In my upcoming book, Migrating to MariaDB, it follows a fictitious DBA, at a fictitious company, as he goes through the analysis and cost breakdown of a migrating from Oracle to MariaDB.

It goes into great detail in regards to what was needed from a security and audit perspective, a full licensing and cost analysis, how to migrate the data, and some bare bones configuration settings that will get you up and running with MariaDB. Unlike most technical books it tells a story, albeit fictional, but based on some things that I have witnessed throughout my career, both in the tech sector and in my pedagogical pursuits.

It also carries some of my acerbic witticisms in regards to a few items if one pays special attention. One of those items is “widgets”. Throughout my student life there were so many widgets involved with everything that I grew to detest those widgets. They still haunt me to this day!…lol

Anyhow, the widget as well as the book cropped into my thoughts this morning as I sit here drinking my coffee and prepare for a day in the woods. It is my zen. Archery hunting is a test of patience and for someone who struggles with the anomalies of ADD, the mental preparation of sitting motionless in the woods, and actually doing it, is tantamount to a monumental task. Like writing a book.

Sometimes one does not see anything, but its the release of stress and wonderment of watching the woods come alive in the morning, seeing the occasional whitetail that gets the heart pumping a million miles an hour. It is that which draws me to the woods or to fishing. The zen of nature and not having to think about anything, just to exist and let the bullshit of the days just wash away.

This is my secret, this is where my drive and strong worth ethic materializes and gets refreshed. This has been augmented in many ways with the birth of my son. There are always three places I would rather be, with my son always comes first, then its either hunting or fishing. The benefit and the best cases are when I can combine the first and foremost(spending time with my son) along with the other two adventures.

That is what life is about, everything else just gets me to those adventures. Anyone who knows my 5 year old, knows that he is also an adventure as well….

It’s time to make the widgets….