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If I didn’t have to worry about my servers I would go to Kauai and take the road to Hana which I promised my wife a long time ago

I would like to say to tropical place in Caribbean but in reality I would trade that for uninterrupted attendance of CES in Vegas.

It’s about 20 degrees here right now. I would go somewhere warm enough to play golf.

Hi Brent,

This is great question. Where would I go? As I mentioned to you in person for me, I want to go on Cruise. (Please note, I had not mentioned yet SQL Cruise). We are from India and Cruise culture is now picking up here.

We all have traveled in Air plane, fancy trains and by road of course. What we have not experience is long trip in Cruise.

Last time when we went into the sea on 3 hour boat ride, we did not have phone connection or coverage. My wife was very happy as I was away from the desktop and phone.

Our dream is to go to Cruise. Just as I mentioned to you earlier may be SQL Cruise may be good idea as well. I still need to figure out the Visa thing for family.

However, the dream is there – Cruise (may be SQL Cruise – if visa works out).

Kind Regards,
Pinal

I will go to Macchu Picchu. Not even a cellphone tower around.

I would be cooking something in the kitchen, following a recipe on the the propped-up iPad next to me. And if one of my SQL Servers borked, I could easily multitask into the Red Gate SQL Monitor app to see what was wrong. All without taking my hand off the mixing bowl…

Wow that would really give me time to please mi wife and take my family in a road trip vacaction for a week or two, to visit all the places we wanted to see for about two years now. Also we’d go visit my dougther grand parents who live on the country.

The iPad and the Red Gate SQL Monitor would really help me spend more quality time with my family.

Wonder what the signal is like at the top of Haleakala on Maui? That’s where I’d be, uninstalling Idera’s SQL Diagnostics Manager while watching Red Gate SQL Monitor!

Realistically, I’d definitely love the ability to use an iPad to RDP to my desktop and servers at work while away from the office. For example, waiting for my kids to come out of viola practice or after school clubs or on the couch taking in a Michigan State basketball game (pause on the DVR is another great innovation!).

If I won, I would go to the Internet cafe to check my e-mail; then drive around to find a good signal on my mobile to check my e-mail; then off to the library to log in real quick and check my e-mail; then home, where I can – you guessed it – check my e-mail!

To the mountains! But I’d wait till it’s warmer.

Brent, I’d actually like the Redgate software more than the ipad but that’s a nice bonus! I would, of course be able to relax on one of the “long rocky beaches”of my New England home if I could relax and not worry about my servers! Thanks for all you do!

So all SQL Servers are behaving? Away to Koh Phangan, Thailand! It’ll be like in this picture (taken on August), only with a brand new iPad!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs953.snc4/74596_469225448524_683208524_5856976_1321928_n.jpg

Cheers!

where would I go? I’d go all the way back to bed after a heavy weekend of patching

If I could glance through all of my servers before bed at night, I might not end up having a re-occurring dream of the cheat raving (reference http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail45.html). That and I would not have to plan nice dinners with my girlfriend around restaurants with wi-fi. She is getting tired of Krystal burgers (white castle for you northerners).

i’d to…back to sleep! lol

Well….If I dont have to worry about my servers I will attend free training all week and hit bars at the weekend…Or I will sell the ipad and pay for SQLCruise or one of your sessions:-)

I’d go for a run and be able to leave my cell phone at home.

I would go help shovel snow off the Metrodome’s roof!

I would go to Italy and eat, India to pray, and Bali to vacation!

Many years ago I had a Windows Mobile ‘phone which came with a client for Remote Desktop Protocol. Through a complicated series of steps which involved opening an RDP session to my home PC and then a VPN connection to a client’s servers. On one occasion I used this to debug a failed SSIS job – using all the power of the phone’s GSM signal, 240 x 320 pixel screen and stylus – from the very top platform of Blackpool Tower. I thought at the time I might be the only person ever to be writing and running code from there.

I personally wouldn’t have a use for the Red Gate tool so I’m not entering this giveaway, but it’s entertaining to read about everyone else’s needs.

