And she comes rambling back in

Have I ever told you that I manage three sets of books? Sort of. I do. Crazy, huh? Maybe you've gotten the picture that I'm more of an artsy type, less of a numbers gal, and if you have, you're right. Can I explain why I've been doing the books for our non-profit for four years and then some? No, I can't, but I guess you don't always end up doing what seems like the most predictable thing. Maybe God has wanted to teach me faith. Or round off my rough edges, as I've been the collections lady for rent, as I've sweated our communal $4700 rent bill in San Francisco. It has not been easy. And I have no official training.

I also do my family's books, as well as a little job for some friends of mine who are living overseas.

Today was a special day, a one of a kind day in which I spent at least an hour working on each of the above jobs. It was like a wrestling match, I have emerged from my day feeling like my brain is leaking. I always feel like I am behind, there is always something to catch up on.

And so, because it has been that kind of day, I have been amusing myself tonight by reading the label on a box of Thai treats, over and over again. Today Chinua and I had almost decided to run away together to Thailand, where we will never look at numbers again, until a sweet person in our community walked into the office and brought us back to this beautiful piece of woods.

However, our amazing friend Christy brought us this box of Thai treats recently, and reading it is almost like being there.

***

There are these boxes that can be checked, to indicate the level of sweetness of what is within. This is what they say:

Taste salty and crisp- Taste salty and crisp of fresh milk and sweetness of water melon juice, suitable for persons who do not eat sweetened food (no ingredient of sugar)

Little sweet- Little sweet, when you have it, it will have only little sweetness, it is not too sweet, as in crispy rice sweetmeat there are only two lines of sugar, suitable for people eating not too much sweet, it tastes good.

Very sweet- Very sweet on sweetmeat with sugar all over the piece; when you eat, feel the sweetness; suitable for ones who eat very sweet.

***

I'm glad that they are so concerned about my ability to handle the sweet on sweetmeat. I wish that American foods were as aptly labeled. I can just imagine, on a box of oreos: "Sugar all through the piece, suitable for those who wish to have sugar high and then fall in the sweetmeat, convulsing." Thai people are so considerate, man.

And that reminds me of my new use of Netflix. Of course I get the DVDs, and then I send them back, and all that, in their cute little envelopes. But I've found that if you are looking up a movie, and then you click on the parent guide button, it will give you the most detailed description of any problematic content that I have ever found. Which I use. Not for my kids, FOR ME. For instance, my husband wanted to watch Pan's Labyrinth in the theater, and I looked it up and knew within a few moments that I will never, not ever, watch that movie.

I'm kind of a freak, when it comes to movies. And kind of the opposite of a lot of people, I think. Because I've been hearing all about how sad The Pursuit Of Happyness is, and then I watched it the other day and LOVED it. It was sad. But it was about a side of San Francisco that I'm a lot more familiar with than in any other movie I've seen, and I just love that triumphant sort of work-your-butt-off message. I like rehab movies, too, for the same reasons.

But I have never, not ever, seen people walking in the Financial District smiling like that. That's how you know they're extras.

Rambling is low pressure, isn't it?

Let's see, what else? I made myself sick from eating chips last night. I've been reading the Mitford series by Jan Karon because it's soothing and I want to be soothed. I'm SO busy, in case you didn't catch that. I mean, so BUSY. I have a new/old futon that my friends gave me. My easter lily's last flower is drooping. However, the carnations that the kids bought me when I was in the hospital will probably live forever, cut, and in a vase. Weird. Our communal oven and one of our fridges is broken, which is frustrating. I want ice cream all the time and I can't think of a way to end my ramble, so I'll just say, Goodnight.