Page 0: Page 1: WALLINGFORD CLUB HOUSE The World According to the Wallingford Clubhouse January 2010 Monthly Newsletter JANUARY BIRTHDAYS John Medeiros Mohammed Shebeshi Laureen Carlile Mary Chandler Peter Eastwood Greg French Allison Larkin Sherrie Bowman Donna Kitely Michael McCarthy Maureen McDonald Sean Flynn Carol Stocks William Porter Antonio Christophe-Cado Kathleen Ruthford Linda Larsen Rebecca Swem Cecelia Brown Joseph Hurtt John Yarusso Carolin Loberg Marcus Guy Kim Norward Ken Umetsu Brian Gilliland Antoinette Fields Jodi Tengan John Resch Luke Dickinson Larry Wilson Paul Grissom Candice Fox A Good Time Was Had by All Ahoy, maties!! A bunch of Wallingford House members started the holiday season right on Sunday November 29th. Lucile accompanied us (see photograph) on a Christmas Cruise from 6-8:30 and it was a lot of fun. The group met at the Naval Reserve Dock between 5:30 and 6pm. We departed at 6:00—and Kelli McBride was the last one to be allowed on the boat. She came running up the ramp (in her exuberant way!) and jumped on as we were just leaving. Lucky for us, she made it. We boogied to the carols (from Burl Ives to Elvis to the Jackson Five!) and had a sing-a-long. Santa was aboard, and the children on the trip had a “Ho Ho Ho-ing” contest. We were the first of a watery parade. Many families on their decorated pleasure crafts followed as we made our way around Lake Union. We made a couple of stops to entertain them. The Lake Washington singers serenaded us all. It was incredibly lovely, so if you didn’t have the opportunity to join us, consider putting it on your “must-do” list for next year. As we drifted back to where we arrived, Santa read us an old favorite: “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I looked at all the beautiful lights and my fellow members and felt warm inside. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! —Jacquelyn Willimon Page 2: January 2010 Page 2 Born in Las Vegas, Kathleen Ruthford has been a Seattleite almost all of her life. She moved here at age 1 and attended Brier cast Elementary school. Morgan Junior High followed, and she earned her high school diploma in 1972 from Shoreline Community College. Kathleen Ruthford, A Hospitality Unit Gem just a drop-in center. “My counselor Greg Upton, however, suggested I attend orientation for the new Clubhouse in the fall of 2007. As the story goes, the rest is history” A mother of two boys, the domestically inclined Kathleen kept busy “cleaning, cooking, laundry, ironing and taking care of the kids.” in younger days. Her overall opinion of the Clubhouse is that “the people are friendly and are open to learning. I see things to do like having lunch here. On the other hand, I don’t like it when people don’t want to help.” In sum, Kathleen stated “ I like volunteering here, and I would like to keep volunteering!” —Marc Kachel Kathleen was court-ordered here in 1982 and was a member of the former CPC Wallingford House & Thrift Store. She also fondly remembers “The Grill and Till”. She cut hair there for awhile, and then was a fullfledged employee of the Thrift Store. Kathleen did not like it when our clubhouse was A top-notch snack bar worker, Kathleen says “it’s a lot of fun. I get to meet a lot of people selling them lunch tickets, plus I’m learning to take records. Of course, selling coffee, sodas and snacks is rewarding and fun as well.” Not only that, but she does a lot of prep cooking, and makes the best cornbread ever! Both Steven and Malinda have worked with her, and she has learned a lot. Kathleen Ruthford Victoria McCall was born in Bangor, Maine on March 8th 1962. She has a range of interests including walks, football, cooking, checking her email, applying for jobs online, but what she particularly likes is playing Bingo. She describes herself as someone who is emotionally strong as well as “somebody with a very big heart. I feel empathy for people who are going An Interview of Victoria McCall through a tough time because I’ve been there.” Victoria believes in having fun and also “giving back to life as much as you get. You should give of yourself without expecting anything in return and love people as much as you love yourself, if not more.” Her favorite thing about the clubhouse is “the support, the socializing, the lunches, and checking Victoria McCall email for free!” Victoria has also had challenges that she has had to overcome: “I try to cope with the barriers of being mentally ill—learning how not to overstep boundaries, knowing where to draw the line with friends, and knowing when to say ‘no’ but still remain friends with people.” —David La May Picnic at Carkeek Park An excerpt taken from The Streets Become Mirrors, Images by Don Dias. New Year’s hopes and aspirations became summer’s hopes and aspirations when we released balloons with the private messages inside (Continued on page 3) Don compares the hopes of a New Year’s Day with the hopes of a Summer day. Page 3: January 2010 Page 3 Picnic at Carkeek Park (cont.) of them into the air at the Garden Unit’s recent picnic. The Puget Sound and the sky above became the sight of approximately fourteen (Continued