Newsletter Staff:

Joe Herbick Jan Harris

Delaine Swearman Nancy Passantino Kadidja Macina

Heidi Morris Mike Hogan

Dean D. David K. Eric Sc.

Mary Beth Straka Jon K.

Aileen Z. Mike H.

SHLC Art of the Month 1

Upcoming Events 2

Thank Yous 3

Bargain Bin Records 4

Shattering Stigma 5

Building Models 6

Sallys Café News 7

Bernies Corner 8

Cont. 9

Garden Help 10

Still Words 11

The Clubhouse Star ~ March 2020 A look inside our Clubhouse www.howardlevinclubhouse.org

A Publication of the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse

The Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse

A Program of Jewish Residential Services

2609 Murray Ave. Suite #101 Pittsburgh, PA 15217

(412) 422-1850

Collaboration Art Piece T.B and H.H

Page 2 The Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse

Clubhouse Menu—March 2020

Upcoming Events

EVENT DATE TIME Security Training March 5th 4:00 pm Purim Celebration March 10th All Day Game Day March 12th All day St Patrick’s Day March 17th All day March Birthday Celebration March 19th 1:00 to 4:00pm Popcorn and a Movie March 24th 5:00 to 7:00 pm Garden Kick-off March 29th 10:00 to 4:00pm Passover observance April 9th 10:00 to 2:00pm

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR EVENTS! Come in and see what is going on this month!

You can find the sign up sheets for these events in the sign up book on the green table!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

baked chicken with roasted carrots

Egg salad wraps

Southwest sweet potato bake

French toast casserole

Veggie spa-ghetti DINNER: salmon rice veggie bowls

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Tomato soup & grilled cheese

