Reflecting on the Past Year

This year has been a wild ride, to say the least. I’ve been crazy busy and seriously overworked. It wasn’t until I took a breather at Yellowstone that I realized just how much of a whirlwind this year has been. I’m relieved that things are slowing down at work now thanks to change freezes!

Summing Up My Year:

• January/February: The other DBA dropped a retirement bombshell while our boss was on vacation, throwing our on-call routine for a loop.
• June - October: Spent the summer buried in work projects and training the new DBA. On a personal note, I finally got back to the gym with my wife and even started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Also prepped my truck and fifth wheel for a spontaneous trip to Yellowstone – quite an adventure!
• October - Now: Finally catching a breather from the madness – figuratively speaking.

Work and Career Stuff:

• Getting into the DevOps groove for managing databases better.
• Diving headfirst into Puppet for automating SQL tasks.
• Mixing things up with Postgresql and a dash of MySQL to save some cash.

Goals for 2022:

• Going all-in on DevOps and Infrastructure as Code for work.
• Leveling up my Postgresql skills.
• Applying the tech tricks I’ve learned at work to manage my home network. Plus, maybe automate my smart gadgets with Home Assistant.

It’s time to focus on some self-care after a rollercoaster few years.