Last August, I began what I call my “Magnificent Speaking Streak”. This lasted almost a year with the exception of January. I went through a period of discouragement because I wasn’t getting attention on social media. Getting up and speaking at my meetings helped me to feel better about myself and improved my mood.
It hasn’t been perfect and there have been many times that I wanted to give up. It was easy to wilt after the Presidential Election but I stayed strong. That doesn’t mean that I’m pleased at all with the way the country is being run. I’m trying hard to mask my emotions
My last speech was given on August 26 at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It was the anniversary of my move-in day at my first college home, the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown. The speech doesn’t cover my entire run at the school, At the end are some of the activities that I took part in during my first semester.
My next speech project takes place on November 5 at Greensburg. It’s in the Presentation Mastery Path, and will help me complete another level. The title of the project is managing a difficult audience. Part of my duties will be to assign roles to other members in my club as I give a speech. While it can be from a previous meeting, the objective of the project is to successfully deal with interruptions. Thus, it should make for an interesting experience next Wednesday.
Maybe that Table Topic question can be turned into a 5-7 minute speech. If you could take a single photograph of your life, what would it look like?”. It can take the face of academia, having split time between Johnstown and Slippery Rock. It can reflect on my mental health over the years. It can highlight my experience in Toastmasters, or show my hand putting pen to paper as I write in my journal. Lastly, I think the photograph could show a time of my life as I went through a transition. Eventually, it leads to me being content with myself.
On to the NFL, we’re at the halfway point of the 2025 season. So far, it’s been a season swimming in parity. Week 8 was one that saw many decisive one-sided victories. For teams like Philadelphia, their 18 point win over the Giants brought them to 6-2 and in control of their division. Yesterday, Buffalo got a needed win and help on the ground from running back James Cook in a 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers. This year feels like the 2000’s with Indianapolis and New England leading their divisions. I’m reliving the Peyton Manning and Tom Brady rivalry all over again. Later on in Denver, the Broncos put on a clinic against Dallas’ ailing defense. That AFC West might not just be the Chiefs’ division to win after all.
Next week brings us the game of the year, as the reigning AFC Champions travel to Buffalo. Will we be lucky enough to see these two in the playoffs once again, playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl? With Green Bay’s victory on Sunday night over the Steelers, it denied Aaron Rodgers the opportunity to beat all 32 teams. It also set the stage for a great slate of November games. Week 9 the whole nation will see Kansas City at Buffalo, and week 10 ends with Philadelphia at Green Bay. These two games to me are Conference Championship game previews we could see come late January. Week 11 on Sunday night is Detroit at Philadelphia, and these two should have been playing for the NFC crown last year. A week and a half later on Thanksgiving sees the return of that bitter Packers and Lions rivalry, as well as Patrick Mahomes and company traveling to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Not a shortage of bad games.
November brings with it exciting NFL action, and the launch of the Christmas menu at Cutie’s. What better way to celebrate the new month, after a busy October?
Stylish 🍒 