Monday, September 23, 2019

Movie Review: “Downton Abbey”


“The day has dawned and the weather proves conclusively that God is a monarchist.” - Lady Mary Talbot, Downton Abbey

When PBS’s uber-popular period drama “Downton Abbey” ended its run in 2016, producers started teasing the possibility of a feature film revisiting the beloved aristocracy. 

We’ve seen such musings fail to come to fruition in the past. The folks behind “The Sopranos” talked about a theatrical follow-up (viewers thought the inclusion of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the series finale was a clue), but it has yet to happen. 

Bridget and I were fans of “Downton Abbey” during its six seasons on PBS, but I had my doubts as to whether we’d see a theatrical movie. 

Here we are three years later, and “Downton Abbey” has curtsied its way into movie palaces across the globe.


In this chapter, we find the Crawley clan in 1927 (shortly after the events in the series) preparing to welcome King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) to the privileged environs of Downton Abbey. 

The king and queen are taking a royal tour through the country.

For those not versed in the Downton saga, the show follows the lives of the upstairs family (the Crawleys) and the downstairs staff at the majestic Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle is the real-life setting for “Downton”). 


The drama in “Downton Abbey” isn’t built on “shock and awe” like edgier shows generating buzz the past decade. Most of the stories focus on societal norms and mores — wrapped in historical events — to pull the narrative forward. 

Series creator Julian Fellowes knows this territory well. He won an Oscar for his “Gosford Park” screenplay in 2002, a murder mystery at an English country house in the 1930s. 

Little moments provide the drama in “Downton Abbey.” The series — and movie — don’t strive to tell “big” stories. 

The overall effect is like a Whitman’s Sampler box of candies — bite-sized chunks of drama designed to be nibbled in small doses. 


For example, something as innocuous as the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) losing his paper opener (among other missing items in the house) could result in a member of the downstairs staff being accused of theft, setting off a domino-like chain reaction among the people serving “Downton Abbey.” 

Or, a faulty boiler might mean there is no hot water at Dowton Abbey, so a brawny plumber (James Cartwright) comes to fix the ailing machine, inadvertently wrenching the affections of kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera). 

Those are the kind of tropes that fed “Downton Abbey” through six seasons, and are on full display in the new movie. 

The filmmakers do their due diligence crafting a movie that integrates well with the series. Having been a fan of the show, I thought the overall effect felt like an extended season finale episode (or one of the series’ “Christmas Specials”). 


I tend to have mixed emotions about popular TV series shifting to the big screen — especially one as well drawn as “Downton Abbey.” 

Part of “Downton’s” charm as a series was the fact that focus could shift between characters in a more meaningful manner. A movie only allows for little sprinkles of plot development among those same characters. Inevitably, efforts like the theatrical “Downton Abbey” mean some characters are left holding the short end of the stick. 

Some of the movie’s plot points feel rushed and contrived (an assassination plot against the royals is a fairly glaring example of this). Had those same plot points developed over the course of multiple episodes, they would have had room to breathe and grow in an organic fashion. 


That said, Fellowes penned a screenplay that does a yeoman’s job of maintaining balance. While the movie isn’t as filling as the series, it should leave fans satiated. 

“Downton Abbey” pulled in a healthy $31 million at the box office during its opening weekend (putting it in first place in the North American box office). 

Whether or not the opening haul means fans will be treated to additional “Downton” dinner parties is up in the air at this point. Whatever the case may be, it is heartening to see a “grown-up drama” enjoying success at the box office. 




Monday, September 16, 2019

“Where’s My Shoe?” - INBOUND Trip: Part 5


This is it! The final chapter in the “INBOUND Trip” series!

It’s sort of bittersweet when a trip comes to an end. I typically feel both relieved and wistful during the waning hours of a travel adventure. 

Those of you who read my 7-part “Disney Trip” series know that our rally cry for the final day at Walt Disney World was “We have to finish strong!”

It is in that spirit Jason, Jolene, Bridget, and I spent our last hours in Boston doing some “tourist things” before our flight back to Omaha. 

