Almost 100 years ago, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley had the idea of forming a club to train young boys and men in public speaking, social skills, and leadership.

Starting with a club at a YMCA in California, that initial idea turned into Toastmasters International, a program where men and women can learn to speak and listen better as well as develop leadership and confidence, with chapters and members all over the world.

In October TI celebrates its 100-year anniversary. They must be doing something right to have lasted so long and still be going strong.

I first became aware of TI about 30 years ago while walking around the office campus where I worked. There I saw a sign for an upcoming meeting.

All I knew about Toastmasters back then was that the “toast” referred to something the best man does at a wedding, not something you eat for breakfast. I attended that meeting and was immediately asked to participate in a debate.

I can’t remember what the topic was — I think it was gun rights — but I remember winning the debate and getting hooked. What fun, to be with courteous, thinking people where we could all learn, share, and grow with each other.

Over the next several months, I attended many other meetings of that TI club. A couple of speeches I heard really stood out.

One woman did a presentation complete with stunning pictures of her mountain-climbing in the Swiss Alps. Another lady did a presentation on curling, an Olympic sport, which is like bocce but with big “stones” (like giant hockey pucks) instead of balls and on ice instead of grass. She said curling was what got her through the long, cold winters.

Unfortunately, my wife and I had three small kids at the time. All the running around with music lessons, sports, and other after-school activities meant I couldn’t keep up with it. I hated dropping out but it just wasn’t possible to fit it in at that time.

Still, I never forgot how much I enjoyed my initial foray into the wonderful world of Toastmasters — so positive, uplifting, and motivating.

Then about six years ago I heard of a Toastmasters club starting in an agency I’m a member of, so I went to the kickoff meeting. Because my memories of that first TI club were so positive, I volunteered to be president of the new club.

Just like that, I was able to get the Toastmasters magic going again. Don’t think I use the word “magic” lightly here; the entire TI program is indeed magic in the transformation it can make when an enthusiastic participant commits to it.

It worked with me and I’ve seen it work in others time and time again. Dr. Smedley’s 100-year old idea was so sound it still resonates today. Amazing.

So what is Toastmasters, anyway? It’s a program where you practice getting better at public speaking, of course, but it’s also so much more.

It helps you develop listening skills (God gave you two ears and only one mouth for a reason, haha); promotes mentoring; facilitates networking; and, above all else, improves one’s overall social skills, confidence, and leadership.

Truly, had I known about TI when I first entered the workforce, I would have become a much better leader and achieved much more success. That is a fact.

I’ve been writing this column for over 20 years. The way it works is I think of a topic, and then try hard to come up with an opening sentence. Once I get the first sentence, the next thousand words just flow out.

The point is, I’m very confident in using the written word to communicate. In fact, it’s my preferred method of communication.

Speaking in public does not come easy or naturally to me. Yet, from working with TI all these years, something that was dreaded — speaking publicly in front of others — has become something I actually enjoy doing (though I still have to work hard to keep improving). Toastmasters really does work.

Toastmasters’ meetings follow a scripted format, which is both comforting and efficient. At a typical meeting, there will be several speeches, followed by evaluations of those speeches.

There is also a free-flowing “Table Topics” exercise, where anyone is welcome to give a one- to two-minute talk on a random topic that the Table Topics Master gets to pick out. The speeches and table-topics talks are always great, because people try so hard to do them well.

Occasionally, the speeches will bring you to tears, like the one I heard recently from a lady who managed to get out of the second tower just after the first tower was hit during the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I literally held my breath as she described her experience.

It was all I could do to keep from crying. That’s how truly powerful some heartfelt speeches from our fellow Toastmasters members — our friends and neighbors — can be.

At a Toastmasters’ meeting, newcomers are always greeted and made to feel welcome. TI is a no judgment zone: We welcome everyone.

The only thing we insist on is that you want to improve yourself as a speaker, listener, leader, and mentor. Those are our goals, and we want to help you achieve them as well.

