Category Archives: Random Musings

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Today begins my six-day holiday, the blog will return to its hard-core SQL action after Christmas.  Enjoy!

Today marks a major changing of the seasons for us here in Florida. It is the first day that we turned the air conditioner off for a few hours. Tonight is also supposed to be the first freeze of the year. We do not really call this winter because I wore shorts yesterday. It is more like autumn/spring as in its cooler but not freezing except for a few cold spells every now and again where people here think and act like its a blizzard. We will wrap our pump and cover some flowers that are not freeze hearty. Winter has begun in the sunshine state. Enjoy!

Today I am enjoying the holidays with my family, I hope you are doing the same.  Happy Thanksgiving.

After writing predominantly about the PASS Summit for the last couple of months, it is hard to refocus.  Starting tomorrow, I will begin writing about SQL Server again, wow there is a novel concept.  My first Summit deserved a fair amount of attention, but now it is time to get back to business.  Enjoy!

Now that Summit 2012 has come and gone, it is time to soldier on and return to reality.  With only eleven months until the next PASS Summit, apparently we will have to fill the void with actual work.  Since today is a holiday for me, I will be returning to work tomorrow and hopefully I will feel better as my servers miss me I am sure.  Until then I will enjoy my last few hours of SQL PASS adventure.  See you tomorrow.

Growing up in the South and being an ardent flag-waving Southerner who loves his heritage and history, you are expected to be conservative.  No, I do not mean that I support slavery, it was bad.  But somehow when you have values and believe in your family and its Southern heritage you are labeled as a racist because you are proud of your heritage.  I am here to tell you that slavery was evil and I believe in the equality of all, but I am still a Southerner with family who fought in the War of Northern Aggression.  With that being said this will be my one (and maybe only) political blog post just to set the record straight:  I am a ConserveBral.

Working in the information technology field, most people who I have met have been liberals which makes it interesting if you are from the South as they are diametrically opposing forces.  Now you see my struggle.  So I will break it down for you so that you can see that I cannot be put into either box.  Agree or disagree, this is who I am and what I believe, it does not mean that we cannot be friends.

Abortion:  My view here is conservative and has nothing to do with a woman’s right to choose, she has that and for that I cannot and will not judge her.  But I do believe that there are far too many childless parents who would give their left arm for a beautiful baby.  Please do not make any of the other arguments about rape or unwanted children, there are tons of people who want a baby and who will love it even if you do not.

Affirmative Action: My view here is conservative, it should be based on ability plain and simple.

Death Penalty:  My view here is conservative, the death penalty is a punishment for the crime committed.  Does it work, that is another story.  I also think they should speed up the process.

Economy:  My view here is conservative, the free market and competition is best and the government should keep its hands out except in cases of fraud and monopolies.

Education:  My view here is liberal; the government should spend more than what they spend for the average person incarcerated for a crime on education and then maybe there would not be so many people in jail.  They should raise teacher salaries to attract better teachers and reduce class sizes.

Energy:  My view here is conservative, protect the environment as much as possible but not at the expense of buy oil from other countries when we have an abundant supply here.  Force automakers to rethink vehicle design and not just making cars out of aluminum foil in order to get better gas mileage.  There should also be regulations keeping the oil companies from raping us (a liberal idea).

Global Warming:  Mixed, I think laws to control pollution are good, but I am not convinced we are not in a natural cycle in regards to the global temperatures especially knowing that volcanoes produce far more pollution than man (or at least that is what I read).

Gun Control:  Extremely conservative in this regard.  I am a firm believe in the right to bear arms and do so in my home.  Gun control does not prevent criminals from obtaining guns.

Health Care:  I believe in Obamacare but more importantly I believe that there should be regulations to keep from Insurance companies from raping us like the oil companies.  I do not believe in socialized medicine like most liberals, but I do believe that people like my Dad (who has worked harder than most people I know for his entire life) should have access to health care.  He owns his own company and cannot afford two to three grand a month in health care because he is self-employed and over 60.  That is ridiculous.

Immigration:  Conservative for the most part because I don’t believe that illegal immigrants should receive welfare.  I also do not believe we should put up walls to keep people out, just no free handouts.

Private Property: Extremely conservative in the regard that if I bought the land it is mine to do with as I see fit, not the government’s.  Eminent domain is a load of crap.  Regulations saying I cannot do this or that on MY property sounds communistic to me.

Religion:  I am sorry, but the phrase “separation of church and state” is not found anywhere in the Constitution and this country was founded on Christian principles.  That phrase was meant to keep from the government setting up its own church not forcing people to hide in shame because they chose to pray at a football game.  Do not remove symbols of our Christian heritage because you do not like them, it is still part of our history and heritage.  We can classify this as conservative.

Same-Sex Marriage: I am more liberal here.  I believe in equal rights for all even if their choice is not for me.

Social Security:  I am more liberal here as well.  I think a society is reflected upon how it treats the poor, its children and the elderly.  We do a horrible job.  I think they rich should pay their fair share and not just on the first little portion.  A full percentage on the full amount and that might solve the serious shortcomings.

Taxes: I am liberal in this regard, higher taxes for the wealthy and less for the middle class and poor.  But I think there should also be a smaller amount of government.

Welfare:  I am opposed to long-term welfare, which I suppose is more conservative.  But I think we should help the poor to not be poor which starts with education and health care.
So as you can see, I do not fit neatly into either box, but I am who I am.  Love me or hate me, I still love you.   Maybe now you will understand me a little better.  Enjoy!