I mentioned in my previous post that Bridget started to feel uneasy during our Friday night excursions, and she wasn’t feeling much better when Saturday morning rolled around. Travel has a way of doing that — especially on a trip jam-packed with activities. That is not a fun way to feel when you’re staring down several hours on an airplane.    

While I was partaking in the free breakfast (a bowl of granola cereal) at the Residence Inn, Bridget had a glass of apple juice. 

I also had to try some of the treats acquired from Mike’s Pastry the previous evening.


Bridget captures me in the most interesting poses when I’m not paying attention. Look at me holding a fork in one hand, with cupcake in the other, looking longingly at the mound of buttercream frosting:


We showered, packed up, checked out, and wheeled our bags down the block to meet up with Jason and Jolene at their hotel. They had arranged for late check out, and the four of us wanted to do something fun before our 3 p.m. flight out of Logan. 

Jolene looked up potential activities within a reasonable walking distance. 


We decided to visit the MIT Museum. The venue features various robotic creations and an extensive nautical collection.


The MIT Museum is located in fairly inauspicious surroundings with a rather small footprint. I learned that the venue is moving to a new location at Kendall Square in 2021. 

The first floor of the museum featured an exhibit of robots built on campus:


There was a station demonstrating how seal whiskers work and also an exhibit showing people “in motion” and a gift shop on the first floor. 

The second floor featured a number of fascinating exhibits including a nautical collection. It is among the oldest marine technology archives in the United States — showing the intricacies of marine design and shipbuilding. 


The most fascinating items were from the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Much of the work presented laid the groundwork for success enjoyed by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (HMCo]. There is an extensive digital archive you can peruse on large flatscreens. Pretty impressive stuff. 

One of the most impressive collections at the museum is “Gestural Engineering: The Sculpture of Arthur Ganson.” 

I took some pics of this, but it isn’t nearly as impressive as seeing the sculptures in motion. I found this video on YouTube showing the mesmerizing creations:


There was also a modernist graphic design exhibit in the hallway on the way to the restroom. Since graphic design is the way I make a living, I was happy to see these examples of “Swiss Design” style using the font Helvetica. Fun fact: “Helvetica” translated is “Swiss” — it is the Swiss typeface (I learned that in my favorite documentary “Helvetica” by Gary Hustwit). 


When we first walked into the museum I was “underwhelmed,” but as we peeled back the layers on the various collections, we found a treasure trove of interesting items to peruse. Quite honestly, we would have liked to stay longer, but we had to catch an Uber and head to the airport. 


On the way back to the hotel, we spotted this pretty building. It is part of the Novartis campus in Cambridge. 


Jason and I spotted these stones on the stone patio in front of their Marriott. They feature inspirational quotes from technology pioneers. I had to get a pic of the one featuring the Steve Jobs quote (“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me ... Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful ... that’s what matters to me.”


The airport was an experience all its own. 

Bridget was told that she could go through the body scanners with her Apple Watch on. She removed her shoes and put them in a tray with her laptop and sent them through the scanners, along with her backpack. 

Unfortunately, the Apple Watch on her wrist turned out to be an issue, so she had to step back, remove the watch, and send it on a tray by itself.

Meanwhile, her other items were coming through piecemeal on the moving belt. One of the employees handed me her backpack and MacBook Air. Then the watch arrived. Her purse, shoes, and box of Mike’s Pastry was selected for special screening, so once she finally made it through, she went looking for that bin.

I pulled Bridget’s carry-ons over to a nearby bench where Jason and Jolene helped me reassemble everything. I almost knocked Bridget’s Apple Watch off the bench and onto the tile floor, but Jolene pointed it out in the nick of time. 

Bridget’s last bin finally cleared security, but as she unpacked it, she realized it only had one of her shoes. She went back up to the desk and asked, “Where’s my shoe?”

A gentleman nearby said, “I heard them say something about a lost shoe.” 

