Steve Jones
2006
OK, it's my site, but since I blog on an almost daily basis, I'm not terribly worried about catching up here. However, 2006 was an interesting year. I sold my company and ended up working for the purchase, Red Gate Software, so I'm doing the same job.
The sale allowed me to complete another item on my life list, the purchase of my dream car, seen below with my boy:
I also ended up completing another item by writing a non-fiction book by myself. Before the sale, I completed "SQL Server 2005 Maintenance Plans" for SQLServerCentral as well as co-authoring another Sybex book, the one for the 70-443 exam.
This was also the year I played adult baseball for the first time. I had a great year, played ok, but enjoyed the summer season tremendously and am looking forward to another season in 2007.
2003
Here I am, not the best of pictures, but worth a smile.
And the one I posted last year where I was getting a haircut.
October 2003
Another update, while I sit on the phone. It seems like that's all that I do these days. Peoplesoft purchased J.D. Edwards this summer. It was a quick sale, 2 months from announcement to closure and a lot of stress. I kept thinking that I was safe from layoffs, but with so little information, it was hard. Finally in early October I was offered the position of manager for the production DBAs.
I accepted and since then I've been on the phone most of my days, rarely actually doing any "work". Quite a change.
SQL Server Central has gone crazy this year. We published a book, which was an interesting exercise. We decided to try it in January and didn't get the books out until September. But it was worth it and it looks great. Interesting and another item off my life list. And another project in the works right now that will be released next month.
May 2003
It's May 2003, and update time. I try to run through these pages once in awhile and update them. I'm no longer Mr. Mom, I found a job nearly a year ago with JD Edwards and love it. Someone the other day said that I'm in a great position with my resume should my dream job come along. I stopped for a minute and now feel that I might be in my dream job.
I've really worked on SQL Server Central and it is really doing well, starting to be profitable. The site has undergone changes and I've started to mark them as "dkranch.net" entries. The kids are growing up and I love it. You can read my daily thoughts on the home page.
Summary
I'm 41 years old right now. At least if my calculator is working. I've been working in the computer industry since 1992, though I've had a computer since I has 12 or 13. I've always enjoyed them and think it's great I can make a living working with them.
Of course books are one of my greatest loves. A few years ago I did some phone survey and they guy asked me what kind of website I would like to create. After a few minutes, I said a site devoted to book reviews. A year or so later, I started the dkranch.net site.
Of course since then it has grown substantially beyond the book reviews, though I still try to keep them up.
It would be nice if this site supported it self, but for now it's fun. I've added the weblog sections as well as slowly started evolving the site and adding sections. Hopefully I'll get back to this at some point and add some more information.
I even wrote a book, at least half of one. It's the Sybex SQL Server 2000 Design Study Guide. Didn't get great reviews from the first half, but the second seemed to go over well and that was what I wrote. I've got my eye set on some other books, but no time or energy to dive into them. Maybe as the kids get older.
I love the outdoors. As a kid I played a ton of baseball and gave it up in high school for martial arts (plus my eyes went bad). In college I picked up running along with rugby and swimming, though the running and swimming were recreational. I did a marathon in college and had dreams of a triathlon. It would be nearly 8 years later that I finally did one. Actually did the Sandman Tri in Virginia Beach two years running. If I hadn't moved to Denver, I think I'd still be doing that one. It's kind of special to me since it's near my birthday. Been on my birthday some years.
Well with 3 kids, I've gotten horribly out of shape in Denver. In 2000 I did run a few races, but in 2001-2002, with the birth of my daughter, I got way out of shape. Barely running at all. Of course, losing my job in 2002 did give me a little time to start working out, so I'm trying to get better.
I love technology. In fact, as I update this, I have been struggling as Mr. Mom. Not because I don't enjoy my kids, but because I can't find time to use my brain. One's asleep and one's eating as I write this, sprinkling in a little code to keep fresh. The thing that bugs me most about watching the kids is not having the time or energy to work on SQL Server Central or a few other pet projects. I did pick up a PHP book and hope to learn a little there with a side project idea a friend and I have.
Training Horses
Blog Maverick
Jonathan Schwartz's Blog
SQL Server Central
ESPN
Slashdot
Joel on Software
Rockler
My Brother
Woodcraft
Weather at the Ranch
Books
