W = F.d

I finished this week a little bit happier in my job than I started it...  I do quite like my job - I get a chair with wheels on and a computer to play with, it's indoors and there's no heavy lifting - but I am definitely in the "work to live" camp.  
It's not what I grew up dreaming that I would do or anything like that, but it plays to my strengths, is reasonably challenging and I am reasonably good at it.  My employer is decent for a big company - I have no complaints there - and I am reasonably well rewarded for my work.  The perks can be good too, a company bonus, a discount on my council gym membership and MS Office Professional Plus 2013 for £8.95 are not to be sniffed at.  
But what made the difference for me this week is that the head of the project that I work on came over and thanked me and my colleague for our work in getting a part of the project "over the line".  For all of the financial rewards and such like (and lets be honest not many of us would do our jobs for nowt!) sometimes it's the personal touch that makes it feel that much more worthwhile.
On a related topic, I have a way of approaching my work and how I feel about it that helps me keep going with it when it gets tough - and with my depression in the mix, that can happen more often than I would like.  I divide my work into two parts - the part that I'd (almost) do for free and the part that I get paid for.  The "free" part includes the problem solving and the programming - that sort of stuff - I suppose the more mentally challenging part, while the "paid for" part involves testing and documentation - the motivationally challenging part!
Also this week, I was saddened to note the passing of Reg Turnill, a true giant of scientific broadcasting - the man who amongst many other things "broke" the story of Apollo 13.  This week also saw the 25th anniversary of the death of one of my biggest science heroes - Nobel Laureate, communicator of science par excellence, bongo player, artist, wit and raconteur Richard Feynman.  If you want to experience complex physics explained straightforwardly and clearly, pick up pretty much any of his books and prepare to be amazed.