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What a Great SQL Weekend
My wife and I have just returned from a wonderful weekend in Lake Mary, Florida at SQL Saturday #151. We enjoy getting away for the weekend and staying in our beloved Marriott chains. This time fortunately, we had earned two free nights from previous stays this year and being a gold member we were able to score an upgrade to a fabulous room. My wife met with some of her friends for a day of shopping while I enjoyed a great day of SQL Learning thanks to the great user groups in Orlando, OPASS and MagicPASS.
We enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel and a couple of hours in the pool before checking out and heading home. These little weekend getaways are a great break from our every day routines. It was also great spending time with my #SQLFamily and seeing so many of them for the first time and so many of them again. Until you have experienced the #SQLFamily, you have no idea what you are missing.
SQL Saturday #151, T minus 3 Days and Counting
It’s Wednesday and the 6th annual SQL Saturday for Orlando is around the corner. This is where it all started, it is also home to the first SQL Saturday that I went to. You know you want to get some free learning and eat some great barbecue.
There is still time for you to register and come see some of SQL Server’s greatest speakers. Then when you finish their sessions, stop in for mine so that you can fully appreciate how great they really are. There are also two excellent Pre-Cons by Kevin Kline (twitter | blog) and Stacia Misner (twitter | blog). If you have never attended a Pre-Con, then do yourself a favor and try it, it is worth the $99. Enjoy and see you there!
SQL PASS Summit is Less Than Seven Weeks Away!
This morning I came across a stark reality: SQL PASS Summit 2012 is less than seven weeks away! I cannot fully describe the emotions of my first trip to Summit; some anxiety, mostly excitement, fear of the unknown, anticipation of meeting so many online friends and a thirst for new knowledge. I am so ready for the networking, the learning, the socializing with #SQLKaraoke, the after parties, but mostly just hanging out with my #SQLFamily.
On a personal note, I have been to Seattle once in my life, in high school. Five friends, my math teacher and I went on a field trip before my junior year where we participated in the Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics competition after winning the State competition for Algebra II. Mathletes Rock! What a beautiful city! It will be great to see Mt. Ranier, the sky needle, the monorail, Puget Sound, and the fish market. I am sure a lot has changed in the last 25 years, I know the King Dome is no longer there, but we took a tour as the Mariners where out-of-town on a road trip and sat in the dugout and the locker room. Good times!
I when I return home I will have some new Seattle memories that I will cherish for many years to come. Enjoy!
I’m Going to the SQL PASS Summit!
For quite some time, I have hated November. Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, let’s not get crazy there. But, to watch everyone get excited about going to the annual SQL PASS Summit was almost like being the only guy at the prom without a date. I never had that problem, but I can imagine it vividly thanks to having to sit out previous Summits because my employers did not see the benefit in flying me across the country.
It was quite painful to sit on the sidelines and see everyone enjoying #SQLKaraoke, seeing everyone meeting up with people that they had met on twitter in the #SQLFamily, and seeing bonds created and new friends made all in the name of SQL Server. I had a front row seat each time from my couch. A better analogy would be that of a professional football player at home watching other teams in the playoffs enjoying the sweet smell of success while he suffered the agony of the feet (or is that defeat). Thousand of SQL Server professionals were enjoying the learning, the training, and the networking while I had to simply watch from home. NO MORE! NOT THIS YEAR BABY! I GOT A DATE FOR THE PROM! I AM GOING TO THE SUMMIT! Look out Seattle, let the Big Gator Growl!
I am going to send many glorious tweets and facebook updates showing all of the new things I am learning, all of the new people I am meeting, and the friends I got to meet in real life. Also, let’s not forget the crazy songs I will sing at #SQLKaraoke, so when people talk to me throughout the year they will remember the good times we had that November when the planets aligned and I got to finally attend the SQL PASS Summit. Good times, good friends, and maybe I will get to see the unicorn. Is it time to go yet? Can I go now?