Moments later, Bridget's black Nike showed up. 

I really felt for her. As I mentioned earlier, she wasn’t feeling all that hot, and moments like that can amp up the worry bugs. 

As we were walking by a Hudson Booksellers on the way to the terminal, a display for the book “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” by Mike Isaac caught my eye. As I mentioned in a previous post, Bridget and I took our first Uber rides on this trip (thanks Jason!). I thought the book looked interesting and ordered a copy from Amazon later (review in an upcoming post):


They also had a nice play area for kids. I thought of my niece Scotland and nephews Blaise and Anson when I saw it. We traveled with them to Disney World in April, and they would have really enjoyed a place like that to play. 


When we got to our gate, we plunked down our items and took shifts going to get refreshments and visit the restroom before our plane departed. 


I took the first shift and watched the bags while Jason, Jolene, and Bridget ran their errands. 

While I stood there, the fire alarm went off in the terminal. With my companions gone, I tried to devise a plan for how I’d carry all the backpacks and carry-on items under my care (should the need arise). 

Jason and Jolene soon returned. Bridget walked up shortly thereafter. One of the workers at the snack shop told Bridget that this happens periodically. We were informed several times by announcement that the fire department had been notified and was responding. (Just before we boarded, the fire alarm stopped sounding … but we never did find out what happened.)

At this point, I think our group was just ready to get on the plane, pop in our headphones, and chill out for a few hours. 


Southwest offers in-flight entertainment via web browser on your digital device — including live TV. 

We were all wanting to watch the Husker Football game versus Colorado on the way back, and they just so happened to carry the network broadcasting the game. 

Here is a pic of the four of us looking at our devices (I’ll bet Bridget was thankful she got the headphone adapter at Apple the night before):


We were able to watch the first half of the game on the leg from Boston to Chicago. It really made the time go by fast — thanks Southwest!

We had dinner at the Go-Go White Sox Bar and Grill at Midway. We were able to continue watching the Husker game on one of the TVs. 

I ordered the Italian beef sandwich (sans peppers) and chips:


Bridget had the potato soup:


Jason ordered the burger (if I recall correctly) and Jolene had an epic-looking BLT sandwich (I can’t believe I didn’t get a pic of the most photogenic dish at our table). 

When we finished up, it was time to get to our gate for the flight home. I mistakenly thought we had another hour before boarding, so I was thrown off to find we were ready to board (thankfully, my companions knew better). 

We watched the closing moments of the Husker game (meh!) in the plane. Takeoff was delayed a bit (the pilot said over the intercom that they needed to fetch some bags before departure). 

I watched “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” during the flight. Bridget and Jolene both read Vince Flynn novels. I think Jason was watching “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” on Netflix. 

My companions had us pose for this picture to conclude the blog (I had them all trained by the end of the trip to photograph everything): 


That was pretty much it. Jason informed us that he’d earned enough frequent flyer miles for a free flight to Orlando (I like his thinking... we’ll make it to see “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” someday!)

We had a really good time attending the INBOUND conference with Jason and Jolene. The four of us hadn’t traveled together before, and you never know ahead of time how the group dynamic will flow when you traverse the globe for the first time. 

I’m hoping we’ll get to travel together again soon!

P.S. — Our niece/goddaughter Scotland had this card ready for us when we returned home!





Saturday, September 14, 2019

Chip & Jo, Apple Adapters, Teslas, and Pasta - INBOUND Trip: Part 4


The final day of conferences — in general — can be a mixed bag. 

My experience with professional conferences (which attract attendees from across the globe) is that attendance generally wanes on the final day as people check out of hotels, hop in Ubers, and head to the airport.

That wasn’t an issue for our party, as we had decided earlier this year that we would travel back on Saturday. 

We didn’t anticipate Hurricane Dorian heading to the north, clipping the Atlantic Ocean near Massachusetts. Thankfully, the storm’s effects didn’t impact Boston much (despite concerns by local forecasters that it might). 

We started off our final day at INBOUND with cool temps.

