those long bad days trying to fix a bug that you can't figure out and everything just seems bleak and full of despair, back aching from sitting badly at the desk all day trying without hope to fix the problem (because can't pull away just keep going), eyestrain, imposter syndrome - basically being in a bad and unrewarding relationship with your computer.

A bad day at the physical work was just cold, windy, hard work, muscle aches. Luckily I never got injured and I didn't know anyone that died there otherwise I suppose my opinion of the two works might be different. But I've worked other hard physical labor; for example - ditch digging - cold, muddy, and a real workout, less strenuous - washing dishes in a restaurant, bussing tables.

Again - all preferable to programming on a bad day of programming, maybe it's because when programming goes bad I keep thinking about it afterwards, the other work I forget it right away - hell, I don't even really think about it when I'm doing it.