Blends With Savanna Grasses

2011-12-02T08:50:00.001-06:00

Heading to H'ville to check on my dad and hospice situation. Say a prayer for me...

2011-11-29T15:51:00.001-06:00

RT @sqlmag: When do I want to look at IOPs vs Mbytes per second? by @mrdenny http://bit.ly/uDiYVh dba sqlserver IOTuning sqlservermag

2011-11-29T15:50:00.001-06:00

Looking for a simple, effective way to get training on Microsoft’s Cloud technologies? Microsoft Virtual Academy! bit.ly/ttrMVA azure cloud

2011-11-29T15:46:00.001-06:00

Incredibly Painful SQL Server Backup & Recovery Mistakes, and how to Avoid Them this Thursday. Plus an iPad giveaway! http://bit.ly/rHhyfc

2011-11-24T11:06:00.001-06:00

A very happy birthday to Jeremiah Peschka (@peschkaj)! sqlpeople

2011-11-22T13:02:00.001-06:00

Happy belated birthday to Dr. Greg Low of @SQLDownUnder! SQLPeople

Halloween Hobos and Highnesses

2011-11-18T08:42:00.001-06:00

No one would be surprised if your little daughters wanted to dress up as princesses for Halloween. Here are our two little "Her Royal Highnesses":

Honestly, I think Katie (above upper) and Ava (above lower) just wanted an excuse to put on tons of make-up and to do their hair. Savannah kindly photo-bombed Ava in all of her glamours glory. The older girls decided to go in the exact opposite direction of the glamour of pageant princess and settled on HOBOS.

Savannah (above top) is channeling more of the "unwashed hippy" vibe. Kaylee and Rebecca (above middle) are making their panhandler signs. Kaylee (above bottom) is bringin' the hobo-chic. All she needs now is a little unwashed funk to perfect her image. I doubt that she got a lot of takers on her "free hugs" offer.

Typical for Anna (above), she was barely getting started on her Hitalia costume with the little hair flip when everyone else was practically finished.

Rachel Rocks Amsterday

2011-11-17T16:54:00.000-06:00

Here we are about to cross into the Leidseplein, the "Lights Square", of Amsterdam - one of the first parts of town to get electrified in the 19th century. We're on our way to see the Rijksmuseum, where all the great art of the Dutch Golden Age is housed.

Anna's Biggest Latte Ever!

2011-11-17T16:43:00.000-06:00

She's guzzling the coffee now. At least it's sweet and creamy. :^)

Anna Sings With The Honor Choir

2011-11-17T10:48:00.001-06:00

My lovely Anna is singing on the front row on the far righthand side.

Gandhi's Seven Social Sins

2011-10-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

In light of the 99% and "Occupy Wall Street" movements, the Great Recession, historic levels of partisan rancour, terrorism, environmental havok, and continuous global warfare, I am reminded of the great Mahatma Gandhi in "Young India", 1925, and his Seven Social Sins.

Who can point to a list of social sins better than this:

Politics without principles
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Worship without sacrifice

It seems like our society and our daily news broadcasts depict a nation whose actions can ONLY be described in light of this list.

This sort of wisdom reminds me to be humble, and to seek the greater good for myself and my community, at each new opportunity.

What does this list make you think of?

-Kev

2011-10-19T10:03:00.001-05:00

Join me and Jason Hall for the free webcast "Managing SQL Server in a Virtual Environment", Thur, Oct 19, 11:00 ET. http://ping.fm/QDuMq

2011-10-12T19:47:00.001-05:00

Heading back to the SQLPASS Summit. Praying that my head won't 'esplode from the awesomeness.

2011-10-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

Enjoying the PASS Summit keynote with Ted Kummert speaking on the new SQL Server release, now called "SQL Server 2012".

2011-10-10T10:20:00.001-05:00

Wearing my SQL Server 7.0/2000 polo at Microsoft today. Let's see who notices.

