What Becoming an MVP Meant to Me

I remember in the mid 2000s when I wanted to do enough to be recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Microsoft SQL Server. At that time I saw it as the “next level.” Folks I really respected were being named MVPs, folks I wanted to follow in the footsteps of, so naturally, [...]

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Review: The War of Art

If you look on Amazon, you’ll see that Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art is highly recommended with over 200 5 star reviews (roughly 2/3 of the reviews listed). For part of the book, I’ll agree. For the rest of it, not so much. Let me explain. The book is divided into three distinct parts: [...]

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Where did that DBA go?

Folks who know me know I have two positions: IT pro working primarily these days in Microsoft SQL Server as a database administrator (DBA) Junior high youth pastor and Awana commander During the summer months, junior high schoolers aren’t in school, so my ministry commitments step up. Plus, lately there are some areas I feel [...]

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Tip on Speaking (and Writing) Well – The Key Idea

In the September 2010 issue of Toastmaster magazine there’s a great article by Chris Witt (blog) entitled Not All Ideas Are Created Equal. Here is the gist of what it has to say with my own take on the points Mr. Witt has made: Focus on one idea If you have more ideas, great! Save [...]

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15 Authors (or Poets)

I took this from a long time friend and classmate from the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Michael Martak: Name fifteen authors (poets included) who’ve influenced you and that will always stick with you. Don’t take too long to think about it…list the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 [...]

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The Bucket List

I first saw Brent Ozar’s bucket list, so that’s where this stems from. I thought about it for just a bit, asking myself what I really wanted to see or do before God calls me home. Here’s what I decided: The Absolutely Critical List: I want to know my daughters have accepted Christ. My boys [...]

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Creativity Goals for 2010

I’m evaluating the goals I have for 2010, and I’m breaking them based on a rough area of focus. The first list I really have together is the one of my creative goals for this year. They are: Learn to Sew – I really want to learn how to sew, and sew well, for this [...]

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New Goal: Writing a Non-Technical Book

I do technical writing for SQL Server all the time. Whether I’m writing at SQL Server Central or MSSQLTips, I am always writing. I’ve also had the opportunity to write an eBook and contribute chapters for two print books. I had, once upon a time, embarked on writing a for print technical book on SQL [...]

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Review: The Old Man and the Sea

A few weeks ago I wrote a detailed email that explained a technical problem in great detail. As I was sitting there patting myself on the back, a reply from my manager came. The gist of his reply was, “You wrote paragraphs when a couple of sentences would do.” My email was anything but succint. [...]

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