Your experience sounds great and something I've been trying to replicate. Building something with your hands and watching it come together provides a different level of satisfaction and enjoyment than hacking on your computer. Recently, I've been trying to come up with ideas of "adult" things I could build in my spare time without taking up too much space in my apartment - such as model vehicles or aircraft. I hadn't even thought to just revert back to Lego, which I enjoyed a lot as a kid. I think I'll give it a try, thanks!
Do read throwaway1979 above. Building Lego sets brings quite a different sense of accomplishment to programming (or carpentry, painting, cooking etc.) I think that's why I like it: I can switch off very effectively. It becomes a little like meditation. I'm not an addict though; one set a year since I rediscovered it (only two in total.)
