I've done it; I've violated one of the rules I give to people who are interested in blogging: I went dark. It was unintentional, of course, but I'm still guilty nonetheless. The reason? Life's been really busy - both personally and professionally - and I let blogging fall to the bottom of the priority list.

After SQLRally 2011 wrapped up in May I took a self-imposed hiatus to recover and spend time focusing on family and a new role at work. Before I knew it, a few weeks turned into three months, during which I'd managed to publish all of 3 posts. It certainly wasn't for lack of ideas (I actually started a lot of drafts); rather a combination of work, vacation, and family time plus running MagicPASS, speaking at SQLSaturday South Florida, and helping plan SQLSaturday #85 (Sept 24 in Orlando) has just plan kept me busy! While I could have put more effort at night into finishing some of those posts I started, I found it a lot easier to plop down in front of the TV and catch up on the backlog of shows that had accumulated on the DVR.

That takes me up to a week and a half ago...

Who Moved My Cheese?

The aforementioned title (from the bestselling book of the same name) refers to dealing with change, and in this case it's change that's been unexpectedly placed on me. As of last week I'm looking for a new job. (In case you're wondering what happened, I'll keep things succinct and just say it wasn't my choice nor was it related to job performance)

Fortunately the SQL community has been an absolutely fantastic support. I have had numerous people offer words of encouragement, and many others have sent me leads on places that are looking for a new DBA. I've even had people send me short term contract work to help keep things afloat while I figure out where to go next. Words simply cannot express my gratitude. This experience is proof positive for me why it's worth taking the time to build a professional network and to help out other people whenever you can.

The good news? I've got some time to finish up on all those drafts I've started in the last few months. I'm also really looking forward to catching up with friends both old and new at the PASS Summit in Seattle in a few weeks.

Oh, and if you're looking for a DBA, I happen to know someone who is available. 🙂