Hey there, folks! Bet you thought you’d never hear from me again, huh? Guess what? You’re wrong! If you remember the good ol’ days when I was a modest player in the UK SQL Server community, well, it’s about time for a fun update on my grand adventures.

So, what’s been up with me? Glad you asked! For quite a while now, I’ve been doing the .NET dev thing, leading a bunch of talented teams, taming the fiercest of operational beasts, and honing my leadership skills. And where’s all this landed me? A super awesome role as the VP of Engineering at Evora Global, a kick-ass company that’s smashing it in the world of ESG.

I know, right? A world away from Wonga, Betway, and Sportradar – companies that would make my dear mom shudder. But hey, I’ve turned to the bright side now, stepping into the environmental and sustainability game. Every bit counts, right? Even if my part seems small, I’m stoked to be doing my bit for the planet.

Oh, and guess what else is new? After a divorce, I’ve hitched my wagon to the phenomenal Duena Blomstrom. We’ve set up shop along the beautiful Kent coast – picture this – morning coffee with the Channel in view. And guess what? We’re launching a podcast “People And Tech”. Can’t wait to share our chatter with y’all. Spoiler alert: I’m totally the Stan Laurel to her Oliver Hardy.

As for what you can expect from this blog? Well, I’m gonna be toning down the tech talk, but if you’re itching for a trip down memory lane, SQL Server Central still has some of my earlier posts. And yeah, I occasionally give TSQL Smells a bit of love. And who knows? If you guys want it, I might even whip up some updates for VS2022 / VS code.

With all these changes in my life, I’ve been really shaping my thoughts on what makes good software and the rockstar developers who make it happen.

I’ll leave you with this golden nugget – the number 1 rule of debugging I picked up some 30 years ago. Think of it like the developers’ Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Don’t touch anything until you can answer these four crucial questions:

What’s it doing?
What’s it not doing?
When’s it doing it?
When’s it not doing it?

Sounds a bit Rumsfeld-ish, I know. But trust me, it’s seen me through thick and thin. And it’s a stark reminder that knowledge is power and keeping your cool when chaos reigns is priceless.

So, there you have it. A taste of what’s to come on this revamp of my blog. Can’t wait to share more!