Here is the official TI Mission statement: “We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.” The core values at TI are beautiful in their simplicity and power: Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. Just fantastic.

One thing that is unique to Toastmasters is the “ah counter.” This is where we count your use of filler words when speaking, words or phrases like “ah,” “um,” “so,” and “you know.”

We don’t do this to embarrass you; on the contrary, many speakers, including myself, use these words without ever realizing we’re doing it. The hope is that by tracking the use of filler words, one can become aware of it and work to reduce it.

Still, I’ve heard more than one person say they felt self-conscious with this aspect of Toastmasters (“I don’t want someone counting my ums!”). The best is when you improve your speaking so much that you’re not using these words anymore. That’s really huge, and totally doable.

I’ve met some truly great folks in Toastmasters. I’ve seen people who were holding onto the lectern for dear life during their first speech because they were so nervous and now have become so confident and eloquent speaking in front of others that it can only be described as a miracle.

Every time I do a speech, I’m just amazed at how far I’ve come as well. I still need to work on those listening skills, however, as my long-suffering wife will attest to. That’s one big reason I stay involved with Toastmasters. There is always room to improve, plus it’s just plain fun!

I’m going to be starting a Guilderland Toastmasters club soon. We’ll meet at the library. The library has beautiful meeting rooms complete with audio/video support so we can do hybrid in-person/zoom meetings.

If you want to improve your public speaking, listening, and leadership skills or, more importantly, if you just want to have fun, please consider joining. We’d love to have a group of about 20 folks to start out with.

Please contact me and let me know your preferred meeting day and time for a monthly meeting; call me or contact me through the library. For more information on TI, see toastmasters.org. There’s a lot of information there, so be sure to have a full cup of coffee ready to go.

My hometown of Guilderland has beautiful parks, thriving businesses, lovely neighborhoods, and a vibrant community, but one thing it doesn’t have is a local Toastmasters club. Let’s change that now!

One time, I got stuck in a doctor’s office with a paucity of reading materials while I endured the inevitable wait to be seen. So I picked up a bridal magazine. Beggars can’t be choosy, haha.

The well-worn magazine was as thick as a catalog. Upon scanning this beast, I realized that everything was about The Dress. It was endless advertisements for dresses, then articles about dresses, then more articles on what goes well with dresses.

Considering all the other topics a potential bride should care about — like marrying the right person — I found this emphasis on only one aspect of marriage to be a little questionable at best and quite distracting at worst. There is much more to getting married than choosing the right dress, obviously.

The reason I bring this up is because, since I started learning to play guitar a few years ago, I look at a lot of guitar magazines. If someone who knew nothing about guitars picked up a guitar magazine, they would think it’s all about The Guitar.

Just like in bridal magazines with The Dress, in guitar magazines it’s pages and pages (though not nearly as many as bridal magazines) of ads for guitars, then articles about guitars, and then articles and ads of what goes well with guitars.

It’s like, if you see a picture of Lindsay Buckingham holding a certain guitar, they want you to think if you buy it you’ll sound like him on one of his many Fleetwood Mac hits. Trust me, it doesn't work that way.

I can’t speak for what brides need besides The Dress, but, after playing guitar now for several years, I can speak for what anyone interested in playing guitar really needs in order to do well on this most versatile and fun instrument.

If you’re retired like me and have a little extra time on your hands, here are 10 things you need to get in order to start playing guitar (wish I’d had this list when I started):

—1. A guitar.

You can get a decent acoustic guitar for around $200. Go to a music store, try out a bunch, and get the one that feels good in your hands. We’re all different sizes and shapes, so take time to find one that fits you.

Sit on a stool or a chair with no arms, thighs parallel to the ground, and put the guitar on your lap. Throw your arm over it and hug it to your chest. It should just feel right.

