Greetings and thanks for dropping by! I have a couple speaking gigs to mention and a real racing gig to discuss and then I’ll leave you to your actual work instead of reading silly blogs.
I was supposed to head to North Carolina next week to present my “New Features and New Speed in SQL Server 2016 (and 2017) Always On Availability Groups” session to TriPASS in Raleigh. I was also going to use the trip to see some Triangle-area friends and some family in the Asheville area as well, but Hurricane Florence has other ideas and so I’ll be delivering the session remotely provided that the meeting still goes on. At this point, while I’m happy to present the session, I’m focused on the health and well being of all my friends and family in the Carolinas. While Florence’s winds have weakened, the forecasted rain looks quite significant and I’m definitely hoping for the best possible outcome there.
Mother Nature willing, I’ll be presenting my “Where Should My Data Live (and Why)?” session to the Atlanta Microsoft Database Forum on October 8th. I’m excited to speak to that group and looking forward to heading to another area where I have family and friends in the vicinity. If you’re Atlanta-based I encourage you to register here. As an aside, my mom lives north of Atlanta and has expressed an interest in seeing an Atlanta United soccer/football match so I’ll probably take her to the match on 10/6 at 3:30. If you’re an Atlanta United supporter I’d be happy to grab a pint with you pre-match. Feel free to comment below or tweet at me (@sqlatspeed) if you’d like.
Finally, I’m excited to talk about the opportunity I have to run a GTA-class Mustang (picture above) at the 2018 OVR Autumn Classic XXXVII at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course October 13-14. If you’re around Central Ohio, let me know if you’d like to come out. I’d be happy to talk you around the circuit and walk you through the car as well. It’s been a while, but I’m happy to be able to live up to my @sqlatspeed Twitter handle. This is an introductory effort to a potential full-season opportunity next year. My sincere thanks to Win Smith Racing for the opportunity and to FGE Professional Sports Analytics for the support to make this happen.
That’s all the traveling news for now, but I’m proud to say I’ll be doing this traveling as a Microsoft Data Platform MVP. I’m honored to be awarded that designation and I’ll do my level best to maintain it and earn it in the coming year. Stay tuned to my blog for updates on the racing efforts (with in-car video) and an update on my recently announced PASS Summit session as well. Bye for now!