Cheers
Duncan

I would pack my 3 teens into a car and head to the biggest mall I could find that had a nice food court with comfy chairs. I’d take my laptop with the latest RPG game and just play play play, taking occational food and restroom breaks while my teens go nuts in the stores and movie theaters. There’s a REAL break from reality!

I’d go to the Penny Arcade Expo on both coasts. As it is, I only catch Seattle each year, and still keep my laptop at hand.

I’d travel the world with my new iPad working from Europe, Australia, China, Japan, Canada and home eating and enjoying the food from all around the world. Visiting the office periodically, just to let them know I can still work hard while traveling the world too.

I would give a piece of my life back to the people who are the most important – my wife and children. I would spend time with my children not having that itching feeling in the back of my head worried about what is going on. Whether it is classroom holiday parties, trips to the park or a day trip to Orlando, freedom to enjoy them without anxiety. I would also spend more quality time with my wife to keep a strong bond. From there, trips to exotic remote places would come naturally.

Would never leave my fishing boat.

I would go backpacking and fly fishing for a week in the Absorka Beartooth mountain range just south of Red Lodge, Montana.

If I didn’t have to keep an eye on my DB instances, I would use my extra time to find newer and faster ways for my stuff to scale, and build new features. Proactive engineering is a lot more fun than reactive, after all.

With an iPad and SQL Monitor, I would actually go home once in a while. (I know, what a concept!)

Actually, once home, the iPad would most likely be commandeered by Wife or Children, so maybe I should rethink this…

I would go to St. Simons Island GA and only come back when Spring is here.

Having an Ipad to help monitor my databases would help with the coming training I am going through for my MS SQL licenses.

angrySQLbird out.

Hi Brent,

If I didn’t have to worry about the servers I’d take the family to Disneyworld or a Disney Crusie during the colder months, and travel to as many different MLB parks as I could during the summer.

Maybe I’ll have to narrow this down a little since the iPad won’t bring me tons of money too…

Bottom line, since becoming a full-time DBA, I have not taken a REAL vacation with my family. If I had a peformance monitoring solution like Red Gate SQL Monitor and an iPad to facilite that monitoring, I would take my family on a much needed LONG vacation to the destinatin of their choice. If the kids chose it would probably be Disney World; however I’m thinking of visiting my brother’s family in Maryland that I haven’t seen in over 4 years.

Just the thought of “remote monitoring/access” gives me goose bumps!

I think I’m going to Katmandu,
that’s really, really where I’m going to.
If I ever get out of here,
that’s what I’m gonna do.

I’d take a break from saving the City and head out to the beach – once it stops snowing!

If I didn’t have to worry about what my servers are doing, I would love to take my wife for a weekend away to New England in the Fall. Ideally we could find a nice secluded romantic cabin with a mountain view and a fireplace. Now to figure out what to do with the 4 kids… Is there an app for that?

Four years ago I went to Disneyland Florida on honeymoon after I got married for the second time and I was just about starting to dig deep into a SQL career having only touched the service until then. That has to be two of the best weeks of my life (first time ever in the US from the UK, first time ever flying and I’ll be the big 5-0 next year) and I just know I would have to go back there.

At this point, we can’t even go far from home in town without me carrying my laptop. I am the only DBA we have so I have been on call 24×7 since 2002 when we started using SQL Server. I normally don’t get more than one call per week but if I’m not home, I have to drop what I’m doing and get there or the office to fix whatever has gone wrong.

Most of our problems result from a poorly written vendor application that we can’t yet get away from. It causes deadlocks that, if I can’t catch them quickly enough, stop SQL Server and consequently all of the applications that hit this server. If I had a monitoring tool that would email me when a deadlock occurs and a way to fix the problem before it gets big, I could avoid the panic phone calls from our help desk and my boss.

The freedom of being able to go around town and know that I can fix a problem wherever I’m at is only a dream. We would be able to see my brother more frequently and my sister-in-law (which would make my wife happy). Even mini-vacations with just my wife to spend a night away from home in a hotel would be possible without having to carry the laptop.