If it doesn’t, try another one. If you’d like to try an electric guitar, go ahead, but realize then you also need an amplifier and cable. My advice for a beginner would be to start with a simple acoustic guitar, just because you don’t have to worry about electronics when you’re first starting.

Also, even new guitars can benefit from a “setup.” This usually involves lighter strings and some critical adjustments that can make even a low price point guitar sound and, more importantly, feel like a much more expensive one;

— 2. A tuner.

I can show you in two minutes how to tune a guitar to itself, but at some point you’re going to be playing with others, so you need to learn how to properly tune a guitar. You can get a clip-on guitar tuner for $15, or you can use an app on your phone.

No matter how you do it, learning to tune your guitar is essential. Guitars are made of wood, which expands and contracts depending on humidity, so tuning correctly and frequently is a fact of life if you want to play guitar;

— 3. A strap.

Sit with your guitar on a chair with no arms or a stool, thighs parallel to the floor. Once you are comfortable, attach a strap to your guitar, such that when you stand up, the guitar is in the exact same position on your body as when you are sitting down. Doing this will make the transition from playing while sitting to playing while standing much, much easier.

Newer guitar straps have a self-locking feature. If your strap doesn’t, spend a couple of bucks on some strap locks. Having a guitar fall out of your hands while playing is never fun;

— 4. A music stand.

What do these five famous musicians have in common: Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley, and Jimmy Page? Despite being master song writers, none of them — not one — knows how to read or write music. They have someone else transcribe it for them.

Don’t be like them. I mean it. If you know the first seven letters of the alphabet and you can count to four, you can learn to read and write music. So get a good music stand and use it when you practice from books, sheet music, or “guitar tab.” You will never regret learning even just the basics of reading and writing music;

— 5. A metronome.

Music is all about rhythm. Without rhythm, there is no music. A metronome lets you develop your sense of rhythm such that you can play with others and keep “the beat.”

Say you’re working on a new chord change or a new piece of music. You set the metronome to something slow, like 40 BPM (Beats Per Minute). The metronome will then emit a beep 40 times per minute, and you can then count and play one-two-three or one-two-three-four or whatever the music calls for.

Once you get that, increase the BPM little by little until you can play it at the speed it calls for or that you want. If you talk to any real musician, they will tell you that using a metronome consistently is key to learning to keep to the beat and play with others. You can find them for around 20 bucks or as an app on your phone;

— 6. A lesson book.

Yes you can bounce around YouTube and find everyone and their sister giving guitar lessons, but a good beginning guitar lesson book is something you can really use well to get better and better at playing guitar.

I’d recommend a group lesson first, like those offered in adult continuing-education courses, and then a good book to work with as you keep practicing. In fact, if you take private lessons, the teacher will often recommend a good book to work with.

Here’s a tip: Whatever book you get, take it to an office-supply store and spend a few bucks to have a spiral binding put in. This will allow the book to lie flat on your music stand, which is a huge help;

— 7. A guitar case.

Sooner or later, you’re going to want to take your guitar on the road. Don’t even think about just throwing it in the back seat or the trunk. Get a good case so it’s protected when you travel.

They come in all price ranges and materials. Shop around and get a good one. Your guitar will thank you very much;

— 8. A guitar stand.

Get a guitar stand to keep your guitar safely stored while not in use. Put it in a place in your house where you’ll see it every day. The more you see it, the more likely you are to pick it up and start practicing or playing.

Big tip: Try to touch the guitar for at least five minutes every day. You will not believe how much consistency helps with learning to play;

— 9. Fingernail maintenance.

If you want to play guitar, accept the fact that you now have fingernail maintenance to worry about. The fingernails on your fretting hand need to be kept short. This allows you to use just the tips of your fingers to fret the notes, which is key to getting a clean, buzz-free sound.

