Welcome!
What I did next was WAY More Epic Than Usual
With posting of The Gauntlet (and bonus feature Fred's Page for those who like charts), the tale of my latest set of adventures is complete.
It was WAY more epic than usual, unfolding across 7 parts:
Links to all the blogs can be found at Motorcycles, mostly.
If you've read them as I travelled, I hope you enjoyed riding and flying vicariously through me.
I know I'll always enjoy rereading and reliving these dispatches from the past to my future self.
Now, it's back to work. Got any problems that need solutions?
2021-07-14
Lake Orion, Michigan
With posting of The Gauntlet (and bonus feature Fred's Page for those who like charts), the tale of my latest set of adventures is complete.
It was WAY more epic than usual, unfolding across 7 parts:
- Nada 3 Reprise, in which I rode my venerable 1993 BMW R1100RS from Michigan to Arizona.
- Ride And Fly is a day-by-day account of how I spent May earning my glider pilot's wings.
- I then rode my K1300S "Therese" to Colorado for a family Reunion at South Fork, and a memorial service for my father.
- Destination Unknown took me to magnificent parts of Colorado I'd never before seen.
- I returned to Phoenix, AKA Thermal City.
- An attempted return to Michigan on Nada 3 became Son of Return To Malfunction Junction Revisited...
- ...so Return To Michigan was accomplished on Therese.
Links to all the blogs can be found at Motorcycles, mostly.
If you've read them as I travelled, I hope you enjoyed riding and flying vicariously through me.
I know I'll always enjoy rereading and reliving these dispatches from the past to my future self.
Now, it's back to work. Got any problems that need solutions?
2021-07-14
Lake Orion, Michigan
What I thought of doing next.
Some months ago I wrote, "I'm not quite sure what to do next. But I will think of something."
Points if you recognize that plagiarism.
10x points if you recognize that plagiarism.
Since then I've written a lot about what I thought of doing after having been released (which is really the right word) from Plex Systems, and what I've then done.
In short,
There's much more to come, stay tuned!
2021-06-15
Phoenix, Arizona
Some months ago I wrote, "I'm not quite sure what to do next. But I will think of something."
Points if you recognize that plagiarism.
10x points if you recognize that plagiarism.
Since then I've written a lot about what I thought of doing after having been released (which is really the right word) from Plex Systems, and what I've then done.
In short,
- I spent most of January flying the X-Plane 11 flight simulator on the hot new computer I needed to replace my company-issued laptop.
- In February I established von Blitz Design LLC . My first official act was to grant myself 6 weeks of retroactive vacation (much of which I coulda woulda shoulda taken during 2020).
- My next official act was to accept an engagement to develop custom dashboards and reporting for a major Plex subscriber, something for which I have a particularly strong skill set.
- A number of projects are envisioned, but the first was proposed an expected timing "by April".
- This timing fit well with other plans I had been developing -- and have since come to pass; I'm looking at an entirely new and quite improved lifestyle enabled by the nature of my technical consultancy business model.
- My first project was in very good shape by the time I departed via motorcycle for Arizona; see Motorcycles, mostly. , scroll down to Nada 3 Reprise: Tour 2021 Part 1.
- My next adventure was way more epic than usual: see Motorcycles, mostly. : Ride And Fly: Tour 2021 Part 2.
There's much more to come, stay tuned!
2021-06-15
Phoenix, Arizona
Imagine John Cleese intoning, "This is an ex-Plexian."
In December of 2020, Plex Systems executed a "Reduction In Force".
I'm no longer with the company I helped build.
I'm not quite sure what to do next.
But I will think of something.
In December of 2020, Plex Systems executed a "Reduction In Force".
I'm no longer with the company I helped build.
I'm not quite sure what to do next.
But I will think of something.
Latest screenplay competition news
2021-01-22: My current screenplay, an adaption of an Isaac Asimov novel, is about a third done. I haven't been working on screenwriting over the past few years but since I no longer have a day job, at least for the moment, I should go all-in on finding and agent and selling something.
2017-12-02: Completed draft of my fifth feature-length screenplay, an adaptation of the late Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction classic Rendezvous With Rama.
2017-08-23: The Big Bang has made the quarterfinals in the ScreenCraft 2017 Short Screenplay Contest.
2017-03-22: The Incident has made the quarterfinals in the Inaugural Orb Media China-Hollywood Screenwriting Fellowship Competition.
