Open Mike LIVE

Open Mike LIVE

This collection chronicles over 7 years of live-streaming video posts I’ve recorded.

This raw format is a move from static text to video, facilitating a more immediate and direct connection with others. They are unscripted and unpolished slices in my life, documenting my travels and adventures across various locations in North America.

A man with dark hair and a bandana around his neck stands in front of red and white striped fabric and a blue section with white stars, reminiscent of the American flag.

I’m an engineer in the industry of energy and electric power who, like many of my beloved colleagues, asks myself “how can we do better?” Gazing upon the marvels of which humanity is capable, I can’t help but compare the promise of our time to what we see happening on the news today and what anxieties haunt our children about the world we leave them. And that comparison grows more and more difficult to paint kindly.

Follow my journey through the following places in America in which I’ve called home:

  • Columbus, Ohio

  • Portland, Oregon

  • Montreal, Quebec

  • Alexandria, Louisiana

  • Steubenville, Ohio

I hope you enjoy these productions and find some small value in hearing my story.

Featured Episodes

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  • Tacoma, WA
  • Safety Message - Stay Hydrated!
    8/21/17

    Safety Message - Stay Hydrated!

    Suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion while helping Matt secure his flatbed load, Mike reflects on the recent solar eclipse that they viewed from Arizona.

  • From Weed, California
    8/18/17

    From Weed, California

    Mike begins piloting a video commentary series "Trans/America" to chronicle his months abroad his boyfriend's flatbed tractor-trailer, as they traverse the western states of the United States together.

  • Trans-Atlantic Broadcast Straddling Utah
    10/24/17

    Trans-Atlantic Broadcast Straddling Utah

    Matt and Mike share one of their routine trips along Interstate 15 delivering goods for Walmart from their distribution center to the various stores across the state of Utah.

  • From California's Central Valley
  • Pride, Adapting & Maneuvering around the Hills of San Francisco
    8/29/17

    Pride, Adapting & Maneuvering around the Hills of San Francisco

    Matt and Mike spend a few days in San Francisco, delivering rebar to the construction site of a new water treatment plant in Pacifica, California.

    They discuss the concept of "pride” and the fluidity that one’s personality can take, adapting to various social situations. Mike mentioned Matthew's "bro mode," acknowledging the influence of others' personalities and accents.

  • Double Rainbow over Yakima Valley, WA
  • From Salt Lake City, Utah
  • I-15 through Las Vegas
    11/12/17

    I-15 through Las Vegas

    Mike and Matt traverse Las Vegas along Interstate 15.

  • Over the Divide
    10/3/17

    Over the Divide

    While crossing over North America’s continental divide, Mike and Matt discuss the political divides in our country and how we can better forge consensus among diverse people.

  • Desert Storms
    8/23/17

    Desert Storms

    From a truck stop in Phoenix shortly after a dust storm, Mike reflects on learning his rider duties assisting with truck deliveries. Also discussed are the commonly mistaken distinction between power and energy, as well as procrastination habits, and remembering back when talking about nazis used to be comical.

Journals & Musings

  • A hand-drawn graph on white paper shows the relationship between boredom and the tendency to write a blog. The graph has two lines, one in pink labeled "intensity of opinion" and one in orange. The pink line increases more steeply than the orange line. The title at the top reads "Figuring things out..." in green. The pink line and text indicate that as the intensity of opinion increases, so does the tendency to write a blog, especially at higher levels of opinion intensity.

    Figuring Things Out

    2013-2020

    Graphics are colorful, they invite a myriad of differing interpretations, they portray trends, etc.  Plus, they're less prone to language barriers.

    Figures make complicated concepts easier to understand, simplify, and organize. Plus, I was too lazy to write longwinded essays anymore.

  • Close-up of a person's face with blue lighting, showing a serious expression.

    My Little Corner of Semi-Reality

    2004-2013

    My life is an open book. Please don't burn it.

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