Blogging is FUN!

the ubiquitous resolution post…

Obviously, with the start of the New Year, there will be a flood of posts on the blogosphere regarding resolutions to change bad behaviors and adopt new good ones; why should I be any different?  There’s lots of things I want to change about myself, and I figure I should put them out there and see how I’m doing over the year.  So, with little fanfare, here’s my list of challenges I plan to tackle for 2011 (broken up in to categories and subcategories for easy reference):

 

Professional

Technical Skills

  • I want to learn something new every month.  My goal is to tackle something challenging, and be able to understand the ins and outs of it within 30 days.  For example, I want to finish tackling XML (including XSD’s) in SQL Server.
  • I want to upgrade my certifications by the end of the year; I’ve been dancing around the MCITP exams for a while, and I need to finish them.

Presentation

  • I want to make at least 6 technical presentations by the end of the year; last year, I managed to eke out 8, but given some of the recent changes in my personal life (see below), I think 6 is reasonable.
  • I will blog at least once a month about some technical topic (see the first bullet point under technical skills).

Management

  • I will understand the SCRUM methodology, and learn how to implement it with my team at work.  Although I’m not a team leader, I AM the Senior Database Architect, and I need to code less, and teach more.  This is my year to do so.

 

Personal

Health

  • I’m getting married again this year, and I want to look good for my new wife.  I also want to avoid long-term health issues.  I was losing weight last year (until I started dating), and I want to get back on track.  I’d like to lose 50 lbs by October.
  • I have apnea, and I’ve been horrible about using my CPAP on a regular basis.  I will use it regularly.
  • I need to exercise more, so I will find 20 minutes a day to do SOMETHING, even if it’s just walking around the office for 20 minutes.
  • I will drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.

Spiritual

  • I’ve slacked off in my religious activities; my faith was nourished by church attendance during my divorce, and I need to start growing again.  I will find a new church in the next two months (my old church is too far to drive on a regular basis), and become a regular attendee.
  • I choose to absorb the goodness from people who love me, and I will reject the poison from those who do not.  I will focus on the important things in life (like my kids, and my future bride), and worry less about the unimportant things (like who’s mowing the grass).

Social

  • I will listen more to my children, my family, and my friends.  I will find ways to let them know I love them.
  • I will nurture my own friendships; while I love my fiance’s friends and family, I want to bring more to the table than just me.

Financial

  • My divorce pulled me way off course.  While I’m a long way from being out of debt, I will continue to make strides in that area.  I will pay off at least one credit card ahead of schedule.
  • I will save more; I plan to find ways to cut costs (like taking advantage of coupons, and eating out less).

Anyway, there you have it: my New Year’s resolutions for 2011.  May it be a good year for all.

2011-01-05 by Blogging is FUN! Development Health SQLServerPedia Syndication The Social Web 4

The 12th day of SQL

Dadmas
My Christmas tree is like this post; short, easy to assemble, and a little tacky.

So, at the first FreeCon, a bunch of writers gathered together and talked about stuff. Most of the stuff we talked about was how to be a better technical writer, as well as how to blend our writing skills with our own personal and professional goals.  We dismissed from that conference eager to write, and looking for opportunities to hone our skills; this particular series of posts was born of that collaboration, and I hope that other series will follow.  While I could list out each individual post in the Twelve Days of SQL series, it’s probably more fun to start at the beginning.  You’ll eventually get back to this one, I hope (if you don’t poke out your eyes after seeing David Stein’s Christmas ornament).

Most of the other posts have described their favorite post of the year.  Me?  I wanna go out with a bang, a celebration of those posts that we all rely on but rarely celebrate.  At the heart of the technical blogging community is, well, the technical blog post, and it’s these posts which rarely get attention.  We often celebrate those witty and well crafted posts, but we rarely celebrate the “how to do this” posts.  Sometimes these posts are little more than scripts; sometimes they’re well-crafted opera describing how to do a single thing.

Why do I sing praises of these short-but-sweet articles?  I’ll answer that in the form of a metaphor…

The Ghost of SQL Past

All blogs begin with a first post, and that first post leads to another.  Many of us that are regular (or irregular in my case) bloggers began our blogs with a few scripts and sample code.  Why?  Because it was a useful place to dump content that we wanted to remember.   Some fine examples of this are Aaron Nelson’s early posts on PowerShell and Ken Simpson’s XML to Pivot scripts.  These early works are indicators of great things to come; their blogs are littered with samples and ideas.

But good technical blogs are born not only of coding tricks; writers craft their works by expanding their repertoire beyond scripts and samples, and move on to include their observations of life.  Sometimes these observations are a bit too revealing (as in Brent Ozar’s self-professed love of amphibians); usually they are fascinating insights into the character of a person.  When Andy Leonard comments that Iteration = Maturity, he’s not just talking about software.

