December 18, 2006

• Back on the surface again

  Well, I got outa the salt mines. Been working on a software project with a deadline. One that was carved in rock. Success was fueled by long hours, bags of chips, cheese dip, numerous 2-liters of Coke, triple-monitors, and lotsa patience on the part of my wife & children, and my good friend Rod. (We are still friends, right Rod? Right?? Hey, where are you going?)

  The deadline was Friday evening @ 5:00PM. "You either deliver the software, or our 70-year-old business will go POOF." Not in those exact words, but that was what it boiled down to. You talk about pressure - when you sit there and think about the thousands of people annually who would not receive desperately-needed financial assistance due to the organization performing a vanishing act - failure just wasn't an option on the list.

  Saturday morning - I unplugged. Totally. My wife & I went shopping. All day. In Wichita. Her comment? "This is the first time you've never gotten frustrated on a shopping day! You actually had fun!" I'm not a shopping kinda guy, but Saturday morning all I cared about was doing anything except software anywhere except the basement office. (Sorry Rod.)

  And wow - does the sun ever get bright when you're above the surface! My eyes are still adjusting. Maybe my hair will turn dark again.

  • 11:36 pm
  • 3 Comments