2011-09-12T08:42:00.001-05:00

Join me and Buck at 10:00 AM CST for a discussion on Microsoft's vision for cloud computing: http://ping.fm/mjjoB

2011-09-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

Do you do any data modeling? Check out the free beta of Toad Data Modeler: http://ping.fm/dLqQi

2011-09-08T08:55:00.001-05:00

Interested in cloud computing? Join me and Scott Klein at 10 CST today for a free webcast on Azure: http://ping.fm/MK7sW

2011-09-08T08:49:00.001-05:00

My buddy @BuckWoody and I throw down on Azure next Monday: http://ping.fm/6OJXo

2011-09-01T11:05:00.001-05:00

My latest article in Database Trends magazine, "The Changing State of Hardware" specifically SSD: http://ping.fm/L6Jn6

2011-08-27T07:50:00.001-05:00

Enjoyed a couple days in Omaha and now at SQLSaturday at UNO.

2011-08-24T10:14:00.001-05:00

If you live in Nashville and want a free, full day of SQL Server Denali training then check out http://ping.fm/U2eEN

2011-08-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

Join me and Louis Davidson (@drsql) free webcast tomorrow for "How Database Design Affects Performance": http://ping.fm/9Yiue

Ol'Blue

2011-08-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

I've had many years of good service out of Ol'Blue and a few years of so-so service. He's a 1966 model, just like me, and it takes a bit of maintenance to keep an old truck like this in good working condition. I put a lot of work into him myself and, if I had the necessary skills, would keep working on him for decades to come. The problem is that I -DON'T- have all of the skills I need to keep it going. I can change break pads, rewire some simple electronics, and change out a gasket or two, but I can't rebuild an engine or troubleshoot an air conditioner. And I can't afford to take him to the mechanic every single time he needs some work.

On top of that, I need funds to put the older kids through college. So, as much as it greaves me to do it, I'm going to put Ol'Blue up for sale. I hope to get about $7000 for him, though I put quite a bit more into him than that over all of the years. On the other hand, he still turns heads and, when you compare him to a new truck, he's cost me only a 1/3 to 1/4 of what a decent new truck would cost. Heck, some guys spend more than $50 grand on a new truck! He's going to make someone very happy - someone with more time and disposable income than me.

You've served me well, Ol'Blue. Fly! Be free!

2011-08-12T09:29:00.001-05:00

Traveling to Huntsville to take care of some urgent medical issues with my Dad.

2011-08-01T09:57:00.001-05:00

New Political Rule: If we ever face budget default, Congress & staffers should not get paid until the issue is resolve. http://ping.fm/mn0zu

2011-07-22T19:44:00.001-05:00

Surgery recovery is going ok. But why do I have Montgomery Burns' head grafted on to my shoulder?

They Look Like the Clampet Family

2011-07-21T21:41:00.000-05:00

You... must... see... Rock City! Aaaagh....

2011-07-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

And his final words were... [refer to title].

Quietly, in the night, a fort is built

2011-07-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

The girls love building forts. The only problem is that they use anything and everything close at hand.

So, we awoke one morning to find that they'd built a fort out of furniture and the blankets we keep on the couch. And, on top of that, they spent the night in the fort.

Too cute!

Family Time at Graduation

2011-07-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

Extra credit if you can find Emily in there!

We had a great visit with Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Chuck. They stayed with us for two weeks and we all had a great time.

Cedar Creek Fun

2011-07-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

Katie and Ava managed to have a good time at Cedar Creek rec area, despite the millions of cycadas droning like a helicopter.

Katie's End of the Year School Bash

2011-07-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

While Katie had an absolute ball, I got the worst sunburn I'd had in years. Isn't she cute?!?

Easter Egg Quest

2011-07-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Emily Turns 18

2011-07-09T13:02:00.002-05:00

At first, she was all "I don't need no schoolin'!" But that didn't last long.

And then she was all, "I wanna be just like my dad!" But that didn't last long.

And then she was all, "I'm the biggest girl, so I'm the boss of you!" But that didn't last long.

And then she was like, "Look out world, here I come!" And THAT did last a long, long time.

Togetherness Is Always Special

2011-06-28T16:05:00.004-05:00

I always enjoy getting to spend time with Ray. It's really rather ironic that although I work from home, it still sort'a feels like a job. We get to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. We have coffee in the morning together. But once the work starts, it feels like separation.

