Berlin, Wednesday 2:13 AM, December 6, 1995

I am in Berlin for a couple of days this city starts to ennoy me. It is usually, that every bad event comes to another here as if sadness, pity, sorrow and hatred had this continuos conference and stay in the city because they have so much fun here with the people. I must admit that I wasn't in the best mood this morning, after standing naked in the shower with toothbrush and toothpaste in my mouth trying to get a drop of water out of the tap but didn't have a chance. It was not the greatest beginner. Finally, of course, there was also no hot water for tea, so the question was "tea or not to be". So I went for breakfast two blocks away to the Turkish bakery, after finding some change in my pockets. Besides the fact that they didn't have tea anymore, and I had to drink coffee the breakfast went well without any major complications. I left a little nervous after I had to cups of coffee and a Turkish Mafiosi had dropped by to get some cash. The little disaster started when I came into the bank. I hate to wait in a long line and the guy in front of me took an eternity. I tried to zen out and dream, but my mood went down to zero when it was my turn and the woman said your number please. I stuttered my account number and she said that I had to pick a number. I must have looked so desperate that the men standing after me offered me to be first. So I asked her how much it is to cash a check from the US here. After a long fight for the information and her complaining how complicated it is to find out in advance, finally hanging herself on the phone, she made me a list: 25 BearbeitungsgebŸhr plus 1.70 Porto plus 1.5% interest plus 3 something....I said forget it. For a 250.-check almost 40 DM for the bank? I felt this is mad. Finally I used the machine to get some fast cash and go to the subway. I realize that I forgot my ticket that I bought the other day so I wanted to buy a single ticket and gave fifty marks. The man at the counter seemed to not be my opinion and meant he wouldn't exchange 50 DM for a single ticket " if you insist on the ticket you'll get a 40.- DM credit and then you can get the rest of your money back at Lorenzweg 5" (which is a 2 hour travel to the outside of Berlin and back. ) I was really tempted to drive black just for some kind of satisfaction but I finally gave in and bought a collecting ticket...I guess this slow cold and gray Berlin wasn't enough (it was ridiculously damn cold today) and I got into the next set of frustration. I went to get some fabric for my piece in Hamburg. I found something in a satisfying quality for a good price and wanted to know if there was any discount if I bought the whole role. She said it would be 45 meters times 15.-marks. I asked if there wasn't any discount and also on the label there was a sign for 45 yards and I mentioned that yards are not as long as meters. She didn't seem to be my opinion and still insisted that it's not much easier to sell me the role and give a 10% discount, so I ordered 12 times 2.75 . She took her calculator and wanted to cut 33m. But I insisted on 12 times 2.75m. I said I didn't want a piece with the length of 33m now, I need 12 pieces of 2.75m because it is much easier for me to not have to cut it. She finally spoke to the manager and I got the 10 % (which was a drag because I really would have saved some time if she would have cut it for me), but I saved some money so it was worth it. Then at the studio I was able to work until 11:15 PM. After tomorrow I am leaving to Hamburg and live in the Hotel Berlin...what a drag that this hotel is named after this fun-city. I went to bed at 4.30 AM and woke up much to late this morning...when do I get over this jetlag.