On your picking hand, you want to grow out your nails so you can use them to pick the strings. “Fingerpicking” an acoustic guitar is one of the great joys in life. The price for that joy is near constant fingernail trimming, filing, and cleaning. Artists do have to suffer for their art, haha; and

— 10. Picks.

A pick, or plectrum, is a little piece of plastic shaped like a slice of pie that you use to pick the strings. They come in all kinds of materials and various thicknesses. How can a beginner possibly choose the right one? Get an assortment, they don’t cost much, and find one that is not too soft, not too hard, and feels good to you.

Fun fact: The great Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a good old American quarter to play his many hits. Just find a pick that works for you.

These 10 things are what you need if you want to learn to play the guitar. There is of course one more thing you need — lots of practice — and we’ll talk about that some other time.

If you are interested in learning to play guitar, consider the Guilderland Guitar Group. We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at the Guilderland Public Library in one of the community rooms. There is a lot of competition for these rooms, so the time unfortunately can vary, but we try for 7 p.m. most months. All are welcome, it’s a lot of fun, so stop by, and get your groove on.

I learned about Boy Scouts while growing up by seeing them on TV shows or reading about them in books. Yet, as far as I know, no one in my family was involved in scouting, no one in my neighborhood either, and no one in any school I attended.

We lived on the borderline between Brooklyn and Queens in the East New York area. That’s a lot of territory, so I’m sure there had to be some scouting going on there, but I never saw it.

As an adult, I did scouting for a few years with my son. The good thing about scouting is the quality father-son time that you get. There is also camping, making new friends, and the skills the kids learn.

Not so sure about the Pinewood Derby, though. I’ve seen too many fathers go to such extremes to win that I wonder what the kids even get out of it at this point. Still, scouting in principle is no doubt a great thing for boys and young men to do with their fathers.

The reason I’m thinking about scouting today is it would have been so handy for me now if I’d have done it. That’s because, as a volunteer firefighter in training, I’m now learning all about ropes and knots.

It would have been so wonderful if I’d have had at least some of these skills already. That would have been one less thing to worry about among the quite extensive training that I’m doing.

Ropes and knots are very important in firefighting. Having these skills can save lives. No joke.

Firefighters are expected to be able to use these skills to haul tools all over the place, tie things down properly, and most importantly, potentially drag someone out of a bad situation. That’s how critical rope and knot skills are.

A rope is strongest when it’s totally straight. Any curve or bend in a rope reduces its strength. That’s why firefighters are always looking for the simplest knots that will do the job.

The simpler the knot — the fewer turns and bends in it — makes for a stronger overall rope. Plus, a simpler knot is easier to untie. That is really important in the heat of the moment, no pun intended.

How does one go about learning to tie knots? A lot of people are visual learners. They need to watch something done to see how it works.

If you’re like that, you can go on the internet and see how every knot is made by all kinds of folks. Unfortunately for me, I’m not a visual learner. I can watch somebody tie a knot, but often they do it so fast I just can’t follow it.

I need to have the making of the knot explained to me in clearly defined words. In fact, if someone was able to clearly state how to tie a new knot to me, I’m sure I’d be able to tie it without even having seen what it looks like first. That is just how my brain works.

It’s just like when I ask my harmonica-playing buddies how they did some “rad” technique on the “harp.” They always say, “I don’t know how I do it, I just do it.”

Some guys — farmers, boaters, and firemen, of course — have been working with rope and knots for decades, and it’s just embedded in their muscle memory at this point. That’s great for them, but I still have to learn how to tie these knots efficiently and effectively.

So now I practice guitar-playing and knot-making every day. Good thing I’m retired.

Four knots

Let’s look at the four knots I made in the picture. On the top, attached to the piece of pipe, is the classic clove-hitch knot.

This knot is so versatile, strong, and easy to make that it’s a mainstay in the fire services, and often becomes a part of more complex knots. Once you learn it, you’ll be surprised at how often it comes in handy for tying things down. The clove hitch is a truly great knot.

