I’m going to stay with that theme and advertise a new page on the BenchmarkITConsulting.com website: Speaking Schedule to help me “Get My Speak On”

Part of getting “my geek on” is that I want to speak alot more in the upcoming year and hopefully get some events under my belt in preparation for the PASS Summit session submissions for 2012.

I’m going to be working on getting a “Presentation Portfolio” page added soon.  This page will have the abstracts for the presentations that I have ready to go.

I think I may have to get Jason Strate (blog | @StrateSQL) to do one of his “SQL Remix” videos for me (as I’m not much for singing myself hahaha)

If you’d like to chat with me about this or anything else (SQL or other) please leave a comment or hit me up on my Twitter: @ColinStasiuk

After a 1 year hiatus I’ll be back at the PASS Summit this year.

Last year I was in Punta Cana during the Summit for my sister in law’s wedding.  This year I thought I had to miss the Summit AGAIN for another wedding in Punta Cana but PASS was gracious enough to move the Summit to October to accommodate me

I’m looking forward to seeing so many friendly faces that I missed out on seeing last year and catching up with what everyone has been up to.  There look to be some AMAZING sessions this year and I look forward to getting my “geek” on.

If you’re looking for me, chances are I’ll be in an Edmonton Oilers jersey of somekind so if you want to talk SQL (or hockey) come on by and say hi!

If you’d like to chat with me about this or anything else (SQL or other) please leave a comment or hit me up on my Twitter: @ColinStasiuk

I’ve recently started a new contract with Microsoft’s Tier 1 ISV Team and this is my first opportunity to meet the team face to face.  This is also the first time I’m visiting the head office of Microsoft and I’m pretty pumped abou the whole thing.  I’ve dedicated more than a decade of my life to Microsoft SQL Server so it’s about time I go and visit the “mothership”. 

As I’ve mentioned on Twitter in some passing conversations my trip to Redmond this week and my vacation to the Dominican Republic the following week have combined to kibosh my PASS Summit plans for this year   It was just too much to squeeze in this time around. 

I’ll be looking to get my “conference fix” in spring I think at SQL Connections in Orlando March 27th – 30th.  How can you go wrong with a conference co-chaired by two of the elite of the elite SQL folks in the world (Paul Randal and Kimberly Tripp).  If my experience at SQL Connections in Spring is as good and memorable as my Summit experience last year then I’m going to be hitting 2 big conferences a year from now on I think. 

I hope everyone has a great time next week at the Summit and be sure to stop by Bush Gardens and have a Jagermeister for me

Enjoy and follow me on Twitter: @ColinStasiuk

As some of you know my sister-in-law is getting married in the Dominican this November and I’ve been having an inner battle about whether or not the Summit would be in the cards for me in 2010.  After some thought and weighing my options I’ve come to the conclusion that I just can’t miss the Summit.  Well… can’t miss SOME of the Summit I guess.

I’ll be flying into Seattle on the Sunday (Nov 7th) and flying out in the evening on the Wednesday (Nov 10th)… I know I’ll be missing a whole day of sessions on the Thursday (and the post-cons on the Friday) but this is the only way I could make it work.  Lucky for me as the chapter president for EDMPASS I’ll get the DVDs so I can be sure to catch all the Friday sessions I missed… yeah it’s not live but it’s better then not seeing them at all.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been away from work for 2 weeks… I think the last time I took 2 weeks  off was for the birth of my son (4 years ago this August).  That’s how important the Summit is to me professionally and personally.  Last year was my first Summit and I can’t say enough about how great the speakers and SQL community is.  I’ll be attending my first ever pre-con this year (I figured if I’m missng  a whole day on Thursday that I should get in a “deep dive” pre-con session on the Monday).

   + 

November is looking like it’s gonna be a crazy month but it’s a good crazy, quality time with the family (and my first ever ocean… I know… how lame and I? LOL) mixed in with quality time with some of my favorite SQL geeks… look out Seattle @ColinStasiuk is coming back to town…..

Enjoy!!

So as we like to do from time to time at EDMPASS we’re having ourselves a contest.

