Entertainment: October 2007 Archives
Last night a Spanish buddy and I went BOWLING to a nearby bowling alley in Madrid. We go bowling about once a month and go to a couple different places. We're even MEMBERS at one of them! That shows you we're serious about our bowling. hehehe...
So we arrive at the local lanes, about a 15 minute walk from my house, and go inside. The place was recently totally renovated, top to bottom - or so you'd think, given the opportunity to do so. The inside is quite nice, new bar, new billiards area, new table-top-soccer area, new bathrooms, the works. This was our second time to this place since they'd renovated it.
I recall the first/last time we went. I was immediately impressed with its interior. Nice! I was more than a bit amused, however, to find stamped on all the balls, "BRUNSWICK USA" - which is one of the most popular bowling products companies in the United States.
Went to the bowling ball rack to choose our preferred size, weight, finger-hole sizes, and took the pick of the litter - of all runts. All were old balls, full of nicks, gashes, & scrapes. Disappointing.and took our terrible balls to our assigned lane, placed them on the ball return rack, put on our shoes, and and loosened up. First, I have to tell you that not only were the bowling balls horrible but also were the old bowling shoes with frayed laces. The ball return equipment too appeared to be from the mid-1970s and all carried the name BRUNSWICK USA on them. I'm now more and more convinced all this equipment was sent over on a slow-boat from Podunk County, USA after some bowling alley went out of business and sold off their "assets" - HA! Assets. This stuff should've been in the liability column.
Still, having BRUNSWICK USA surrounding me swept me back to when I was 10 years old and on a Saturday morning bowling team. I felt all warm and fuzzy.
Throw the first ball down the lane. Hmmm.. I swear there's a strange, alternating thumping sound from the alley as the ball reaches the pins. Must be the ball. Try another ball. Different ball - same result. Good lawd, the lane's warped close to the end! My goodness. "Could this place BE any worse?" (in my best "Chandler" voice from the popular TV series "Friends") So we change lanes only to get the same result. I look down at the end of the lanes were the pins are and see an odd-looking pair of body-less legs standing in front of my pins. Then one leg disappears. Then the other. Hmmm.. That's strange. What if I throw this ball now and those legs reappear down there? The resulting limb severing would be worse than the Normandy Beach scenes in the movie "Saving Private Ryan".
Finally we find a lane which is semi-flat! Thank goodness! Now we can enjoy ourselves with these ripped up bowling balls. Still, it's fun and I don't do half bad.
Next time we'll have to go to our REGULAR bowling alley at the Bowling Studios (see photo) in the Kinépolis complex in the Ciudad de la Imagen. There, they also have a multi-plex cinema, restaurants, and more. Thing is, you have to drive there and it's not all that close to me but the lanes, balls, and everything is new new new. THERE, we're card-carrying members and I'm looking forward to going back.
Photo at Left:
MadridMan at the "Bowling Studios" at Kinepolis - a GOOD bowling alley! - photo from April 2007 (don't pay attention to the direction of the ball - err.. I was practicing?)
At the Bowling Studios they have monthly tournaments and was even tempted to "Show these Spaniards how a REAL AMERICAN bowls!" Afterall, we invented it, didn't we? Okay, I don't think we invented but we certainly popularized it! But I never signed up for the tournament after seeing a few people practicing on lanes near me. Wow, could they bowl! My Spain-based, season-best score of 190 points would likely only embarrass me when competing with these guys who have it all down to a science with the swinging back of the leg, the right-to-left spinning of the ball as it nearly gutters to the right and then swerves back to the center 10-pin making a strike nearly every time. I'm a straight-down-the-middle kind of bowler. Nothing fancy. But I do have good aim.
But it's very enjoyable to go out bowling even though I tend to take it too seriously, too competitively. My bowling buddies all tell me this. At the Bowling Studios, LOTS of other bowling-for-fun participants in adjacent lanes are slinging the balls down the lanes with no apparent eye-hand-coordination, making lots of gutter balls, tossing the balls too high in the air and coming down with a terrible THUNK!, lots of slipping and falling over the line, and LOTS of laughter. Afterall, THAT'S what it's all about; good, clean, AMERICAN FUN - IN SPAIN!
Who'dathunk I'd ever do more bowling in Spain than in the USA? Now that's culture shock!
Start your Monday off with a smile and goooood feelings! Watch these 3 Spanish music videos (see below) and you'll be humming them throughout your workday.
A very good British friend of mine often mentions enjoying "Flamenco Chill" music in certain Madrid clubs and I really had no idea what he was talking about. What is "Flamenco Chill"?
This morning I'm surfing the internet, doing work and straightening my brain while having breakfast and preparing to go to the gym to start my day.
I come across a page which describes one of my favorite Spanish songs, "Ahí Estás Tú" by the Malaga, Spain originated group Chambao. Huh! I had no idea THIS was considered "Chill Flamenco" but I guess it makes sense. The vocals and music mix flamenco with... umm.. a kind of jazz and has a good, gentle rhythm which causes one's head to sway in, maybe, a Bob Marley fashion. hehehe... When I heard the song for the first time, I LOVED IT, and it made me think of beaches or islands or something of the like.
The Andalusian government uses their song(s) to promote tourism in the region which includes scenes of beaches or coasts or things like this so maybe they felt the same as me when they heard it. A VERY funny anecdote to this song is that for the longest time - until NOW, that is - I thought she was singing "Cállate Tú" which means "Shut Up!" in Spanish. Hahhaa.. Never seemed to go along with the tone of the song. Now THAT'S funny.
Watch the video below and prepare yourself to love it - if you haven't heard it before. The music Video itself is okay but it's the song which really grabs you.
But the first - and even MORE amazing song by them - is the upbeat "Pokito a Poko". See below. I'm pretty sure the Andalusian Government uses this song in their tourist ads too. I'd heard this song before but didn't know it was them:
Another song featuring the lead singer, La Mari de "Chambao", is her accompaniment on the live Ricky Martin song, "Tu Recuerdo". I've always been a fan of the Puerto Riqueño Ricky Martin but La Mari de "Chambao" REALLY steals this song. Watch/Listen below:
Hope the above starts your work week out well, world! Enjoy!
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