Finding Renewed Purpose Out West
Mike shares career updates as he starts work at Portland General Electric as a transmission operations engineer overseeing the Pacific Northwest power grid. He touches on the social disparities in Portland, his long-term plans to help his mother relocate, and even reflects on the game "King Elephant" he used to play fervently in college. Reflecting on his personal growth and newfound sense of well-being, Mike aspires to take advantage of this period of stability in his life to lay the foundations to nurture something positive in the world.
Good evening, everyone! I'm Mike George, coming at you live from my home in Beaverton, Oregon, which is just a suburb of Portland. It is 7:30 PM here on the West Coast, which I guess used to be known as *Wheel of Fortune* time. Nowadays, the kids call scheduled television "appointment to view," which honestly just amuses me.
It’s the 3rd of July, and I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th. We've made it this far, although I always remember that the 3rd of July is when the alien ships start to appear in the movie *Independence Day*.
I’m doing well, and I have some exciting news. Over the last couple of months, while we’ve been living in "COVID lands" and stuck in the bowels of lockdown, I managed to find a little **"daffodil of hope"**. I started a new job! This is truly a dream job for me. I started at **Portland General Electric (PGE)** around the middle of June, and my official title is **Transmission Operations Engineer**.
Eventually, I’ll be working downtown in their system control center, which is basically the command center of the grid, at least as far as PGE is concerned. I actually went to school studying the theory elements of this kind of stuff, and after working some good and some bullshit engineering jobs in my life, this is definitely the one that feels completely on point with what I know, what I’m good at, and what I feel passionate about. I’m really fucking excited!
Right now, I’m in my training honeymoon period and mostly working from home, meeting my colleagues virtually. These webcam conversations are definitely the new norm in society, which is kind of hilarious.
My actual job will involve a lot of system analysis. I'll be running analysis of what the grid will look like the next day, accounting for things like if a generator plant is out of service, or if a line is down for maintenance. The main objective is to make sure we always have power, regardless of what maintenance or projects are happening on the system. Essentially, my job will be to develop contingency plans—guarding the system to still keep the lights on even if we have to take down part of the system for maintenance and, say, a storm hits. It’s cool stuff that I actually learned in school and get to apply now, though Lord knows my mind is fried! Speaking of school, I do need to get my professional engineering license, which means I'll have to relearn all the math I’ve forgotten over the years, thanks to neglect, cannabis, and relying on computers.
Portland itself is fantastic, and it’s a beautiful day. I will say that it’s nice to live here and not be unemployed and not be homeless. Portland is a funny place because you see these stark contrasts: you have so many dogs being walked around by these "zatties" with cute gay boy owners near million-dollar condo encampments downtown. And then right next door, you see a tent city under a bridge. It’s the weirdest thing; sometimes the dogs seem to get better care and love than our own people.
Before I forget, I’m taking a quick five-second intermission to hit this baby. I bought this beautiful THC vape pen yesterday. In a way, this is like the renewable energy of my lungs—it’s like the grid of the future. I can enjoy all the wonders of cannabis and maintain my "capacity of mind fuckery" without all the guilt and without the carbonization and destruction to my lungs that conventional combustion causes.
Looking ahead, my medium-term plans include finding my own place here in Portland. I’d love to find a duplex so my mom can eventually move in next to me. As I get older, I have to start thinking about my parents, especially since my mom lives in an island nation that is under threat of being invaded by China. Watching the news about Hong Kong makes it hard not to think about Taiwan’s beloved fate. Moving here would allow her to be closer to Asian people to befriend, closer to things to do than where she lives now, and still closer to Taiwan if she wants to visit family. I need a place where I can be close to her but she still has her own private space. On a totally different note, I still plan on starting a gay bar in Steubenville someday—that’s probably more like my five-to-ten-year bucket list item.
I’ve been wanting to move to Portland for about ten years. It’s a strange thing to actually admit out loud that I’m here now. For the last two weeks, it felt like I was living in a fleeting dream that I might wake up from, until I saw the money from my first paycheck in my checking account yesterday—cha-ching!
A year ago, I was in a really shitty spot. I had just gotten fired from my Montreal job, I went through the psych hospital, and I went through the police—all that fucking bullshit. But I’m happy now. I’m going to brag a little, because it’s been a while since this bitch has had something good to brag about. I’m happy with how things are; the Lord has been good to me. I’ve been through the ringer myself, and I hope that whatever good things happen to me, I’ll be in a position to help this shitty world out.
So, I’m signing off now. This is Mike George here. Take care, Facebook land, be good to yourselves and be good to each other. Tutaloo!