The second knot from the top is the fireman’s rescue knot. This knot looks like handcuffs. The idea is you can wrap it around someone’s wrists and pull them out of a dangerous area.

That works and it’s something every firefighter is trained to do, but it does put a lot of strain on a person's wrists. From working with computers for 40 years I’m probably pre pre-carpal tunnel in my wrists at this point, so I’m not sure I’d want to be dragged around with this knot.

Fortunately, besides rope, firefighters also carry strong nylon webbing, like the kind used in ratchet straps, which can be wrapped around a person’s torso and under his or her arms. That might be a better way to pull someone out in many cases.

The third knot from the top is a figure eight on a bight. When you are talking about knots, a bight is any big loop. This knot is very easy to tie and untie, strong, and versatile. It can be used to tie things down, haul things up, etc. Another all-around great knot.

The bottom knot in the picture is a sheet bend. A bend is any knot that unites two ropes. This knot is used to tie ropes or cords of different diameters, like a clothesline and a shoelace, together to make a longer one. Very handy.

Teach knots to kids

These are only some of the knots I’m expected to know how to make. Note that it’s one thing to make these knots in the comfort of your living room while drinking a cup of coffee.

The real challenge is to do them in the cold and dark, while wearing thick fireproof gloves, in the heat of the moment. That is why fire-service professionals have to get to the point where rope and knot skills are just muscle memory. Knowing these skills down pat is that important when you’re talking about saving people’s lives.

When you finish making any knot, you should “dress” the knot. This involves making sure all the elements of the knot are in their proper place, all the slack is removed, and the knot is positioned properly.

Then you apply a little pressure to the knot to make sure it’s stable before you ask it to take the full load. If you think at this point that there is a lot to learn about working with ropes and knots, you would be correct.

I didn’t have the good fortune of being involved in scouting at an early age, so I’m having to learn rope and knot skills for the first time now.

This got me thinking: Why aren’t these kinds of valuable life skills taught to kids in grade school as a matter of course?

Rope and knot skills are really, really handy to have. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just made a big, nasty mess of a knot to tie something down that was inherently weak — too many turns — and impossible to untie.

How I wish I’d have learned these skills when I was younger. All kids, not just the ones who have the benefit of being in scouting, should be taught these skills, period. There is no reason “knot” to, haha.

I always say that, when I volunteer for anything, I get more out of it than I put into it. Doing volunteer firefighting has opened up the fascinating world of ropes and knots to me in a big way. Fantastic.

Everyone likes wood. It’s beautiful to look at, feels good to the touch, is relatively affordable, and is easy to work with. It even smells good in many cases.

With all that wood has going for it, it’s no wonder woodworking both as a hobby and vocation is so popular. That’s why I find it so odd that there’s never been a woodworking TV show that doesn’t have significant problems.

Let’s start with “New Yankee Workshop.” This one featured Norm Abram, who was originally on “This Old House” with Bob Vila, the very first home renovation show.

Norm is a nice enough guy and no doubt a master carpenter, but his show always disappointed me for two reasons:

— 1. His large, well lit, heated shop was so big and full of every possible hand and power tool that I was always left with a huge feeling of envy every time I saw the show; and

— 2. Norm always seemed to favor power tools whenever he could use them, even when something simpler would have worked just as well.

I guess if you have a lot of land, money, and skill you can be like Norm, but for a regular guy like me, watching it made me feel like I was just too far down the totem pole to get anything from it.

Then there was “The Woodwright’s Shop” with Roy Underhill. This is like the polar opposite of “New Yankee Workshop.” Where Norm was all about big and modern, Roy was totally old school — no power tools whatsoever and just a small, crowded shop that looked like a converted garage.

While it’s great that Roy can do everything with hand tools — if the Zombie Apocalypse ever comes and we lose power completely he won’t miss a beat — how can you not at this point use a simple electric drill to make a hole?

