One step behind a disaster

It starts out as a simple task: find the 2007 tax information. It's supposed to be in the den. That task turns into organize the four drawer file cabinet. That task turns into consolidate copies of pay stubs, financial statements, bank statements, and miscellaneous other stuff into files. That turns into why don't I put all the stuff I don't need on a regular basis - press photos of bands I've collected since getting into freelance music reviewing - and put those in the file cabinet and put the stuff I need to get to - insurance, TAXES, and financial statements - into one of two black boxes that are outfitted to hold hanging files. That turns into "I need to print information about Abigail Adams for school" but the printer is out of ink and thinks it should be on a different port b/c somehow "Flashpaper" was installed and has overtaken the port. That turns into we're authentically out of Magenta ink and, for whatever reason, the printer thinks life can't continue if its out of ink. That turns into I need Alex's baseball coach's phone number to tell him Alex's spring musical was rescheduled for Wed, when he is supposed to have practice, and that we need a schedule (I was in the field helping Coach and didn't get a schedule). At least with that, my wife thinks she has his phone number at work and will get it tomorrow. Then it's back to looking for the tax information. We have an engagement we need to leave at 3:30 for and I have to find the tax stuff before we leave. It's 2:15 now so I have 1 hour, 15 minutes, to turn a mess into a discovery. It is so frustrating to be a step behind the next disaster and feel like it's only a few moments until the next one strikes. It's hopelessness on a new level, I guess, to acknowledge this. Now it's 2:17 - so I have 1 hour, 13 minutes.

Update! At 2:40 PM, I found the tax information!