The Ghost of SQL Present

In recent days, newer bloggers have carried on the tradition of the technical post, but are finding ways to blend in a sense of community as well (like David Taylor’s exposition on #sqlhelp).   A quirky sense of humor works as well, as in Julie Smith’s opera of concatenation (I won’t spoil it for you, but there may be magic involved).  Successful technical blogs should be both fun to read, as well as provide some insight into how to do something.

The Ghost of SQL Future

Not much to say here, because we’re not there yet.  Hopefully, what I’ll see in the future is an evolution of what we’ve seen so far in the Past and the Present, but I hope that you’re reading this because you want to understand how to be a better blogger.   Technical blogs need technical content, but good technical blogs need a sense of whimsy, a touch of your personal style, and a nod to the community of content out there. Others have far better posts than I on that subject, but the simplest piece of advice I can give you is:

Write.

That’s it.  Write, because when you write, you force yourself to think, and thinking is the strongest tool in the toolbox for a technical person.   Believe me, I’m pointing the finger squarely at myself on this one as well; I have been far too reticent in my writing as of late, and I hope to rectify that shortly.  But back to you; next year, I hope to celebrate your writing in a similar post.  Tell me how to do something; share your experiences, and educate your peers. 

Up Next?  Steve Jones, for the cleanup!

2010-12-24 by Blogging is FUN! SQL SQLServerPedia Syndication 2

Still is still moving to me

I don’t often write posts of a highly personal nature on this blog because I feel like there’s a certain sense of privacy I need to maintain, but as the end of the year draws nigh, I’m feeling a bit reflective.  It’s been a good year; it began a little rocky as I was wrapping up a divorce, but it’s ended on a high note: shortly after my divorce was final, I met an amazing woman.  After 9 months of dating, I asked her to marry me.

It’s been wonderful being in a healthy relationship with someone after having lived through a unhealthy one; my fiancée’ actually LIKES me, and that’s made all the difference.   When I’m with her, I feel good about myself, and when I’m away, I can’t wait to spend time with her (hopefully, that explains my absence from blogging a bit).

However, I have kids with my ex, which means that I can’t completely break away from my past; I love my children, and in order to do what’s best for them, I’ve had to continue holding my tongue and restraining my anger when their mom and I disagree.  I would have thought that I would be a master of that by now, but it continues to be a struggle for me.  Anger is a seductive emotion, in some ways more so than love.  It’s far too easy to dwell on the hurts and pains caused by the other person, and to either lash out in revenge or obsess about the misdeeds of the other.  While both of those reactions are normal, neither of them will feed the spirit for any length of time.  So, I’m writing this post to draw a line in the sand; I refuse to live in the shadow of anger any longer.  I will not dwell on the perceived injustices caused by others, but will instead find ways to enjoy life. 

Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure that I will continue to encounter situations where anger is justified (and I plan on getting angry when those times arise).  However, I refuse to continue looking for those things that offend me; I choose to live my life filled with love and laughter.  Life is too short to waste dwelling in darkness.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year; may your lives be blessed with peace, prosperity, and challenges to grow.

2010-12-23 by Blogging is FUN! The Social Web 1

#sqlsat35 looking ahead to the weekend

This weekend I’ll be traveling to the DFW metropolitan area to attend SQLSaturday #35; I’m very excited about it.  I didn’t know if I’d be able to attend this weekend (had to trade kid time with the ex-wife), so I missed the call for speakers.  I am looking forward to actually attending sessions and bumping into some friends.   If you’re there, look me up; I’ll be wearing my SQLSaturday #41 t-shirt (see this link for a sample).

I’ll be packing a couple of presentations (just in case they have an opening): the Social DBA and my latest discussion on XML in SQL Server 2008.  I was planning on submitting both of them to PASS Summit this year, but I feel a little guilty about the Social DBA one given that I’ve completely slacked off over the last few months.  I keep thinking I’m going to get back on the wagon, but life has been flying by much too fast these days.

Speaking of friends, Dallas is kind of like an old home to me; I grew up in Louisiana, and many of my high school and college buddies wound up in the big D after graduation.  I’m looking forward to crashing on a few couches, having a few beers, and hearing what happened over the last 20 years or so.

2010-05-21 by Blogging is FUN! Conferences PASS SQL Server SQLServerPedia Syndication The Social Web 0

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming…

OK, so I haven’t exactly lived up to my promise to keep blogging on a regular basis despite my personal issues.  Sorry.  I’ve been wasting a lot of time lately, just moping around the house.  It’s funny, when you’re depressed, you have all this time on your hands, all this nervous energy, and yet, you don’t get anything done.  I haven’t even changed light bulbs.  I just sat there in the dark, and watched a lot of tv.  I’ve also been reconnecting with friends on Facebook; even though I had previously canceled my account, I realized that I had recently been in touch with a lot of friends, and they’re a support system.