I’d just go and walk the Earth. You know, like Caine in Kung Fu, walk from place to place, meet people, get into adventures.

It would have to be someplace kid friendly, as I have three kids under 3. And since it’s about 7 degrees F outside, I’d want someplace warm. I’d say Orlando.

Regardless, have a great holiday season all hard working DBAs out there.

I would hop a plane to New Zealand and finally walk the Milford Track (http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/articles/topic111.php). Then spend another week or two looking for places like Hobbiton.

I think I’d sneak down to the datacenter and point my finger at the servers muttering something along the lines of “haha, I’m not watching! I’m NOT watching”

I would go where the kids can’t follow for an adult-only vacation.

I’d just go home, without worry that I have to go back to my workplace

I’d go to the pool more often with my kids!

I would like to travel somewhere warm, even with our unseasonably warm weather.
My favorite spot has been Grand Cayman for quite awhile – the snorkeling/diving is just my kind of getaway.

I’d go hiking in Point Reyes – far from laptop.

I’d go skiing to Keystone, Colorado without a care in the world about our servers!

I don’t have to worry, I have others to do that, so anywhere would be fine
I know, therefore I do not need an i-Pad and SQL Monitor.
But hey! how else would I get the cool toys and software.

I’d be trying to scale Mount Kilimanjaro!

I’m currently sitting at work in London monitoring servers, and if I was able to head off I’d love to jump on a plane to the United States and visit your amazing country ! If I had an IPad to take on my travels with me that would be an added bonus There’s so much of America I’m dying to see so here’s to some up comming adventures.

Emma

I would finally take that trip to Akihabara in Tokyo where I can geek out knowing monitoring is within easy reach.

I’d probably have to go to work to fix all the problems that Red Gate SQL Monitor will show!

More Monitoring = More Problems (to fix)

Which is probably a good thing if you like sorting out problems like me…

If I didn’t have to worry about my servers, I would ascend to a higher plane of existence.

I’de go on SQLCruise! Wait I’m already going, so I’de be able to do more things like go out for dinner while I’m on call and don’t want to lug around a huge suitcase with the 20lb laptop. Plus an Ipad would give me a more appealing Nerd Karma over the laptop when out in public!

I would love to go somewhere, but since we are buried in snow, I would just chill out in front of a football game on TV.

With an iPad my egomaniacal plans to take over the world would be one step closer… with SQL Monitor.. I’d constantly be reminded that I’m too busy to rule the world .

Why, off to the nearest bar to raise a glass to Red Gate, Apple, Al Gore (for inventing the Internet), and you Brent. Cheers!

I would go personally shake the hands of the SQL Monitor team in Europe, then go find the closest pub, and drink myself silly.

I downloaded the SQL Monitor trial Thursday, and am very happy so far.

I would go to a ranch I know of near Geneva, Wyoming. No cell phones, but there is a land line so I can choose when to contact with work.

Riding horseback, watching bald eagles soar and the elk grazing, no worries no presure. iPad in a saddlebag in case I can’t stand all the freedom from work.

Man if I could take a vacation that actually lasted more then 2 days, I would love to go to Europe…

I really need to get out more.

I would go to the Maldives and then when i got back convince as many people as possible to use Red Gate Software telling them how great a solution they provide

This would be a sweet b-day gift for me on the 20th! Aside from that, I would spend more time helping my boys build cool stuff with my, err I mean their Legos.

Hi Brent (and sorry for my english).

I’m a SQL senior dba at one of the biggest banks in Spain and a frequent reader of your blog, SQLServerCentral and of course Grant’s site.

Currently I have to monitor more than 120 SQL Servers in my environment.
As I have not been able of finding a nice solution for monitoring my servers for several months, I’m currently developing my own monitoring application.
As you can Imagine I’m wasting more time in this task than in controlling my servers.

So I’m gone give a try to SQL Monitor and if I win, I will waste my time controlling and monitoring SQL Monitor (:-)) till I ensure that I can relax and let it work for me. At that point I will spend a lot more time with my two children and my wife (she was looking me. The official response is playing more billiard with my frieds)…

Greetings from Spain.

