Just that. Oy. I'll keep it short. I can't do sweet, but I will try to keep it short.

Yesterday SpouseKitty and I had a disagreement. I know my following account won't be balanced, so you've been warned. Here's the short form: She wants more time.

I work 50+ hours a week. I get up at 6AM so I can shepherd Kitten through her morning checklist so she can be at the bus stop at 7:30AM. Then I go to work, and I'm in by 8AM. I usually stop at 6PM, but that's 'usually.' Sometimes, it varies by two or three hours, and usually not in the friendly way. But that's 'usually,' again.

I get home, and I start to pick things up in-between bites of dinner. Kitten is at the growing-like-a black-hole stage, so she needs food, and needs it now. Now being whenever she's hungry. Usually, this means I come home to leftovers, "it's in the fridge" or some frozen stuff I stocked up on for just the occasion.

That's fine. My marriage vows didn't include "and a hot dinner every night." The fact that I have someone to come home to and the assurance that Kitten was cared for means the world to me.

My marriage vows did include "in sickness and in health," and I'm making good on that promise. SpouseKitty is sick. Her body is falling apart on her. Thyroid cancer, crushed lumbar discs, cervical fusion, some other things that I don't want to go into.

The summary is that she can't do a lot of picking up, cleaning up or unpacking. That's fine. She tries to do some, and gets some clothes washed or cycles the dishwasher. That's great, more than I feel any right to ask.

I come home, and I make sure all the laundry ends up in the hamper, that at least one hamper load ends in the washer, the sink is clear, the dishwasher is started, etc. I pick up after Kitten, make sure she can find her homework, jacket, shoes etc. in the morning.

I usually end up spending two hours in the living / dining / kitchen areas, doing stuff. During that time, I have the same bland conversation - How was your day? Lousy, how was yours? Not sure if it was as bad as yours, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Etc.

It's work. Even talking to SpouseKitty is work at times, especially when we're both negative, tired and seemingly trying to out-do one another in crappy day events. It's tiring to talk to Eeyore every day. "Don' worry 'bout me, no one ever does."

After a 10 hour day, after two hours of housework, all I want is some time to write a blog, read some blogs, do some IM, maybe write some fiction. No, she needs more time.