If you’re not on Twitter this is what you have to do:

1. Join Twitter
2. Add myself @ColinStasiuk  (This is how I’ll know you’re entering the contest)
3. Add 10 or more SQL Server tweeps… here is a list from SQLServerPedia to help get you started or some of the frequent tweeters today are listed below…

• @BrentO – A previous EDMPASS presenter
• @SQLRockstar- Last months EDMPASS preseter
• @BuckWoody
• @SQLAgentMan
• @Peschkaj
• @MrDenny
• @SQLChicken
• @kensimmons
• @Way0utWest
• @Wendy_Dance

This list is nothing more then me scrolling through my SQL Group and grabbing the first 10 people I see… so if you’re not on here sorry LOL

So there you go… you’re entered… easy huh?  Now I’m not going to force you to start a conversation with any of these people but all I ask is that you give it a chance and if you have something to contribute or ask… do so and see what happens

A tip for you as well… install TweetDeck… it’ll make the experience way more enjoyable.

If you ARE already on Twitter

1. Add @ColinStasiuk if you don’t already have me on your list
2. If you already have me on your list DM me asking to be entered
3. Comment on this blog post and tell us a quick story of a positive experience you had with another SQL tweeter

So what’s the prize?

2 Tickets to an upcoming Edmonton Oilers game  – I have a few games to choose from so the winner will be able to pick

Now in order to be eligible for the draw you will have to take part in the Twitter contest and be in attendance for the Dec 16th EDMPASS Meeting with @SQLServerSleuth (hint hint… add him too!!!)

If you’re a BenchmarkITConsulting.com reader (Thanks!!!   ) feel free to share YOUR real good feel good SQL Twitter story as well… (sorry no hockey tickets for you lol)

Enjoy!!

EDMPASS WANTS BUCK WOODY!!!

When talking to Summit attendees the one name that comes up constantly or the one question that comes up is…

“Did you get a chance to see Buck Woody present?”

I did… and it was my first time.  It was the end of the day I believe on the Thursday… I would tell you EXACTLY when but….

Anyways… back to the story… so I go into Buck Woody’s session on Policy Based Management, Data Collector, and Central management Servers and I was pretty tired as it was and the room was cooking but as soon as I walked in the door it was entertainment from start to finish…. and not just entertainment but VERY informative.

I remember back in the days of junior high and high school the teachers that stand out in my mind are the ones that were able to educate the class while adding a bit of fun and their own flavor to the material.  This is Buck Woody. 

We’re all at the Summit, we’re all there to learn, and we’re all excited about SQL Server BUT if you had the pleasure of seeing a Buck Woody session you should know exactly what I mean when I say this guy takes presentations to the next level. 

I heard a rumor on Twitter that if the Summit was NOT in Seattle that there is a chance that Buck Woody might not be able to attend and speak due to the travel costs:

… and this is exactly why I for one DO NOT want to move the Summit out of Seattle.  PASS has come right out and said that if we move the Summit from Seattle that we will NOT be able to take advantage of the all the local Microsoft folks (like Buck Woody).   Now some might say I’m a little biased in my opinion because Seattle is only an hour and 45 minute flight for me… but I would feel the same way if it was in Chicago, New York, or Boston. 

Anyways the goal of this post was 2 things:

1) To spread the good word about a great speaker – Buck Woody

2) To get Buck Woody to speak at EDMPASS

I’ve accomplished #1…. let’s see how I do with #2

Enjoy!!

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/485596432

Please be sure to not only click the “Add to my calendar” but also the “Register” button so that we can plan accordingly for food and drinks. 

Date:  Nov 25th 2009
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: Stanley A. Milner library
Map: 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Meeting Room: 6th Floor – Room 7
Speaker: Thomas LaRock and EDMPASS Summit Attendee Panel
Topic: PASS Summit Panel Discussion

Session Abstract:

Whether you have attended or have not attended a PASS Summit before this meeting is for you.  EDMPASS is presenting a panel of EDMPASS Summit attendees as well as Thomas LaRock (SQL Server MVP and PASS Board of Directors Member).

• Are you wondering what the Summit was like? 
• Do you have questions about specific sessions or speakers, events, etc?
• Do you want details about the Summit in 2010? 
• Do you want to view an example session?
• Do you want a chance to win more crazy awesome SWAG giveaways?

It’s Bring your Boss to EDMPASS Day!

You might already know the value of the PASS Summit but your boss might not and chances are they are the one to approve your training requests.  If you AND your boss register and attend this meeting you both will be entered in a draw for…

Q: What if I am my own boss? (Idependent Consultant)

A:  Bring a SQL friend to EDMPASS to be entered in the draw

We will all be there to share our experiences, stories and to answer any questions you might have.  This is going to be a very casual “round table” style of discussion so we hope everyone can attend and learn more about PASS and the Summit in general.

