TheBanyanTree: It's Friday

[Monique]

So he calls to ask what he should get at Fred Meyer, besides the bulk spices
he's buying for something he's planning to make this weekend.

I don't know. I just got in, at 9 pm, from seeing a client. 

"What are we having with the tilapia?" 

I bought tilapia yesterday, or sometime in the past few days, so that's what
I thought we'd have this evening.

"I don't know. Something easy."

I always want something easy. I am not into labor intensive foods at this
point in my week.

"What would you like?" He's very accommodating. 

"Potato chips," I say, liking the sound of potato chips with tilapia. I
don't know why.

He's not that accommodating though.

"No. No potato chips. How about asparagus?"

"Asparagus? That's nothing like potato chips." 

I like to point out the obvious.

"No potato chips." 

I'm starting to have my doubts about this relationship. What kind of person
is going to tell me "no potato chips?" (Besides the obvious answer: a
reasonable person.)

So he says he can steam the asparagus. 

I certainly hope so. I can barely tackle the tilapia in my condition. That's
why I asked for potato chips. 

They'd have to be Pringles though. I like that they're all the same. 

I'm stalling now. I should take the dog for a walk. He walked her last
night. And this morning. I walked her a few hours ago. She'd like to be
walked again now, though it's hard to tell since she's laying next to me and
snoring. But I'm comfortable right here, listening to the dog snore and
waiting for my asparagus to arrive safely. I should type up my notes from
tonight's meeting. My client needs a business plan.

By Monday.

The other clients need, in order of random importance: year-end financials,
balance sheets, monthly financials, reconciliations, W-3's and 1096's sent
out, spreadsheets, tax returns, information on incorporating, payroll,
advice, suggestions, problem solving, and general hand holding. Worse yet,
they expect me to do these things. As if that's what they pay me for.

Wait. That is what they pay me for. Never mind.

Still, do I look like someone who should be doing these sorts of things? Not
hardly. The client who needs a business plan wants me to manage her new
salon. She says there's no way she can do it herself. While she has a point
there, I'm not sure I'm the person for the job -- but for two years she's
been talking about opening her own salon and having me manage the business
side of things. I've generally ignored it. 

Today I escorted another client to the social security administration
office. She needed to change her name, since she got married. Of course, she
got married 13 years ago. Last year the IRS decided the name they had for
her didn't match the name on her tax return. She never got around to
changing it. I've been haranguing her for about 10 months to find her
marriage certificate. She finally did last week. Her husband asked me to
come to the store, pick her up, and take her to get her name changed so it
would get done.

So I did. We made jokes while we waited for our turn. We explained to the
guy at the counter that I was there to make sure she really did change her
name. Afterwards she bought me lunch. I never turn down lunch. That's one
thing people need to know about me. I never turn down lunch.

Stew is settling in down in California. Finding a therapist has been
difficult, and dealing with the California system of social services has
been interesting, but overall he's doing okay. He's so much stronger this
year than he was last year. His parents are learning new and exciting things
every day though. I'm still here to provide support, reassurance,
explanations, advice, and telephone and online therapy to both Stew and his
Mom. His Dad does okay. 

My asparagus has not yet arrived. It is perhaps taking the long way home.
Wait. It is not nearly time for it to arrive. 

I should walk the dog. Why can't the dog walk herself? That's what I want to
know. It's not like she doesn't know the way, we always go the same way. I
think it's because she wouldn't come back until she felt like it, which
could be hours. Days. No telling. She's easily distracted. 

My niece turned 21 today. I find this rather impossible. Especially since
her father is my younger brother. But he says it's so. But it's not all that
bad. I have a nephew who's in his 30's. And a boyfriend who's in his 20's.
That should be bad, shouldn't it? I'm occasionally reminded of the age
difference simply because there's bound to be, now and then, instances where
the idea of it will pop up. It just seems so . . . inconsistent with us,
that there's that much of an age difference. The idea of us does not
encompass such a thing as a wide age gap. 

The dog got bored on the couch and left to collapse on the floor, where she
is now snoring. I should take her for a walk. I've said that, haven't I? The
situation remains unchanged. 

I'm really going to take her for a walk now. Then my asparagus will be here.
And we can relax. Of course I have to work tomorrow, but I have no clients
scheduled, so I can stay in the office with my feet up and keep the dog
company while I work, so that's good. And Sunday, my normal day off, I have
just one client to see. I may have a client to see tomorrow -- too many
people to see and not enough days in the week -- but perhaps we can
forestall that until Monday. Perhaps. With any luck.

Okay. I'm going now. Really. I just have to wake up the dog, which is not
that difficult a proposition. All I have to do is say, "Honey, wanna go for
a walk?" and then . . . well, let's try it and see . . . 

She looks at me, jumps up, snaps at me, then starts to whine. She's sitting
by the door now, certain that I wasn't kidding. Not taking her now would be
mean, wouldn't it? I am not mean. Just lazy.

No, really, we're going for a walk now . . . 

Monique