Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

The economy is bad.  I’ve been listening and reading news stories for weeks, but recently this really hit home.  Last week I was notified that I would be released from my current job in about a month.    It was a major surprise.  After a few days to collect my thoughts,  I realize it is not all bad news.  I am leaving only because of budget issues, as in there were not enough funds, and half of the department was released.  This job has been amazing when I consider the content I’ve worked on, along with who I’ve worked with.  However, I think it would be really difficult to decide when to move on, and now I have a really big sign.   In the last week I’ve updated my resume, made business cards, began a demo reel, and a launched a new website.  Today I attended a job fair for my field.  I feel like I’ve made a good start, but I’m cautious to be optimistic with the state of the economy. My contacts are starting to hear that I’m looking for something new, and it is exciting to consider a new challenge.  Hopefully the places I’d like to work don’t have any more layoffs.   Again, please visit mikebgray.com, and let me know what you think.  Good luck to all those searching out there.  

Usually hopefulness is more associated with spring than fall, but today is different.  To add to the historical occasion, it is a warm day in Chicagoland and the trees are bursting with color.  (I plan to post more photos soon)

I’m glad the election is finally over.  This year I followed it more than ever, and just as my friend Lacey shared, I’m ready for a break.  I really enjoyed both candidates speeches last night and I’m in awe of what was just accomplished.

Here are a couple links to wrap it up:

Great pictures of Obama’s campaign @ The Big Picture.

A last dose of campaign comedy via the Daily Show.  Obama list and McCain list.

So I did not meet my own expectations for blogging from the road.  I had internet access, but most of the time was spent loading footage from the day’s shoot or uploading audio files for transcription.  I plan on sharing a few pics from the trip shortly.

I didn’t see an TV commercial celebrities on the way home and I arrived very tired.  This weekend was only a little restful as I prepared for a big meeting Saturday and took care of things I’d neglected Sunday.  Luckily, I’m excited about upcoming projects at work and the weather has been nice recently.

Today I will vote for the general election, and usually I have no clue about the local candidates.  Luckily, I asked around through Facebook and Twitter, and someone suggested the Chicago Tribune’s website for a candidate comparison.  Hopefully the lines will not be crazy.  Please remember to vote!

Right now I’m in North Carolina filming for work.  Typically I think of things to I’d like to share when traveling, but rarely make the effort.  This is this start.

Day 1 -

Travel was really smooth from Chicago to Raleigh.  I realize that most of the travel I remember is when thing go bad.  I really appreciated the quick security processing - with all of our gear - and the on-time travel.  The highlight was flying with a celebrity, the Subway Guy.  Jared might be someone you’ve seen in commercials, and it took me a while to recognize him.  I learned later that he travels often speaking about fitness.  He was looking slim.

Day 2 -

The foliage isn’t turning colors as much as I hoped it would for our filming.  I do enjoy all the trees here though.  Its been a while since I’ve been South, and I enjoy the accent.  After filming some scenery, we spent time with a couple teenagers who we might profile for our story.  It was fun to both relate on some pop culture things, and miss a few reference and feel older.   I’m glad we’ll see more of them this week.

Stay tuned for more.

I learned that yesterday was blog action day. This year, the theme was poverty. I wish the large disparity between the rich and poor was more at the forefront of America’s concerns. We are a very wealthy nation, but most of the wealth is contained at the very top. Right now we are concerned about a financial crisis on Wall Street, but it is really small compared to the problems of poverty that much of the world faces.

Here are some links I found:

Actions you can take now.

www.whiteband.org

www.one.org

and kiva.org, which allows direct loans to those who need it.

Most fall seasons I regret not taking enough photos. At least I got out today.

Slideshow.

I changed the design of my blog. I think this fits more what I had in mind for ‘MG’s Notes.’ Please let me know what you think.

Also, if you’ve missed some of the election coverage, or you’re just interested in some entertainment, I recommend hulu’s election coverage. They have comedy clips at the bottom of the page.

I missed the first Presidential debate. From what I read, I didn’t hear anything new from either campaign. Tonight I watched the Vice Presidential debate, and it wasn’t the train wreck some in the media thought it would be. It was nice to see the candidates present themselves well.

I’ve been making an effort to see the positives in each ticket, as tricky as that can be. With our current system, it is really tough not to feel anger if the person you voted for was not elected and then makes mistakes. My thinking is if I focus on a few positives in each campaign, hopefully I can have something nice to say if I’m frustrated later.

So much of the focus in the campaign is on exalting one candidate above the other that it is difficult to gauge what actions they will take in office. Tonight I feel like I gained a little bit more knowledge about what each campaign has to offer, but not nearly enough. I appreciated the questions from the moderator, and I was impressed with the skill the candidates used in both answering and not answering her questions.

I hope one day that instead of hearing “I’m right and you’re wrong,” that we’ll hear, “Let’s work together to find out what is right.”

This evening/early morning I’m finishing a major deadline. Things tend to shut down around deadline time, and I have little to no time for entertainment. Short things like the comic What the Duck provide humor I really appreciate during stressful times. This strip is what I feel like in between cups of coffee.