Mike moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 to work at Portland General Electric (PGE), where he served as Transmission Operations Engineer in PGE’s system control center.
PDX is a paradise in the biblical sense - heavenly from far away, but hellish beneath the veil of perfection.
Two years after the 2020 West Coast wildfires, Mike recounts the traumatic events he faced mere months after moving to Portland, Oregon. Bearing such emotional weight has been a lonely journey, as I was reminded while trying to share this with loved ones who would find themselves overwhelmed.
Mike vents about a relentless stream of hardships and trauma that have followed him since leaving Portland, Oregon, during a period of hell that includes being a victim of rape and theft by an ex-partner, an illegal eviction spurred by friends of the ex, and precipitously losing his job after a mental health crisis sparked by the wildfires that besieged the state of Oregon in summer 2020.
Mike hosts from Crimson House PDX, sharing personal reflections and music, as well as a map-based crowd-sourcing platform that collects and documents LGBTQ+ experiences and memories tied to specific geographic locations.
Mike facilitates a casual gathering, providing a personal update on his work and domestic life, and interacting with viewers in conversation.
Mike joins a gathering around a fire for “Shenaniganza,” a ritual of the Celtic New Year in which participants cleanse themselves of past disappointments from the preceding year 2020.
Mike takes a walk in downtown Portland, gushing about some of the Queer spaces he’d recently discovered in the city’s east side. He discusses Halloween costumes with his friend Todd before entering a TJ Maxx downtown for a gander.
Mike provides a tour of downtown Portland, Oregon, discussing his tenuous housing situation and his frustrations finding an apartment. Passing by Powell’s Books and turning onto Harvey Milk Street, Mike reflects on the challenges of being homeless, including the loss of his personal belongings.
Now unhoused, Mike discusses his financial woes associated with delayed unemployment benefits, as well as his astonishment at the vast numbers of Queer people living on the streets.
Reporting from the streets of Portland, Mike grapples with a sense of isolation and homelessness, from which he tries numerous times to escape through music and socializing with others he meets on the streets.
Mike describes the ominous and strange atmosphere outside his home in Portland, implying the world ending imminently. Despite the gloomy conditions, he remains upbeat while troubleshooting his wireless speakers and reviewing recent lip sync recordings.
The moon is red in the sky, shrouded by the thick smoke from the wildfires surrounding Portland, Oregon.
Heavy wildfire smoke has blotted out the sun, creating an ominous and surreal atmosphere where the morning skies around Portland remain in darkness.
Mike enjoys a beer and some tomfoolery on the patio of Eagle PDX, chatting with nearby patrons and soliciting the audience to help “choose his adventure” by suggesting who he should vie to swoon.
Mike shares career updates as he starts work at Portland General Electric as a transmission operations engineer overseeing the Pacific Northwest power grid.
Mike drives around Portland late at night, in search of his ex-boyfriend, cannabis to purchase, and a place to pee.
Mike spends a lovely morning in Portland, enjoying breakfast with his friend Leah.
Mike joins Leah and Matt in Portland as they gather to play the board game of LIFE.
Mike shares his thoughts on the declining state of American society, emphasizing the loss of humility and genuine understanding in online and real-life conversations.
Mike also expresses his deep concern for the political shift in his home state of Ohio, attributing it partly to demographic changes linked to the shale gas boom and an exodus of college-bound graduates away to coastal cities.