACB award
• Completed two additional advanced communication manuals (10 more speeches)
• Conducted any two presentations from The Better Speaker Series and/or The Successful Club Series

Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG)

• Achieved ACS award
• Completed two additional advanced communication manuals (10 more speeches)
• Conducted a Success/Leadership, Success/Communication or a Youth Leadership program
• Coached a new member with the first three speech projects

LEADERSHIP TRACK

Competent Leader (CL)

• Complete all 10 projects in the Competent Leadership manual. (For what it's worth, it's only 10 "projects" but in reality this means taking on upwards of 40-some-odd leadership roles at Toastmasters meetings)

Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB)

• Achieved CL award
• Achieved CC award
• Served at least six months as a club officer (president, vice president education, vice president membership, vice president public relations, secretary, treasurer or sergeant at arms)
• While serving in the above office, participated in a district-sponsored club officer training program and in the preparation of a Club Success Plan while serving in this office
• Conducted any two presentations from The Successful Club Series and/or The Leadership Excellence Series (these are typically longer speeches or workshops)

Advanced Leader Silver (ALS)

• Achieved ALB award
• Served a complete term as a district officer (district governor, lieutenant governor, public relations officer, secretary, treasurer, division governor or area governor). A complete term is defined as having served at least from September 1 through June 30.
• Completed the High Performance Leadership program (a long-term project vetted by a 3-person committee)
• Served successfully as a club sponsor, mentor or coach (anywhere from 1 to 6 month commitment)

So yeah, I did all that stuff listed above, and I got a shiny new badge for it! :-) Many, many thanks to my fellow Voyagers for helping me achieve this accomplishment!

For all of you complaining about Obama's health care proposal

I was self-employed for 2 years and couldn't afford my own insurance (owned my own biz, then worked in Hollywood for a year)...scariest 2 years of my life.

Many in Hollywood, in fact, work job to job as 1099 employees, with no health insurance because they're not with one single employer. And many of them have families to support, so they're forced to pay ridiculous premiums.

(And before you rant that celebrities can afford their own insurance, I'm talking about the actual workers in the industry, not the A-list talent.)

And it's not just that industry...the hospitality industry is another one. There are more, I'm sure, but just saying to please think about folks before you say, "Oh, everyone's going to mooch off the system and you should have to WORK to EARN health care."

Dear Fox... Love, President Obama

Hee hee...

Antenna Ball Jack's European Vacation

I used to work in the corporate Training & Development department at Jack in the Box (my husband still works there, in a different department). One of the traditions is to take an antenna ball along on vacation and take pictures of it in front of famous monuments and stuff. Here's a few pictures of Antenna Ball Jack during our trip to Europe this past June.

Day 1 - Barcelona, Spain

Chillin' in the hotel room.

Enjoying that illustrious Spanish beverage "Coca-Cola"
which translates into "Coca-Cola" in English.

Hopping a ride on the statue of Rámon Berenguer III
the Great at the Barcelona Cathedral. Didn't get too far.

Day 3 - Rome, Italy

Hangin' at the Colosseum. Didn't see any lions.

Did see Gladiators, but the one on the right wasn't
happy...something about a missing Jumbo Jack.

Antenna Ball Jack and Pinocchio.
Or Pinocchio's girlfriend.

Day 4 - Vatican City

At the Pope's house in St. Stephen's Square.

Posing with the Swiss Guard. The Pope's guards
must be big Syracuse Orangemen fans.

Some naked dude on the walk through the
Vatican on the way to the Sistine Chapel.

Debated mailing Antenna Ball Jack home.

Day 5 - Brussels, Belgium

Mmm...Belgian beer and mussels in Brussels.

Day 8 - London, England

At the Queen's house. Her Majesty was home,
but unavailable to have tea.

Look kids! Parliament, Big Ben,
and Antenna Ball Jack!

(This post and the related materials it contains is copyright free - the files and relevent content are permissible under Sec 17 USC 107 and are of FAIR USE (section 512 of the DMCA). They consist of materials that either are for personal use, and/or they are not for profit nor cause any market harm to any copyright owners, including Jack Box and Jack in the Box.)

Thanksgiving Visitors from Awkward Family Photos website

I've been getting a lot of visitors from AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com - welcome! If you're looking for the original Thanksgiving letter that everyone's talking about, here's the original post:

Happy Thanksgiving, OCD-Style

Yes, this is a true letter. No, it’s not about my family, nor did I write it. It was written by a dear friend’s family member’s coworker. I got permission to post it, and I changed the names to protect the innocent from the litigious. :-)

Glad you all like it. Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!