Calling My Bluff

Mike reflects fondly on his past month marooned in Natchez, Mississippi, and expresses gratitude to the distant friends, recent acquaintances throughout Natchez, and even small businesses who have provided aid to Mike in the form of monetary donations, loans, and/or in-kind assistance.

After having the opportunity to live in seven distinct parts of North America, Mike grows weary of the nomadic transience of moving and reestablishing his social life every few years, now longing for the very thing he used to dread when in his twenties - to “settle down” in his home state of Ohio to focus on building something more everlasting and impactful for the communities and people he cares most about.

Mike highlights some of the projects he’s been working to develop while in Natchez, as he shows off his latest incarnation of WANDA and discusses a mobile app he’s working to develop.

Mike contrasts between his times of being broke/unhoused versus those of financial abundance with a roof over his head.

As the people of Natchez gather along Commerce Street for its Mardi Gras celebration, Mike reflects on the comeback of numerous small and mid-sized towns throughout America.

A riverboat serenades Mike with its onboard calliope, as it travels up the Mississippi River from its former port in Natchez.

Finding an unlocked door to the presidential suite of the flagship hotel in Natchez, Mike steps inside…

Mike describes his first impressions of Natchez, Mississippi, from its downtown cafe.

Mike visits the Natchez police department in a vain attempt to retrieve his belongings, after his hotel inexplicably turns them over to the police instead of returning them to their rightful owner.

A Grindr date abruptly goes awry during a short roadtrip to the lad’s hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, resulting in the lad speeding off in his vehicle alone, leaving Mike in a hotel parking lot near the Mississippi River in an unfamiliar area with nearly no money, accommodations, or friends.

Welcome to Natchez, y’all!

Mike seeks refuge from the rain beneath the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge spanning the Mississippi River.

After spending 2 years in Louisiana for his last utility/engineering job, Mike finally manages to return to the proper side of the Mississippi River to discover the cute little town of Natchez, sitting atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.