What Are You Working For?
I’ve been asking myself this lately as I prepare to move into a new phase shortly with my youngest daughter being a senior in high school. For the last twenty years, it was providing for my children and family to make sure they had opportunities for growth and development. Now my youngest will go off to college and our home will be quiet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not kicking my children to the curb, but they don’t need my security as much as they prepare to spread their wings and fly away. My wife and I love to travel and I love SQL Server, so I will most likely dive more into my career with the intent of traveling and spending more time with her as well as socializing more in order to fill the nest so to speak.
It’s a great time to be alive, but what are you working for?
We Survived SQL Saturday #132, Pensacola
Relaxing in a Tallahassee Spring Hill Suites, I am reflecting on this weekend’s trip to Pensacola. Why Tallahassee? This SQL Learning trip was turned into a long weekend with my wife. We decided to split our long ride home in half and enjoy an extra day unwinding, relaxing in the pool in sunny Tallahassee especially since we did not get to enjoy the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. We are already planning to return to Pensacola for next year’s SQL Saturday.
After yesterday’s flooding with the declaration of the state of emergency and driving around a flash flood only to find myself in an intersection that was about 18 inches deep, I can easily say that we survived SQL Saturday #132. However, I wouldn’t trade the experience as I arrived back at the venue in time to give my first ever presentation (I left because I was soaked from head to toe in order to put some fresh dry clothes on). I also got to spend some time with a couple of great MCMs and meet a handful of new people to add to my #SQLFamily.
Next week, after I return home from this trip, I will blog some of the things I learned in some of the sessions and the pre-con. Until, then relax and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Leaving Today for SQL Saturday #132, Pensacola
The day has finally arrived: travel day! I am leaving today after work for the six-hour drive to Pensacola for SQL Saturday #132. We have a new John Grisham audiobook, Calico Joe, ready for the ride. This one sounds like a great book: “A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball…”
Having experienced heavy rains all week in central Florida, I am a little concerned that we may not have a beautifully sunny weekend at the beach. However, the hotel does have an indoor pool so my wife is not too worried because we do live in Florida after all and this is a common summer time event.
Last night I was invited to the speaker’s dinner, thanks to the coordinator Mark Holmes (twitter|blog) for including me. In the past I have attended these speaker dinners as a volunteer, so I am moving up in the world. Thanks again Mark, I really do appreciate it and the event sounds amazing. I also want to thank Karla Kay (twitter|blog) for convincing me to take the leap and present as well as everything she does for the SQL community. She really is wonder woman as represented in her avatar.
Tomorrow is also my first pre-con training: “Demystifying Database Administration Best Practices” presented by Microsoft Certified Masters Robert Davis (twitter|blog) and Argenis Fernandez (twitter|blog). Some of my coworkers think that I am crazy for paying for this training and attending SQL Saturday’s out of my own pocket. They have obviously never been and met the #SQLFamily. Do yourself a favor and attend one of these event, you will not regret it. Enjoy!
SQL Saturday #132, Pensacola
Wow, another SQL Saturday is coming up and I am über excited! For this one I will travel up the panhandle to beautiful Pensacola with my lovely bride who will enjoy the sun and fun with me as we turn this into a four-day getaway. After our daughter’s graduation a couple of weeks ago, we could use a break.
This SQL Saturday is different for me in a few ways. First of all, I am going to the Pre-Con! This will be my first ever pre-con training as I never could get the schedule right in coordination with my work schedule. The stars aligned just right for this one, though. This pre-con will be “Demystifying Database Administration Best Practices” presented by Microsoft Certified Masters Robert Davis (twitter|blog) and Argenis Fernandez (twitter|blog). Being passionate about best practices, I am excited about this session as well as meeting two fellow tweeps.
