Let's see. Oh yes. One more major event to cover before we get really caught up. in October 2005, Beth gave birth to our third (and probably final) child R. A blue-eyed devil of a boy who is determined to be the best of us (and well on his way :)).
Other than lots of gaming, RPG's and little family things, the last couple of years (from my self-centered opinion) have been pretty stable...
OH WHO AM I KIDDING!!!
Let's see - Beth is running a day home so that we can afford to live in Calgary. J is in a Gr. 4/5 Split class and keeping his head above water. M started Kindergarten and R is attempting to make the terrible two's stretch from newborn - high school.
Me? I, somehow am semi-in-charge of our Calgary Office for the Navision team. Considering the current size of our team, not a huge dose of responsibility, but someone has to do it.
to people who know and put up with me, I know that there are a lot of gaps in this 'Who am I?' section. To them, put a comment in, remind me of what I've missed or forgotten or even completely turned around!.
thanks
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Who am I? Calgary - The first few Years
So. Moved to Calgary. Bunked up with a couple of friends (Al and Doug) from high school for a couple of weeks while Beth and J packed up our stuff back in Saint John. I've known Alex and Doug for what seems forever and we have all been gaming for years and years.
Started work with CSB on July 16, 2001. Working as a Navision Developer, I literally jumped right into a huge project in Edmonton that lasted for about 2 years. I did a bunch of other dev work during that time and it was a lot of fun.
My Mentor, who worked as project manager and implementer on most of my projects was Wendy. Wendy is an ex-pat Brit who really taught me how the world of consulting works. We had our good days and bad (I just dreaded getting the 'I'm extremely disappointed....' emails, but they really helped me to apply due diligence.
CSB stood on its own for about 4 years while I was there and then we got notice that we were being bought out. Bell Canada wanted to increase its foothold in the ERP and professional services domain, and picked our little engine to help with that.
We were merged with a couple of other companies to form Bell Business Solutions, which was headquartered out of Montreal. This was a very turbulent time for the Navision team, but we survived.
Well, enough of work, what was going on in my personal life? A lot! (Oh? you want more?, fine.)
Let's see.... My Beautiful Daughter M was born in 2004 and she is a daddy's girl. Strong willed, but willing to cry at the drop of a hat, she never ceases to amaze me.
Got a new gaming group formed here in Calgary. A great group of guys with Alex and Doug (mentioned above) starting the core and then adding Bruce, Steve and Drew (There was also Dave, but he only lasted about 2 months before running in fear, but I don't think anyone misses him :)) We played primarily D&D3.5, but Bruce and Steve, also introduced me to Euro-Boardgames with Settlers of Catan.
Alternating between RPG's and boardgames, we get together almost every weekend for a few hours of comraderie and friendship. A Great group of guys and excellent friends.
Other changes in my life would be Beth and I converting to the Catholic faith. It began innocently enough, with getting J into one of the better schools in Calgary, MNA. This is a Year-Round school (shorter summer break and a couple of other breaks during the year).
We slowly started attending Ascension Church with our adopted family, The Hayles. Anne and Vicki are now Grammy Anne and Aunt Vicki and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I finished our journey into the faith, Easter 2007. I find it a necessary part of my life now, something I didnt realize I was missing until I found it.
NOTE: One more background entry, then I should be caught up.
Started work with CSB on July 16, 2001. Working as a Navision Developer, I literally jumped right into a huge project in Edmonton that lasted for about 2 years. I did a bunch of other dev work during that time and it was a lot of fun.
My Mentor, who worked as project manager and implementer on most of my projects was Wendy. Wendy is an ex-pat Brit who really taught me how the world of consulting works. We had our good days and bad (I just dreaded getting the 'I'm extremely disappointed....' emails, but they really helped me to apply due diligence.
CSB stood on its own for about 4 years while I was there and then we got notice that we were being bought out. Bell Canada wanted to increase its foothold in the ERP and professional services domain, and picked our little engine to help with that.
