Open Mike LIVE

Open Mike LIVE

Join Mike George for his wanders, as he completes his quest to return home from Louisiana, battling various foes, fears and follies along the way…

Featuring occasional appearances with Dave, unidentified stoners in the park, WANDA, and Parking Garage KAREN.

Play along and join my next LIVE stream. You might be the next essential guide for Mike to finally reach home.

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 hope you enjoy these productions and find some small value from my story.

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.

But I cannot stay silent. So here I am to offer some civility, humor, and critical insight into how I believe we can restore American excellence, starting with each of us.

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

Featured Episodes

Skip to Videos
  • Portland Debacle
    11/24/17

    Portland Debacle

    Broadcasting aboard his car in Portland, Mike vents on his recent breakup with Matt and welcomes special guests Dakota Conduct and Mya James. He highlights Dakota's new podcast series "Thots and Shares" and navigates a cluster of technical difficulties while driving.

  • Morning in Montana
    11/19/17

    Morning in Montana

    Having freshly awoken from a bad dream, Mike makes the long walk across a Montana truck stop parking lot to use the restroom and grab a coffee, admiring the splendor of the mountains nearby.

  • Bobtailing from Tacoma
    9/1/17

    Bobtailing from Tacoma

    This episode captures Mike and Matt on their trucking journey, bobtailing south of Tacoma, Washington, after delivering corrugated steel. Their travels take them towards Portland, Oregon, where they anticipate a fun evening and plan to meet friends.

  • 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
  • Connections in Salt Lake City
    9/27/17

    Connections in Salt Lake City

    This episode chronicles Mike’s commute from a truck stop in Salt Lake City to the airport via public transit. He navigates the city streets, highlighting the challenges of being a pedestrian amidst traffic and the surprising speed of the light rail system.

  • 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.