I’d finally find time to blog/tweet and all that SQL professionals do , and attend a SQL Immersion event if I could Thanks Brent.

I would go to Aruba, and relax with the Iguanas

I would go to Indianapolis to see family.

This last weekend I would’ve gone to the movies with my wife and kids.

But, the question is where will I go, not where I would have gone. Taken in that context and falling into dreamland, I’d leave the kids at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and take my wife out of the cold Wisconsin winter to a nice warm desert spa in Arizona where people bring drinks to you as you sit on your chaise by the pool where thoughts of wind chill, diapers and “stop fighting with your sister” never enter your consciousness.

I would go camping out at the lake with the family!! The 3G connectivity would allow me to follow this great blog! **wink, wink, nudge nudge**

I’d go to Gulf Shores, Alabama to get some stress-free relaxing time away from the cold, snowy Midwest.

I would first go on a world tour to showcase all my fellow DBAs mate around the globe on how I make this possible with the help of iPad and SQL Monitor, then we can have fun together on subsequent tour . How cool is it if all DBAs are on the move at one time?

I’d use the iPad to be productivley monitor the servers during the long, boring, endless project meetings I get dragged into. And then only to find out that the database requirements are to store 10 records.

I would go on a road trip and visit all four universities that my children are currently attending.

I would take a trip to Kuala Lumpur!

I’d go to the British Virgin Islands, Jost Van Dyke to be specific. I’d get comfortable in a hammock at the Soggy Dollar and RELAX.

I could work from home and spend some quality time with my kids.

Well, buddy.

If I didn’t have any Servers to worry about, I’d definitely take my long-awaited trip back to my motherland – South Africa. I haven’t been back for 3 years & I haven’t taken my family to see it, yet.

First place I’d go, guaranteed.

See you soon.
G

I want it so I can sell it on ebay and work via my phone from the taco truck.

I would go to the town of Las Negras in the very South East corner of Spain. Sit silent in the cafe by the beach, and look out at the sea and dream

Since I am in MinneSnowta i am not going anywhere right now, but the runways should be cleared by Chirstmas and I could take my new iPad and monitor SQl Server from Seattle or perhaps I could take it with me to cub scout Polar Camp and monitor SQL server while snow tubing down the hill.

It would be anywhere that is warm & sunny! Indiana is freezing cold, right now!

I would take a few weeks off and travel up to Beaver Island, MI, with my wife. The family cabin has nothing fancy, and having the iPad would ease my co-workers nerves for that “just in case” moment.

I will definitely try to persuade my colleague to get an iPad and I will go somewhere without wifi coverage and really enjoy my holiday .

If I didn’t have to worry about our servers I’d take my daughter to visit my grandmother down in sunny Orlando.

Hm.. if I don’t have to worry about my servers because it has SQL Monitor to keep an eye on it, I will be home worrying about my iPad and making sure it has plenty of juice… We’re DBAs and “Murphy’s” is our best friend.

I long for a simpler time. A time when we weren’t always online and attached to a phone. A time when we could go hiking in the woods and some other dba wouldn’t walk by on the phone. So, I would find that place, pack my tent and a good book (or download a few iBooks ) and head off. To the woods. For some peace and quite. disconnected silence….birds chirping, wind blowing on the top of a mountain…some good tunes playing from iTunes….ah, a simpler time….that would be nice.

Outside.

This is pretty cool. My in-laws don’t have internet access but I do get some reception on my iPhone.

I would go on an Alaskan cruise. I’ve always wanted to go but now that Paul and Kimbery posted their pictures, I want to more! We have auditors that go up there often but I can’t seem to convince them to take me along.

I would go to the bookstore, read more techie books and drink coffee. Until I got the Ipad, and it would be ebooks ever after. Would love to remotely monitor my databases, too.

I would sip hot cocoa in my chonies while sitting in front of a roaring fire and watching the snow pile up.

