How much would you pay to avoid a traffic jam?

WARNING...

If you would never, EVER, consider spending a ton of money on a spur-of-the-moment purchase just because you didn't want to get stuck in traffic jams during rush hour, then click "next blog" now.






Last friday there was the sudden and awe-inspiring sensation of "not having any more work to do today", before, technically, it had become "tomorrow" already. It was, actually, irritatingly early to go home, in the sense that I dislike city driving and I hate getting stuck in traffic jams. So, getting stuck in a traffic jam in the city lacked a certain celebratory appeal.

In stead, I decided to go in the opposite direction of the traffic jam (and, incidentally, home), and ended up at a large local electronics retailer, finding myself inexorable gravitating towards the corner that was decorated conspicuously in black and white (and some brushed-metal grey), with lots of purple'ish screens.

Having long passed the event horizon without noticing, it had, at this point, become unavoidable (if not impossible) to leave without adding to my slowly growing collection of Apple user appliances. There was a short, but futile, escape plan, where I would try to blast free of the pull by expelling a relatively minor amount of cash on a blueray player instead. However, it was quickly decided that this plan was probably just delusional and a waste of valuable resources I would need to go, proverbially, "in, through and out the other end" of this situation.

So, about an hour later, I found myself in the car, driving home, well after rush hour, with an iPad on the passenger seat.

Rewards, and some that aren't.

As some of you may have been reading, the project I am currently working in has had periods of demanding rather... shall we say... extended commitment and working hours.

This is one of them.

Again.

Last week, as an example, we were asked to work throughout the weekend. Again. Many things had to happen for this to be made so, but this story is not about the intricacies of convincing a generally Catholic population to work on a Sunday.

For my work, I tend to travel a bit. And on these assignments requiring travel, I tend to stay in hotels, work somewhat longer days (as I don't exactly have anything to "go home" to, at such times) and have dinner with colleagues in local restaurants.

This is all well and good, but restaurants tend to serve slightly richer-than-average dishes. And from working on systems engineering assignments for several months the brain might get plenty of exercise, the body doesn't fare quite so well. So, after a couple of months of this, you tend to put on a little weight and grow tired of (or at least VERY well-acquainted with) the menu's of said local restaurants. And, as stresses increase and time-to-deadline shrinks, even dinner becomes something of a physical necessity and not an exceptional occasion, what dining out for many people would be.

Let's zip back to last weekend.

These non-stop all-weekend activities place some above-and-beyond type of demands on our people. You don't get rest, the concept is stressful, and it's not exactly "what you signed up for" in your contract. So, sometimes, when you have an enlightened big-shot pulling all these strings, they realise something might be in order to boost, or at least maintain, morale a bit.

Our big-shot obviously had attended the mandatory people-skills courses, as he decided that our intrepid weekend crew might be entitled to such a morale booster.

After two weeks of non-stop work we were delighted and surprised by the extraordinary graciousness of being invited to...

go out for dinner, at his expense, at a local restaurant...

He even recommended one.

Sometimes... it's like Magic...

Sometimes...

Sometimes things just come together.

A chance happening.

A lucky strike.

Magic happens...

And sometimes... these happenings aren't that big at all. But you should pay attention and notice and cherish them.

One of those times happened to me last week.

It happened in Stuttgart, Germany. It happened on a sunday. It happened at the "Kost|Bar". It happened on a sunny late-afternoon. It happened, while sitting outside, lounging, relaxing, in the sun, after a long drive there.

It was... the perfect Macchiato.