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On the way out this afternoon, a person asked me in the elevator, "Are you with Google?" "Yes." "Do you code?" "Yes." "Have you ever done dependency injection with C++?" And I stopped to think... and couldn't remember. I've been doing build/rel-eng tools in Python for 4 months now, trying to make things work smoothly all the way to obscure corner cases... and I couldn't remember some of the test tools I read up on in the first couple of weeks on arrival.
I said "I think so..." and he went on to talk a streak about his ideas for it, with words like "factory method" flying past my dazed ears... Once I would have enjoyed this conversation, would have eaten it up.
Later on (at a lull in the run) I was reading up on Lifehacker on my iPhone, and skimmed Focused Practice, not Everyday Work, Improves Your Skills... and realized I need to come back and read this article in detail. And start reading more coding books in my free time, and fewer D&D books. Because I do like my work, and I'm letting a novel distraction combine with a little setback really impact my enjoyment of work.
In any case, an evening in nice moderate air conditioning unraveling the mystery of a sabotaged starship seems to have done the trick in getting some energy back. I followed it up with a tiny bit of exertion, taking out the trash, and I'm feeling like I might actually get some sleep, and be able to be energetic and rested at work tomorrow.
I can enjoy my work, if I set my mind to it, and I will again, and soon. Step 1: a good night's sleep. Drinking plenty of water first should help.
