It's All So Clear NOW

Do you ever get the feeling that you are playing a constant game of "catch up"?  Don't worry, that's a rhetorical question.  I feel like this nearly every day.  Always one (or more) steps behind on my "to do" list for the day. 
I know, I know, that's not a very positive way of looking at things.  Pretty much goes against the grain of everything I like to say when speaking from my soap box.  Alas, I speaketh the truth (my truth, as it were).
I think that today I figured out exactly why I am always a task or two behind schedule. 
Aside from the fact that I am certain that I have "Adult A.D.D." (for instance, while cleaning the bedroom, which should consist of dusting and vacuuming, I often find myself constructing a new piece of furniture or rearranging the room), something always comes up.
This evening's adventure sums it up quite nicely.

The background:

My lovely wife baked a banana bread/cake for my co-worker (our neighbor and kind gentleman who looks after our dogs and house when we are away and simply one of the nicest people I have ever or will ever meet.)  She asked my to take it over to him.
 
Here's how it went:
The Beginning:

I grabbed the loaf, stuck it in a bag, grabbed the keys and went to the garage to pump up my bike tires.  (successful on all accounts)
I hopped on my bike and off I went.  I peddled furiously for the 3 blocks that it takes to get to his house.  Knowing that he was at work, I thought it would make sense to "break in" - i.e. enter the house via the door by using a key to open it.  Earlier in the day I had gone over to leave some keys for a vehicle and they were still there....(this is foreshadowing, folks....just not very subtle.  It is also important to note that I have about 6 different sets of keys to different vehicles, houses, offices, etc.  Some are combined, some are not.  Please also note that I did NOT have a cell phone with me.)  Yep, I could probably just stop here, but that would be no fun, so I shall continue.

The Arrival:

I hopped off of my bicycle and trotted happily into the sunroom.  I pulled out my wad of keys and proceeded to jam some keys into the door knob.  (one at a time, of course.)  None worked.  Probably because they were the keys to the back door of MY house.  So, I placed the loaf so gently on the table and hopped back on my bike to peddle home and retrieve the "proper" set of keys.  Surely his house key must be on the other key ring.  Off I went.

Back Home:

I ran in, grabbed the other keys and zipped back over.  (btw, bicycle safety....always wear a helmet!!)

The Re-Arrival:

I hopped off the bike and trotted back into the sunroom, certain that I had the right keys this time.  (still no phone with me, btw, though I did hear a "voice" when I left my house the second time saying, "Wait, grab your personal cell....grab it....I'm serious....you should get it."  To which I responded, "huh, yeah ok, whatever", and off I went Sans phone.)
Needless to say, this was also the wrong set of keys.  Not a one would even fit in the door.  Then it occurred to me.  The door key was attached to the car key that I had brought over and "hidden" earlier in the day.  Duh!  All those trips for nothing.  It had been here the whole time!  As Stevie (formerly known as "Baby-Ruth" in this Blog) would say, "Mommy, you're so SILWY!"
So, I retrieved said keys and, being quite proud of my detective skills and sneakiness of dropping off a prized loaf of Banana Goodness to an unsuspecting pal, I let myself into the house.

The Incident:

As soon as I opened the door, I heard it.  A lovely feminine voice saying, "System Armed.  Disarm System Now", followed by "BEEP BEEP BEEP".  "Back door open. Disarm System now."  "BEEP BEEP BEEP".
So I said, "*(&&^&%***@@@#$%^&^*)*()#)"  Then I spun in a circle looking for a phone that I knew wasn't there.  I then recalled seeing a little flip phone in the car in the driveway.  The car that I had the keys for......PERFECT!!!  I grabbed the phone to call home and get a phone number to call the my pal whose house I had just entered.  Luckily I was able to get through and get the numbers as the alarm was screeching at me in the background.  Unluckily, it was a prepaid cell phone and I had used up the rest of the minutes with that one call.
CRAP.
So, I relocked the house, let the alarm keep screaming at me, and peddled furiously back home to get my cell phone.  (btw, it is a very rare occasion indeed that I don't have at least one, if not TWO phones attached to me.  Of course this is the time I pick to go without technology!)
Faster than the wicked witch going after Toto, I zipped back home, grabbed my phone and dialed. 
I have to confess.  I was talking on the phone while riding.  No, it wasn't hands free.  One hand on the handle bar, the other on the phone, holding it to my ear as I peddled and breathed heavily, hoping to get back with an alarm code before the police showed up and tackled me to the ground.  (This is why it is important to wear a helmet!)
I made it back, re-entered and keyed in the alarm code.  The plan was to escape and be on my way prior to the arrival of the "locals".  That didn't go as planned either. 
Just as I was "sneaking" back out of the house, there they were......the "locals"......out front and coming my way.  Not that it mattered.  I mean, really, how much was I going to get away with on a bicycle anyway?
Thankfully, I had the password and aside from a bit of embarrassment on my part and the loss of the banana bread surprise, there was no harm done and we all went on our merry way.

I'm hoping that is the best friggin' banana bread that my lovely lady has ever made!  (and I'm sure it is.)
So you see, it's not that I procrastinate and make myself fall behind in my "chores".  It's that the universe likes to give little quizzes and drop hints to us just to see if we are paying attention.  There are too many points to mention at which I could have made a teensy tiny turn to avoid all such chaos, so I shall leave it up to interpretation.

And so we have Clarity.