I decided to ditch the slacks, dress shoes, and polos in favor of jeans, a t-shirt, and Nikes. I was way more comfortable and fit in better with most of the attendees. 


The INBOUND Cafe had a merch shop. The items were on sale when the doors opened on Friday, and I decided to pick up this jacket from the booth. 


I hadn’t packed a jacket, and thought it would come in handy with cooler temps on the way. (It also made me look more in tune with the style of my fellow attendees). 

The opening “Spotlight” session of the day was with Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. 


Stevenson — an attorney by trade — discussed various social issues in his presentation. 

He talked about the value of living in proximity to those who are struggling in society. He used the metaphor of his grandmother constantly hugging him to illustrate the need for people to embrace those around them who need it — to treat those less fortunate with dignity. 



Our first breakout session was titled “Do This, Not That: 20 Best Practices for Email Marketing Campaigns That Drive Customer Engagement.” 

Jay Schwedelson (president and CEO of Worldata) had a presentation that was full of useful and actionable tips for email marketing. Bridget and I both thought it was the best email-centered program we heard during INBOUND. 



Schwedelson talked about the long held myth that people “unsubscribe” from e-mail lists because they receive “too many” messages. 

The average unsubscribe rate across all industries/verticals is 0.15%.

These days, marketers are sending more emails.

Email deliverability into the inbox is about ENGAGEMENT — it’s about how often they are opening and clicking the email. Schwedelson says the only way to increase engagement is to send more.

Schwedelson said B2C open rates increase 17% and B2B open rates increase 21% when marketers send five or more messages per month.

He had other useful tidbits on how to title messages, how to account for HTML image code impacting open rates on mobile, and common practices that thwart email campaigns. 



After learning all the ins and outs of email marketing, we headed out to the Lawn on D Food Trucks and met up with Jason for lunch. 

Bridget and I both opted for the fish and chips from the Shuck Yeah! food truck (the potato chips were amazing). 


Jason opted for the falafel from The Chubby Chickpea truck. He let me try some of it — it was really good. 


After lunch, Jason and I headed to see an encore of the “YouTube Video Marketing: Content Strategy for Discovery and Conversion” presentation Bridget had attended the day before. 


YouTuber Roberto Blake had a terrific vibe and was a very thoughtful speaker. He shared his strategies for creating influential content on popular social platforms. 


Blake talked about the fact that he never had a video “go viral.” He said his path to success comes from the fact that he “showed up” everyday. 

I started following Blake on Twitter after the session. I’ve been enjoying the inspirational content he shares throughout the day. 

One of the things I appreciated about the setup for INBOUND were all of the “workspaces” available for attendees throughout the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. 

There were spaces like this all over the venue:


We heard during one of the Main Stage “Spotlight” sessions that attendees used more wi-fi bandwidth on Wednesday than the Super Bowl Halftime Show.



Next, I met up with Bridget for AJ Beltis’s presentation “How to Increase Blog Conversion Rates by 1,000%.” 


Bridget and I both have blogs that we operate, and found the presentation offered Swiss Army Knife approaches for targeting and cross-pollinating content for maximum impact. 

Beltis’s title is “Content Optimization Specialist” with HubSpot. His presentation focused on how HubSpot analyzed the company blog to make it more effective in generating leads. (We saw a lot of HubSpot-inspired “flywheels” during our INBOUND sessions). 

While we were in Beltis’s session, Jolene was giving us updates on the number of people lining up to get into the final program of the conference — the Chip & Joanna Gaines Spotlight “Behind the Scenes of Building an Empire.” 

We navigated through a throng of attendees and met up with Jolene near the Main Stage entrance. Jason had a longer hike from his session. It was a smart choice by conference organizers to keep a high-profile duo for the final session (it helps keep attendees around). 

