Thank You All

The Apology

Before I continue I owe everyone an apology.  I’m sure I’ve been absolutely, positively annoying in my near-constant soliciting for votes for #DBAInSpace.  I now am quite assured that I’ll never go into politics because I find it quite difficult to walk the fine line between distributing my message and micromanaging the voting process.  (Well, that and I feel there is some inherent disconnect between kissing hands, shaking babies, and electability.)

The Final Solicitation

That being said, I vow that 36 hours from now I’ll step off the stump and back into my lifts and return you to your regularly scheduled Tim that you’ve grown to know and occasionally consensually love.  Until then, please get out and VOTE with each of your existing email addresses (no creating them just for this event please) today and tomorrow.  

The Recap

It’s been a weird week to say the least (baring the inclusion of the aforementioned potential interstellar mooning.)  Besides the simple fact that I’m one of 15 people that may be leaving this planet temporarily with no formal astronaut training nor a bankroll to pay off the likes of Buzz Aldrin to look the other way I had something even more surreal happen.  I had a reporter for the local news ask to film me “Administering a Database.”  I also managed to parlay a display of my wife’s underwear to everyone in Kalamazoo, including my son Austen’s middle school and other son Trevor’s elementary school without ending up on any sex offenders registry (that I know of).  Furthermore said underwear has been displayed in all parts of the globe where the Internet is widely available (sorry Gary, Indiana).  Furthermore I confirmed in the same exhibit A video that I keep both my dog and my youngest son stored away in luggage.

Even if not elected, I may have solved the problem with the declining circulation numbers for newspapers in this country.  Simply pick one random person per day to write about and you’ll sell at least 10 papers to that person and each family member for the subject of the article including your illiterate cousin with the plan to market Braille condoms for blind people.

I’ve been the topic of morning radio shows, “unscripted” witty TV banter between newscasters, and the brunt of numerous jokes from my friends (so some things don’t change) and it’s been exhausting.

The Future

I’m looking forward to get back to the things I’m passionate about in my free timeSQL Cruise Miami 2012 is about 6 weeks away and I’m busy finalizing the schedule, speaking talent, and the extra-curricular activities for the Cruisers and their guests.  I’ll also be speaking at SQL Saturday 104 in Colorado Springs in January and taking my son Austen with me so he can get his first taste of Western skiing.

There is also this little thing called Christmas coming up and I’ve neglected the normal relaxation and joy that comes this time of year.

The Thanks

I’d like to take the time to thank Red Gate Software for the ingenuity they showed in coming up with the contest.  Originally we all thought them daft for doing this, but they’ve the entire SQL Community buzzing about the event and the publicity they’ve received from non-SQL (and non-tech) sources has been phenomenal I’m sure.  I’d also like to commend those other 14 finalists I’ve been up against.  Great jobs out there in marketing and streaming your message through traditional and no-so-traditional methods.  We DBAs are often categorized and unimaginative bores.  You’ve demonstrated that is not necessarily the case.

Thank you to all that have voted for me.  Soon, it’s onto the waiting, which we all know is the hardest part.