I wonder if the old farmers in the field with the farm wives in the kitchen felt that way about their work? When the ol' farm wives looked up from their sink of dishes, which they had to wash by hand, out to the north forty and see their husbands behind a horse drawn plow, did they smile? Did they feel reconnected and reinforced?

I hear lots of people talk about getting lost in their work and completely losing track of time. I've experienced that once or twice, but it's rare. And it's usually under stress. So that means that a sense of timelessness in work also carries a pretty big negative connotation for me.

Still, the fact that we're together a lot is wonderful. And then when we're able to be together and NOT have to worry about work means a really magical experience is at hand. :^)

Anna Gets Baptised

2011-06-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

Of all the things a Christian father wishes and strives to achieve for his children, a strong spiritual foundation is first and foremost. From that foundation, it seems like most every other good thing can flow.

Anna appears in this video about 1/2 way through.

Picnic, Baptism & Hail Storm of June 2011 from Friendship Community Church on Vimeo.

2011-05-11T05:23:00.001-05:00

Polishing some slides before b'fast with @LadyRuna and the SQLRally!

Katie at Five Months Old

2011-05-10T12:50:00.001-05:00

She's slobbery and cute. No, not right now. This video is from January 2002. She also tries to yank out Emily's hair at about 1 minute before the end of the video. LOLs ensue.

2011-05-05T13:54:00.001-05:00

Great article by @moosemarketer @QuestSoftware on Amazon Outage and what it means for enterprises looking at cloud: http://bit.ly/mv0p2R

Happy Birthday, Anna - 2002

2011-05-02T17:00:00.001-05:00

She's already a beautiful singer at 2.5 years old. She just can't remember the words. LOL

SQLBits8 in Brighton, UK

2011-04-19T12:40:00.000-05:00

Look ma! I'm on YouTube again.

2011-04-12T01:38:00.001-05:00

Looking forward to seeing my Deutschland friends in Koln today. Details for the event are at http://ping.fm/2c2sZ

2011-03-30T09:16:00.001-05:00

SQL Server auditing slides and recording now available at http://ping.fm/BK9yp

2011-03-28T06:46:00.001-05:00

So much travel ahead. After sqlsat 63 in Dallas, I've got two weeks in Europe >> SQLBits >> Dublin >> Cologne >> Malmo.

Yummy Carbs, Evil Carbs

2011-02-08T18:58:00.001-06:00

I've felt rather blessed in terms of not struggling too much with my weight. On the other hand, I want to hit a new level of physical fitness and so, as a consequence, I've decided to cut back on the carbs.

It's been two weeks now and, with a few minor lapses, I'm getting used to eating low carb. What's really amazing about low carb is how quickly the weight melts away. I'll allow myself the equivalent of four slices of bread (40g), in case I want a couple sandwiches for lunch, in a single day. But most days I actually consume a lot less carbs than that. The only hard part has been giving up ice cream at night before bed. I'm sure that Purity Dairies miss my business. But, otherwise, it's pretty easy. I don't even have a problem skipping the chips at Cinco De Mayo, my favorite Mexican restaurant.

We'll check back in a couple months to report how the weight loss program is going. Cheers!

-Kev

I'm So Happy With You, Daddy

2011-02-08T07:31:00.001-06:00

This is the sort of look I get whenever I ask Katie for a hug or kiss. I hope it gets better when she's a teenager or else I'm done for!

Sometimes They Argue. And Sometimes ...

2011-02-08T07:24:00.001-06:00

...they don't. Yeah, it's like that pretty much all the time. Overall, it's a really positive and really cute relationship.

2011-02-07T07:57:00.001-06:00

Live in the Atlanta area? Join me this Wed evening at the Microsoft office for a session on SQL Server Internals: www.atlantamdf.com

Cheese! Really Fine Cheese!

2011-02-03T18:47:00.001-06:00

Rachel and I both love certain kinds of fine quality, artisanal cheeses. One of our most favorite is 2-3 yr aged gouda. It's bizarre and probably not for everyone. But neither is crack and look how some people love that stuff.