The second difference is that I will be presenting for the first time ever! Going old school MTV style: This Saturday live at 1 pm come see the world-premiere video (er, I mean) presentation from SQLGator. It is a lightning talk presentation which will be great for my first time to help me get over my stage fright and conquer my goal of speaking. I am still considering submitting for SQL Saturday #151 Orlando and this will be a good test of whether or not I can do this. I am confident I can do this, but I am having some serious nervousness.
Hanging out with #SQLFamily will be amazing and I am looking forward to meeting some new people especially some of the bigger names in the SQL Server community. Come on out and enjoy the free learning. See you there!
What Makes a Geek? Part Two
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It’s Only a Flesh Wound
Recently, several members of the #SQLFamily were discussing various aspects of geekdom. We came to a consensus: there are many among us who are self-proclaimed geeks who are only geeks because of the coolness factor. This is the second part of our journey revolves around movies. There will probably be a great amount of debate, but I think these movies are essential to the core of what makes a geek. This is not a comprehensive list because there are tons of obscure titles that geeks turns into cult classics and there are many geek books that were ruined by main stream movie versions.
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Every geek can quote Monty Python with such memorable phrases as “It’s only a flesh wound” and “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” followed by “An African or European swallow?”.
- Star Wars: A New Hope – This goes without explanation
- Hackers and/or Sneakers – what geek would be complete without a movie espousing the virtues of being 1337?
- War Games – Matthew Broderick was the geek I wanted to be in this and Ferris Bueller. I had played around with a lot of the technology he was using so to see him hacking into the government to play games made him our hero.
- Office Space – Stuck in your cubicle? Have eight bosses? Facing outsourcing or a case of the mondays?
- Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn – There are other Star Trek movies, but not many compare to this one.
- The Matrix – “Why oh why didn’t I take the blue pill?”
- Blade Runner and/or Tron – We are suckers for a good space film, are you seeing a pattern here yet?
- The Princess Bride – “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” followed by “Stop saying that!”
- 2001: A Space Oddysey – “Open the pod bay doors, HAL” followed by “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”
I know there are many more excellent geek movies, however this is a list of baseline movies. While compiling this list, I thought of thirty more such as Alien and Pi, but I had to stop somewhere. Every geek should know these movies, end of story. “Share and Enjoy!”
What Makes a Geek? Part One
HHGG
Recently, several members of the #SQLFamily were discussing various aspects of geekdom. We came to a consensus: there are many among us who are self-proclaimed geeks who are only geeks because of the coolness factor. Personally I decided to post a series of blog posts that espouse a minimum set of experiences that make up the persona of a true geek. Granted there are many variations, but true geeks all have a baseline set of experiences that I believe unite us all. In other words, we all share a common set of core values that made us into the uber geeks that you see before you today.
The first installment of What Makes a Geek will be books. Books shape a persons thoughts and personality from a young age. This list is not comprehensive but like I mentioned earlier, it is a baseline.
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (aka H2G2 or HHGG) – Every geek should know Forty-Two, DON’T PANIC, and knowing where one’s towel is.
- The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbitt by J.R.R. Tolkien (aka LOTR) – This one might fall of the list thanks to the popularity of the movies, but was a standard for years as evidenced by how many guys named themselves Gandalf and Frodo in chat rooms and online gaming environments.
- Neuromancer by William Gibson – bonus points are given if you played the video game released in the late 80s (I had it on a 5 1/4″ floppy)
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein – All books by Heinlein are awesome, but this is the definitive geek book.
- Anything from Isaac Asimov – I used to always say I, Robot, but the movie ruined that for me. Every child should read Asimov, end of story.
- Any and/or all of the Star Wars and/or Star Trek novels – Geeks have strong opinions about these two universes and I am no different, however out of deference to my friends I will begrudgingly include Star Trek in the list. This does not include the silly movie books, this is the full universe of novels which for Star Wars has over 100 currently. My point is that watching the movies does not a geek make!
I know there are many more excellent geek books, however this is a list of baseline books. Every geek should know these things, end of story. “Share and Enjoy!”
SQL Swampland 