from page 2) balloons drifting off to destinies not known. With chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers gobbled up, football also became everyone’s interest as we divided up into two teams. With a relentless game of touch football the picnic ended with no dismay. Deus Ex Machina By Aaron C. Computer Terms Part 3 This is part three on computer terms I am hopeful that these terms will help you to understand the computer a little better. And make it a little less scary for those of us that don’t want to get near a computer. Also help us that know something about computer. The computer terms were written verbatim from 241 Computer Terms You Need to Know by Frank W. Cawood and Associated, Inc. Please let me know if these are helpful and if you have any question I will try to find the answer. If you have any computer information to past on please drop it off for me or send it to tigger1098125@yahoo.com Dial-up – A specific kind of Internet service where your computer uses a modem to dial a telephone number to gain access to the Internet. Dialog box – A window or box that appears on your computer screen asking for information. It usually disappears after you have typed input. Discussion group – An electronic message center existing on the Internet, where you can post and read notices or online con- Mary Miller continues her series of articles on computer terminology. versations. Also called a forum or bulletin board. Docking station – A piece of equipment that gives you the option of turning your portable computer into a desktop system. Document – A file created by a word processor that usually contains text, charts, pictures, or other graphics. DOS (Disk Operating System) – Originally the Microsoft operating system for IBM-compatible personal computers. Now a more generic term for any operating system. Dot-com – a slang tem for the Internet or to describe Web-based companies. Refers to the last four characters (.com) in most commercial Web addresses. Double-click – To press the left button on your mouse (or other pointing device) twice - quickly enough for your computer to recognize it as a single action. A double-click is necessary to perform certain commands. Download – To move data from the Internet or another computer to your computer. When you request a document from the Internet and then copy it to your computer’s hard drive, you have downloaded a file. Drag and drop – To select an object on your computer screen (usually by clicking on it with your mouse), move it to another location on your screen (by holding down your mouse button and moving your mouse), and place the object in its new location (by releasing the mouse button). Drive – The part of your computer that reads programs and data off a disk. Many drives can also put data onto a disk. Examples are: floppy disk drive, CDROM drive, and C drive. Drop-down menu – A type of menu that reveals more options after you click Does anything really fall Out of the sky? Coincidences align, I’m not Too certain. Be vigilant and then be Hypervigilant, aware Before the curtain falls from Two steps left or two steps right Behind door number one. Nobody knows how to interpret Another mind’s eye Is it self-fulfilling prophecy Or intelligent design? (Continued on page 4) Page 4: January 2010 Page 4 Computer Terms Part 3 (cont.) (Continued from page 3) on its title. The options appear below the title like a window shade. Also called a pull-down menu. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – High-speed technology that allows you to talk on your phone and access the Internet through your phone line at the same time. DVD (Digital Video/Versatile Disc) – A disc similar to a CD, but capable of storing up to 25 times more information. DVDs are usually used to view. E-mail (Electronic Mail) – Typed messages sent from one computer to another. Both sender and receiver must have an e-mail address and a connection to the Internet. Emoticons – Short for “emotion icons,” these keystroke combinations create images in your e-mail or chat room messages that indicate mood or appearance. Encryption – Coding information so that it cannot be read without special software. Ergonomics – Designing and placing equipment or furniture so that people stay healthy and comfortable while using it. Error message – A notice from your computer tht something has gone wrong with a program or your system. Ethernet – A way of accessing Local Area Network (LAN). Your computer must have an Ethernet port or Ethernet card to connect to the Internet using a Digi- tal Subscriber Line (DSL) or a cable modem. Expansion card – A circuit board you can buy separately and plug into an expansion slot on your computer. It can provide more memory, improve graphics and sound, or add other capabilities. Also called expansion boards, add-ins, and add-ons. Expansion slot – An outlet or opening in your computer to plug in expansion cards. Export – To send data to another program in a format it can read and use. Extension – The letters or numbers following a period (dot) in a file name. These tell you what kind of information is in that file or what type of program created