Another day for leaves, some Thanksgiving Day prep and a long podcast featuring Elon Musk

Posted By: David Fortier November 19, 2023

By David Fortier  

Come Sunday morning, I will be gearing up for another leaves bagging session. The goal will be, one more time, 20 bags. After a bit of rain on Saturday, I am thinking that it’s going to be a little easier to pick them up than the last time around when they were blowing around the yard. Then again, the bags are going to be heavier.

The first Christmas decorations have appeared outdoors on some of the routes that I drive regularly–our rule around here is that Christmas decorations do not come out until after Thanksgiving. This does not stop at least one of the grandkids from asking, “Why haven’t we put up the Christmas tree?” This started after Halloween, which happens to be the favorite celebration of theirs.

Also on Sunday, we will be waiting for a report from Jack Krampitz, who attended the Billy Joel experience at The Rockwell Theater on Saturday evening. Joel is a favorite of mine, but there has been a bunch of stuff on the schedule lately–and well, the show slipped through the cracks. The next one will not, though. That one features Bristol native John Beardsley, who will be bringing his Elvis Christmas show to The Rockwell in mid-December.

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As for TBE, we upgraded our membership software, so that members who have experienced getting bumped despite having unlimited access should be good. If any of you are having these issues, please email editor@bristoledition.org. In addition, if anyone has suggestions for coverage for solutions journalism projects, ones where people are working on specific topics to make Bristol better, please send these along.

Solutions journalism, again, rather than simply reporting on a subject on a day-to-day, incident by incident basis, takes on an area where people are working on solutions to real problems and providing reports that allow readers to follow their progress, as well as participate if they so desire. 

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And reading and listening this week starts off with listening. Once again, this is a long one, and one that I most likely would not have taken on if I didn’t have a long drive in the car with time for it. It is Lex Fridman’s podcast “#400 — Elon Mush, AI, Aliens, Politics, Physics, Video Games, and Humanity.” Musk needs no introduction.

Overall, the podcast provides a view of Musk that comes directly from Musk rather than all the hype surrounding him that gets reported in the media and siphoned through social media. It’s not that he needs a megaphone — after all, he owns X, formerly Twitter. Fridman, as interviewer, is more apt to simply let a subject muse about whatever it is that comes to mind.

In this instance, there is a bunch of time on video games, for which Fridman and Musk happen to share a passion. Fridman brings with him his own interesting take on all things digital, especially A.I. Spoiler, Musk comes right out and says, “No, aliens.” If there were, he states, he would know, since his satellites circle the earth in an unremitting, continuous activity.

And reading. After “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride, I’ve set aside McBride’s memoir, “The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother.” The dedication reads, “I wrote this book for my mother, and her mother, and mothers everywhere.” I am intrigued.

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Anyone recall that last Friday was the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht? At least one reader did, and they sent a note.

Thanksgiving is Thursday. Have you taken that frozen turkey out of the freezer so that it will be thawed by then?

Something I learned this week about Thanksgiving is that in 1939 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved the date of the original holiday to the next to last Thursday of the month to extend the holiday shopping season! Two years later he reversed his decision and returned it to the fourth Thursday. Enjoy! 

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org. 

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