Power drills are ubiquitous and have been around forever; they’re in no way hi-tech. I find it hard to believe that even the most strict woodworking purist would have a problem with using a simple electric drill to make a hole.

“New Yankee Workshop” and “The Woodwright’s Shop” are the two granddaddies of woodworking shows, but there have been more recent ones.

“American Woodshop” features Scott Phillips. He uses even more power tools than Norm did. Also, he has a habit of yelling really loudly once the tools start running, which is comical at best and annoying more often.

Then there is “Woodsmith Shop” by the editors of “Woodsmith” magazine. These guys assume you have many expensive power tools as well, but do pull out hand tools when appropriate. They always show you where to get the free plans for what they are building, which is a nice touch.

Curiously, they frequently use a woodworking tool you don’t normally think of as a woodworking tool — double-sided tape. Based on the amount of it they use, I should add stock in 3M to my investment portfolio.

A newer woodworking show is “The Garage with Steve Butler.” He’s a New England guy who does basic woodworking with standard hand and power tools that anyone might have.

The problem is some of the things he does are downright dangerous. I’ve contacted him on social media. He says he knows he does this, but sometimes just gets in a hurry. They really should put a disclaimer on this show. Never, ever sacrifice safety to save time. Never.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to come off like I totally dislike all these shows. I love woodworking and the fact that these shows serve to bring it to a large audience is of course a good thing.

My only complaint is they don’t seem to be intended for so-called “normal” guys or gals. What do I mean by that? Well, a normal woodworker:

— Might have only a crowded garage or basement to work in that he or she has to share with other members of the family;

— Would have some basic tools like drills, hand saws, maybe even a table saw, but certainly not every tool that is available no matter the cost like most of these shows imply;

— Would have some basic skills, maybe learned from a shop class or by reading books, but is never going to build some huge fancy whatever like they often show without doing a lot of smaller projects first over many, many years of trial and error.

You might argue that there are folks who have all the tools and the skills and find these shows too simplistic. I’d counter that, if they have that many tools and have that much skill, they shouldn’t be watching these shows anyway. They should be out in the shop building stuff.

One thing the power-tool oriented shows do that is especially annoying is show the host using a power tool to cut some wood, like that in itself is somehow enlightening. The thing is, once the machine is set up to make the cut, you can use the tool to cut one or a hundred boards and they’ll all come out the same.

So it’s not the actual cutting we need to see; pushing a board through a tool is the easy part. It’s how you set up and adjust the tool to make the cut that we need to have explained. The set-up is where the magic happens, yet they never show it.

Mostly it’s a matter of trying the cut over and over on scrap until you get it just right. They probably figure that would be boring and they’d lose viewers. But for anyone who knows anything at all about woodworking, it’s more boring to watch a guy shove a board through a table saw for the thousandth time. So frustrating. All these shows need to do a lot better in this area.

What we really need is a show that assumes the viewer has just average woodworking skills and only owns common tools that any interested woodworker or homeowner would be sure to have. Once you get into big, heavy, expensive tools like planers, jointers, and bandsaws you just about take the normal guys who are still working full-time and raising a family out of it.

Those are all large, expensive tools that take a real commitment to buy, learn how to use safely, and find room for. Maybe the retired guys with a lot of time and, hopefully, money are happy with the current shows, but I’ll bet if there were a show for less fortunate woodworkers a lot more people would be into woodworking.

Of course, these days you can go on YouTube and find someone building anything you can think of, but they might not be doing it correctly or safely. You pays your money and you takes your chances, as they say.

I’ve watched a bunch of these videos and many of them should have the disclaimer “don’t try this at home” flashing in bright red at the bottom. Again, be careful any time you’re working with tools. It’s supposed to be fun and you most certainly want to avoid getting injured.

When there’s a woodworking TV show about a guy who builds a nice Shaker cabinet in his driveway using only basic tools and a couple of saw horses I’ll be really impressed.