November 2009

OT: Endings and new beginnings

This is a personal post; I need to write it to explain my absence from blogging, and hopefully announce my return with new vigor.

My wife and I have decided to separate after 14 years of marriage; although it’s a painful process, I’m hoping that we’ll both survive this, and come out of it as better people.  I wish I could say that it was completely mutual, but to be honest, I’m no longer able to understand her motives.  All I know is that I needed something to change in order for me to be healthy and happy, and this seems to me to be the only option left (and please, if you have an opinion about that, keep it to yourself.  I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need advice at this point).

Anyway, I’ve been busy setting up a new home and working out visitation with my kids (who I think are doing remarkably well under the circumstances).  It’s been tough making the adjustment, but I think I’m finally at a place where I can start writing again.  If you’re still out there, dear readers, I hope that I can soon start contributing to the community at full blast over the next few days.  It’ll give me something to do 🙂

Thanks for your patience, your thoughts, and your prayers.  Life happens when we least expect it.

PASS Summit Day 2: the brief wrapup #sqlpass

I’m writing this post quickly, because I have a 6:30 SQLSaturday alumni meeting at a local donut stop.  Please don’t let the brevity of the post throw you off; lots of goals accomplished yesterday.  Unfortunately, going to sessions was not one of them 🙂

  • I spent a lot of time networking, and discussing Agile techniques for database developers with a lot of different people, as well as looking at some of the latest and greatest tools for SQL Server.
  • Speaking of vendors, I shipped home two huge boxes of free stuff, most of it from Quest, Idera, and Red Gate.  My shipping costs were $80, so you can imagine the stuff I had.
  • Finally, and I’ll probably return to this in a later post, I met with the Board of Directors of PASS in an intimate session on governance.  It was fascinating, and I’m surprised that more chapter leaders were not there, because we discussed A LOT of issues related to the local chapters, and how PASS runs itself.  I don’t think that any particular goals were met, but I do believe that the following is true:
    • Change is coming for the local chapters; the PASS board is going to try to do more to connect with the local chapter, but will want more from the local chapter as well.  Think of it as having more concrete discussions about how the local community uses SQL Server, and what niche can PASS fill.
    • Steve Jones asked a series of great questions, including: “What have you done for me?”  He wanted the Board to be able to be more transparent, and expose their accomplishments beyond their individual audiences (for example, Greg Low’s work with the chapters should be available to those who are not chapter leaders).
    • More to come.
  • The day finally wrapped with an afterparty at a local arcade, hosted by Microsoft.  Lots of fun, but I was exhausted.

Gotta run; day 3 will be a blast.

PASS Summit Day 1.5

So this is the first official day of Summit, but since I got here in the middle of the day yesterday, I’m cramming a brief post in combining yesterday and today.  I could sum up the experience in one word:

Awesome.

I have met SO many people face to face that I normally follow on twitter and other social tools, and it’s been amazing to sit and chat with other SQL geeks.  I ended up buying the DVD set today because I had too many sessions to attend, and too many people to chat with.  It’s truly inspiring to hang out with a bunch of intelligent people who are really passionate about what they do.

Highlights:

  • Pinal Dave stole my pen.  Well, he actually borrowed it to fill out his sqlbingo card, and then forgot it.  It’s OK, because I know if I make him feel guilty, he’ll fly back to the States from India to bring it to me.  And I could make him speak at our newsgroup.
  • SQLBingo has not taken off as well as I had hoped, but it’s going OK.  They’re drawing the first two winners tomorrow morning, and I hope to pitch it harder tomorrow.  I forget that just because I’m a social person, not everyone else is.
  • I learned some new stuff at Michelle Ufford’s presentation on VLDB’s.  Need to check things when I get back in the office to see if they’ll help some performance issues.
  • Met Patrick Leblanc, Tim Mitchell, Lori Edwards, Jeff Rush, etc., etc.,etc…
  • Met Remus Rusanu today after Brent Ozar’s session, and was told by him that he liked some of my responses on StackOverflow.  That really made my day, because he gives some great advice on that website.
  • Kevin Kline gave me AND the user group autographed copies of his latest book.
  • MidnightDBA gave me free stuff.

LetDowns:

  • I didn’t win any blogging awards.  More incentive to keep working at it.
  • I realized I should have submitted something to present.  Paul Waters and I made a pact to come up with 3 submission ideas for next year.

OK, I’m officially out of steam.  More to do tomorrow.