Anyway, I was at a hoity-toity party given by a huge corporation with very deep pockets. So imagine my surprise when I saw them serving up all-you-can-eat fine cheeses that run $10-14/lb. Wow! I ate all I could stand and then, for good measure, had to send Rachel a picture. Tee hee.

The aged gouda is on the top tier of the serving tray.

Legos!

2011-02-02T08:37:00.001-06:00

This gigantic Lego castle was a fun little project that the girls and I tackled on a cold winter night. The girls didn't even realize you could do stuff like this with Legos. Shame on me for not showing them earlier.

The bad news is that Dylan took all of the Legos over to his apartment. So we can't do another project until I buy a whole new set of Legos -- which I think I'll do very soon!

Pikey Does His Thing

2011-02-02T08:13:00.001-06:00

I never suspected that I could be a cat person. But this little guy, who was dragged in from the wild by Katie as a infant kitten, has changed my mind. It's no secret that cats are not simply small dogs. They're behavior is completely different. But he won me over. Maybe it's because he mostly just lays around and naps?

2011-02-01T06:02:00.001-06:00

Want to win a trip to Microsoft TechEd? Check out the INETA Component Code challenge: http://ping.fm/FtbPn

2011-01-30T19:53:00.001-06:00

@BrentO, are you trying to butter me up for some cash? Quite possibly the most flattering words ever spoken about me: http://ping.fm/2EqZp sql sqlcruise

2011-01-27T17:09:00.001-06:00

Just put out a new blog post on consolidated sources for Microsoft content: http://ping.fm/iDSJN

2011-01-27T08:36:00.001-06:00

I'm amazed. The "Voice", James Earl Jones, turned 80. He finds my lack of faith disturbing! http://ping.fm/RhrJr

2011-01-26 - End of 2010

2011-01-27T08:03:00.001-06:00

I put up a bunch of family photos from the holiday season through the end of 2010. If you haven't seen the kids in a while, check it out.

Nailed!

2011-01-27T07:52:00.001-06:00

I take the girls out every year for a little father-daughter time. We usually will blow off school, get lunch, and then I take them for a manicure and acrylic nails.

This year (2010) we went to the wonderful restaurant, Ms Scarlett's Tea Room. Very foo foo, but hey, I'm secure in my masculinity. And, most importantly, they had a ball.

2011-01-27T07:43:00.001-06:00

Join me & fellow database experts Brent Ozar and Iain Kick for High Performance Backup & Recovery webcast: http://bit.ly/gMXIQ2

The Beast, um I mean Truck, is Back!

2011-01-26T15:16:00.004-06:00

So glad to have my truck back! Like me, it's a 1966 model. It was a cowboy cadillac in its day, with AC, automatic transmission, and all the options. It even had safety belts, which the original owner (I'm the 3rd owner) paid $20 extra for.

Rachel has a lot more details on her blog about the ordeal it took to finally get it back. But now that it's home, we'll just pretend that all of those travails never happened.

Some Miscellaneous Pictures

2011-01-26T14:16:00.010-06:00

Yeah, I know. I've been terrible about keeping this up to date. So here are some pictures to catch you up on activities at Kline Manor. So here are some fun things to see, grandma and grandpa, that we've all been up to.

At left, speaking at the PASS cloud computing seminar in Seattle.

I did a huge amount of traveling and speaking at conferences in 2010. It was a good year and all indications point to 2011 being even better. But I'm also trying hard to keep my travel in check and spend lots of time with the kids and with Rachel.

At right, the Chihuly Art Exhibit at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

We've been able to do a LOT of fun things with the kids. Cheekwood is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The Chihuly glass art exhibit was neat and we all enjoyed it. However, the park was really dark in some areas and we saw more than one person turn an ankle in the dark. We even were passed in a crowded stairwell by some EMTs trying to get to a injured woman who tripped in the dark. Can you say "LI-A-BILITY"?!? One of the things that most amazed us that night was, believe it or not, the flashlight application built in to my smartphone - a very awesome HTC EVO.

At left, Ava goes all Jack Sparrow on us.