We were merged with a couple of other companies to form Bell Business Solutions, which was headquartered out of Montreal. This was a very turbulent time for the Navision team, but we survived.
Well, enough of work, what was going on in my personal life? A lot! (Oh? you want more?, fine.)
Let's see.... My Beautiful Daughter M was born in 2004 and she is a daddy's girl. Strong willed, but willing to cry at the drop of a hat, she never ceases to amaze me.
Got a new gaming group formed here in Calgary. A great group of guys with Alex and Doug (mentioned above) starting the core and then adding Bruce, Steve and Drew (There was also Dave, but he only lasted about 2 months before running in fear, but I don't think anyone misses him :)) We played primarily D&D3.5, but Bruce and Steve, also introduced me to Euro-Boardgames with Settlers of Catan.
Alternating between RPG's and boardgames, we get together almost every weekend for a few hours of comraderie and friendship. A Great group of guys and excellent friends.
Other changes in my life would be Beth and I converting to the Catholic faith. It began innocently enough, with getting J into one of the better schools in Calgary, MNA. This is a Year-Round school (shorter summer break and a couple of other breaks during the year).
We slowly started attending Ascension Church with our adopted family, The Hayles. Anne and Vicki are now Grammy Anne and Aunt Vicki and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I finished our journey into the faith, Easter 2007. I find it a necessary part of my life now, something I didnt realize I was missing until I found it.
NOTE: One more background entry, then I should be caught up.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Who am I? - Marriage to Calgary
At the time I got married, I was working for BM Wilson & Associates. This was a great learning experience for me. They contracted me to NBTel to work on a customer service Application in COBOL and I learned what it is to work in a professional IT department.
FYI - nothing in school really prepares you for this. I was fortunate that I did my internship at this very same position, otherwise, it could have been disasterous. I think I did pretty well there, once I learned the ropes. I wasn't a super-star by any means, but I was willing to put in the effort, which counted for a lot then.
1998. Near the end of my contract, a major turning point in my life occured. I was offered a chance to work directly with NBTel as an employee, or I could work on BM Wilson's internal IT team. Looking back, I am not sure I made the right decision, but I definitely learned a lot by the decision I made. It probably made for a harder road, but a necessary one.
1999. Major change on the homefront!! Beth and I are pregnant! J was born in February, a beautiful and energetic baby boy. J and I are cut from the same cloth, full of energy and no idea how to focus it. I love him, and he is the most entertaining and frustrating part of my life.
In the summer of 1999, I screwed up. I was working internally at BM Wilson and without getting into too many details, I grew lax, overconfident and in a nutshell, I got was I deserved. The Wilsons let me go and it is one of those things that pulls me out of a deep sleep at night. I betrayed a trust with friends, not just employers. I will forever be sorry for that, but it taught me that you have to always stay vigilant (sounds corny, but overconfidence is the biggest killer).
After a couple of months, we ended up having to move back into my parents (round 6 by my count). I was quite depressed during this stage and directionless. Without Beth and J (and my parents) it could have been very dark. I posted my resume on a number of jobs, and had a number of interviews, but nothing clicked.
Then, one day I got a call. It was in response to a job posting that I really don't remember sending my resume to. They were looking for a programmer with Visual Basic experience and willing to learn a new product.
Thus began my journey into the world of Navision. After 4 weeks of training in Atlanta, I joined a small Solution center called Central Software (later Central Solutions). We did 2 implementations of Navision over two years and the company folded. It seems a very short paragraph on such a challenging time, and someday I may come back and flesh it out, but that is all I want to say for now.
Two highlights from my time in Central. First, I got to work from home, which really gave me the opportunity to see J grow up. It also gave me the opportunity to work almost every other waking hour, but such is life. Secondly, I worked with a wonderful mentor, Lloyd Queen. There is not enough space in this blog to tell you the things this man taught me. Business, life, family, what have you, we had long discussions about every subject imaginable.
