entropy
Devoted about half-dozen hours to cleaning the apartment today. Cleaned off the coffee table, swept up all around the living room and vacuumed the rug. Swept the kitchen and dining "room" and near the computer desk and vacuumed all of the above. Much more pleasant apartment now.
Yesterday we went out to the mall and bought various things (I finally have a cooking digital probe thermometer: I can be as cool as AB) and generally acquired things that will make life more pleasant (some new clothing for her, some green tea for me). And also some new house slippers for me (I tend to shred them in about ten months). So now that the floors are clean, I don't feel too twitchy wearing them.
While cleaning, I had a litany going through my mind: "you can't win. you can't even break even." Made me feel better. Science tells us that everyone fights an uphill battle while cleaning. Puts my own suffering (I hate cleaning!) in context.