it. —Mary Miller FIRST BOOK CLUB MEETING: JAN. 6, 2010. PLEASE JOIN US. Be A “Charter Member” Wallingford House’s Social Activities Committee is starting a Book Club. We invite any members who enjoy reading and conversing to join us!! For our first project, each Book Club member will be choosing the book they want to read. This will help us all to get to know each other and our interests better. For instance, Mary M. might be reading a book about dogs and dog training. Malinda might choose a “whodunit” or Jackie might select a “Grisham” she hasn’t read yet. This is the plan so far: Book Club will meet every Wednesday at 2:30 pm. Since Malinda and Steven are going to be on vacation over the holidays, our next meeting will be held January 6, 2010. Every member wanting to attend should pick a book to read. We will provide a poster on which to sign up. All you need is your name, and the name of your book. We are asking that by the Jan. 6th meeting, each of us will try to have read ¼ of our own book. I have done some research on book clubs (with the assistance of a librarian from the Seattle Public Library) and there is the possibility that early in the New Year, we might qualify to receive a book kit. This would include several copies of a book (which we would choose together) and a prepared study guide, with questions for discussion. Potentially, we could get as many as 12 books. So if anyone is as excited about this club as we are—come be a charter member of the Book Club. —Jacquelyn Willimon Jacquelyn explains how the Book Club will work. Page 5: January 2010 Page 5 January 2010 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri What Does Christmas REALLY Mean To You? Our intrepid reporter Marc Kachel poses this question and our members speak: Kathleen Ruthford –“ Family getting together.” Jackie Willimon – “Being with my mom baking, shopping, and decorating. Also mistletoe and chocolate!!” Dave Smith – “It’s just another day.” Marc Kachel – “For the only time of the year all four of us kids are together” Mickey Underhill – “A celebration of family, church and life.” Lucile Hammond – “It is a religious holiday…not just giftgiving, but getting together with people I care about – of course, that includes the people of the club.” Cassie Brophy – “Not about getting gifts, but the act of giving and sharing love with family.” Todd Dickinson – “First and foremost, Christmas is the remembrance of Jesus’ birthday. Of course, there is Santa and his reindeer as well” Tim Field – “Getting in touch with family.” —Marc Kachel 1 Snacks New Years Day— Open 10-2 4 Turkey Breast, Pasta Alfredo w/ Stuffing, Veg., Salad sausage or Vegie Pasta Creative Writing 5 6 Egg Salad/Tuna Sand./Tomato Soup Community Plan Mtg./ Book Club 7 Chicken and Ham Jambalaya 8 Minestrone Soup 11 Baked Potato w/ Broccoli Cheddar Sauce Creative Writing 12 Teriyaki Chicken 13 Chef’s Salad w/ Ham, Chicken, Cheese Community Plan Mtg./ Book Club 14 Shepherd’s Pie 15 Clam Chowder Birthday Celebration 18 Snacks Martin Luther King Day—Open 10-2 19 Ham and Cheese Frittata 20 Turkey Tamale Pie Chicken Adobo Community Plan Mtg./ Book Club 21 22 Spaghetti w/ Meat or Vegetarian Sauce 25 Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Tomato Soup Creative Writing 26 Meat Loaf 27 Chili Community Plan Mtg./ Book Club 28 Rueben Sandwich 29 Shepherd’s Pie Page 6: WALLINGFORD CLUB HOUSE Opening up to a new life 4120 Stone Way N. Seattle, WA 98103 Phone: 206-461-3773 Fax: 206-545-8641 Email: wallingfordhouse@hotmail.com If you wish to receive an electronic copy of this newsletter via email, please send us an email with your full name in the subject line. Visit our web page at: www.wallingfordhouse.org Marc Kachel Writes about Our Memorial Day Picnic Today is a national holiday. Many thousands of veterans are honored for their service; particularly those who sacrificed their lives. Also in memory are those who have passed away: grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren. They are not all vets but we should remember them, too. I asked some members about what does Memorial Day means to them. To answer this question, Darrel from Philadelphia, PA said: “freedom, equality, and patriotism. I had a brother that died from alcoholism after he got out of the service. I came here ‘cause I’m hungry for some barbeque.” Bruce P., a member, said: “It’s for the veterans and, mainly, for the barbeque.” Charmaine Cooley, a member, said: “my dad is a DAV (Disabled American Veteran) and so, to me, it is especially about remembering the people who served our country.” After lunch, Charmaine plans on visiting her family. Martin Hurt, another member, said: “it’s proving that our country is worth fighting for.” —Marc Kachel “Ballad” by David La May In the silence of my heart, Grows the seeds that you have sown, And my heart is full of memories Of the times we call our own. Many days have passed between us Many nights that fell to day. Countless images surround you And all my dreams you took and hid away. Now your face has turned to starlight And your voice blows through my hair. Gone from me into a memory Still I sense you everywhere. Page 7: