Mayan Calendar comic from www.bizarrocomics.com
A few weeks ago I had just disembarked from SQLCruise Alaska 2012 and was in a great mood. I decided to head on up to Philadelphia for SQL Saturday #121 to keep learning SQL and to meet up with a couple of cruisers that happened to be presenting there. My wife and I wound up volunteering and meeting even more speakers and even got to hang out afterwards at the after party. We had a blast & any new friendships were made. Little did I know that my world was about to be rocked.
While chatting with Allen White (@SQLRunr | Blog ) I mentioned what a great time I was having and couldn’t wait until my hometown SQL Saturday was scheduled and happening this year. That’s when he told me he heard rumor that DC was not going to have a SQL Saturday this year.
What? Not happening this year, no way. It is one of the best SQL Saturdays I’ve been to. I volunteered last year and I heard nothing of it not happening again this year. I tucked the rumor away, since it was just that, a rumor, and continued to have a good time.
Once I got home I decided to contact Clay McDonald ( @ClaySQL | Blog), the past organizer of the event. I asked him to verify the rumor was false. After a short while I received a response: It is not happening this year, I’m really busy and can’t focus on organizing the event.
I was shocked and slightly disappointed. I really wanted to help out with this year’s SQL Sat. I had the contacts from last year and wanted to help make it the best SQL Sat ever.
Were the Mayans right? was the end of the world going to happen near the end of 2012? Essentially, not having a local SQL Sat felt like the prophecies were coming to be.
Something happened then. I don’t know where it came from. Be it enlightenment from the Mayan gods, or just my striving to promote my new company and to be more active in P.A.S.S.
“Not to step on any toes, but if you are too busy I’ll happily help organize the event” was the message sent in my email response.
What did I just do !?!? Did I just commit to try to organize an event for tons of SQL techies? Sure, I volunteered a few times before, but this is different. This would be making it completely happen. Wow…
Once it sank in what I said I’d do, I owned up to it and vowed to make it happen. I didn’t want anyone else in the local SQL community to have to go through the withdrawal of not having a nearby SQL Saturday to attend.
I have officially taken the reins of the SQL Saturday for D.C. this year and am hoping to secure a date early in December 2012 to host the Washington DC SQL Saturday. I will continue to post about my experience pulling this together and I hope to see you registered (or volunteering!) and coming out and saying Hi!
Take that Mayans! You may have predicted the end of the world, but not the end of SQL Saturday in DC.
*Edit – fixed typo in header