Sigrid

Am on the brink of finishing draft of book. Unfortunately, diet and exercise regimen has broken down completely (Perhaps to counteract virtue in other area of life?) At any rate, actions have consequences and the consequences of sitting around all morning shoving gobs of fatty food into mouth is that after very brief ebb, roll has made complete recovery and, in fact, seemed to have added both mass and volume. If was sort of person who periodically wrote down everything he ate during day (or, for that matter, everything he spent money on during day, equally horrifing exercise), suspect that would find that bulk of current diet is made up of cheese, coffee with half and half, and wine (in that order.) In middle of unpleasant self-reflection (note: is there any other?) am interrupted by phone call from Sigrid who, without any preamble says, It turns out I'm going to have a little girl. Scream and am very happy for her. Tell her so. She says that if she were going to have a boy she would have named him Fritz, but as she isn't, she thought that Fritzy is not a nice name. Agree with her strongly (at same time suffer painful memory about self being called Fritzy in 7th grade by the boys in gym class who'd been held back---they were angry and big and what they lacked in wit, they made up for in cunning.) Tell Sigrid that I'd like to visit her when she has the baby. She says that she hopes I will.