The Summit (for me) was one of those amazing “lightbulb on” type of weeks for me and I’d love to hear other peoples experiences and to also help get people excited about next years Summit.

Presenter Information:  Thomas LaRock (http://ThomasLaRock.com)

Thomas LaRock is a seasoned IT professional with over a decade of technical and management experience. Currently serving as a database administration manager with ING Investment Management, Thomas has progressed through several roles at ING, including programmer, analyst, and DBA. Prior to ING, he worked at several software and consulting companies, working at customer sites in the United States and abroad. Thomas holds a MS degree in Mathematics from Washington State University and is a member of the Usability Professional’s Association. Thomas is also a member of Quest’s Association of SQL Server Experts, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), and is a SQL Server MVP.

 Agenda:
5:00 pm – Pizza and Socializing
5:30 pm – Sponsor Presentation
5:45 pm – Feature Presentation
7:00 pm – Wrap Up and Draws

If you haven’t signed up already at EDMPASS.com please do so now to receive meeting notifications, news, and updates from EDMPASS.

Hope to see you there.

Enjoy!!

Register before January 15, 2010 and get the special Preview rate of only $995 – 50% off the regular Full Summit fee. This is an investment of less than $85 a month for the best SQL Server and BI training in the world.

I have an upcoming EDMPASS meeting dedicated to talking about the 2009 Summit and making sure everyone knows what an amazing week it is.  So many people refer to the Summit as trying to drink from a firehose and until you experience it for yourself you don’t really ‘get’ it.

Enjoy!!

So as most of you know this was my first Summit experience and I can’t say enough great things about it… it was probably the most busy week of my life and sleep just seemed to get in the way of all the learning and networking.  I can’t even begin to list off all the amazing people I met this past week and what was so great about it was that they were just as pumped to meet me (or at least they pretended really well).

I STRONGLY recommend picking up the Summit DVDs cause even as an attendee some of those sessions were pure #bacon and need to be watched again…. while other sessions (Bob Ward’s Wait Types presentation) seemed (to me anyways) impossible to take it all in with one viewing.

I’ve never felt so welcome by a group of people I had just met and I think Twitter has to be given a shout out for helping break the ice.  There are a few people that I consider to be “SQL Royalty” and having chatted with them before on Twitter definitely made things very comfortable to strike up a conversation and go for drinks with.

The PASS Summit is a no-brainer for me to attend every year now for the rest of my SQL life and if you didn’t get a chance to go this year and you’re not sure if your company will send you next year…. put away a little money each month cause you CANNOT buy better training, networking, or general awesome fantastical fun than the PASS Summit.

A couple nights we hit a local hole in the wall karaoke bar named Busch Gardens… nothing but pure entertainment here hahahaa… where else can you see….

• @PatrickDBA sing Rhinestone Cowboy
• @MrDenny sing Eye of the Tiger
• @StatisticsIO “rickroll” the entire bar with Never Gonna Give You Up
• 30 of your new closest friends singing Bohemian Rhapsody together to close down the bar

FANTASTICAL!!! 

See you all next year… and if I haven’t met you yet…  you’re ALL on my hitlist for 2010

Enjoy!!

Day 2 (Monday) was full of meetings so while it wasn’t the most exciting of days it was very informative and I continued to meet all the tweeps I chat with daily and a bunch of new people (thanks to Don Gabor’s networking session).

In the evening a bunch of us decided to head out to an annual tradition (or so I hear) at the Summit and that is going to the karaoke joint called Busch Gardens… it was like sitting with 30 of my closest friends as everyone had a great time and there are plenty of incriminating photos and videos kicking around

Day 3 for me was what I considered to be REALLY Day 1 as all of the community and spotlight sessions started and I quickly saw why this is THE SQL event of the year.  I’ve been working with SQL Server for 13 years and one of the session I attended on Tuesday made me feel like I was back in year one.  I heard people refer to PASS as trying to drink from a firehose and I get it now… I get it.

I called it an early night last night as I wanted to make sure to keep my energy battery at least at 50% as there are still 3 days to go and I want to continue to do my best to take in as much information as possible.

Missing the family a tonne and had a good chat with @MidnightDBA, @SQLRockstar, and @Wendy_Dance about it which helped alot (thanks guys/gals)… this is my first time being away from my wife and kids EVER and being able to chat about it with some conference/travelling vets helped me out HUGE.

So I’m out for now… time to drink (the knowledge… not the Jaeger lol)

Enjoy!!