First came the in-person roadtrip. Two weeks riding the highways from Nashville, TN to Chicago, IL to St. Louis, MO and back. One thousand four hundred miles in a minivan with my wife and four daughters. Eight PASS user groups. Twelve presentations. Over three hundred attendees. Two hundred t-shirts. Eight winners of a license for Plan Explorer PRO. And through it all ... ONE TOILET. SQLVacation, Resources I've gotten lots of requests for the slide decks, the scripts, inquiries about the #SQLVacation contest running through July 31st, and other things to follow-up … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Finale in the Music City – Nashville, TN
June 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment
All good things must come to an end and, after logging almost 1400 miles on the road, the #SQLVacation road trip returns to its home city - Nashville, TN, the "Music City". Eight SQL Server users groups, eight matching blog posts, two hundred t-shirts, and many hundreds of attendees later, it's time to get back home. This is how Kevin feels when getting out of the car after hours of driving with the Horde. Only there's one last catch for this Clark Griswold of an everyman. I have one last session to deliver, Top 10 Things Every SQL Developer Needs to Know, here at the … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Evansville, Indiana
June 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Our long #SQLVacation is nearly at an end because our stop in Evansville, IN is our last roadtrip location for the family and the penultimate (i.e., second to last) technical session of the journey. It's a bittersweet, fersher. Evansville is such a beautiful place that it was name La Belle Riviere ("The Beautiful River") by the early French trappers who were the first Europeans to explore the river valley. Today, the city is the commercial and cultural hub of the "entire tri-state area!". (I can't help but say that in the voice of Dr. Doofenshmirtz from the TV show Phineas and … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation and the Gateway to the West
June 23, 2015 by 1 Comment
The Griswolds had an experience they'll never forget in St. Louis. And we've had ours too, but in a very good way. We'd vacationed in St. Louis two years ago and had a great time. We've seen the sights, gotten the pictures, and have the t-Shirts. I still love to see the big, iconic Gateway Arch though. In fact, I'm pretty much old news in St. Louis having spoken at their SQL Server user group several times over the years. They've set a grueling pace for me at this meeting, asking for 3 out of my 4 roadtrip presentations along with a vendor presentation to talk about SQL Sentry's tools. … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation meets Abraham Lincoln
June 22, 2015 by 1 Comment
In the movie, National Lampoon's Vacation, Clark and Ellen Griswold decide to lead their family, including the kids Rusty and Audrey, on a cross-country expedition from the Chicago area to the Los Angeles amusement park Walley World, touted as "America's Favorite Family Fun Park." Ellen sensibly wants to fly, but Clark wants to bond with his family over the course of a long road trip. Clark: So, this is the ol' homestead. Eddie: Yeah, but I don't know for how long? Bank's been on me like flies on a rib roast. Clark: I know the feeling. Eddie: Enough 'bout my problems. Hell, looks … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from the Miracle Mile, Chicago, IL
June 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Of the hundreds of cities that I've visited around the world, Chicago is one of my favorites. The food. The museums. The architecture. The scenery. It's all good - except for those outrageously cold winters. So I was really excited when my family agreed that they'd enjoy spending their summer vacation in the "Second City" as the midpoint for the #sqlvacation speaking tour. (Don't forget that the contest component of #sqlvacation lasts all summer long. You've got plenty of opportunity to win through July 31st). While I'm working, the Horde will visit Navy Pier, Art … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Downers Grove, IL
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
I've been to Chicagoland many times over the years. During the 1990's, when I worked for Deloitte, I occasionally traveled to the practice office in downtown Chicago or to the tax practice in Deerfield. In the later 1990's and early 2000's (a.k.a. "the aughts"), I frequently traveled to the original offices for PASS on Michigan Avenue. Later on during the aughts through 2012, I often traveled to the Quest Software offices in Naperville. So it's with these thoughts in mind that we make the #SQLVacation drive from Indianapolis to the Chicago Suburban SQL Server user group in Downers Grove, … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Indianapolis, IN
June 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
For some people, Indianapolis means one thing, and one thing only - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (a.k.a "The Brickyard") and the Indianapolis 500. In my case, it means several times speaking at IndyPASS, the local SQL Server User Group, over the last 10 years. I first spoke at IndyPASS with the then head of Microsoft's Business Intelligence product line, Bill Baker. Bill was a big racing fan and, fortuitously, the user group leaders were happy to accommodate his request to speak in time to see the big race. I also got the chance back in 2005-2006 to see a hilarious comedian known as … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Louisville, KY
June 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Along the banks of the mighty Ohio River, in sight of the shores of Indiana, lies beautiful Louisville, KY. Louisville is a place with a strong connection for me. (No, not because I drink bourbon, although that's a pretty good reason to like the place, come to think of it). It's because my brother, five years my senior, earned his graduate degrees in one of the city's fine universities and worked there as an English professor for many years. Whenever I had a spare weekend, I'd load up the family, pop a cassette into the car stereo, and make the ~3 hour trip north to the Bluegrass … [Read more...]
