Toastmasters Contest

I competed in the Humorous Speech contact in Kent and placed third. This was a disappointment, but I am proud of the speech I gave and would not have wanted to have given the one that scored the highest. I would never say it at the program itself, since I feel it is important to give a professional demeanor, but at other times I will confess that I don't like the "humorous speech" that consists of a single joke: "I was so drunk" or "I was so afraid of flying". It's a good short joke but not enough to sustain an actual five minute speech, and there is nothing to be learned from it, except possibly not to drink.
There was an interesting speech by a person who had too many physical maladies but maintained a positive outlook anyway. I would have liked more about how she managed that outlook but otherwise thought it was the best speech other than mine. She was rated 2nd.
In the Table Topics competition, my friend Christine won by a knockout. Many of the competitors answered the question ("If a cluttered desk shows a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk show?") reasonably and with humor, but she went farther and related it to larger themes about the usefulness of pauses - empty space in conversation or in thought. I don't know how she does it!