Reinventing yourself

If there's one thing I've managed to develop throughout my professional life, it's my ability to adjust to my environment.  I've practically made a career out of it.  It's an ability that has managed to keep me sane in tough situations, not to mention that it has enabled me to extend my shelf life long …

SQL Saturday #638, Philadelphia

This coming Saturday, June 3, I will be speaking at SQL Saturday #638, Philadelphia (okay, it's actually in a town called Whitpain Township, not Philadelphia, but that's what they call the event, so...)! I will be giving the following two presentations: Tech Writing for Techies: A Primer -- Documentation is one of the most critical, yet …

Throwing out memories

Yesterday, I got into a conversation with someone about getting rid of stuff.  (I have no idea how we got into that conversation.)  I told her that I was a self-admitted pack rat, and (like many other people, I'm sure) I had a tough time with getting rid of things.  How many of you have …

Keeping up — revisited

(Source: dilbert.com) At SQL Saturday #615, I had the pleasure of sitting through a session by Eugene Meidinger titled "Drinking From the Firehose: a Guide to Keeping Up with Technology."  His presentation brought to mind my earlier 'blog article about struggling to keep up with technology, and he also mentioned a few things that didn't occur …

One year

One year ago today, I started my 'blog.  Happy anniversary to me!

Free agency

Well, after posting an article only a month ago about losing a job, I am now in that position myself.  I was officially dismissed from my position this afternoon. Yes, I am, admittedly, a little down, but at the same time, I also feel a measure of freedom -- the type where I feel like …

Don’t be afraid to screw up

"If you’re not making mistakes, you're not trying." -- Wynton Marsalis "I get knocked down, but I get up again; you're never gonna keep me down..." -- Chumbawamba "You're only human; you're allowed to make your share of mistakes..." -- Billy Joel "It's not how we fall.  It's how we get back up again." -- …