Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • Daily Coping 8 Sep 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

    Today’s tip is to let go of self-criticism and speak kindly to yourself.

    This is hard. Being critical and unsatisfied with how I do things have driven me to work hard and focus. It’s something that I think has been important for my success.

    However. I am working to be realistic in criticism and not “beat” myself up or chastise myself. I’m learning to better accept the choices I make, listen to my mind and body, and accept the choices I make. Often, my self-criticism is something related to a choice or priority, and I need to evaluate it as such.

    I’m also human and flawed. I make mistakes, I offend people, I snap at my wife and kids, and I certainly let emotions take hold of me at times. I’m working to accept mistakes, think about if I’d do something differently, recognize when something isn’t the priority I wish it were, and then move forward.

    Try to stay positive, accountable for mistakes, but working to improve the future, not dwell on the past.

  • Daily Coping 7 Sep 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

    Today’s tip is to notice the things you do well, however small.

    I do often try to do a good job, even if it’s not quick or easy. Lately, around the house I’ve been working to cook different meals, which the family has enjoyed. I’ve also had to do some maintenance on engines, which is simple, but I try to do a good job and managed to avoid spilling oil around as I changed it from a couple ranch vehicles.

    I’ve been keeping on top of scheduling various items at work, trying to get ahead of my deadlines, and make it easier for others that are waiting on me.

    I also managed to set my out of office for all of my recent absences, both for email and slack. That’s not something I’ve typically been good at, so I’m proud that I’m getting better.

  • Daily Coping 6 Sep 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

    Today’s tip is to find time for self-care. It’s not selfish, it’s essential.

    I tend to put myself out for others, especially my family. I’ve been trying during the last year to take care of myself, which isn’t to be selfish, but to remember that there are times that I need a break, I need a change, I need peace, I need to listen to my body and mind.

    I’ve done this a few times, not by doing something, but by not doing something. I was working on chores over the weekend, and didn’t get everything I wanted done, but I stopped at some point to give my body a break. I also had to tell myself in my mind that it was OK that I didn’t get everything done. I hadn’t cut the rear grass, so I let it go.

    I did take a break from work on Tuesday morning for the 30 minutes it took to cut it.

    I also cancelled a couple yoga classes in the last few weeks. I’ve been a bit busy, sore, and stressed, and while I enjoy yoga, I can do some at home. I’m a little easier on my body at home, I move slower, I don’t drive, and it’s relaxing.

  • A Shrinking Window and a Build Change

    This is part of a series that covers my experience with a Tesla Model Y.

    Last week I wrote about the date slippage in the delivery timeframe for my Tesla. The original date window that had actual dates was Aug 14-Sep 3. That’s slipped, but not as much as I noted last week. As I returned from vacation, I got a notice that the window was set for Sep 7-9. What’s more, I had a VIN assigned, so I’m guessing the car is in, or near production. My guess it got built sometime this week (Aug 30-Sep3) and then dropped on a truck to arrive in Denver.

    That means from the earliest date, I’m slipped about three weeks and from the last date of that window, I’ve slipped a week. Not bad, and I’m definitely excited. The only downside is that I may be out of town on the 8th/9th, so I may have to schedule the pickup for Sep 13/14.

    A couple days later, I saw the date move again: Sep 2-Sep 8, so the car was definitely built and scheduled in some way to make it’s way from CA to CO.

    Then on Sept 1, I got an email saying that I could schedule the pickup. This was an automated tool, which only allowed me to schedule the 10th or 11th. Not the 9th, and not even the 13th.

    Strange.

    I reached out to the local Tesla store and told them I had a trip scheduled for those days. They ended up saying they do think the car will be there the 7th, and we scheduled a late afternoon pickup for that day.

    Less than a week now.

    The other item that changed was a notice when I signed in to check the date at the end of August. I got the statement that radar was being removed from this evolution of the car, which I’d see in the news. All of the Model 3/Ys built in late Q2 or Q3 (or most of them) would not have radar. A little disconcerting, but what do I know about the science of a self-driving, or assisted driving car.

    I had to agree this was OK, which I’m assuming means that my car got dropped into the official build queue when I clicked that.

    So far, I don’t know that I think about this, but I’ll see how the car drives and reacts in my care. To me, I’m mostly worried about tracking cars around me and deer/wildlife out in the country. I’m not expecting or looking for full self driving, nor do I plan on adding that for the time being. If I take road trips, I might try out the monthly subscription and see, but for now, I’m really looking to just enjoy the acceleration when I need it and the cool features of driving a big computer around.