PURIM: Spin-ach potato lat-kes & haman-tashen

Turkey burgers Veggie calzone Pierogis with sauerkraut

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Hot n’ sour soup

ST PATTY’S: Balgar with cabbage & green beans with roasted Brussel sprouts

Pancakes and turkey bacon

Eggplant stuffed with red bell peppers & tomatoes

Greek roasted broccoli pasta DINNER: Spiced lentil tacos

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

North African garbanzo bean soup with wa-termelon chut-ney salad

Veggie nachos Brazilian chick-en

East Indian Spinach & Len-tils

Mixed mush-room & zucchi-ni lasagna

29 30 31

OPEN SUN-DAY

Creamy wild rice soup

Salad bar

The Clubhouse star Page 3

By Joe Herbick After the Breaking Down the Walls fundraiser, I wanted to personally thank all of the individuals involved and how the stories, connected with me on certain levels. Delaine: After hearing Delaine’s story, I felt a sense of “I can relate” to that. This was a great take on what it sometimes feel to be the outsider. This was very relatable to many situations I have experienced, and though it was not directly comparable to your journey, I felt very connected to the story. Thank you. Mary Beth: Resilience. Mary Beth, you cannot and will not stop. You never let your situations define you, you kept going, and you kept moving forward. Even when things seemed to get harder, you kept going and you still keep going. I never see you give up and that is an outlook on life everyone should strive to have. Thank you. Mike: Your story made me feel brave. Brave to admit that being vulnerable after the loss of someone important, is not only ok but also expected. Especially a mother. Even though we may grow up and become self-reliant and dependent, I think we all can attest that a mother’s presence makes us all feel a little safer. Losing that first layer of protection from the world hurts. Thank you. Heather: Your story made me remember why embracing change can be a good thing. Change is tough, change can be scary, but you made a change. That change was to come here, and since you have, there is a very noticeable difference in you as a colleague and a person. Change can sometimes be the best thing we need. Thank you. Meg: Meg, have you checked your email lately? Meg your story was something special because it shed light on your experience, and that one diagnosis does not just mean one concern. You brought a presence of hilarity, relation, and humility to the audience. I think your story conveyed to the crowd that really, were all not so different and have the same feelings about the same events. Thank you. Michael “Wendell” Hogan: Where’s Wendell? There he is. Wendell your story demonstrated your unique sense to grow even when we are not sure what is going on. You were steadfast in your career and are still a steadfast individual here as a colleague. You certainly are a radiant leader here. You did not stop, you learned, you became an advocate, and you continue to guide those here who are looking for help. Thank you. Steph: Steph you have been a great presence to the Clubhouse since you joined. Being the newest member to speak at this event speaks volumes to your character. You somehow were able to summarize your journey in a way that was moving and insightful. It reminded me not everyone is going to have a great start, but you are on a mission make sure it is a good finish. Thank you. Melisanne: This was by far the most accurate and illustrative presentation of mental illness I have seen. Your story was important because it was a teachable moment. I think everyone walked away a little more informed and aware. You were able to take the events that had happened to you in your life and show how their development affected you. PS I still want to hang your painting! Jan: Jan I think your story resonated many questions that many people ask themselves. It is ok to question life and be frustrated when the world deals you a bad hand. Even when you wanted to fold you did not. Eventually you found that faith in yourself and began to believe again. You were finally dealt that good hand and since then you have not stopped growing. Your story not only moved a facility to invite us back monthly, but it moved me. You are a strong confident person; please continue to also be a guide. Jon: What can I say about you that has not been said? I think the message I received from your story was appreciation. Appreciation is something we take for granted. Rather than focusing on loss or negativity, you remind myself and everyone here every day to make ourselves better people because we all have a lot to appreciate even though we sometimes think it is not enough. Thank you. To the staff: Thank you for all the work you have done in such a short time. Transitional periods

are never an easy thing, but it did not stop you. I am so proud of the ideas, achievements, and progress each one of you have made. There is a certain feeling of accomplishment and proudness that I get when I

think of where we are now. It is because of you! You are all so uniquely talented, diverse, and make a

great team. You are the backbone behind the scenes people that facilitate this success. I have no doubt you will all continue to grow, and grow in to successful individuals. Thank you for making this

difference.

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BARGAIN BIN RECORD REVIEWS BY: Mike Hogan

Failte! Welcome to my annual review of Irish music. It is to honor my patron saint, St. Patrick, and an homage to Irish music around the globe. This year I want to review some Irish-American bands who carry on the tradition in the USA. The first is Black 47 from New York City. They are named for the infamous year of famine and pestilence in Ireland, that is 1847. On their albums, Trouble in the Land, and Home of the Brave, they tackle the issue of being Irish in America. Black 47 have a large debt to Dublin’s the Pogues. Home of the Brave was produced by Jerry Harrison, of Modern Lovers and Talking Heads fame. It is a bit overproduced in my opinion, but still a good listen. More to the hardcore punk side is Boston’s the Dropkick Murphys. I obtained an album of their early work. It is punk with a side of Irish sensibilities. If you like hardcore, it is a valuable addition to your punk collection. If not, I wouldn’t start an Irish music collection with one of their albums. Finally, there is the Los Angeles based band, Gaelic Storm. They are a frequent local act—playing the Pittsburgh Irish Festival. They sing about traditional Irish preoccupations—drinking and fighting. On Special Select Gaelic Storm focuses on the exploits of “Johnny Tarr.” He is a hard drinking, hard punching, pub specialist. It gives the listener a peek into the life of the Irish in the 19th Century. So there you have it. Good Irish music can be found in the USA. It gets Americanized, but the Irish accent comes through anyway. The Irish diaspora still has ties to the homeland, and the music reflects it. I say “raise a pint” to these heroes of Ireland, keeping tradition alive and making an American imprint in the process. Slan!

AS ALWAYS: KEEP ON ROCKING!