Halloween was great fun. But because our neighborhood has too much space between the houses, the kids went elsewhere to trick or treat. The kids brought back bucket loads of candy. I think they'd have made themselves sick if they'd eaten even 10% of it in a single evening. Even better - there was so much candy that they didn't even notice I snitched a piece or two. =^)

At right, we celebrate Rachel "Twix" Ramsey's birthday. Yippee, she's 18! And look at that awesome cake my beloved baked for Twix!

Rachel, Dylan's girlfriend of over a year now, turned 18. We luz her very much and had a little cake and ice cream for her.

At left, the choir of Mount Juliet Middle School. Can you find Savannah, Kaylee, and Anna?

The girls did lots of singing and have truly grown in there vocal skills. It's great to see the three of them singing some really challenging songs. I have this "Von Trapp" dream that they'll some day sing as a trio for me ... and the world. Now, if only our school choir directors would get their act together, the shows would be nearly professional quality!

At right, Katie and Anna at the beautiful Radnor Lake park.

I've been carving out more special time with the girls and I think that it's making a difference. Even little things like trips to the heated pool at the YMCA become special when you're totally mindful of the experience and undistracted by all the cares of the world.

At left, I got my favorite "Diablo" character action figure from Dylan as a present. With the beard, I'm starting to channel a little more of the berserker bloodline. Now, where's my chain mail armor!

Emily and dad at lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant.

Emily had a tough fall in 2010, no doubt. But she pulled through and is doing better than ever. I think 2011 is going to be an awesome year for her.

2011-01-24T09:50:00.001-06:00

I'm submitting my abstracts to the SQLBits conference. Spring in the UK! =^)

2011-01-24T06:07:00.001-06:00

Installing SnagIt & Camtasia from TechSmith this morning. Awesome programs! mvpawards

2011-01-19T05:58:00.001-06:00

Great PASS chapter meeting in Naples. Today, customer meetings and the Orlando MagicPASS chapter meeting.

2011-01-10T08:50:00.001-06:00

Fever & chills - check. Body aches - check. Gastric distress - check. Is it the flu or do I just need more cowbell?

2011-01-06T14:04:00.001-06:00

OMG - my new laptop & hardware came in! Thx Quest!

2011-01-05T13:02:00.001-06:00

Do you use Sybase? Then take a look at the free Toad for Sybase beta at http://bit.ly/eyefhS. sql sybase dba

2011-01-05T12:58:00.001-06:00

Now I realize why I accomplished so much yesterday - I didn't read any email after 2:00 pm.

2010-12-31T11:21:00.001-06:00

As an official member of the Procrastinator's Club, here's wishing you a happy 2008!

2010-12-20T12:31:00.001-06:00

Just got my sqlpass 2010 Summit recordings. Yeah!

2010-12-10T14:26:00.001-06:00

I'm featured on the newest RunAsRadio podcast. Download and listen now at http://ping.fm/X9je4

2010-12-09T11:24:00.001-06:00

Lunch with some local Microsoft folks, then an on-line meeting with some Redmond Microsoft folks. Busy day!

2010-12-08T12:09:00.001-06:00

Need to know what happened in your SQL_Server database? Join me tomorrow for a webcast on database auditing: http://bit.ly/gi9KrO sql dba

2010-11-30T10:54:00.001-06:00

Join @peschkaj and me tomorrow for 2 sessions on Azure and cloud at http://ping.fm/xz0ka

2010-11-15T17:01:00.001-06:00

My Biotronics pacemaker keeps my heart rhythm healthy, so I set it to Bassa Nova.

2010-11-12T16:19:00.001-06:00

...And what the heck is a "low-friction API"? I haven't heard too many developers complain about chafing. sqlpass

Cool Green Technology

2010-11-04T13:32:00.001-05:00

Every little bit helps when it comes to alternative energy. Experts are telling us that most alternative energy sources can, by themselves, replace only around 10% of our current carbon-based energy sources. That means we need to do several different things, each providing 8% to 10% of our power needs, which will produce a sizable replacement of fossil fuels in aggregate. This is a cool technology for apartment dwellers in big cities. I could see this going down well in Vancouver, BC where every high-rise seems to be bristling with balconies.