… having the time to grab the wife, baby girl and 2 dogs and be able to go out to hike in the woods. Imagine stopping by a stream, unpacking the iPad, quick server check, back in the bag and off we continue our hike… IT life redefined

I would head to Arizona for winter and monitor my servers. I would NOT return to Minneapolis until spring. Then i can justify taking Friday afternoons off and still monitor the sql servers from Target Field!

Jason

Probably Starbucks. I feel like everyone their has an Apple product me.

If I didn’t have to worry about my instances I would take a long road trip down to Mexico for some beach and resort action. Mas, por favor.

If I weren’t monitoring SQL servers, I’d take me a 2 week trip to 2 great american cities.

First, I’d go to Houston to see if I could find where Brent Ozar used to live and get my picture taken in front of his old hacienda. Sure, I’d check out the normal sites in and around Houston like the Johnson Space Center, and the beaches at Galveston, but I’d also check out downtown Houston and see what makes it such a cool city. In the evenings I’d take my pretty wife to all of the Pappas restaurants (1 each night) and would have to take her to Brent’s favorite Houston night spot, Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas (even though it’s closed now ).

After leaving Houston, I’d catch a flight to Brent’s current city, Chicago which is probably my 2nd favorite US city. In Chicago, the first item on my list would be to find Brent’s current address, and shake his hand, and get a picture taken with him. Then, I’d have to check out Michigan Avenue. Take a river cruise, and attend a sporting event at one of the many professional sports venues. No trip to Chicago is complete without a day at Grants Park, and out on Lake Michigan. Of course, you have to see the Navy Pier, and the aquarium, and why not take in some of the great eating establishments the city has to offer like Geno’s East, and the Frontera Grill.

Yep, this is the trip I’d take if I had an Ipad to monitor my servers and was able to actually leave my office and have a life.

Please let me win.

Holland G. Humphrey

I would go down down to goblin town, and using my ipad as a flashlight i’d find a shiny ring that could turn me invisible! My nephew would one day inherit the ring and probably lose it or something, but at least I’d have it for a little while.

I would actually go somewhere nearby, and that’s Congaree National Park (http://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm). My boys and I have only done one of the trails, and because bad weather was coming in, we did it really quickly. Since it’s an “old growth floodplain forest,” there’s so much to see and do. Otherwise, I’d love to take them down to Magnolia Gardens and Cypress Gardens down in Charleston. Magnolia Gardens is absolutely beautiful and I’ve never had a chance to go out in that swamp. Teeming with wildlife, peaceful and away from everything… are you kidding me? Either of those two locales would be great.

I’d take my 3 year old hiking in the Issaquah Alps. More than a few times I’ve taken my pager hiking, and it’s difficult to enjoy the outdoors when you’re constantly worrying about getting a call. Having the ability to check the vitals on SQL at the trailhead and maybe again on the trail would let me relax a little more and enjoy the time together. Here are a few pictures from one of our past trips up Poo Poo Point in Issaquah, WA:
http://jonotech.com/1088/where-id-go/

Also, my company recently bought me a Redgate SQL Refactor license and I have to say they make great software. That tool alone has saved me huge amounts of time.

@brent ozar

i will go to my home country that is hyderabad india to see my parents as it has been three years i have not seen them.

if i get little shot time then i will fly to ohio or florida to see my brothers.

thanks for the contest.
thanks for your blogs it really helps to daily dba life.

Ishtiaq Ahmed
Operations Database Administrator
Portfolio Solutions
Lender Processing Services, Inc.
1270 Northland Drive, Suite 200
Mendota Heights, MN 55120
(651) 707-1731 (W)
(651)-280-8440 (C)
ishtiaq.ahmed@lpsdesktop.com
http://www.lpsvcs.com

I need my life back….work!An iPad with SQL Monitor would cetainly help me achieve that.

I’d be able to go spend more time with the family and to take care of my health – go to a gym.

If I was not monitoring my servers I would visit the great state of Alaska. I have always wanted to visit and take a vacation there!

I have been using the Redgate ToolBelt Suite for the last 3 years. Best money spent so far on a 3rd party tool for MSSQL.

