Hmm, lets see... On Sunday night I went back to Agua Bar (the place with the lack of women when I'd previously been there for 'ladies night') for an open mic night.
It had a very friendly and very 'ex-pat' feel about the place. I met up with a couple of guys from work, one of whom played the keyboard for most of the night. It felt a bit like Cheers in there... where everyone knows your name... except no-one knew my name, so it was as if a random English guy had stumbled on the set and started talking to Woody about blowing up tanks with rocket launchers.
On Monday I started my karate training. Yes, that's right kids, I'm going to be capable of hurting people with my bare hands in no time. Or at least, I would if I were learning one of the more vicious martial arts. Alas, Karate is one of those fighting styles that is ONLY useful if you are surrounded by foes that are directed where to stand, when to attack and what to do. It's as if synchronised swimming was converted into a deadly contact sport by people that don't like water... people with rabies, they don't like water, maybe they should take up karate. I imagine it would be difficult to get rabies sufferers to follow orders, the foamy mouthed zombies just don't have the patience for it.
So, yes, one of the guys at work is some sort of karate master (I'm hoping) and so offers training three nights a week down in the social area. I thought one night would be fine, but as I learnt last night, you get disappointed looks if you don't turn up to EVERY lesson. I'm not exactly sure what the trainer Ake (pronounced 'Okk-ay', getting punched in the photo) gets out of it, but it's good of him to do it... for free no less. It's quite funny having a karate lesson in Spanish and Japanese... I have literally no idea what is going on, but I'm using it as another excuse to learn the language... as long as it doesn't backfire and I end up in a bar asking for a vodka and coke in Japanese. Strangely though, I've commented before on how some Spanish words sound Japanese. The road I'm looking at out the window is called Teniete Oyaga for example.Anyway, so I enjoyed the karate, I figure it'll be a good way to keep pseudo fit and mix with a different set of people. The sockless nature of karate reminded me that I hadn't cut my toe nails since my girlfriend's last visit... so a few Spanish people had my super long toe nails shoved in their faces as I attempted my Jackie Chan moves. For your information, I've just cut them in preparation for tomorrow's session.
Afterwards I got a lift back with Angel who offered to take me on a jaunt somewhere (possibly to the allegedly nice town of Valledamosa) if I want. Quite a number of people have offered to take me on a trip at weekends, which is super flattering. As a new person, especially as a foreigner, you feel that people are doing you a favour by spending time with you rather than their 'real' friends. So when people offer up their free time of their own accord it is both reassuring and a big confidence booster. I've been made to feel so welcome here and I seem to be getting on with everyone. It's not easy to just waltz into town not knowing anyone and latch onto established groups of friends, so I'm so happy the way things have turned out so far.
On Tuesday the producer's girlfriend came in for a recording session. She's half Norwegian half American, so we're lucky as that meant we could utilise both accents and cast her for two characters. It was a bit harder than the previous session, not least because I didn't know about it before the day and therefore we hadn't sat down and discussed what we wanted from the characters. But we ended up with some good material.
After work I went round the same producer's house and spent the evening with the two of them and a couple of other guys playing board games and drinking for... about 7 hours. It was a really fun night and we all got on really well whilst playing the most complicated games Germany and Italy have to offer. I won the Italian game. It went on for too long, much like fascism I imagine.I was supposed to go to Hogan's again last night, the bar where the composer plays at, but got lazy and fell asleep. That was yesterday night. Party on. Tonight I could be going out to Salsa dancing (or is it Samba, I always get them mixed up) but given that it's 11pm, I don't think it's going to happen.
Tomorrow my first 'public' video is being displayed to the world, admittedly only via the internet, but it's like a new era when you do your first 'for the public' thing. It's no big deal, just a teaser trailer for our first game (there's 2 games in production), I've done plenty of these things before, but today I had to get it approved by the chain of command. All the 'important people' came into my studio and nodded their nodders after hearing my incessant sparkle noises. It's not my 'finest' work, but to be fair, I'm always horrendously critical of my work, I don't think I've ever been truly satisfied with anything... a character trait I'm quite thankful for as it means I'm constantly, and rather depressingly, striving for an impossible perfection. I may post up a link to it, although I'm not sure how I feel about my company name being intrinsically linked to this blog (although it may already be, I can't remember).
News on the flat. I get my keys next Monday. Hopefully by the end of next week I'll be all settled in my new place... although the logistics of getting all my tat up to the fifth floor remain somewhat of a headache that I'm trying to ignore.
Spanish is starting to go well... oh yes! I had my first Spanish lesson. It was a bit of a strange one, I got asked to speak to the woman who'd do a test with me to assess my current ability... a little daunting to START with a test, but there you go. Then I get told that she'll ONLY speak in Spanish to me, great. So in a walk and am confronted with the fabled Spanish dominatrix I'd heard so much about from my colleagues. An attractive lady with a sort of 'school master' look about her who goes straight into the routine with me. No test, no explanation, just full on lesson. She's there forcefully pointing her pen at Louis, Pepe, Ana and various other 80's style characters on a large laminated worksheet, over pronouncing her Spanish and gesturing me to respond to her (presumed) questioning. To be fair, I'd learnt most of it before, but it makes SUCH a difference when you've got those deep eyes staring you down, knowing full well that you'll get a disappointed head shake accompanied by a 'NO' if you get anything wrong. I learnt more in that hour than I have in... well... more hours than that. So I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the brief moment when I made her laugh and for the tiniest amount of time she dropped the ball on her strict teacher persona. I've walked past her since whilst she was teaching someone else and she winked at me... I'm not sure what it means or whether I should get scared yet.
On the way home there was a large police presence in the center of Palma for some reason. No big deal but I had to chortle at how the police have clearly modelled their vans on the one from the A-Team.
R
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