The details on the technology are located at Discovery's web site HERE.

There's a video here:

RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

2010-11-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how RSAnimations turns complex concepts into simple and fun.

Here's just one example:

Unpopular Science - a REALLY cute art page

2010-10-29T06:47:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Dan for sharing this with me! It's really cute and I encourage you to take a look at it. Read it here: http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/unpopular-science/.

For every force, there is an equal and opposite force.

Michael Pollan on Why Modern American Food is Killing Us

2010-10-29T06:44:00.001-05:00

I've been a follower of Michael Pollan ever since his book called the Botany of Desire. I was even more amazed by his next book, The Omnivore's Delimma.

Now, he's got a new and very small book called Food Rules, which in a way is a completely different way to fix America's health and obesity crisis. One of his quotes struck me as especially prescient "I think we need to recognize that cheap food has a very high cost, in terms of health and the environment. That cost is getting paid by other people, by the public health system. That's part of the problem and the disconnect. I think that's where there's a disconnect, between what you pay for a cheap, fast-food meal, and the ultimate price of eating that way."

"That's the worst sentence I've ever heard said!" Stewart exclaimed "Suddenly the health insurers will have an interest in your health, which right now they don't?!?!" Stewart loves the irony, and so do we.

Watch this clip on the Daily Show for a bit of an interview about the book and some of the ideas it contains:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Michael Pollan

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

There's a great story at the New York Times that gives several of the rules from his new book here - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/11/magazine/20091011-foodrules.html.

You can also read another interesting interview at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-pollan/food-rules-a-completely-d_b_410173.html in which he describes some of his rules. These rules are, in many ways, absurdly simple and common sense. And yet, few people follow them - much to their dismay.

30 Bloggers to Watch?

2010-10-29T06:43:00.000-05:00

I found this blog post by Jade Craven to be interesting and insightful. I also thought a few of her choices were a bit surprising, but still valuable. Who'd have thought that Dave Navarro would be a good blogger to follow?

Also, you can now follow all these guys from the one twitter list! Check out Blogger To Watch to easily follow all the people in this post.

I'm curious what you think?

-Kev

Beautiful Girls!

2010-10-28T22:15:00.007-05:00

Look at this two pretty girls. They don't get much more pretty than that, do they? Ava (on the left) do anything to get into a bathing suit. Any excuse will do, even in cold weather. And just in case you're wondering... The girls really love dress up and high heels. So, while they're sometimes a pill to get out the door to church on a sunny Sunday morning, they usually don't mind putting on a nice dress and shoes. Rachel did a nice little SmileBox photo album on the dress-up morning from the photo above on the right here. And yes, Katie (on the right) has a band-aid on her nose.

This photo (above) is from back in the summer time, but worth posting today in the fall. The weather was gorgeous and the lil girls (Ava and Katie, left and center, respectively) were showing me their newest moves from their gymnastics class, mostly cartwheels across the soft grass of our front yard. Anna (far right), and the neighbor's dog Marley, decide watch the exhibition.

Katie has also been on a hair braiding kick. She's been learning lots of new braids and playing with several new hairstyles. She did the braids above by herself without a mirror. That's pretty cool! It makes me smile when I see Katie and Ava interacting. Ava loves her big sisser so much and enjoys playing with her every chance she gets.

I honestly don't know where Rachel got the patience to help her put in those '50's glam-style soft curls (below), but she looks awesome. :^) Rachel also put together a really cute SmileBox photo album of Katie here.

Kaylee and Ava also spent the summer playing Upwards Soccer. I'm really proud of how much progress they've made and how much better they're getting. Here's an action photo of Ava just prior to her kickin' the snot outta d'soccer ball:

Soccer is just one indication that fall is finally here. In the old days, the start of school also meant the start of fall. But now that school starts just a couple days in to August, you have to look for other indicators. For us, it's been Savannah's football games at night (she plays clarinet in the school band) and Kaylee & Ava's soccer games on Saturday morning. I've really enjoyed taking the family to both. Not ironically, I've gotten my worst sunburns of the year at the Saturday morning soccer games. But it's all good! Rachel put together a great photo album here, also including some memorable trips to the Cedar Creek beach on Old Hickory Lake and Ava's ear piercing event.

