Just back from a playdate with writer/performer Sandra Tsing Loh and her two kids. Between us, their place is a pit! Clothes everywehere and they had this strange color-coded dishware system, which, I'm pretty sure, kept her off the hook for actually washing them but once a week.

No judgment, though. She's solo household-heading for the next two years. Her husband, a musician and their home's main source of cleaning and cooking, got a temporary gig with Bette Middler's show in Las Vegas. Instead of moving the whole family from Southern California to Sin City, they're doing the long-distance daddy thing. Hence, the pigsty.

Truthfully, I'm not big on clean, neat and tidy either. And, like Loh, I've never had the 50-50 argument with my husband about the chores since my skills (and interest) in that area are totally inferior to his. "If you're going to do something, do it right or don't do it!" is his mantra. Agreed! Here's the mop.

Loh and I both shared a good laugh over Bitch Ph.d's approach to equalizing housework in her home: narrating the wiping of tables, the cooking of dinner, the neatening of floors to the very smallest detail, including passive-aggressive "Oh, I see that X and Y need to be done. Now I shall do X and Y."

Standards. Who needs them! Now pass me my green plate, Sandra, I'm refilling my snacks.