We arrived before the doors to the main stage opened. When they raise the curtains for some of these general sessions, there is a “mad dash” among attendees to get in (think Black Friday shopping). We witnessed attendees literally running to get seats close to the stage. Bridget’s tweet of the video of that was “liked” by Chip Gaines:


Here is a pic I took of us scurrying in to get a seat:


Chip and Joanna Gaines created (and starred in) the popular HGTV series “Fixer Upper” (the final season of that show premiered in 2017). The pair co-owns Magnolia in Waco, TX. 

The entrepreneurs have proven themselves to be versatile in their careers. They’ve operated a number of different businesses under the “Magnolia” banner — including home construction and home decorating ventures. 

The popularity of “Fixer Upper” allowed the pair to grow their brand. 

Bridget and I enjoyed “Fixer Upper’ when it aired on HGTV (back when we still had a traditional cable TV package). 


They talked a bit about their magazine (“The Magnolia Journal”) and they also talked about their upcoming TV network. 

According to “Ad Age,” Discovery is going to rebrand the DIY Network into the new Chip and Joanna Gaines channel (yet to be titled — set to debut Summer 2020). The network will also offer an app and be available as a subscription streaming service at a later date. 

They talked about the difficulties working together as a married couple (something Bridget and I can relate to, having worked together for the past 23 years in our business). It’s not easy. They have a special bond that is a source of pride. 


Both were asked what they’d tell their younger selves.  

“I spent so many years insecure about my worth and value,” Joanna said. “You’re not only good enough — you’re extraordinary.”

Chip said he would focus on the “don’t ever quit” attitude that was ingrained in him from a young age — something that was difficult to believe in when he faced struggles. 

“Your mind tells you things are impossible that really are possible,” he said.

Chip provided some comic relief during the presentation, offering humorous quips and anecdotes as he bantered with his wife (that chemistry was part of the appeal of “Fixer Upper”). 

At the end of the talk, he took off his shirt and tossed it into the audience:


And that was it for the conference. We were shooed out of the Main Stage area in fairly short order (when this conference shuts down, it shuts down).


And remember that mural we showed you in the first part of the “INBOUND Trip” blog series? Well, it was finished when Jolene took this pano on the final day:


The conference might have ended, but our travel adventure continued...


We were switching hotels. INBOUND had a special, discounted rate at the Aloft Hotel, but rates were headed back into the “normal” range for Friday night, so we had arranged for different lodging for our final night. We grabbed our bags from the hotel and headed to take the mass transit system (a combination of trolly buses and subway train) to our next hotel in Cambridge (ensconced by Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Jolene had mapped out our destination earlier in the day. 


Bridget loves taking mass transit when we travel. I generally enjoy it (and think Omaha needs a light rail system). That said, taking the subway during “rush hour” on a Friday — carrying suitcases — was a tad stressful. 


Here is a picture of the “chime” installed in the MIT station where our train stopped. There is a crank on the wall that would make the hammers play out a tune.


Okay... so there was a moment of awkwardness when we realized we didn’t reserve a room at the same Marriott property as Jason and Jolene. 

We had talked about two hotels that sat a block from one another, but Jason and Jolene had reserved a room at the Marriott next to the subway station, and we had inadvertently booked at the Residence Inn up the street.


It was fine by me (I like the free breakfast that Residence Inns offer). 


We were on the 15th floor, with a neat view of a rooftop lounge on the building across the street.

We took a brief respite to get settled into our rooms, and to charge our iOS devices before departing to find dinner. 

We opted to head across the Charles River for dinner. We walked through the MIT campus on the way. I took Bridget’s picture by entrance to the MIT Media Lab:


There was collegiate sailing taking place on the river. Could we have stumbled upon a more preppy sport? The whole vibe made me want to put on some deck shoes and go for a clambake on the Cape.


As we were walking, we decided to try a restaurant that my Facebook friend Brad Roth had recommended — Giacomo’s Ristorante. It was within walking distance (a bit of a trek, but we needed the exercise and fresh air). 

The route to the restaurant proved to be a treasure trove of fun things. 

