July 4 (7:30 am) AND July 6 (7 am) Runs: Both starting at Commonplace Coffee on Forbes, for simplicity

Hope that title wasn't too confusing - usually the holiday run comes after the regular Sunday run, but not this time.  So, this Friday, July 4 at 7:30 am from Commonplace.  (And possibly also this Friday, July 4 at 5:30 am for the early-bird weekday runners who just pop awake at 5 every Wed. and Fri.)  And, of course the 7 am Sunday run, let's also make it from Commonplace, because this is already a mess and we really don't want to complicate it any further.

Last week was graciously hosted by Aimee and took us through the Squirrel Hill streets and byways that we never see - Parish Lane, Holyrood St., Kipling St., the house that Willa Cather lived in - followed by coffee, etc. at Aimee's beautifully renovated home where we were joined by Larry and Greta, got some excellent home renovation ideas, and of course had the usual informative gabfest and endorsed:

• TSA Pre - get into the special fast lane at the airport!  You can apply or it seems to sometimes happen to some of us now automatically - possibly because middle aged women in pink Mizunos don't fit the terrorist profile
• Cantaloupes from Costco - tasted at Aimee's - perfect!
• HelpX - volunteer work exchange overseas where Jan is heading right now!
• Drinkable Book Project - from Wendy, and I'm embarrassingly late on this one so we missed the fundraising deadline, but still important to know about.
• Books:  

• Cut me loose: sin and salvation after my ultra-Orthodox girlhood by Leah Vincent (from Pittsburgh) - this set off a local firestorm in the Jewish Chronicle when it came out
• Cooked by Michael Pollan - anyone who cooks will love to read how that activity forms the entire basis of civilization