Planes, Trains, and #SQLFamily

It's my favorite time of year again – Autumn. It gets colder, the days get shorter, leaves change colors, and there's that little annual event called PASS Summit. This year I have even more reasons to love it because I was able to work 2 more events into my trip: SQL Saturday Oregon and [Red Gate's SQL in the City][3] in Seattle. It's going to be an amazing week (which also means I'm going to be running around like crazy)! Here's a partial list of things I'll be up to and places I'll be!

Friday 31 October

Flying to my 2nd favorite place on Earth: Portland, Oregon! (Nothing will ever top the Magic Kingdom for me.) I'll be in town around lunch time, giving me the entire afternoon to get settled, see some sights, and visit the Columbia Store.  If time permits, I may also hit up the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (trains!) to check on SP 4449, the only Southern Pacific GS-4 in existence. Last time I was there, she was being overhauled.

Oh yeah, it's also Halloween. I've never allowed myself to leave Portland without a trip to Voodoo Doughnut, but to not head there on Halloween would be especially sacrelicious. I can never decide which one to get, so I guess I'll just have to buy a box…

Saturday 1 November

SQL Saturday 337 Logo SQL Saturday, Portland style! I'm very fortunate to once again be presenting! I had a wonderful time there two years ago and am looking forward to it again. I'll be giving my talk entitled "VLDBs: Lessons Learned", which is a great collection of tips and tricks I've acquired while spending the last 3.5 years working with databases 20TB and larger.

Sunday 2 November

TIME CHANGE – Yeah, not cool. I love "falling back" when daylight saving time ends, but this time it could seriously mess up my schedule if I forget about it. I'm taking Amtrak to Seattle (see? another train!) and forgetting to reset my clocks means I'll be an hour late. Let's just hope that doesn't happen.

Monday 3 November

SQL in the City

SQL in the City! I had a wonderful time when Red Gate brought SQL in the City to Chicago 2 years ago, and I'm thrilled to be attending another one as a presenter! I'll be giving my presentation on "Passive Security for Hostile Environments", which has proven very popular. Registration is still open, so if you're going to be in Seattle on Monday, sign up and join us!

Another extra-curricular event I never miss is the Networking Dinner, put on each year by Andy Warren (@sqlandy) and Steve Jones (@way0utwest). This year's is at Buffalo Wild Wings from 6-9 pm. It's a wonderful way to meet new people and see plenty of familiar faces as well.

Tuesday 4 November

Tuesday morning's kind of up in the air for me, but I'm certainly not going to sleep in. This sounds like the perfect opportunity to get my fill of Top Pot Doughnuts! I'll also be taking advantage of the discounted certification exam pricing available at summit. 50% off – it's totally worth it!

Alas, there's some official business to take care of – there are meetings for chapter leaders in the afternoon that I'll be attending.

The official PASS Summit Welcome Reception is this evening as well, with great opportunities for networking!

Wednesday 5 November

Nothing gets the blood flowing like an early morning run (or walk)! Join us for an early morning #sqlrun / #sqlwalk, organized by Jes Borland (@grrl_geek).

I'm very fortunate to be presenting on Wednesday – I'll be taking part in a panel debate on how to interview a DBA with Jen McCown (@JenniferMcCown), Sean McCown (@KenpoDBA), Adam Machanic (@AdamMachanic), and Michelle Ufford (@sqlfool) at 1:30pm in room 401. It's going to be awesome – hope to see you there!

I haven't completed my schedule of sessions I'll be attending yet, but there are a few that I'll be sure not to miss. One of them is Bob Ward's (@bobwardms) annual half-day brain-melter session. This year's is on SQL Server I/O. Should be awesome!

Wednesday night is the Exhibitor Reception – be sure to stop and talk with the exhibitors and sponsors that make this (and so many other) events possible!

The highlight of the evening will undoubtedly be #SQLKaraoke at the Hard Rock Cafe, sponsored by Pragmatic Works. It was a blast last time – can't wait to do it again!

Thursday 6 November

On Thursday, skip the normal lunch and head to the Women in Technology Luncheon!

Thursday is also #sqlkilt day! As far as I can tell, kilt day has it's origins back in 2009, but it's grown to be quite the event. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest in traditional Scottish fashion!

Thursday evening is the Community Appreciation Party, held at Seattle's EMP Museum.

Friday 7 November

Another day of amazing sessions, and then I'll be taking the train back to the airport to head home. So long, Seattle – hope to see you next year!

Sunday 9 November

This isn't related, but I'll add it anyway. In my immense wisdom I signed up to run a half-marathon the day after I return home from a week where 3 hours of sleep is considered a good amount. I'm sure I'll be in top shape for running!

What a week it's going to be! Can't wait to see as many of you as possible!