“Crunch Time” used to be a fairly regular occurrence at my day job. About every two years, some big project would come along and require long hours, late nights, massive eye strain, limited sleep, and almost no personal hygiene. If you’ve never smelled a programmer during crunch time, consider yourself blessed.

I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to keep regular hours for several years in a row. But…

This morning, during a quick, stand-up meeting, my shoulders felt that familiar weight. Ahh, hard dead lines. Tough requirements. Smells like… crunch time!

If you happen to see me stumbling into Waffle House at 3 AM, it’s best to just walk away, divert your nose, and pray that it’s over soon. As for me, I’ll be fine. I can’t really smell myself anyway.

Which brings us to this week’s white board quip.

It’s only embarrassing if you care what people think.