Durchsetzungsfähig

That's me. Apparently. It's the German way of saying that I get things done. See what I mean about ze Germans making things difficult? Met two of my neighbours coming off the bus today. It is extremely nice to have neighbours you actually like, and find interesting to talk to. We, of all things, discussed cleaning help. Turns out one of them has a bad one, but she is afraid of complaining (what for nobody knows). The other one cannot sit still while hers is cleaning, and has to clean too (what's the point of having a cleaning lady you ask? A mystery to me.). A third one who wasn't in the discussion cannot be home while her cleaning help cleans (why not? My favourite pastime is to watch other people work!). That's when I proudly announced that my new help is great. Mind you, I have been home the two times she has cleaned so far. A little supervising never hurts, right? But ok, I leave her alone usually sitting in front of my computer, and when she has questions I'm there. But I wouldn't hesitate to complain if things aren't clean when she's done. Hence the epithet "Durchsetzungsfähig" I guess. We ended the discussion with me giving a little technical kitchen tip. One of the girls complained about her kitchen sink plugs, both of them broken. Told her to switch'm, since they are not alike. Was given this embarrassing tip myself once. It pays off to have good neighbours in more ways than one!