Bridget spotted Newbury Comics and asked if I wanted to check it out. We detoured inside and I found these two “Star Wars” t-shirts:


I have a large “Star Wars” t-shirt collection, and was excited to be able to add more to the lineup. The first shirt I spotted featured the Millennium Falcon (I just discovered it is a glow in the dark shirt). 

The second shirt features a screen printed book jacket of the original “Star Wars” novelization. A company called Out of Print manufactured the shirt. They sell t-shirts featuring various literary titles, and donate books and support literacy programs around the world with proceeds from each t-shirt purchase. 

Bridget also spotted these “Ramen Notes” that reminded us of our nephew Blaise:


After the comic book store stop, we continued our hike towards the restaurant. 

We ended up on Boylston Street and spotted a three-story Apple Store.


Bridget needed to get a “Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter” for her iPhone because she’d inadvertently left her Lightning headphones at home. 

The rest of us looked around while Apple employee Blaise found the jack. We took this selfie on the third floor in front of the Apple logo:


After our Apple experience we walked across the street to the Tesla showroom. Since I had inadvertently left my Model X at home, we decided to pick one up... (kidding!)


I’ve never had the opportunity to sit in a Tesla, but I love Tesla’s offerings. I follow several YouTubers who have Tesla-centric channels, and enjoy learning about the vehicles. I sat in the red Model 3 they had on hand:


I also tried to play “Centipede” on the 3’s touch screen. 


Jason and Jolene tried out the third row in the Model X. They also had a discussion about whether Jason’s hockey bag could fit in the “frunk” of the car.


Bridget took a turn in the cockpit of the Model X (a car that costs about as much as our house). I didn’t even ask her what she thought of the vehicle.


I’m a big fan of Elon Musk’s various business ventures, and am intrigued by his aspirational vision for the future. 


We were really having a good time at this point, and nothing was gonna get us down — including a living street art exhibit trying to bring awareness to the issue of chicken cruelty.


We got our picture taken by the Boston Marathon marker:

We finally made it to Giacomo’s. They had told Jolene over the phone that they didn’t take reservations. Oddly enough, the doorman (who seemed like a character who had stepped out of a Martin Scorsese movie) asked if we had a reservation (we think he was teasing). 


Giacomo’s Ristorante is a small Italian restaurant that sits in a neighborhood with row upon row of attractive brick walk-ups. Be prepared: They only take cash. 



I had the Ziti with Chicken and Shrimp (in a pesto cream sauce):


Bridget had the Salmon Filet (with mixed vegetables) and a side of spaghetti:


Jolene had the daily special — Pappardella with lobster, spring, and scallops (in a garlic cream sauce with fresh mushrooms).



Jason had the Lobster Ravioli. 

Overall, we enjoyed our dinner and the ambiance at Giacomo’s Ristorante. It is always nice to take in dining establishments with a local flavor. Bridget had Jolene pose for a picture with the doorman:



We hopped back on the subway for one final evening excursion. We wanted to hit Mike’s Pastry and get some dessert items to take back to the hotel. 

That meant another ride on the subway. I was trying to have a “deranged” look in this picture, and I think I was pretty successful:


It was a pretty humid evening. When we arrived at Mike’s Pastry, it was packed and there was a line out the door. The mass of humanity and heavy temps left Bridget feeling nauseous. 


We purchased two vanilla cupcakes (with sprinkles) and two cream puffs. Like Giacomo’s, Mike’s Pastry only takes cash. 


Jolene had a lemon bar and Jason had a pistachio cannoli. We don’t have a picture of Jason’s dessert item, but Jolene did take a picture of her lemon treat:


Jason got us an Uber back to the hotel. Fun fact: This was the first trip Bridget and I had taken an Uber (we typically use mass transit or rent a vehicle when we travel), and we got to enjoy several of them as we made our way around Boston.

Since Bridget was feeling queasy, it was probably a good idea to avoid another subway adventure. 

It was a busy day packed with fun activities — a wonderful way to cap the week. 

But our journey didn’t end there. 

>> Next post: “Where’s My Shoe? — INBOUND Trip: Part 5”