{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Reflect on Dougery FYI", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2026/28/1934374.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://dougery.fyi/", "feed_url": "https://dougery.fyi/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/09/10/mayday-amazon-prime.html", "title": "Mayday (Amazon Prime)", "content_html": "\n

Watched Mayday last night. When a U.S. Navy pilot on a top-secret mission during the Cold War gets trapped behind enemy lines, his only chance at survival is to form an alliance with an eccentric ex-KGB agent. Don’t expect much and you may enjoy it.

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My rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

\n", "date_published": "2026-09-10T06:39:23-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/09/10/mayday-amazon-prime.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/09/09/a-retirement-treat-the-willcox.html", "title": "A Retirement Treat - The Willcox (Aiken, SC)", "content_html": "

What a nice surprise - my sister and brother in-law treated me and dad to cocktails and dining at the Willcox Inn in recognition of my recent retirement; although I’ve been more frequently calling it my semi-retirement because of my commitment to help and train my replacement into late fall. My sister and her husband occasionally enjoy going to the Willcox for a date night. My sister ordered her favorite cocktail “The Persian”, I ordered a “Blackberry Billy” and my brother in-law enjoyed a glass of wine. We’re pretty sure dad ordered water after he saw the menu prices, but he is not a big drinker to begin with. Both of our drinks were a very tart and we guessed that the bartender had maybe gone a little overboard on the citrus in each drink. We stuffed our selfs with menu items including: gilled baby back ribs - korean bbq, chicharrones; wings - dry rub/honey sriracha, ranch dressing; sliders - beef, bacon jam, pimento cheese; house chips with with bleu cheese dip (they were so good I think we ended up with 3 orders of these); and parmesan truffle fries. Needless to say we left happy and stuffed.

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The Willcox is more than a historic inn—it’s often called the “living room of Aiken.” Dating to the city’s celebrated Winter Colony era, it blends Southern elegance with a relaxed, club-like atmosphere: fireplaces, comfortable sofas, cocktails, good food, and often live music.

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The bar and dining areas attract an interesting mix of longtime Aiken residents, equestrians and horse-country regulars, business and civic leaders, retirees (ME!), well-traveled locals, and hotel guests. It’s the kind of place where people know the bartenders, unexpectedly run into friends, and linger over drinks or dinner. Dress ranges from polished casual to golf and riding-country attire. Despite its upscale pedigree, the atmosphere is generally social, comfortable, and distinctly Aiken.

\n\n", "date_published": "2026-09-09T10:42:27-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/09/09/a-retirement-treat-the-willcox.html", "tags": ["Reflect","People"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/09/02/widows-bay-appletv.html", "title": "Widow's Bay (AppleTV)", "content_html": "\n

Finished watching Widow’s Bay on AppleTV. It is a dark horror-comedy following Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the mildly cowardly mayor of a foggy, technology-deprived New England island. Determined to build a future for his teenage son, Tom sets out to turn the struggling town into a bustling tourist hotspot. Tom is forced to team up with eccentric islanders to survive the supernatural nightmare he accidentally invited in. I have mixed feelings on this one. It was entertaining and sometimes I was drawn in by the quarky characters, but some of the supernatural stuff just didn’t grab me.

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My rating: ★★★★★★★

\n", "date_published": "2026-09-02T15:29:43-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/09/02/widows-bay-appletv.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/28/i-swear-netflix.html", "title": "I Swear (Netflix)", "content_html": "\n

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this movie. One momoent I was crying, the next moment I was laughting, the next moment I was angry…a whole plethoria of emotions in a single movie. I rarely give a movie a 10 rating, but for me this is one of them.

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I Swear is a moving biographical drama based on the life of John Davidson, who developed Tourette syndrome as a teenager in 1980s Scotland. Facing misunderstanding, ridicule, and a society with little awareness of the condition, John struggles to make sense of his uncontrollable tics while finding people who see beyond them. The film follows his journey from an isolated young man to an outspoken advocate for Tourette syndrome awareness. Anchored by a compassionate performance and moments of humor amid the hardship, I Swear is an uplifting story about resilience, friendship, acceptance, and finding purpose in life’s unexpected challenges.

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My rating: ★★★★★★★★★

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-28T21:23:42-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/28/i-swear-netflix.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/25/talk-of-the-town-amazon.html", "title": "Talk of the Town (Amazon Prime)", "content_html": "\n

During a friendly catch-up chat with my old friend and mentor, she mentioned a movie classic that I decided to watch: Talk of the Town (1942)

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Falsely accused of arson, charming factory activist Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant) hides in Nora Shelley’s (Jean Arthur) country cottage–the exact moment an uptight Supreme Court nominee (Ronald Colman) rents it for the summer.

