Elizabeth writes about keeping a housework log. She and her husband have been writing down how much time they spend cleaning the house and doing other household chores.
I’m not sure that I could itemize my time that neatly, because I’m always doing at least three things at one time. This afternoon, I watched Ian, changed the sheets on all the beds, fixed my blogroll, answered comments, requested desk copies of a book, vacuumed the second floor, and organized the tool area of the basement. When my husband is around, he is usually working in some capacity, but he is just doing one thing at a time.
Speaking of multi-tasking, dooce has a must read post on the paid employment switcheroo in her house. She’s now the bread-winner working from home, and her husband is the full time parent. How’s hubby doing? Read. Good stuff.
Apt. 11d 
Funny stuff.
My own lovely partner is trying (and often failing) to get over her long-held belief that the only good way to clean something is her way. Intellectually, she’s finally come round to my oft-argued point that, so long as I clean my fair share of the house and clean it well, it doesn’t matter whether or not I do it exactly as she would. Emotionally, though, it still drives her crazy, and she finds it almost impossible to just let me clean without criticising how I do it, even when she’s happy with the outcome.
Her other pecadillo is to constantly compare my cleaning efforts to those of gay male friends. (I’m the cleanest straight guy she knows.) Sample conversation (with two possible endings):
She: “Why can’t you be as tidy as Steven?”
Me: “But didn’t you tell me that Steven is the most neurotic person you know, and can’t keep a boyfriend because he’s so highly strung?”
She: “I didn’t say be as neurotic as him – I said be as tidy as him!”
Me (in the first year or so of our relationship): “But you can’t separate the two!”
Me nowadays: [slowly backing away, hands up in placating gesture, as if to calm an angry mother bear] “Yes dear”
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