It has also once again, and unsurprisingly, made the quarterfinals in the 2016 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Competition...as have my other two submissions, The Controller and Winter Solstice !
Unfortunately, The Incident was not a winner of the 2016 Action/Thriller contest.
2021-01-22: My current screenplay, an adaption of an Isaac Asimov novel, is about a third done. I haven't been working on screenwriting over the past few years but since I no longer have a day job, at least for the moment, I should go all-in on finding and agent and selling something.
2017-12-02: Completed draft of my fifth feature-length screenplay, an adaptation of the late Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction classic Rendezvous With Rama.
2017-08-23: The Big Bang has made the quarterfinals in the ScreenCraft 2017 Short Screenplay Contest.
2017-03-22: The Incident has made the quarterfinals in the Inaugural Orb Media China-Hollywood Screenwriting Fellowship Competition.
It has also once again, and unsurprisingly, made the quarterfinals in the 2016 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship Competition...as have my other two submissions, The Controller and Winter Solstice !
Unfortunately, The Incident was not a winner of the 2016 Action/Thriller contest.
Winter Solstice: my 4th feature length screenplay
2017-01-14: After a marathon writing session* last weekend, I finally cranked out the ending, which turned out quite a bit better than I expected. Over the past week I made several editing and polishing passes, resulting in further improvements. I'm feeling good about it in a lot of ways, though I have certain misgivings unrelated to the quality of the work, which I won't go into. What's done is done; just keep in mind that it is a work of fiction.
We'll see what the judges of the 2016 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship have to say about it.
Just ahead of the deadline I also entered The Incident and The Controller into the same Fellowship competition (both for the second time), and entered The Incident into the Inaugural Orb Media China-Hollywood Screenwriting Fellowship.
I still haven't heard anything new about the 2016 Action/Thriller contest, in which The Incident has at the very least already made the semi-finals (see below).
*Which ended at about 4 AM...as usual. I'm not positive, but I think it may be true that I've finished the first draft of every screenplay I've written at about 4 AM. I know that's when I finished the draft of In The Blood, on which novella The Controller was based. There seems to be something magical about that hour for me. What has traditionally followed typing "FADE OUT" is a drive (or at least twice, a motorcycle ride) to the nearest all-night diner for breakfast. But this time it was just too cold outside for that idea to hold much attraction, so breakfast had to wait until the morning when I took a nice walk into town for it. Note to self: try to finish future works during riding season...
2017-01-14: After a marathon writing session* last weekend, I finally cranked out the ending, which turned out quite a bit better than I expected. Over the past week I made several editing and polishing passes, resulting in further improvements. I'm feeling good about it in a lot of ways, though I have certain misgivings unrelated to the quality of the work, which I won't go into. What's done is done; just keep in mind that it is a work of fiction.
We'll see what the judges of the 2016 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship have to say about it.
Just ahead of the deadline I also entered The Incident and The Controller into the same Fellowship competition (both for the second time), and entered The Incident into the Inaugural Orb Media China-Hollywood Screenwriting Fellowship.
I still haven't heard anything new about the 2016 Action/Thriller contest, in which The Incident has at the very least already made the semi-finals (see below).
*Which ended at about 4 AM...as usual. I'm not positive, but I think it may be true that I've finished the first draft of every screenplay I've written at about 4 AM. I know that's when I finished the draft of In The Blood, on which novella The Controller was based. There seems to be something magical about that hour for me. What has traditionally followed typing "FADE OUT" is a drive (or at least twice, a motorcycle ride) to the nearest all-night diner for breakfast. But this time it was just too cold outside for that idea to hold much attraction, so breakfast had to wait until the morning when I took a nice walk into town for it. Note to self: try to finish future works during riding season...
The Incident: In the running, again!
2016-12-01: It's just been announced that The Incident, my screenplay which made the semi-finals in the 2013 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship competition, has now made the semi-finals in the 2016 ScreenCraft Action/Thriller Screenplay Contest.
The script got a bit of a rewrite after the previous competition. I'd bought a professional critique along with the previous competition submission, and I followed many of the recommendations to make it a more marketable and polished script. Maybe we'll see if that effort paid off.
2016-12-01: It's just been announced that The Incident, my screenplay which made the semi-finals in the 2013 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship competition, has now made the semi-finals in the 2016 ScreenCraft Action/Thriller Screenplay Contest.