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Eventually, justice triumphs and Nora picks her man.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-25T20:18:53-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/25/talk-of-the-town-amazon.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/25/collision-amazon-prime.html", "title": "Collision (Amazon Prime)", "content_html": "\n

Collision (2009) is a gripping British five-part drama centered on a devastating multi-vehicle crash outside London. As detectives investigate what caused the collision, the lives of the victims, survivors, and witnesses gradually intertwine, revealing secrets, relationships, and unexpected connections. Told through shifting timelines and multiple perspectives, the series blends police procedural, mystery, and human drama, showing how one catastrophic moment can expose the hidden stories behind seemingly ordinary lives.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-25T16:12:35-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/25/collision-amazon-prime.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/25/brothers-coming-soon-appletv.html", "title": "Brothers - Coming Soon (AppleTV)", "content_html": "

This looks like it might be worth a watch:

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“Brothers” follows McConaughey and Harrelson, who play fictionalized versions of themselves, and whose friendship is thrown into chaos when they uncover a decades-old secret: they might actually be brothers. After Woody’s daughter’s engagement falls apart, he loads up the family and heads to Austin for an extended stay at Matthew’s ranch. But what begins as a healing getaway quickly spirals when Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac (played by Holland Taylor), accidentally lets slip a long-buried secret that the two friends might actually be brothers. As Woody turns the ranch upside down in pursuit of the truth, Matthew finds himself juggling an entirely different identity crisis: a potential run for governor of Texas. The result is a heartfelt, chaotic and wildly funny story about friendship, family, fame and the messy line between myth and reality.

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\n", "date_published": "2026-08-25T12:40:22-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/25/brothers-coming-soon-appletv.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/22/anxious-people-folk-med-ngest.html", "title": "Anxious People / Folk med ångest (Netflix)", "content_html": "\n

Folk med ångest (Anxious People) is a warm, quirky Swedish Netflix miniseries adapting Fredrik Backman’s novel. A botched bank robbery turns into a hostage situation at an open house, investigated by a clumsy father-son police duo. The six short episodes balance gentle humor with poignancy as eccentric characters reveal their anxieties and quiet struggles. Charming performances and Backman’s signature empathy shine, even if the mystery feels secondary. A comforting, human comedy-drama. I read the book sometime last year and really enjoyed - as I have with Backman’s other books.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-22T18:56:12-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/22/anxious-people-folk-med-ngest.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/21/bergerac-pbs-masterpiece.html", "title": "Bergerac (PBS Masterpiece)", "content_html": "\n

Finished watching the first season of Bergerac on PBS Masterpiece. I didn’t realize this was a remake of an earlier version featured on BritBox. It looks like there were nine seasons for the original and there is only one season of the new version, although most of sources indicate there are two. Ex-cop Jim Bergerac is forced to confront a troubling past case when a wealthy woman is murdered, pushing him to overcome personal demons and reignite his investigative prowess to navigate family tensions and law enforcement scrutiny.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-21T05:25:23-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/21/bergerac-pbs-masterpiece.html", "tags": ["Reflect","Watching"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/18/getting-ready-for-retirement-or.html", "title": "Getting Ready for Retirement (or Partial Retirement)", "content_html": "

I am currently reading The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen: 83 1/4 Years Old. The book is a fictional diary of an elderly gentlemen living in a care home in Amsterdam. The book includes the wit and wisdom of this elderly gentleman as he observes the characters, happenings and world around him.

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As I move into my own retirement, I felt particularly connected to the story by the following text:

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I, Hendrikus Gerardus Groen, am ever the civil, ingratiating, courteous, polite, and helpful guy. Not because I really am all those things, but because I don’t have the balls to act differently. I rarely say what I want to say. I tend to choose the path of least confrontation. My specialty: wanting to please everybody. My parents showed foresight in naming me Hendrik: you can’t get any blander than that. I’ll wind up spiraling into depression, I thought. That’s when I made the decision to give the world a little taste of the real Hendrik Groen. I hereby declare that in this diary I am going to give the world an uncensored exposé: a year in the life of the inmates of a care home in North Amsterdam.

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Well okay, maybe I’m not going to be quite that bold, but I do plan to express my thoughts, feelings and opinions more openly going forward in life. And this blog is just the start of that.

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\n", "date_published": "2026-08-18T21:15:18-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/18/getting-ready-for-retirement-or.html", "tags": ["Think","Reflect"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/08/09/trend-the-return-of-the.html", "title": "Trend - The Return of the Pen Pal", "content_html": "

I saw an interesting segment on the Today Show on Saturday morning. The segment was highlighting the growing interest people have in receiving items through the postal system. I’m of the age where I can easily remember the excitement of the mail arriving at your home each day and running to the mailbox to see if anything was for you. I’m glad to see a renewed interest in our connections this way.\n
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\n\n", "date_published": "2026-08-09T21:44:14-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/08/09/trend-the-return-of-the.html", "tags": ["Discover","Reflect","People"] }, { "id": "http://dougery.micro.blog/2026/07/18/laundromat-life.html", "title": "Laundromat Life", "content_html": "

It’s been ages since I had to do laundry somewhere other than home. I live in a condo and we have shared facilities in the basement of our building. Unfortunately the company that leases and maintains our machines is virtually useless. With all machines in my our complex not working, I finally had to make the trek to the laundromat today.

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To my surprise, and delight, the facility I’ve chosen is amazingly clean and efficient. This experience could possibly completely change my distain for laundry days. I can load multiple machines and complete my process much more efficiently. Additionally, being in a space with a diverse clientele dealing with the same function makes the task more pleasant.

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Finding pleasure in the mundane.

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\n", "date_published": "2026-07-18T13:56:02-04:00", "url": "https://dougery.fyi/2026/07/18/laundromat-life.html", "tags": ["Reflect"] } ] }