As an infrastructure type person, I typically represent a "shared" resource. What that means is I'm not dedicated to just one project, but am usually working multiple projects at any one time. I have been a "dedicated" resource, even as an infrastructure type, but lately that's been very, very rare.… Read more

Steve Jones wrote an editorial yesterday called The Poor Soul. It talked about being thrown into a responsibility one didn't have experience at and Steve's take was, "Make sure your resume is ready if the worst happens, but then dive in and get the job done." No pouting, no… Read more

Yes, this is absolutely a shameless post for self-promotion. However, since potential attendees get to offer input into what sessions they want to see at the Summit, you all play a big part in whether one of my sessions gets selected or not. The easiest way to do it?… Read more

Inevitably, even if we work for ourselves, we get frustrated with our workplace. This is true of all aspects of life, but since we spend so much time at work, it is an area where we tend to see a lot of frustration. I used to get worked up over… Read more

A little over a week ago I roughed up my back moving sound equipment after a ministry event. I have tried to take it easy, but truth be told, I've not rested it like I should have. There's always so much going on that "resting" is usually not an option… Read more

I am excited about the SQL Rally event that's coming up next week. However, I won't be there. I've been asked several times, so I figured a simple blog post for those reading my blog (or the SSC blogs) would serve as a simple notification. I have ministry commitments that… Read more

Following Andy Leonard's (blog | twitter) footsteps, here are my PASS Summit submissions. I decided to go a little different this year and included two professional development abstracts, as that's where my interest has been strongly focused the last six months or so.

From the Ramparts:… Read more

I have a love/hate relationship with Outlook. It's the required email client at work and because it interfaces with so much of what we do, it's pretty much essential. However, it consumes a lot of overhead for a mail client, and at times it can be finicky in its behavior.… Read more

In January 2009, I made the transition back to being a senior DBA. One of the first things my manager pointed out to me was that I needed to improve my email writing. His main beefs:

• I took too long getting to my point.
• I sometimes forgot about the target…

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If you read the experts, most folks check their emails too many times during the day. Today, while giving a presentation on Intro to Networks and Networking Protocols, I talked about the fact that we had instant messaging (IM) available and that email should not be seen as the… Read more