I have played OTB tournament chess in the past, but was never really any good at it (~1500 rating). Playing correspondence is nice because it lets me concentrate entirely on the moves, not that pesky clock. Also, I speak a little German...
Tournament Entry Rating is calculated by the formula (CurrentRating + HighestRating) / 2. The entry rating will never drop to more than 100 points below your Highest Rating.
Rated stats are updated within 24 hours of the last completed rated game.