It's 1:12am in the smoke-filled bowling alley bar. I take a deep pull of my Bud Light and lean toward the girl behind the counter - a haggard teen who's spent too much time under the heat lamps - too many sweaty hours toiling over hot grease.
"Hey Baby. I'm in Software Development. Heh. And from one who knows, let me compliment your software, sweetheart. Heh Heh Heh. How's them cheese sticks comin?"
~~~~~
OK - I don't really drink, when I do it's at home, and I would never say that. I am in software development, if you can call it that. I test games. Yesterday I wrote a bug report describing incorrect punctuation. Pow! Yeah.
I'd totally eat cheese sticks though.
I've been blessed with the permission to work on this project from home, which has turned out to be a lot harder than I expected. Work is work, but it's tough to be disciplined enough to keep my ass in the chair and get my work done. Also it's hard when 8 hours have gone by and I haven't written up as many bugs as I'd like.
When you're at work, in the office - when your 8 hours are up, you go home. Now, when my 8 hours are up, I look over the list to see I have only written 6 bugs, when my personally-set quota is 15, and decide to keep at it for a few more hours. I'm not complaining, but this is something to consider before you agree to work from home.
My current piece of software is a joint venture between USC and the U.S. Military. You would think that these sources would make the software pretty damned thrilling, but you'd be wrong. It's definitely interesting, and I've learned a lot, but thrilling it ain't.
It's not thrilling because it's not a game - it's a simulation. And while EA and Konami can make exciting simulations, the U.S. Military has so many more mundane things it could (and did) choose to simulate. Like peeling potatoes, or scrubbing latrines - this isn't what my current project is about, just a for instance.
When I met the man in charge of the project, he solemnly shook my hand and told me "You're doing the Lord's work." which really threw me for a loop. I've never worked for The Lord before. I hear he's kinda strict. And he only gives you one day off a week. The Dental is supposed to totally rock, though.
"Hey Baby. I'm in Software Development. Heh. And from one who knows, let me compliment your software, sweetheart. Heh Heh Heh. How's them cheese sticks comin?"
~~~~~
OK - I don't really drink, when I do it's at home, and I would never say that. I am in software development, if you can call it that. I test games. Yesterday I wrote a bug report describing incorrect punctuation. Pow! Yeah.
I'd totally eat cheese sticks though.
I've been blessed with the permission to work on this project from home, which has turned out to be a lot harder than I expected. Work is work, but it's tough to be disciplined enough to keep my ass in the chair and get my work done. Also it's hard when 8 hours have gone by and I haven't written up as many bugs as I'd like.
When you're at work, in the office - when your 8 hours are up, you go home. Now, when my 8 hours are up, I look over the list to see I have only written 6 bugs, when my personally-set quota is 15, and decide to keep at it for a few more hours. I'm not complaining, but this is something to consider before you agree to work from home.
My current piece of software is a joint venture between USC and the U.S. Military. You would think that these sources would make the software pretty damned thrilling, but you'd be wrong. It's definitely interesting, and I've learned a lot, but thrilling it ain't.
It's not thrilling because it's not a game - it's a simulation. And while EA and Konami can make exciting simulations, the U.S. Military has so many more mundane things it could (and did) choose to simulate. Like peeling potatoes, or scrubbing latrines - this isn't what my current project is about, just a for instance.
When I met the man in charge of the project, he solemnly shook my hand and told me "You're doing the Lord's work." which really threw me for a loop. I've never worked for The Lord before. I hear he's kinda strict. And he only gives you one day off a week. The Dental is supposed to totally rock, though.
Wow--you looped MC!
ReplyDeleteYou went from hitting on a teen in a bowling alley to working for The Lord.
Virginia Woolf and James Joyce would be proud!!
A greasy software tech who eats cheese sticks is definately a character needing development . . . :-)
[Also, very insightful about the biggest difficulty with working at home--8 hours often becomes 10-12 with the goof-off factor!]
The Lord also loves cheese sticks. Don't ask me how I know.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I can't help but picture you sitting in front of your computer, testing "Potato Peeler V1.6"
ReplyDeletePossible Bug : Potato peel becomes rigid once it has left the potato. Check Potato Peel Physics Engine.
Possible Bug : Once a potato is successfully peeled, a new one spawns. This occurs indefinately. Is this a bug, or a feature designed to sap the users spirit?
Ha Ha Ha! Paulius, you don't know how right you are! You've captured the essence of my work perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little saddened to hear that you aren't working on latrine scrubbing simulation.
ReplyDeleteHow about cheese stick frying? Assuming you mean Mozzerella sticks, of which I am a great fan. That would make an interesting video game analysis.
ReplyDelete