The script got a bit of a rewrite after the previous competition. I'd bought a professional critique along with the previous competition submission, and I followed many of the recommendations to make it a more marketable and polished script. Maybe we'll see if that effort paid off.
More Epic Than Usual
In May and June of 2016 I checked off a major bucket list item, riding my motorcycle to Alaska. It was an amazing journey, which fortunately didn't meet my definition of "adventure":
An adventure is something that sounds good when you're sitting home by the fire...
...and makes you wish you were sitting home by the fire when you're actually doing it.
Nevertheless, I encourage you to check out the newest lead item on Motorcycles, mostly. I know I'll enjoy musing over it for the rest of my days.
On that page you can also see where I rode to in 2015, a delightful excursion I called Good Timings. I relate it, among other experiences from not only 2015 but my entire motorcycling career, in the retrospective Looking Back.
Also in Motorcycles, mostly. you can find my 2014 tour report, Riding Between The Raindrops, 2013's Return to Malfunction Junction (which contained a sliver of actual "adventure") and 2012's Into The West.
I'd also like to present BMW K1300S: Raves, Rants and Remediation. This long term product evaluation will mainly be of interest to riders of the BMW K1300S, and I apologize to them all for the delay in publication; had I released it sooner many might have long-benefited from a number of tips and tricks I've discerned and invented. But until now I've kept the document under wraps because I never felt it was quite "done". And I must say the last 3 pages are pretty critical, but they could not have been completed until my return from Alaska.
As for other, somewhat less self-indulgent writing, I'm making good progress on my current original feature screenplay Winter Solstice. The first draft is about 3/4 done and I expect to wrap it up quickly now that planning and executing continental-scale motorcycle trips is (I assume) over for this season.
My screenplay The Controller has been entered in this year's ScreenCraft Science Fiction script contest; my fingers are crossed. I think it would look and feel fantastic in the 3D technology James Cameron gifted us.
2016-07-13
Lake Orion, Michigan
In May and June of 2016 I checked off a major bucket list item, riding my motorcycle to Alaska. It was an amazing journey, which fortunately didn't meet my definition of "adventure":
An adventure is something that sounds good when you're sitting home by the fire...
...and makes you wish you were sitting home by the fire when you're actually doing it.
Nevertheless, I encourage you to check out the newest lead item on Motorcycles, mostly. I know I'll enjoy musing over it for the rest of my days.
On that page you can also see where I rode to in 2015, a delightful excursion I called Good Timings. I relate it, among other experiences from not only 2015 but my entire motorcycling career, in the retrospective Looking Back.
Also in Motorcycles, mostly. you can find my 2014 tour report, Riding Between The Raindrops, 2013's Return to Malfunction Junction (which contained a sliver of actual "adventure") and 2012's Into The West.
I'd also like to present BMW K1300S: Raves, Rants and Remediation. This long term product evaluation will mainly be of interest to riders of the BMW K1300S, and I apologize to them all for the delay in publication; had I released it sooner many might have long-benefited from a number of tips and tricks I've discerned and invented. But until now I've kept the document under wraps because I never felt it was quite "done". And I must say the last 3 pages are pretty critical, but they could not have been completed until my return from Alaska.
As for other, somewhat less self-indulgent writing, I'm making good progress on my current original feature screenplay Winter Solstice. The first draft is about 3/4 done and I expect to wrap it up quickly now that planning and executing continental-scale motorcycle trips is (I assume) over for this season.
My screenplay The Controller has been entered in this year's ScreenCraft Science Fiction script contest; my fingers are crossed. I think it would look and feel fantastic in the 3D technology James Cameron gifted us.
2016-07-13
Lake Orion, Michigan
News from a while back...
I'm thrilled to announce my most recent feature-length screenplay, The Incident, was a semi-finalist in the 2013 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship!
This means the judges ranked it in the top 10% of more than 1200 screenplays entered in the competition.
I'm now actively marketing The Incident, as well as my other completed scripts The Butterfly Garden and The Controller, with rather more conviction than before...
I'm thrilled to announce my most recent feature-length screenplay, The Incident, was a semi-finalist in the 2013 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship!
This means the judges ranked it in the top 10% of more than 1200 screenplays entered in the competition.
I'm now actively marketing The Incident, as well as my other completed scripts The Butterfly Garden and The Controller, with rather more conviction than before...