Let’s see some sparks people!

First a disclaimer – this post has very little to do with SQL, or even IT; rather it is all about community and sparks.

I attended Ignite NM 11 last night, and was very disappointed in myself that I managed to miss the first 10 events.  That’s right.  I missed 10 other opportunities over the last 3 years to participate in my community, and watch other people talk about their passions.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with Ignite talks they are 5 minute presentations similar to the Lightning Talks at PASS Summit (speaking of, go submit now you have until August 17, 2011) with a few differences.  At an Ignite talk you have 5 minutes, 20 slides, 15 seconds a slide.  Speakers submit abstracts and the community votes on their favorites.  The result is truly an evening full of diverse presentations by folks with differing levels of public speaking skills.  Last night I was introduced to organizations ranging from The Metropolitan Homelessness Project to the Challenger Learning Centers   and in the same evening learned a little bit about alternate plant sources for the paper industry, what it is like to live in a dune shack for 3 weeks, and how to publish a ‘zine.   All of that, and I missed at least 3 Sparks while I took a phone call outside.  The event ran just over 2 hours, included ample networking time before hand, during an intermission, and after the last spark and was a great way to reconnect with old and dear friends as well as meet a few new people that I otherwise would never run into.

The evening started as a way for me to get out of the house, avoid yet another night of talking to the dog and cats about SQL server and things happening at work, and wound up being just like a first date.  I left feeling energized about the community I live in.  I left with sparks of my own floating in my head.  I left with a long list of things and groups to research, a desire to help out with Quelab, and a reminder that there are folks out there that are passionate about the things they know in my local community.

That reminder is important to me for a couple of reasons.  I find myself energized when I surround myself with passionate people.  I thrive in situations that allow me to tap into someone else’s enthusiasm to recharge my own batteries.  Generally I get my recharge by attending PASS Summit, SQL Saturdays and even ABQSQL meetings.  To find yet another venue that is close to home to charge myself up is a fantastic thing.  To find another venue that introduces me to even more places to find passionate people is better than fantastic… fantabulous maybe?

So, what are my next steps?  Fortunately I have SQLSaturday #95 booked in September, PASS Summit in October and SQLinTheCity in late October so I can get my DBA fix, and in the time between those events I plan on meeting up with the gang at Quelab to see what I might contribute to their efforts, and I might just develop a spark of my own for IgniteNM 12.

You should do the same…