An Excellent Birthday Surprise
![MMj03365690000[1]](http://home.asbzone.com/blogs/asb/MMj033656900001_6D0FA3BB.gif "MMj03365690000[1]")
May 2009 has been a rather eventful month for me. Lots of activities and responsibilities at work, home and church. For the most part, everything has gone very well.
On the 24th, I celebrated my birthday, and the day began with a conference call for a data/application migration that was in progress. Yes, that’s the best way to spend one’s birthday on a holiday weekend. Such is the profession I have chosen. :)
As it turned out, my darling wife had been planning a surprise birthday for me, and she managed to get my kids to keep it a secret, which is probably the biggest part of the surprise, all things considered.
I figured we were just going out to eat at a restaurant, right up until she offered to drive, and asked me to get blindfolded. Still, it was the overall scope of the event and the planning that struck me. I expected maybe a few folks from our church would have attended (I wasn’t sure who she had invited, but that seemed the most plausible), but when I saw friends from work, and friends from past jobs, and friends of long ago, and my sister, and my brother and his family from Maryland…
That was an entirely different matter. It was almost overwhelming, but very much appreciated. We take a lot of things for granted, not realizing how important relationships are, and how short life can be.
I got a cool reminder of the former – one that I will always cherish.
Once again, I want to thank all of my friends who came, and all of my friends who were unable to come, but who provided me with birthday wishes throughout the week last week. (I especially want to thank Saulo Nunez, who would have come were he not working for me on the very same data/app migration project, and who has been instrumental in my successes over the years.)
Life is too precious to be wasted, even if you expect the afterlife…
About Logik!
Andrew S. Baker aka ASB aka Logik!
Andrew S. Baker is a business-savvy, hands-on IT leader with expertise in mentoring people, mitigating risk, and integrating technology to drive innovation and maximize business results. He creates competitive advantage for organizations through effective IT leadership: implementation of processes and controls, and architecture of robust business solutions.
Mr. Baker has successfully led a number of high-performance technology teams in designing, deploying and maintaining secure, cost-effective computing environments for well-known companies, including Warner Music Group, The Princeton Review, Bear Stearns, About.com, and Lewco Securities.
For over a decade, Andrew has exhibited thought leadership on technology and business topics via mailing lists, technical forums, blogs, and professional networking groups, along with contributions to podcasts, webinars, and over 20 technical/business magazine articles. He also serves on several boards and committees for non-profit organizations, and within the Seventh-day Adventist church.
His personal interests include Astronomy, Basketball, Bible Study, Chess, Comics, Computers,
Family Life Ministries, Reading, Strategy/Role Playing games, and Professional Networking...
A summary of Andrew's current résumé is available here, and he can be reached on a variety of social and professional networks, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.