Thanks for this editorial. You know, it's funny. A lot of things that I used to see as grumpy in DBAs or in other IT people is actually a lot to be thankful for upon closer inspection. I admire the way that grumpiness really implies a tremendous amount of care and pride in taking care of your stuff, as it were. The perceived negativity usually arises when one spots a potential risk or that someone doesn't appreciate the implications of a seemingly innocuous action. This can start as something one spots in oneself and tries to weed out with increasing frequency in oneself and in everyone else around.
I am thankful for the mentors at SQL Server Central and in my career that have helped me cultivate that protective attitude toward data and servers. Of course I aim to be better at this tomorrow than I am today, but I see that kind of "productive grumpiness" - for lack of a better term - as a sign that the grumpy one is looking out for me.
- webrunner
-------------------
A SQL query walks into a bar and sees two tables. He walks up to them and asks, "Can I join you?"
Ref.: http://tkyte.blogspot.com/2009/02/sql-joke.html