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Shattering Stigma Jan Harris

Our fundraiser event, Breaking Down the Walls, was a phenomenally successful event. There were lots of happenings, including raffles, colleague artwork, and great food and wine. However, the focal point of the evening, member stories, was what made this event spectacular. Members shared their mental illness journeys through impassioned speeches as we led the audi-ence through our winding, difficult and joyful experiences. Our stories invited the audience to walk with us as we described the formidable emotional, physical and mental paths that led us to SHLC. Each story invited the audience to get to know parts of us that are typically shielded from a world where people are quick to judge and stigmatize those with mental illness. Each story rep-resented a willingness for us to step from behind those barriers that keep us safe. We spoke our truths. We shattered our own vows of secrecy. We each gave birth to a new path of our recovery journey, which allows each one of us embrace the fact that our voices are vital to the world. Our stories were replete with anger, sadness and depression. Some told stories of misdiagnoses; others told stories of hospitalizations and suicide attempts and pleas to God to take their life. There were stories of believing that they were unwelcome, did not fit in and were flawed. Still others have suffered immense and irreparable neurological and psychological damage from those determined to “cure” us; those with generational mental illnesses, and those whole childhood ex-periences have left some with unspeakable nightmares. Despite all of this, we each have hope. Some of that hope started with walking through the doors of the Clubhouse, which has become a refuge. It is a place where there are no judgments. Here at the Clubhouse, we are respected. We learn that we can contribute and learn. We are embraced by our colleagues, both members and staff. Through all of this, the Clubhouse invites us to believe that “We Matter.” On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, those members who shared their stories, shattered their own stig-

matized beliefs about our mental illnesses. We roared with the courage gathered from our Com-

munity. I choose to believe that every person who attended the event and chose to listen, left as

changed individuals.

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BUILDING MODELS BY: Mike Hogan

The last time I wrote this column, I promised to work on a 1/48th scale airplane kit. I picked Monogram’s Black Widow P-61 for the project. Then, I opened the box. I was overwhelmed by its complexity. I was forced to set it aside until after the Holidays. I apologize. Instead, I will describe an auto model that I finished recently. It was a model of an early modified coupe. This is a type of circle track racing car. It has a cut down body of a 1940 Ford coupe, covering a sophisticated racing car chassis. On paper, this seemed like a straight forward build. But once I got started, it became quite complex. The heart of this model is its chassis. It is a replica of a “Toby” Tobias modified-class chassis. It has about 30 parts to assemble. Unfortunately, only a few have numbers on the sprue. The rest must be guessed at from the instructions, which were really only expanded diagrams. I had to work very slowly to paint each piece, and to assure that all the pieces bonded well as I assembled them. Part locations were necessarily approximate, this made assembling the chassis a lot of guesswork. I recommend this kit only to advanced modelers. I went for a simple paint job. I chose Tamiya’s red metallic lacquer. One coat covered the body admirably, and there were no drips or “orange peel” to be seen. The decal sheet was rudimentary, with only numbers in a variety of fonts and colors. I chose “97” to honor the band “the Old 97’s.” All in all, it looks great on my model shelf. The series features a Chevy sedan, a highly modified mustang coupe, and an AMC Gremlin. I think that if you really want a challenge, this model is a good choice at only $20.00. Just be sure to give the kit its proper due.

AS ALWAYS: KEEP ON MODELING!

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SALLY’S CAFÉ NEWS BY: Mike Hodes