If I didn’t have to worry about what my servers were doing, I would go to my son’s pre-school. I would love to have more time to introduce him at a young age to all the wonderful technology we have now and help get him started on his MCM! (got to hit them up when they are young!)

If I had portability like that, I could spend more time visiting my Mum… or dating.

where you’d go if you didn’t have to worry about what your servers are doing?

I love to go with ipad to cafeteria in my office for coffee and go out of office to smoke cigarette relaxingly along with monitoring server.

Note: I have access to wi-fi in my company.

My first kid took her first baby steps (2 years ago) while we were launching live one of the major elearning sites. Now my second baby will take his first baby steps soon enough, and I don’t want to miss that.
But truth be told, I don’t think that ipad thing will last more than, say, a week, so I won’t have much of a chance of monitoring my servers from the ipad:-)

regards,
io

I want to go and meet Wiki-leaks guys to request them to furnish some info about PARIS HILTON.Haven’t heard about her for a while:-)

I’d spend more time playing with my SQL Servers and doing more of the SQL exams.

“The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” ~Ralph W. Sockman

I will immediately start to write adventure novel in 2 parts:
1. “A nightmarish life without SQL Monitor”
2. “How to use a lot of free time(or life with SQL Monitor)”

What can help me to do it?
Yes! Right! iPad and SQL monitor.

I would go and chill in a jacuzzi in the snow.

Hi Brent,

I am the only DBA at our company, so while planning my holiday trip to the philippines I was urged to check the hotel for w-lan access and of course to pickup my notebook. Trying out some drinks at the beach while catching a glimpse of our servers’ status is so much cooler

i would go to picnic with my family

Woo Hoo! I’d go to the North Shore in Minnesota. Spend a few days on the Scenic drive. Lake Superior Scenery, fantastic meals, and super-friendly people! Thanks Brent and Thanks Red-Gate for making this happen…

I’d go to Machu Picchu hunt some Chupacabras.

I’d be able to…

1) Spend some more time at university (not because I want to, because I should , damn classes being so long)
2) Take a trip somewhere, maybe go to Uruguay for the day (I’m Argentine btw)

With my newfound freedom of being able to step away from the office while being able to monitor servers anywhere, anytime, I’d book a trip to the PASS Summit 2011. There I would have to buy Brent, Steve & Grant the first two rounds for making my life so much easier.

Simultaneously, with all of my extra time being able to proactively manage some of my 50+ instances, I would take up blogging on my new iPad.

I can’t wait to start living at home again. Free to worry less.

I’d take my beautiful wife that I don’t get to spend as much time with as I’d like and take her to Europe.

Simply go fishing. Take some time to relax and think about somthing other than “what if” a server is down tooooooooo long.

Brent,

I’d sit in Krispy Kreme donuts until…

a) I run out of money
b) They run out of donuts
c) I get stretchered out due to injury
d) I am forcibly removed

Cheers

My husband and I are foodies, so we would take a driving tour of the California coast and eat, eat, drink, eat, then maybe drink some more.

If I didn’t have to keep track of my 100+ DBs constantly, I’d finally be able to go for the 3 week SQL Server MCP session in Redmond, or even better, go on the next SQL Cruise!

I would go to the bathroom.

Hmmm, I think I’d go to bed!

Hi Brent,

I would definitely go to Switzerland for a month and relax at the countryside!

Then, when I would come back, I would continue working with SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2008 R2 and 2011!

Cheers,
Artemakis

It would be great to win.

Home to spend some quality time with my gorgeous wife!

I would go to the Animal Care Center and work as Volunteer for that group who helps and treats the injured cows.

If I am free from work, I will spend most of my time play with my kids.

Work on planning a trip to outer space…hmmmm would and iPad even work there? Maybe I need to stick closer to home.

If i did not have to worry about any servers then i would simply go back to bed.

Once there i would close my eyes and my mind would take me wherever i wanted, limited only by itself!

Merry Christmas.

In the immortal words of Otis Redding, having more free time would put the “Shama Lama in the rama rama ding dong”

My wife would smile.

