The evolution of a computation:

• Derive a finite element for consistent electromechanical simulation.
• Try to explain to a friend what I just did. Fail. Swear.
• Try to explain to an advisor what I just did. Have error in derivation pointed out. Swear.
• Finish working out the formulas.
• Think about implementing formulas. Shudder
• Eat a bowl of ice cream.
• Implement the element. Write sanity checks, which fail.
• Tell the computer it's mother was a goat.
• Debug. Swear. Debug.
• Tell Matlab thou'rt a stupid-head!
• Element passes sanity tests. Try it in a more complete test.
• Give up. Sleep.
• Discover the inevitable sign error. Roll eyes.
• Puzzle over why the simulation doesn't behave as expected.
• Puzzle more.
• Discover expectations were incorrect. Swear.
• Get consistent results. Try larger example.
• Large example is painfully slow.
• Think about appropriate insults for an inanimate object.
• Rewrite element in C. Now bottleneck is elsewhere.
• Rewrite assembly in C. No more bottleneck!
• Try larger example. Bottleneck is now where expected.
• Record pointless list on bloc.
• Go to sleep.

Mmm. Sleep.

(Editorial note: Mentally calling the computer a foolish pig-dog in a Monty-Pythoneseque pseudo-French accent counts as swearing.)