Fall is also the time when I have to take a LOT of business trips. Overall, it's a big personal sacrifice in an otherwise awesome job. I'll post about those trips soon.

Cheers,

-Kev

2010-10-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

I suspect that rising pressure at both work and at home can be relieved by drilling massive holes in my skull. Where's my auger?

2010-10-21T09:39:00.001-05:00

Join me and Allan Hirt for an in-depth demo of SQL Server high availability technologies in just 20 minutes! http://ping.fm/0XYxt

2010-10-19T10:38:00.001-05:00

Join me in a webcast on indexing strategies for better queries, today at 1:00 pm central: http://ping.fm/dnXOy

2010-10-11T12:14:00.001-05:00

I want to build an FAQ. What's your recommendation? Just a web page? Or is there some good specialized software?

Beards Are More Than a Lot of Long Whiskers

2010-10-06T16:16:00.004-05:00

I had a lot of travel to contend with over the past couple weeks. While travel in and of itself isn't a horrible thing, long trips are very unpleasant. I miss the family to an almost debilitating degree.

A lot of my friends and acquaintances say "Yeah, but you're traveling to really cool places in Europe and all over the world". True indeed. But I'd be equally lonely if I had to drive 2 hours to Chattanooga or fly 9 hours to London. It's loneliness either way, only the accents change.

One of my friends asked why I'd grown out my beard. The picture at left is actually only 1/2 of the beard. I've since grown out a fuller beard.

I'd initially thought that I'd grown out my beard out of either laziness (so I didn't have to shave) or curiosity (to see what it'd look like). But I knew this wasn't completely honest.

But upon deeper reflection, I've grown my beard out to put distance between the Kevin of pre-1994 who was clean shaven, the Kevin of 1994-2005 who wore a goatee and the Kevin of today. Some women change their hair color after a major life transition. She grows up and heads off to college. When she comes home, everyone is surprised to see she's a blond, or a redhead, or whatever.

I can't say that I'll keep it forever. I really don't know. But I'm certain that, after a series of major transitions, the beard is part of my 21st century identity.

2010-10-04T04:48:00.001-05:00

Mortified that technical difficulties crashed my webcast this morning. =^(

2010-10-04T01:40:00.001-05:00

Live in the UK or Europe? Join me this morning in the webcast "Advanced SQL Server Troubleshooting". http://ping.fm/zDvSY

2010-10-03T11:39:00.001-05:00

Heading down Baywater Rd to the Royal Lancaster for some of London's best Thai food. =^)

2010-09-28T02:28:00.001-05:00

Breakfast in Stockholm - just different enough to be weird!

2010-09-26T18:33:00.001-05:00

Live in or near Copenhagen? Join me at noon on Monday, Sept 27th! There will be cookies. http://ping.fm/oiCVS

2010-09-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

Super stoked that @peschkaj is working with me @hillbillytoad at Quest_Software. See his blog at: http://facility9.com/.

2010-09-07T16:12:00.001-05:00

Whirlwind travel ahead - St Louis, sqlbits, 5 cities in Europe, sqlsat58, and more. Whew! http://ping.fm/Tevis

2010-09-07T08:46:00.001-05:00

I took the weekend off from email. Oh the horror that was awaiting this morning!

2010-08-30T07:16:00.001-05:00

Super excited! Signed copy of "Inside SQL Server", from Kalen Delaney, just arrived

2010-08-27T08:45:00.001-05:00

Beautiful and free picture ebooks from NASA, http://bit.ly/5EwKin, where I worked for 3 yrs. X-15 book is the bomb-diggity.

2010-08-26T10:43:00.001-05:00

Looks like I might be speaking at sqlsat58 in Minneapolis, if they accept my lame-o session ideas. ;^)

2010-08-25T16:25:00.001-05:00

Live in or near St Louis, MO? Join me on Sept 14th - http://ping.fm/g306M

2010-08-25T09:28:00.001-05:00

I've had an astronomically busy couple weeks. Now, to tackle the email tidal wave awaiting me. :^P