I’d finally take my (4 months now) overdue honeymoon with my wife driving down the coast of California.

If I had to worry less about the servers, Id like to trade forex from Antartca

If I could go anywhere it would be back to Fort Myers Beach, FL. As when my family was there a year ago my 3 year old had the time of his life. Plus it is in driving distance of so many nice places to go visit. Although the one thing I would change would be to try and make it down there when there isn’t a cold snap going on.

If my servers were completely autonomous (and my wife and 3-yr old), I would be in the out islands of the Bahamas doing a little diving, sailing and flying (may also involve a lottery ticket – Hey, a guy has to have goals).

i would finally go to bed

Actually, I would probably just hang out at my favorite coffee shop more.

I’m also overdue a honeymoon after the recession practically destroyed my finances. After that I would probably want to do a graduate degree.

I would use my IPAD to escape a war room… Go to the pub sit in front of an open fire and have a decent pint!

Browse for an app to work out how to play call of duty remotely and send an email to the mrs to come and pick me up as i forgot about servers and got drunk!

I wouldn’t even have to get out of bed!

Whistler, BC Canada for skiing

I would go to a beach like in the Corona commercials. But don’t worry, I wouldn’t skip the iPad on the water or anything.

I would love to go on the 5 day SQLCruise 2010 from Miami to Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

I’d really like to spend more time at the local park with my twin 2 year old boys. They like feeding the ducks and I think that I’m missing out on it..

I would go on that vacation I’ve been putting off for the past two years, I hear brazil is nice this time of year …

Sorry I did not read the requirement clearly. please remove my previous comment and use this one instead.

I will definitely go out with my family to go skiing in Yosemite National Park, my wife’s favorite place.

I would go ski at lake of tahoe with my family!

A wise man once said “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”.

I truly do not want to only read a page or even a chapter of the book that is our world. There is a vast amount of knowledge and life experiences to be had for those that have the freedom to travel.

This give away will allow the lucky winners to read the novel that is our planet Earth.

Well the UK is rather cold right now , so if getting away was more than a dream, I’d take my family down under to Australia!

If I didn’t have to worry about what my servers are doing, I’d be able to go to Brent’s blog and re-read every article he’s ever written!

I’d finally take that 3 month world cruise. I have found that no mater where I cruise they always have a connection available on the ship.

I would probably have a lot more time to spend with my newborn kid

I’d go to Zihuatanejo and see if I can find my friend, Andy.

Being a railfan, I’d go on some long scenic train trips…

Let see…not having to monitor locally. That would allow me to move someplace a tad warmer…some place where I could have less winter on my car and driveway.

Hi Brent,

I will go with my lovely wife to Orlando which remind me for my childhood (and normal life before being a DBA) to spend some time in Walt Disney World Resort and SeaWorld where I would like to meet my best childhood friend “Shamu”!
I promised her to visit Orlando one day but that time did not come yet!

We (my wife & myself) spent part of our honeymoon in a cruise; and since both of us are DBA, we are sure that “SQL Cruise” will be nice option to go for after having some fun in Orlando.

I will be waiting for that time; when I will be far (physically and mentally) for servers

I’d go to Bali island resort and visit Thailand and Singapore on a month long vacation!

What an opportunity. I’d simply walk down to the river near the office more often and watch the sun on the the water, possibly flick out a bait now and then and count the birds and server warnings.
Heaven on earth. Happy Holidays.

Stevo
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Oh, The Places I’d Go!

Today’d be my day
I’d be off to great places
Not tied to my desk
With those sad, desk-tied faces

With my iPad in hand
And Red Gate on the box
I could go see a band
One that rolls and that rocks

Take my kid to the zoo
To feed the alpacas
Watch her play the kazoo
Or even maracas

My wife would enjoy
Italian at eight
Since now I annoy
By coming home late

My server would feel
Not the least bit neglected
While my life would reveal
Joys I’ve ‘til now rejected

Yes, today’d be my day
I’d be off to great places
While remotely I’d play
With my disk IO traces