Voice of the DBA

Tag: syndicated

  • Daily Coping 28 Jun 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 be kind to yourself. Start the week off by doing something for yourself.

    It’s good to do something for yourself. For some of us, we can be busy trying to please our boss, our co-workers, family, neighbors, etc. We forget to take care of ourselves.

    I fall into this trap regularly. Mostly it’s OK, as one of the things that gives me joy is helping others, especially family.

    I am learning to also take time for myself, or do things for myself. One of the things I do regularly to give myself self-case is to go to the gym. It’s a priority in my life, and it sometimes gets in the way of other chores or responsibilities, but my partner and family try to understand.

    I am the main cook in the house, but I sometimes run out of time. In this case, I stopped worrying, went to the gym, and then picked up some takeout for everyone. A bit of cost to the family budget, but something that helped me get through the day.

  • Rejected for a Speaking Submission

    I got a speaking rejection today. Well, not today, but the day I wrote this.

    Not really a big deal, but it was interesting that the event organizer included a note that they had a lot of sessions, hard decisions, etc., and they hope I respect their decision on the schedule.

    I speak, or have spoke, a lot in my career. My speaking CV shows lots of events and sessions across the last decade. I had 20 sessions in 2020, a down year. The years from 2015-2020 have me delivering 197 sessions in those 6 years.

    This isn’t to brag, but show that I have had lots of success submitting to, and getting into many events across time. I’m semi-popular, though I honestly don’t think many people come to my sessions unless they like the topic.

    I don’t take rejections hard. It happens, and I know that my submission has to match up with what the organizers want from the event. Sometimes they might want me to speak because it helps with sponsorship or marketing, but mostly, they want sessions matching their idea of the event.

    I’m fine with that, and I wish them the best of luck with their event. As much as I might want to attend and speak somewhere, I wouldn’t complain because they made a different choice. That’s happened in the past, and it’s disappointing, but fine with me.

    I would love the chance to alter a session or change my submission to meet a conference agenda, but I also know this is asking a lot from organizers to work with speakers. A few of the larger conferences sometimes do this for certain people, but rarely for me.

    It’s hard to be rejected, whether for a speaking slot, a job, a date, a sports team, or anything else. It happens, however, and usually it’s not a personal decision. It’s often that the match isn’t there.

    If you get rejected, accept it, don’t complain, and submit to another event. Don’t get discouraged, but learn from it and move on.

    If you want feedback from submissions, drop me a note on Twitter. Happy to give my thoughts.

  • Daily Coping 25 Jun 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 do something playful today, just for fun.

    I’m actually in Florida today, coaching a volleyball team at the AAU National volleyball tournament. The last one of the season, which is good for me. It’s been fun, but long. I need a break.

    In any case, I’m writing this before I leave, so I’ll be in Florida for a week. Lots of coaching, but there should be some downtime. It’s summer, and hot, so outdoor activities are less fun at times. I do like to swim, but I often do laps.

    However, I’m going to take some time to enjoy the pool. Splash around a little with my wife, hopefully with a cocktail, but definitely just enjoying some water time on a hot summer day.

  • Daily Coping 24 Jun 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 watch something funny and enjoy laughing.

    I love comedy and fun. One of the things I’ve missed most during the pandemic is going to comedy clubs. I’m looking forward to heading out to one sometime this summer and enjoying a night out.

    However, there is a ton of content online in Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. that is funny. I am a fan of silly, stupid comedy shows on TV. During the pandemic, I enjoyed re-watching The Office (US versions) on Netflix. My wife and I love the show, and sometimes have gone back to re-watch episodes. I also re-watched most of Scrubs, though not as much since my wife doesn’t love that one.

    Lately I’ve been enjoying Community, of which the first 2-3 seasons are entertaining. We had watched most of the first 2 again, but when I needed a laugh, I put on Episode 17 of Season 1. It had me laughing out loud.