November 23 Run/Walk: Meet at Tous Les Jours cafe, 6226 Penn Ave in East Liberty. ALSO Thanksgiving Holiday Run/Walk from 61C at 7:30 Thursday.

Sunday we returned to the lovely Ka-Fair Cakery on Chislett St. and sampled lots of their treats.  We agreed with Maryann that when it comes to our hair, leaving a stylist is like breaking up with a boyfriend. And if you’ve cheated on your stylist, what then? Will they take you back?

Endorsements:

• Supermarkets:  AARP likes Aldi. Roye votes for Trader Joe's because the ingredients are better. Many questions about the new Giant Eagle in East Liberty, with its weird checkout design and mysterious entrance.
• Amba! Wikipedia tells us it is a tangy condiment made with mango pickle, popularized by Iraqi Jewish merchants in (formerly known as) Bombay, who brought it back to Baghdad. Elaine introduced us to Ruhama’s Amba Chicken and Rice.  You can order Amba from Amazon or Walmart, or you can make a quick version -- different from the above description, but you never know…
• Read:  The Many Lives of Mama Love – a memoir of addiction, etc., by Lara Love Hardin
• Watch:  Death By Lightning – on Netflix, about assassinated US President James A. Garfield;  The Gilded Age – on HBO Max.
• Support:  the White Whale and other indie bookstores, particularly now that B&N has moved in. You can also support local bookshops by ordering books from Bookshop.org.
• RG-approved delicious Winter Retreat in Troncones Mexico with yoga maestra Linda Meacci.

Resistance activity of the week:  from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, be part of the "We Ain't Buying It" boycott of Amazon, Home Depot, and Target. Pause on shopping at these major corporations actively enabling the current administration - and buy local instead. Detailed info. here - organized by Indivisible, No Kings, 50501, etc. 

Two upcoming events of note:

• Save the date! The Janes are hosting a Big Book Giveaway for RG members on Sunday, November 30, post-walk/run. RG will meet at the entrance to Baker Hall on Frew Street. Post-run breakfast and free books selected by experts.
• A retirement happy hour, January date TBA to celebrate the last days at work of various happy RG members.

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 16 Run/Walk: Meet at KaFair Cakery, 806 Chislett St. in Morningside

Okay, there were some complaints about the pastries at 61C, but as Janet said:  “it’s like going to a relative’s house who can’t cook.” It’s our place – "just not all the time."  And the prices are great.

The country of the week was Wales.  Recommendations for Welsh-related films and books include a documentary about Richard Burton.  

• Turns out there are two - Burton: Wild Genius and In from the Cold:  A Portrait of Richard Burton
• How Green was my Valley – can be streamed on Amazon or Apple+
• The Pillars of the Earth  - is also on Amazon Prime or Apple, or you can read the book, by Welsh author Ken Follett.

For those of us wanting to get out of the house, there's Banjo night Wednesdays at the Elks club.  What is the Elks Club?   AI tells us that The Elks, officially the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, are a fraternal, non-profit organization. They're "dedicated to community service through various charitable programs that benefit veterans, youth, and those in need. The organization's core principles are Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love, and Fidelity. The Elks are a “patriotic organization…" To join you have to be over 21, have good moral character and believe in God.”

Endorsements From the Transportation Division: 

• Kindred Cycles  - also sell used bikes and racks.
• Recommendation for bike rack:  Kuat NV 2.0.  And if you’re a member of REI or know a member, deep discounts are available through November 24.

Department of Recycling & Composting:  There are many devoted composters among us.  

• Home pickup and a gallon of their free “tea” is available from the beloved Worm Ladies.
• Zero Waste Wrangler is great for those of us who don’t mind carrying our compost to a site beside East End Food Coop.
• If you're somewhere in the East End, it's easy to drive and deposit compost at Howard's garden.  Contact roye.werner@gmail.com if you want more details.
• City of Pittsburgh now recycles a wider range of materials curbside, including plastic tubs like yogurt and sour cream containers

Division of Sad Truths:  Moving very old people is very hard.

Division of Mixed Opinions:

• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and that’s that.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and also on Friday.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and on Friday is a kind of Thanksgiving-ish with leftovers.

Resistance activities of the week:

• Got an hour?  Join an Outrage one, every day from 4 to 5pm on the corner of Shady Ave and 5th Ave in Shadyside. Here are details and info about others. Be energized by all the car horns blaring in support.  This is what democracy looks like!

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 9 Run/Walk: Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead in Schenley Park

Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead, corner of Greenfield Rd. and Overlook Drive (map).  Coffee locale TBD, though probably Divvy Coffee and Buns, 3714 Forbes Ave.  On our walk/run we can check out the Neill Log House, where later in the day there will be a Harvest Festival to celebrate its restoration.

Many endorsements: 

• To watch: Trumbo on AppleTV or Amazon Prime;  Outrageous, about the Mitford sisters, on BritBox; Downton Abbey (on several sites); Schitts Creek (same); Dark Winds – set on a Navajo reservation (same); Upstairs, Downstairs – “prevented postpartum depression.”
• The fifth novel in the Outlander series, The Fiery Cross, gets a thumbs up. (2, actually.)
• RADPass offers free and discounted tickets to museums, theaters, etc.  To apply, all you need is a library card (also free!)
• The amazing Max will be teaching an introductory pilates class at the JCC, starting next Wed.
• And yoga classes at Yoga Hive are recommended.
• To get some privacy in your car, keep binder clips and a sheet handy.  Because: public urination gets a police record. 

Not endorsed:

• Fake faces
• Gold bathrooms

Resistance Activities of the Week:

• Take courage from election results!
• Stand up for democracy and justice any day of the week, 4-5 pm, on the corner of Shady and 5th: Outrage Hour.  Bring a sign or a flag or just yourself.
• Listen to the What’s the Plan, a weekly one-hour Q&A from Indivisible’s founders, available at any time on Youtube. (Also live on Thursdays at 3.) 

Composed by Jane Bernstein