By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, things will have quieted down considerably from Christmas when we had a full house, ate pretty much everything and just had a great time. As I told Mary, it was as good as the day might be considering our cast of characters.
Tomorrow is a double celebration–a grandchild celebrates birthday No. 4 and we all celebrate the new year. Pretty auspicious, I’m saying. And don’t spill the beans, but there is a Daniel Tiger cake (a creation of our own Bakery on Maple) to top things off.
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Around the city, the news this week centered on the Board of Fire Commissioners along with its Firehouse 3 Building Committee, each having granted approval for Fire Chief Rick Hart to go ahead with requests to the Board of Finance for major improvements to the Bristol Fire Department. It is only a first step. We will be following developments.
FYI–One of the requests has to do with amending the capital expense request for a new firehouse in Forestville and the other, funding to increase staffing, both of which contribute to Bristol becoming compliant with national fire and insurances standards.
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To our TBE extended family, happy New Year! Thank you for a great year. Our numbers are up, our posts have increased and our hopes for becoming Bristol’s newspaper of record is gaining traction. Just a reminder, if you haven’t signed up as a reader or, even better, become a supporting member by donating or contributing a smaller recurring monthly donation, there is no time like the present. Do it now. Click here.
If you have joined us, a very big thank you. You are promoting local journalism; and beyond that, you have become a part of a grand experiment that includes redefining local news coverage through a nonprofit business model.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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Reading and listening this week begins with a podcast posted Dec. 18 on The Gray Area, “Living Mindfully,” featuring Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is one of the movers and shakers behind the mindfulness movement having published the book, “Wherever You Go, There You Are.” The book is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The podcast covers a wide range of topics, from “what it means to be mindful in the attention economy … and how to think about the commercialization of an ancient practice.” Click here.
Reading this week is from a book with a more than interesting title, “Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope,” by Mark Manson. Despite its scatological title–or perhaps because of it–the book is a worthwhile read, not only providing a commonsense guide to figuring out just how to stake out a purpose in life but for its attention to the psychological makeup of the human being.
Heck, it’s a not only a good introduction to psychology but to philosophy and religion. It even stakes out positions on the economy and politics. And it’s all based on the latest brain science. And it’s pretty hilarious, if you can step back from what might appear to be a verbal assault on many beliefs.
If you have read something lately that struck a nerve, send along an email with the title of the work and what it was that got your attention–and held it. I will share it with our readers. Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.
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On that note, It appears that our limited views software is working, but, of course, we have another issue. We are working on our email newsletters. You should be receiving one email a day with links to the latest posts, not a post each time an article is posted. This email newsletter typically arrives in your email between 1 and 2 p.m. If you are receiving individual emails, please email editor@bristoledition.org.
If you have an issue, please email editor@bristoledition.org.
Once again, all the best for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
“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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