Face off!

My parents are arriving this Thursday for their first visit to Krakow. As you know, I have been bemoaning the state of my apartment (cat hair, huge dust bunnies, etc) for quite a while, and have been hounding my landlord for a cleaning lady since I first arrived.
I told him last week I had to have someone in to clean before my mother arrived. So he arranged for what he calls "emergency cleaning" today.

He wanted me to be here while the cleaning lady cleans, so instead of cleaning myself Saturday morning (which is what I normally do), I am sitting here feeling over privileged and guilty, while a nice older Polish women cleans my apartment. I am attempting to assuage my middle-class guilt by catching up on work, uploading more photos, and contacting technical support to see if I can get my wireless router to work (still no luck).

The most memorable moment of the morning: Small asserted her ownership of the apartment by lying on the stairs and not budging while the cleaning lady attempted to clean them. At over 20 pounds, Small is a force to be reckoned with when she doesn't want to move. However, older Polish ladies are no pushovers. After some plaintive meowing, Small was banished upstairs with her tail between her legs, and is now hiding out in the bedroom.