The Olaf disappointment

The holidays are over and you’re back to software. The project you had been working with not so long ago is now a total stranger. You start browsing through code so you can catch up as soon as possible.

You come across a messy piece of code. You’re not sure what it does. You’re not sure how it does it. You’re not sure why it does it. You wonder who in their right mind would think that was an acceptable solution.

And then you realize. That is your code.

You go through denial (“That can’t be mine”), anger (“What the hell was I thinking?”), bargaining (“Maybe it was the best solution after all”), depression (“I should have studied Law”) and, finally, acceptance.

You stare at the code. Now, if you listen carefully, you can even hear it whining: “You built me… Remember that?”

I call that moment The Olaf disappointment.