2001. When Central folded, it was almost expected. Sad, but expected. I actually only sent out one resume, to a company I had met at a Navision conference in Atlanta. CSB Systems. I talked to them on the phone, they flew me out for an interview and two weeks later, we were moving to Calgary!
FYI - nothing in school really prepares you for this. I was fortunate that I did my internship at this very same position, otherwise, it could have been disasterous. I think I did pretty well there, once I learned the ropes. I wasn't a super-star by any means, but I was willing to put in the effort, which counted for a lot then.
1998. Near the end of my contract, a major turning point in my life occured. I was offered a chance to work directly with NBTel as an employee, or I could work on BM Wilson's internal IT team. Looking back, I am not sure I made the right decision, but I definitely learned a lot by the decision I made. It probably made for a harder road, but a necessary one.
1999. Major change on the homefront!! Beth and I are pregnant! J was born in February, a beautiful and energetic baby boy. J and I are cut from the same cloth, full of energy and no idea how to focus it. I love him, and he is the most entertaining and frustrating part of my life.
In the summer of 1999, I screwed up. I was working internally at BM Wilson and without getting into too many details, I grew lax, overconfident and in a nutshell, I got was I deserved. The Wilsons let me go and it is one of those things that pulls me out of a deep sleep at night. I betrayed a trust with friends, not just employers. I will forever be sorry for that, but it taught me that you have to always stay vigilant (sounds corny, but overconfidence is the biggest killer).
After a couple of months, we ended up having to move back into my parents (round 6 by my count). I was quite depressed during this stage and directionless. Without Beth and J (and my parents) it could have been very dark. I posted my resume on a number of jobs, and had a number of interviews, but nothing clicked.
Then, one day I got a call. It was in response to a job posting that I really don't remember sending my resume to. They were looking for a programmer with Visual Basic experience and willing to learn a new product.
Thus began my journey into the world of Navision. After 4 weeks of training in Atlanta, I joined a small Solution center called Central Software (later Central Solutions). We did 2 implementations of Navision over two years and the company folded. It seems a very short paragraph on such a challenging time, and someday I may come back and flesh it out, but that is all I want to say for now.
Two highlights from my time in Central. First, I got to work from home, which really gave me the opportunity to see J grow up. It also gave me the opportunity to work almost every other waking hour, but such is life. Secondly, I worked with a wonderful mentor, Lloyd Queen. There is not enough space in this blog to tell you the things this man taught me. Business, life, family, what have you, we had long discussions about every subject imaginable.
2001. When Central folded, it was almost expected. Sad, but expected. I actually only sent out one resume, to a company I had met at a Navision conference in Atlanta. CSB Systems. I talked to them on the phone, they flew me out for an interview and two weeks later, we were moving to Calgary!
Who Am I? - High School to Marriage
After graduating Sussex Regional High School in 1989, I joined the Canadian Armed Forces. Well, sort of. I lasted 3 days of boot camp before I got discharged on a medical (phych) condition. Someday I may tell that story in its fullest, but not today.
I did a couple of odd-jobs for a couple of years, not really making any real progress (I did play lots of D&D during this time, and made some really stupid decisions in my social life as well.
I delivered pizza, installed waterbeds, sold furniture and a couple of other one-time jobs that aren't even worth mentioning at this time.
in 1993, I went to Trade School (Eastern Business Computer Institute) to get some professional training in Computer Programming. This one year course was a complete waste of my time. I learned a lot of really interesting things that, it turns out, no one in the real world was interested in. Especially from a fly-by-night operation. All of my resumes probably ended up in an HR office roundfile (trash can).
1995. Relentlessly, and undaunted (and also, wanting to move out of my parents house for the 3rd or 4th time) I registered at the New Brunswick Community College - Saint John. This was the first time I moved out of my hometown by myself.
