When I was fortunate enough to be chosen to speak at #DayofDataBR, and I saw that tickets to New Orleans were quite a bit cheaper, I took the opportunity to fly there first. Louis Armstrong has always been an idol of mine, as I was growing up as a wannabe jazz piano player. I would listen to him along with some of the other influences from that era to understand the style. I’m glad I was able to go to his park and see the buildings and statues there.
Coming from a data conference, I was once again influenced by all the great people in the community. Jason Romans had a lightning talk on Lessons Learned from Blogging, and one of his comments was “write the follow up”, so I am doing so. Thanks to Thomas LeBlanc for organizing, giving me a ride, and also catching up with me. I really appreciated his insight. Thanks to the rest of the organizers and volunteers. I know EXACTLY how challenging organizing and running an event can be… I met the “4th Amigo” from the Red Gate evangelists, Pat Wright and was able to chat with him a little bit about Ingres and Postgres. In no particular order or preference, I saw Tony Wilhelm, Sheila Romans, Joey D’Antoni, Chris Hyde, Jeff Taylor, the other three Amigos, Kellyn, Steve, and Grant, Kevin Feasel, Matt Gordon, Ben Miller. I met Dominick Raimato for the first time in person, and I had good chats with Cleber Rangel and Mou Rakshit. I’m proud to be speaking at the same event as everyone listed, and all of them have influenced me throughout my career.
It’s been a fun year so far, and I’ve really enjoyed getting out and speaking again and seeing old friends and making new ones in the #SQLFamily. I’m looking forward to the next event!
