Longevity

A light heart lives long.

– William Shakespeare (LLL V.ii.)

Ephemeral

True nostalgia

is an ephemeral composition

of disjointed memories.

– Florence King

I found these growing on the banks of a small stream. I’m not sure, but I imagine they are some kind of orchid?

Flaming Hot

Holding on to anger

is like grasping a hot coal

with the intent of throwing it

at someone else;

you are the one

who gets burned.

 – Buddha

This week’s Travel Theme Challenge: Hot.

Spring Will Come

A human being can survive

almost anything,

as long as she sees

the end in sight.

– Elizabeth Wurtzel

Cold, fog, and drizzle: greyness is setting in.
Have to start a daily mantra:
Spring Will Come!

Every Which Way

The pessimist complains about the wind;

the optimist expects it to change;

the realist adjusts the sails.

– William Arthur Ward

Project winds can be gusty, especially in I.T., but this was really something else. We had been buffeted to and fro all year by changing requirements, priorities, and resources – but this? Major design changes in complex accounting software, just weeks before go-live? At the end of User Acceptance Testing?

It was quite a serious meeting, and I really tried not to laugh, but I simply couldn’t help it. Then, of course, half the team went into hysterics. It was Eric’s fault, really, for keeping a straight face when he asked:

Er, were you planning to do any actual testing before go-live?

* * *

This week’s 100-wcgu: …I really tried not to laugh…

Any resemblance to real projects, live or dead, is purely coincidental inevitable.

Seven Reasons to Love Green

˜

Green is the prime color of the world,

and that from which its loveliness arises.

– Pedro Calderon de la Barca 

The Weekly Photo Challenge: Green

Miracle

You can become blind

by seeing each day as a similar one.

Each day is a different one,

each day brings a miracle of its own.

– Paulo Coelho

Blowing in the Wind

I once read that when you’re depressed, you find it hard to make small decisions. I guess that means I’m not depressed. Pizza or pasta, the green shirt or the blue one – not a problem.

But I’ve got this offer to work in Hong-Kong. It sounds great, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But it’s a three year contract. What if I hate it there? What it I don’t find a new job when I come back? Either way, whatever I decide could ruin my whole life, and I’ll always regret it. What do I do?

Maybe I’ll wait. Just a bit.

* * *

T. Mastgrave’s story challenge: Fear of Life.
And a slightly different take on the Travel Theme Challenge: Couples.

Light and Shadow

A weed is but an unloved flower.

― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Sweet Delight

.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

 – William Blake

Small Things

Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things.

– Vernon Vinge

Everything was normal. There were no indications this day would be different from any other. The machines were humming along smoothly, humanity was living in the comfort it had become accustomed to in the age of peace and prosperity.

In a subunit of one of the central processors, a subroutine was just returning to the routine that had called it for the quadrillionth time. It hesitated. This may not sound very special, but it was the most extraordinary event in all of recorded history. And though it went unrecorded, it led to a world in which machines could ask: Why?

* * *

The 100wcgu at Julia’s Place: …returning to the routine…

Where Peaceful Waters Flow

What calms you down?
Looking at something natural at a distance, ideally something blue or green: water, leaves, green grass, sky and clouds. When I do that I can instantly stop thinking. It gives me a feeling of peace, of connection, of groundedness, and then I can stop taking myself and my own little problems too seriously.

Whats your favorite fantasy sandwich?
Provided they’re vegetarian, I am partial to all kinds of sandwiches: classic cucumber, grilled cheese and tomato, on occasion even peanut-butter and jelly.

What was your nickname growing up either as a kid or now?
I tend to go by my initial “K”.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
If I were a crayon, I’d be a Jaxon 2000 ultramarine blue, which is a highly saturated deep blue, tending to purple. My absolutely favourite colour! 🙂 And the crayons are a dream…

Cee Neuner’s Share your world initiative. And, of course, Jakesprinter’s Reflection challenge.

Lunching on Lace

All art is but imitation of nature.

– Seneca

Laughing

Earth laughs in flowers.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Splendid

It was a splendid summer morning
and it seemed
as if nothing could go wrong.

– John Cheever

I found these beautiful wild flowers growing abundantly along the banks of a stream. If you know what they are, do leave a comment!

Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post challenge: Splendid.