I guess one thing that really hadn't shown up in my thoughts yet, was that I was a pretty quiet person. Very few friends, keeping to myself a lot, mostly reading or geeking on my computer.
When I moved to Saint John and started school, I decided that I had an opportunity to become someone else. No one really knew me here, and no pre-conceived notions would be in place. I was determined to talk to everyone, join in and break out of my 'shell'.
I did this, every day and every night I threw up from the stress of it all. Eventually it got easier, I got to know people in my class and in the rest of the school. I joined the Student Council, I sat with people at lunch and in general, just tried to fit in with everyone. I firmly believe that this was the key to where I am today. Hard skills like programming languages are easy to pick up, but soft skills like communication and personality are key to moving forward.
In summer break (this was a two-year course) I met the woman who changed my life forever. I had known Beth, really all of my life. We were in Kindergarten together and I was friends with her brother on-and-off through school. I'm still fuzzy on how this all started, but it was probably my friend Julie's fault. I had been in love with Julie all through High-School and even after when we both moved to Saint John for school, but she was (and always will be) a 'Best Friend', not a 'Girlfriend' (I was probably in love with her younger sister Dawn as well, but that is another story).
The first date with Beth I remember was at the Drive-in in Sussex. I couldn't tell you what was playing, I just know that Beth and I cuddled the entire time, barely even talking. It had begun.
Three Days later, Beth was in a motorcycle accident. I was in a car behind her and saw the entire thing. She was pretty beat up, with a lot of road rash and a couple of mangled fingers, but in the end she came out fine. My dad always joked that she tried to get out of the relationship by driving off of the bridge, but I think it was an event that brought us ultimately together.
1996. We ended up living together in Saint John while I finished my last year of school. I proposed to her around Thanksgiving, and we got married May 31, 1997.
Who am I? - Up to High School
Good question. This is always tricky posting such information to the Web, as you never know who may be lurking out there. Yes, there are scarier people on the web than I.
I was born in the early 1970's to a very unusual family. Unusual in the fact that they are loving, caring and still married after raising my brother and I and setting us free on to the world. They live in Sussex New Brunswick, where I spent most of my formative years (which may explain a lot to some of you).
I got interested in computers while we spent two years living in very rural Ontario (Port Burwell, pop.~500). My dad bought me a Commodore 64 and I fell in love with it. I spent Gr. 8&9 in Ontario, and beyond the usual hobbies of Hockey and Boy Scouts, I joined the High-school Wrestling team. (They needed to fill the ultra-feather weight slot, I never won a single match, but being on the wrestling team did keep the other bullies at bay ;)).
We moved back to New Brunswick for Gr.10 and I began my delve into Dungeons and Dragons. History will tell whether my fateful encounter with Cecil Stacey was for good or ill, but I was hooked. Between Computers and D&D, just about every spare moment was occupied. (This did wonders for my marks, and my attitude towards school, let me tell you).
I was born in the early 1970's to a very unusual family. Unusual in the fact that they are loving, caring and still married after raising my brother and I and setting us free on to the world. They live in Sussex New Brunswick, where I spent most of my formative years (which may explain a lot to some of you).
I got interested in computers while we spent two years living in very rural Ontario (Port Burwell, pop.~500). My dad bought me a Commodore 64 and I fell in love with it. I spent Gr. 8&9 in Ontario, and beyond the usual hobbies of Hockey and Boy Scouts, I joined the High-school Wrestling team. (They needed to fill the ultra-feather weight slot, I never won a single match, but being on the wrestling team did keep the other bullies at bay ;)).
We moved back to New Brunswick for Gr.10 and I began my delve into Dungeons and Dragons. History will tell whether my fateful encounter with Cecil Stacey was for good or ill, but I was hooked. Between Computers and D&D, just about every spare moment was occupied. (This did wonders for my marks, and my attitude towards school, let me tell you).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
