...why some people don't think when they name a new business!?!Now, mind you, I'm of the mind that the name of a business is probably of minimal importance to the long term success of a business. However, there are some names that just defy logic. A good example of that was brought to my attention by my buddy Don McEachern, who's big in the marketing industry. We were talking about local marketing executives and he told me that he'd met many of them 'back in the day' when "Cherry Banger" was big."Beg your pardon???""Uh, that's not a frat-house party song. That was a big marketing firm in … [Read more...]

We had a fun Resurrection Sunday. I picked up the kids from Kelly's apartment and we headed down to church for a great Easter celebration. On the way home, Emily decided to update her look with a little "Gangsta flava" - We all laughed our tails off over Emily's new "grill".Once we got home, the kids started their search for the Easter Bunny's baskets. He brought candy for them all, plus a little gift for each one. Dylan and Emily both got a CD from the Easter Bunny. Anna Lynn and Katie Jo each got a puzzle and a bottle of SPLAT from the Easter Bunny. They were beyond ecstatic! So funny, but … [Read more...]

A friend of my from Quest Software, Andrey Kviatkovsky, was recently walking the Hollywood walk of fame. And this is what he saw:Andrey works in our office in St Petersburg, Russia. He's a great guy and manages our entire Russian SQL Server development team. I hope to someday be able to visit the St Petersburg offices. Naturally, credit goes to the actor Kevin Kline. I'm looking forward to renting the new Pink Panther when it comes available. He did a great French accent in "French Kiss". So I'm sure he's excellent as Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the new Pink Panther movie.Cheers!-Kev … [Read more...]

Just in case you're a glutton for punishment and you're burning with curiousity about what I do for a living, there's now an online review of one of the products that I was the initial designer for.Check it out at:http://www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=sqlserver&seqNum=192Cheers,-Kev … [Read more...]

It was such a beautiful day that I couldn't just hang out around the house, even though I'd have loved to spend all day diggin' in the dirt planting flowers. So what did we do for the day? Well, that requires a bit of backstory. You may have heard me complain about the demise of Opryland. (Yes, I fault Gaylord!) One of our favorite things back in those days was to buy a family season pass to the Opryland theme park. We'd then be free to come and go as much as we wanted over the entire season. But something unexpected happened. Entry into big parks like that is pretty expensive. So under normal … [Read more...]

There's definitely a special connection between dad's & daughters. I treasure every moment with them and love to dote on them. I'm trying very hard to be the best father I can be and what a joy it is. :) Dr. Ken Canfield of the National Center for Fathering has done research and found the top five things daughters want from their fathers:1. Daughters longed to hear their fathers communicate love and encouragement. "The best thing my dad has ever done for me is let me know he loves me." "I wish my father would say, 'I love you.'" "When my dad encourages me, I feel like I can do … [Read more...]

Your 2005 Song IsFeel Good Inc by Gorillaz "Love forever love is free.Let's turn forever you and me."In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.What Hit Song of 2005 Are You? … [Read more...]

It costs a lot of dough for a full-fledged family membership at the YMCA. Now, I've been pretty consistent about using the Y as a place to work out. (Although I haven't gone back yet since spring break ended. It's so hard to get in the habit!)But the kids talked me into going to the YMCA in Donalson over the weekend. That particular Y has the added benefit of a heated indoor pool. I was really surprised that they'd lengthened their hours to 9:15. They used to close around 8:30 which meant that the kids could swim for very long. But they got a nice long round of swimming and fun in.Before the … [Read more...]

Suzi Meehle tagged me with this email, so I thought I'd share it here:I'm not really tagging all y'all, just sharing…Four jobs you have had in your life:1. Busboy at Mr. C's2. Deli-man at Bruno's Grocery Store3. Salesman at Castner Knots4. Software Developer at Nichols Research CorpFour Movies you would watch over and over (in no particular order):1. The Sixth Sense2. The Christmas Story3. Raising Arizona4. Animal HouseFour Places you have lived:1. Auburn, WA2. Barnegat, NJ3. Huntsville, AL4. Hermitage, TNFour TV shows you love to watch:1. My Name is Earl2. Most Extreme Challenge (on Spike … [Read more...]

It funny how, at one time, I loved both the Star Wars movies and the Star Trek TV shows. But my how times have changed.I officially hate all three "young Anakin" Star Wars movies which has in turn caused by opinion to go down on Star Wars overall. (As an aside, Natalie Portman is on my hottie list. So I'd watch the movies again just to see her. BUT I still don't like 'em.) I still love Episode IV - the original Star Wars movie. And I also like "The Empire Strikes Back" quite a lot. Even "Return of the Jedi" is pretty good, if you remove the Ewoks and bar-b-que them on a spit over open … [Read more...]