Berlin, 12.12.00 Email to family: Yet another quiet weekend. Madeleine was good, basically; she allowed us to sleep, made cute faces, didn't create too much of a mess. Not that we did anything. Slept late Saturday then lurched out for a walk, but failed to buy groceries. In the evening Annette had dinner with a friend at the Thai place downstairs while I rushed off to the velodrome to watch an evening of track racing with a gaggle of Olympic and world champions, which was fun in the extreme. If I wasn't already so short of time (and out of shape) I'd bring my track bike back after Christmas and do some riding - we're only fifteen minutes away from this beautiful indoor velodrome. But I think I'll just have to content myself with watching the races this year. Sunday, groggy again, slept late again. Annette went out for her first run. This was a double milestone: she ran for thirty minutes without any problems; she left the baby alone with me without all hell breaking loose. No crying, no screaming, no being dropped on the floor, sold to Kuwaitis, fed to alligators or other nastiness. Then I went out for a sluggish ride. It was a beautiful sunny weekend when I left, grey and wet and raining when I returned. I rode up into the far reaches of East Berlin, which is interesting in the same way that it isn't beautiful. Other stuff: Every Monday I remember why I hate working full-time. Oh well, a year won't kill me. Home in one week. My parents are excited to the point of piddling themselves, I'm told. Who knew? Madeleine was actually pretty cute this weekend. She doesn't do tricks though. Well, she does one trick, the one I call "Twitch Like A Retard," but otherwise the repertoire is pretty lame. One thing I've learned from cleaning babies - you find cat hair in the unlikeliest places. I've given up trying to do any training this month. Too many other commitments. I'll skate in the underground parking lot when I'm home, then start as training seriously as possible come January. God I want to get back into shape. Full-time work conspires against me. We need to hire a cleaner once a week, that's the first step. There's a big "Erotik Messe" happening in Berlin right now, which is either a sex industry trade show or just a huge porn-fest at the convention centre. The poster is everywhere, on every lamppost on most of the major streets in the east. It's nothing unusual for Germany, just a topless woman with larger-than-average breasts (though they look completely natural, which is unusual - should I take a picture?). No big deal, just a normal part of life in this not-prudish land. Except that the cumulative effect of passing the same poster about 700 times on a Sunday afternoon bike ride turned out to be pretty interesting. Link: Report I wrote about the track racing on Saturday, for die-hard cycling fans.