Tag: life

One of the most prolific and popular authors at Simple Talk has been Phil Factor. He wrote many pieces on all aspects of database work and has probably written more articles on the Redgate Product Learning site than anyone else. He has entertained, informed, and inspired many database professionals in his many years as an author.

Phil, aka Andrew, passed away recently. This was a shock to many of us and a sad day.

Tony Davis introduced me to Phil, whom I always thought of as Andrew, many years ago when I first traveled to Redgate. Tony published a tribute to Andrew on Simple Talk and has many more fond memories of Andrew. If you ever get the chance to meet Tony, ask him for a few.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to get to know Andrew better. He, Tony, and I would often go out for lunch when I was in Cambridge. He came to PASS a few times, and he and I had many discussions about technology and ranch life over the years. Andrew lived on a plot of land similar to mine. We both tended to build, fix, and repair things ourselves, and we often discussed our latest projects.

He also had a love of bluegrass music and wanted to come to Colorado for the Telluride festival. I’m not sure that he ever made it, though I somewhat regret not being more enthusiastic in encouraging him and offering to go with him. That isn’t my style of music, but does it matter?

As I get older, I appreciate the time I get to chat with friends and family. I cherish the opportunities to spend time with others, however long or short. These are the important things in life: the events and conversations. It’s a sad time as Andrew and a few others I’ve known have passed away in a short period of time, but I hold many happy thoughts of the times we’ve spent together.

I hope you remember to appreciate the opportunities you have to spend time with others. And in memory of Andrew, flip through his articles and pick one to read today. There are lots of great ones, and some fun ones, like the SQL Limerick.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

I was chatting with a friend recently about routines and some of the helpful or silly things we do. I mentioned that when I played adult baseball, we often had Sunday morning games and a routine of mine was to drive to town, stop at a 7-11, and get a large cup of coffee and an apple fritter. It was a comforting habit that I still have today, often stopping when I have a morning flight to do the same thing in the way to the airport.

Only in Denver though, not when I’m flying out of other cities and returning home.

At another job, I rode my bike to work. However, I’d drive Monday morning and leave my car at work, taking it home Friday afternoon. In between I’d commute on a bicycle 10-12 miles each way. On Monday, I’d buy a half dozen bagels for the week, which I’d leave in my office. After riding in and showering, I’d toast a bagel and have that with my coffee. It was a nice way to start the day while I scanned email or had a morning meeting.

Apparently, many of my routines revolve around food.

I have other habits, like waking up and checking my email before doing anything else. Not always, but most days I’ll stir, give up on trying to sleep, and scan email from bed to see what is in store for the day. I don’t always get up and go to work, but I can mentally prepare myself for how the workday will go. I’ve often found this helps me ease the way into the day, and I’m less stressed when I’ve broken the question of the day or had some other issue. I am prepared for what I’ll face in the next hour after relaxing with my wife for a bit longer.

Routines not only bring us comfort, but they ground us in the chaos of the real world. Even if we have lost control of our work, with others pressuring us to meet deadlines or fix a broken system, a routine helps us to react calmly and not panic.

Even during security or failure incidents, which can be very stressful, I’d start the issue with a blank notebook page, writing a few known facts down on paper and starting to think forward as to how I’d manage staff. Often this exercise had me making initial decisions about who would work now and who would go home to come back later and relieve people. This was before I knew the scope or details of the problem. Even though I often had to change my plan, having a plan to change gave me comfort.

Think about the repetitive things you do on a daily or weekly basis. Think about the things you do in response to periodic events. What comforting habits do you have that help you get through the day or just bring a smile to your face.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow in the US and it is supposed to be a holiday when we give thanks for our blessings in life. My wife usually has everyone in our family tell what they are thankful for this year. I also see many people posting things they are grateful for during the month of December.

Last month I was lucky enough to have dinner with Bob Ward and we were talking about some of the things we’d seen in travels, often some stressful times for ourselves or others. We’ve seen many people get upset or angry or have some other reaction. Both of us have some empathy for others, recognizing that we don’t really know their history or experiences, and it doesn’t make sense for us to get upset. If we knew those things,  we might better understand the reaction that someone displays to a situation.

Bob used a great phrase, saying that we should “have grace” when dealing with others.

I love that. I know I have stressed days, or grumpy days, or times when I’m not at my best behavior and I’d hope others would understand. I try to do the same for others, and I remind myself to “have grace” now when I see someone dealing with difficult situations.

I hope all of you enjoy the holidays this year, but if not, I hope others have grace when dealing with you. And I hope you remember to have grace with others.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.