Today, I realized that I was sitting in a dark house, and I had a ladder and a light bulb.  I decided that I was going to do something productive today, and I changed the damn light bulb.  I also realized that I could write a blog post, and that I needed to commit to doing something productive every day, or I was going to slide slowly into the abyss.

So, here we are, you and me, and this blog post that isn’t going anywhere.  Think of it as a public commitment; I vow to blog at least once every week.  I need to reconnect with people, and this blog had been a great vehicle for that in the past, and it will be one for me again.  So, if you’ve hung around waiting on something to happen… it’s happening.

2010-01-26 by Blogging is FUN! The Social Web 6

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.

2009-11-30 by Blogging is FUN! The Social Web 1

Becoming a better me…

This will be a short post, mainly because I’m in the home stretch for SQLSaturday #25; lots of little stuff to get done between now and Saturday.  However, a few interesting things have been happening lately, and I thought I’d share some of them.

First, Microsoft announced its latest round of MVP’s.  No, I didn’t get one; things haven’t been THAT exciting.  However, I do know a lot of people who were first-time recipients, and that means that even though I don’t contribute nearly as much to the community as they do, I am brushing shoulders with them.   It’s kind of like of being the geek in high school who tutors the quarterback; I’m not cool, but I know people who are. 

Speaking of those people, I had a brief email exchange with one of them to get a feel for how you become an MVP, and he shared with me his list of accomplishments over the last year.  I know that the MVP process is completely subjective, but seeing what this friend of mine did over the last year helped me realize that a) I do a lot for the community in terms of organizing events and making sure that educational opportunities are available, but b) I don’t do enough technical writing and knowledge-sharing to establish myself as a SQL Server expert.  

Do I want to be a MVP?  Well, yes, that would be nice.  It’s always a good thing to be recognized by your peers for contributing to the community.  However, my ultimate goal is to be the best I can be at what I do, and that path just happens to coincide with some of the same stated goals of the MVP program.  If I want to up the ante, and be a rock star, I need to find ways to share knowledge, not just networking skills (and still manage to keep my marriage and family intact), regardless of whether or not those accomplishments are recognized by my peers.

That brings me to my second point; I’m now sharing on StackOverflow.com.  Brent Ozar’s been a long-time advocate for this site, and I finally saw the light.  I like it; the interactive interface is richer than USENET, and the reputation system allows you a way of validating that the advice you’re getting (and giving) is good.  Today is my second day of posting, and I’m already up to a reputation score of 216 (woo-hoo!)

Finally, Brent Ozar, Andy Warren, and Jeremiah Peschka have just announced the PASS Log Reader Awards.  I submitted a couple of entries from my blog for their review, and I’m hoping that I’ll pick up a few readers in the process.  I know a lot of database bloggers started this year, and while this is a competition, I’m hoping it’s more of a motivational experience for me.  I need to write more technical content, and I need inspiration from others to do so.

2009-10-06 by Blogging is FUN! Development SQLServerPedia Syndication The Social Web 3

Leave-A-Comment Day!

  I recently watched the movie Julie and Julia with my wife; even though I was the only male in the audience (seriously), I really enjoyed the film.  It was pretty funny, particularly if you remember who Julia Child was.  Back when I was a kid (before cable TV), we only had 4 channels, and my mom loved watching this super-tall lady with a cleaver cooking on PBS.  Meryl Streep was amazing.

I’m sure that I’m giving nothing away by recapping the basic plot line; the story is about Julie, a middle-class government employee who escapes from life by cooking; she decides to write a blog detailing her experiences working through Julia Child’s classic French cookbook in a year.  The movie correlates events in Julie’s life with similar experiences in Julia’s.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because, as a blogger, there’s a moment in the film where I can completely identify with Julie.  She’s been blogging for a while, and the only comment she had received was from her mother.  She was beginning to question her reason for writing, when she started receiving small gifts from her readers; realizing that “there was someone out there” helped her focus on achieving her goal.

 

Yeah, it’s sappy, and yeah, it’s a dramatization of something that probably isn’t true, but it did make me realize something; I’m a big believer in contributing to the IT community via blogs (and other means).  But a blog needs to be more than a lonely man shouting into cyberspace; at some point, there needs to be a conversation.  So that leads me to today: I, as king of my own little universe, hereby declare that today is “Leave-A-Comment Day!”  Huzzah!

What does this mean?  It means that I will pick at least three blogs today, and join in on the conversation; I will do my best to leave a pithy comment (something more than “thank you” or “oh, wow”).  My goal is to absorb and reflect on the material I encounter, and try to encourage the authors I’ve been stealing ideas from to generate more.

If you wish to encourage me on this quest, leave your own comment below.  Onward!

At what point did I switch from a film about French cooking to Monty Python & the Holy Grail?  Must be an attempt to salvage my testosterone.  Anyway, enjoy the Bridge of Death.

2009-09-17 by Blogging is FUN! SQLServerPedia Syndication The Social Web 6