Applied Visual Studio Team System

So....

Work finds me in Guelph (pronounced "Gwelf"), Ontario this fine evening. As I type this, I'm awaiting room service - pasta alfredo with chicken and mushrooms. Yum.

I almost didn't get out of the airport this afternoon. But I learned something very important about Canadian Customs: they don't care one whit for (in my part of Virginia, we'd say "they don't cotton to") Americans coming into their country to work! Who knew? Certainly not moi...

At the airport, I was handed a customs document to fill out. It had a couple checkboxes labeled "Why are you here? Pleasure, Business." I'm here to conduct an SSIS class, so I naturally checked "Business." Wrong answer!

After a bunch more questions: "Who do you work for? Myself. Who hired you? I subcontract for global virtual corporation. How many people work for your company? Just me. What kind of work is it? Training. What kind of training? Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services. And why did they call you to train them on this? I wrote part or this book last summer about it. Where were you on the night of June 21st?"

And the looks kept getting meaner...

I was asked to go sit in a waiting area while they "figured this out." I did. After about five minutes, the official returned to tell me "you are offering specialized training." To which I nodded "yes." "You are free to go," he said.

And go I did.

I went right across the street and rented the last Hertz car on the lot (apparently, if you're he last person to get in line at Hertz, they forego the usual "Which model would you like today?" question...). So, what do you know, I learned a couple new things today!

:{> Andy

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I remember Brian Knight approaching me about contributing to the Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (Wrox, 2006) book. He said something like "Writing is a lot of hard work." He was right.

Remembering my younger, wilder days (I'm older and tamer now) I compare it to a hangover. While you're in the middle of it, you swear you'll never do this again. Time passes, healing the wounds and dimming the memories and you begin to think "That wasn't so bad."

Sooner or later you get another opportunity and you say "Ok!" It's when you start facing that first milestone or deadline that the old memories come flooding back.

But seriously, it's all good.

It's a big honor to even be asked to write. One that I humbly accept and hope to continue for many years.

The reason it's sometimes painful for me is I'm so unorganized. You don't have to take my word for it - ask my lovely bride Christy! Lucky for me, Christy keeps me straight and doesn't complain about my lack of organization skills.

To help me with organizing my time, I bought a book on time management... now if I only I can find the time to read it...

:{> Andy

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In the US, it's the Christmas holiday season. Most of us are able to enjoy this time of year without hesitation or reservation. Many are living at the height of our careers thus far - making more money, enjoying more success and job security and personal stability than ever before. Most, many, but not all.

A few dear friends and family members are dealing with crises of varying proportion this holiday season.

Frank's Dad is recovering from a stroke. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, bro.

Andrew Duthie's wife gave birth to their son eight weeks early. The latest update on this is great news! Congratulations Duthies!

My friend since high school (it's been a while) and best man at my and Christy's wedding is now working a few hours a day after discovering - when he began having uncontrollable seizures on 28 Sep 2006 - he had a brain tumor. It was successfully removed in early October.

My brother Jason is unemployed after several years with a large discount retailer - right here at Christmas.

Why mention the troubled and formerly troubled all together like this? Because I believe those going through difficulty need to know others have trod the path before them and come out of the valley stronger.

There are no guarantees in life - of this I'm certain. Bad things sometime happen to good people.

But the simple fact that others have been there before you can give you hope - and hope is a powerful thing! I know, because I've experienced it.

Not too many years ago I was going through a stressful holiday season. As I stared out the back windows of a little house in the middle of a field - looking at the bare, leafless limbs of the distant forest - I thought/prayed (and maybe even said out loud) "Will it ever be Spring?" The bleakness of the woods matched what I felt inside that day.

God answers prayer. And he answered that one. Spring came to the woods, and returned to my soul as well.

If you're hurting this holiday season, I encourage you to talk to someone, email someone, let somebody know. But if you are religious or so inclined, I encourage you to pray. Those who know me personally know I'm: a) no role model; and b) respectful of other's beliefs. I don't want to get all preachy and I'm not trying to push my religion on you - any more than I try to push SQL Server, SSIS, and TFS experiences and best practices on you.

Some of the folks listed above can already tell you, like me, God answers prayer. And others listed above will be able to tell you that in the future.

Peace.

:{> Andy

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