Blog Archives
Consequences…We All Face Them
When dealing with my teenagers, I’ve realized that the hardest concept for them to comprehend is consequences. For example, they have done something wrong and I am going to take away their cell phone to which they reply: “You can’t do that because I need my phone, what happens if I get into an accident.”
They are right, we should take away the car as well. If you do not learn that there are consequences to the choices you make, then how will you ever be a responsible adult?
Parenting is a difficult job for children. Parenting for teenagers is almost near impossible on some days. Do not get me wrong, my teens are great kids who make good grades, but even good kids can be snotheads thanks to all those hormones.
Mom, if you are reading this blog, I apologize for all the trouble I put you through, and stop laughing please.
Enjoy!
SWAG, I Love It, I Want Some More of It!
SWAG, also known as the “Stuff We All Get”, has been a tradition at trade shows, conferences, SQL Saturdays, User Group meetings, and meetings with sales reps for many, many years and yet I still get excited about these silly little trinkets.
My house is full of SQL Server shirts and vendor shirts. My office is also full of silly stickers, magnets, pens, patches, notepads, SQL Server stamped items such as the one shown, my favorite Idera duck, the great Red Gate USB lava lamp that everyone tries to steal off of my desk, and of course the Quest Software red and blue lit flashing, bouncing ball that mesmerizes my co-workers.
This is a serious addiction, I almost knocked someone down trying to get a cool VMWare umbrella a couple of months ago as it slipped out of my grasp. Everyone else enjoys it too, but does it really have any effect on our decision-making. Not mine! But if you want to send me some more in an effort to change my mind, please feel free! Enjoy!
How to beat The Claw!
This article, How to beat The Claw | Unplugged – Yahoo! Games, is an interesting read and it brings back some great memories. My kids consider me the Claw champion, so much so that when I do not win them a prize from one of these machines they consider complaining to the manager that the machine is rigged.
Little do they know that it is! I was consistently able to beat the machines in my area and then all of a sudden, nothing! Nada! Zilch!
Adjustments were made to prevent the SQLGator from winning. I’m sure that I am not the only one as evidenced by this article.
It reminds me of the time in high school when our McDonalds had a fish bowl on the counter with a shot glass in the middle. If you could get a nickel in the shot glass, then you received a free small drink. Also, a dime would earn you a small fry and a quarter got you a sandwich of your choice. Being entrepreneurial young men, we had a similar fish tank in the garage and we practiced for a few hours practicing the technique guaranteed to win most of the time. During lunch everyday during my junior year we went to McDonalds with a dollar’s worth of change (cause hey sometimes we were slightly off in our calculations) and proceeded to win a small drink, a small fry and a burger of our choice. Then we could save our money for dates!
This promotion was not working out as well as they had planned. New rules! Only one prize per visit, no problem; we will take the sandwich please. A couple of months go by, and the fish tank is gone from the counter. At that point I knew what it was like to go to Vegas and get caught counting cards! Thanks for the memories McDonalds!
Enjoy!
Create Snapshot?
I’ve been working with VMWare snapshots, SQL Server snapshots and occasionally restore points in Windows. With all of these options in our work life, I think we really need to be able to snapshot in real life. Who wouldn’t enjoy reverting to a snapshot in real life?
You could say things to your boss, after you create a snapshot of course, and based on his reaction revert to snapshot or delete the snapshot. Or, maybe you want to see how that pans out before you delete the old snapshot as it may take you to a place where you need to revert.
Now that I have mentioned it here on this blog, I am sure someone in Hollywood is working on the screenplay reminiscent of Adam Sandler‘s Click. I’m fine with that as long as they do not get Louie Anderson to play me. I would be ok with Leonardo DiCaprio and 10% of the backend, not his backend mind you.
Enjoy!
Insert Blog Title Here
[Insert witty comment here]. [Insert funny anecdotal story regarding life, my past, or my workplace]. [Insert second witty comment].
[Start new paragraph]. [Hope the reader hasn’t clicked on their Google bookmark on the favorites bar]. [Insert Google link just in case]. [Insert uplifting statement of hope and inspiration].
[Insert silly trademark ending such as ‘Enjoy!’]
P.S. This blog post has been brought to you by the Society For Mold Breaking (and you thought it stood for Server Messaging Block…silly rabbit tricks are for kids)
Excitement or Business As Usual?
After a hectic Monday morning, I sat back and reflected upon the events that occurred. For most of my career, I would dread coming to work on Monday mornings, and I loathed the stressful work environments created in the aftermath. At this point in my career, I thrive on the chaos that is called Monday. Most days are business as usual, especially if your plan is to be as proactive as possible, however Mondays still provide excitement. Mondays provide a challenge. Mondays are a raging tower of excitement. Well, maybe I am getting a little carried away, but you get the picture. How do you tackle the beast that is Monday?
Enjoy!
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
On the drive in this morning, a precarious thought struck me: I have been working in the IT field now for 17 years! I have been using a computer for three fourths of my life. All I can say is, wow time flies!
My first computer was a Timex Sinclair 1000 with its programs loaded via cassette tape and attached thermal printer. If I remember correctly I had a 128 KB memory module plugged in for performance! Oh the joys of starting a chess game and then going outside and playing for the 30 minutes it took to load assuming I didn’t have to flip the cassette over. The freakishly small and flat keypad was difficult to type on but it was mine! Those were the days!
My first real computer was an IBM PCjr which was a great little machine for my high school days. For my birthday one year, I remember getting a laser mouse that sat on a metal mouse pad with grid lines painted on it. My Dad thought that the mouse was the future (at least that is what the IBM sales guy at the computer store told him). The mouse came with solitaire and he bought me a paint program because it would be so easy with the mouse, it was not. So yes I have been wasting time on solitaire since the mid 1980s, way before everyone else! In college I bought a 386 then began building my own machines. The love affair had begun.
To Be Continued….
Winds of Change
In today’s marketplace we are constantly bombarded with the word change. We hear on a daily basis that we must be flexible to change as the marketplace evolves. The workplace changes daily, yet we are told to prepare for change. There is one thing that never changes: people never stop talking about change!
My life changes daily and as much as I enjoy a good routine, I also relish a good change. No one wants baked chicken every night. We need a change!
A previous manager once told me that change is the new order of business and if you were not on board the train was passing you by. I do not think people are afraid of change in as much as they are afraid of the company changing without them. People want some semblance of security, some semblance of hope. The talk of change disrupts the status quo and says that there is no stability to be found here for we are a purveyor of change and that means be prepared because one day the reaper will come for you too! Random musings, enjoy!
Martin Luther King, Jr Day 2012
In honor of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, I thought I would pass on some of his wisdom since I am at home enjoying my last holiday until Memorial Day. Enjoy!
“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”“A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.”“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
Hello and Welcome to the Swampland!
Thanks for visiting my new blog. I have decided to create this blog in order to separate my personal blog from my professional blog as I become more involved in the online SQL Server community. With this blog, I will be covering SQL Server, VMWare, and Windows server topics as I traverse my professional career online so you can learn from my mistakes and my journey. Welcome to the Swampland!
SQL Swampland 