The latest news from your friendly snack bar: 1.We are raising the price of Snapple from $.50 to $.75 per bottle. 2.We also have hot chocolate for $.25 per packet. 3.We have instant oatmeal for $.10 per packet. 4.Bagels are available in the following flavors: A. Plain B. Onion C. Sesame seed D. Cinnamon raisin 5. New products: A. Pizza Bagels B. Fruit/nut tail mix bars C. Sun Chips D. Nestle variety pack ice cream 6. Returning items: A. Nestle’s ice cream bars are now $.40 each B. Bagels with spread are now $.50 each C. Pizza Bagels are 4 for $.50 D. Fig Bars are $.30 each E. Cold drinks are now $.50 each F. Waffle prices are to be announced later G. Fruit/nut trail mix bars are $.30 each H. Sun Chips are $.45 each Returning Items (continued): I. Bottomless coffee cup is $1.00 a day J. Coffee is free from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm each day Cold coffee that is left over from the previous day will be $.10 per cup. We will only sell regular coffee until we get another coffee urn. We are discontinuing popcorn and hot chocolate until October when Costco restocks them. We are still trying to get some gluten free items, as well as dairy free and nut free items to stock. We are starting to make our own products to sell at the snack bar. This is a result of our recent Wellness Committee initiative. Examples include making healthy homemade snacks such as trail mix energy bites and muffins. The Wellness Committee would like to highlight fresh fruit. They would be available for sale. Examples include oranges and apples. They would be sold for $.10 each. Ask the cashier to get you one from the walk-in refrigerator. The next snack bar meeting is on March 16th. Please attend this meeting if you would like to suggest an item to be stocked in Sally’s Café. The next Costco shopping trip will be the afternoon of March 2nd. If you are interested, please see Mike Hodes or Hayly Hoch. Only 2 members may go on this trip.

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The Clubhouse star Page 9

Page 10 The Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse

Call to Garden Helpers!

Please come and help us get ready for our growing season this year! Below are some dates to keep in mind for this month.

TUES, March 10: pick up materials for wind chimes/ labels/ stones/ sign FRI, March 13: make wind chimes TUES, March 17: start seeds THURS, March 19: make garden labels and paint stones FRI, March 20: make garden sign TUES, March 24: pick up materials from GRC FRI, March 27: pick up materials at home depot SUN, March 29: garden build/ prep TUES: March 31: start seeds

The Clubhouse star Page 11

Still Words by eric the redologist

This article tells of an attempt by Arthur C. Clarke to write a romance within his science fiction works. He did this in a short story named “The Songs of Distant Earth.” In this story, Clarke presents the isolation of the multitude of colonies of Earth, unfortunately enforced by the limited speed of light. Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but an extended absence results in forgetfulness of past history by members of one colony in this story. However, this induces excitement at the rediscovery of these memories. The collective memory of the colony is vaguely presented. Though they are a colony settled by space farers, they do not seem to harbor other celestial ambitions. Also, the current inhabitants still seem to be well educated on the principles of space-faring, though they are not up to date on the technology. An interplanetary romance sparked by these rediscovered memories drives the story, which Clarke infuses with the allure of both the past and future. Clarke develops the love between a stocky engineer who arrives on an advanced spaceship, and a pristine inhabitant of the colony, as one of those “at first sight,” but instead of being fated, their meetings are skillfully arranged. Whether the love is truly between people, or instead ideas and ideals, is an intertwined question. The colonist, as well as the rest of the colony at large, is rejuvenated in a manner similar to the reawakening of the engineer from his stasis, though this scientist, who has a smile brought to his face, remains true to his duty. The science angle of this story is the re-creation of a shield for the ship using frozen water ice from the colony planet. It is this matter that provokes the engineer to ponder his place in the cosmic wilderness. He ultimately sees himself as a pioneer, who must pass through and not mix with the colonists who have come to resemble natives, through their isolation. The delegation from space, which has been out of touch with the colony to the point where common memories of the species are dim, provides an anthology of sounds and words, the “Songs of Distant Earth.” It is this reception that serves as the romantic dance of the story, where the two lovers unleash and then come to terms with their feelings. Clarke shows the transience of their love affair by making it seem inconsequential. In fact, it is a brief interruption in the cryogenic sleep that the engineer wakes up from to make repairs. The engineer already has a wife that has been put in suspension along with the majority of the passengers on the ship. The stop is merely a byway on their way to a larger destination with greater purpose. Clarke ends the story lucidly by revealing both the exterior and interior of the space ship, but does not

explain their inner workings. It is a magic that any colonist secluded so long cannot grasp. The engineer has

decided to give closure, even if it means presenting other things that are not understandable.

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