Well my fellow inmates have been dropping like flies with a summer flu. First Roland, then Marcel, Ignacio and now Eric. My medically prescribed cocktail of anti-oxidents is keeping all sickness at bay. Those viruses can't get past cerveza, vino tinto, Hierbas and Fundador cognac, if taken in exactly the right quantities.
Roland has had a run of bad luck. As well as flu, he had his wallet and passport stolen yesterday causing a flurry of activity in contacting the Swiss consulate in Ibiza to get a document to replace his passport.
Marcel (another flu victim) had some bad luck too. In cutting his neck to size, he marked the wrong depth and nearly ended up with firewood. Luckily, he cauight it in time, and with propitious use of special 'horse glue' (don't ask, but I think it is what you think) and the ministry of the professor, he managed to recover the situation.
Every day starts with a visit to Es Glop, a little cafe in Sant Francesc (San Francisco) run by the genial Jaime, where Eric and I annoint ourselves with our morning victuals (usually cafe solo and water) while listening to Jaime's copy of Erics music on the sound system.
This is the blogging ritual. Eric selects and prepares the photos and I get writing, helped and fuelled by Jaime and Maria.
Usually it all comes together in time for us to arrive at the workshop just 15 minutes late, which is good as it is usually beer o'clock by then.
Yesterday's 'work' started with 'Neck Theory', ratios, measurements etc all to within half a millimetre judgement (that's not worth thinking about in inches!).
There has been some excellent cross-cultutral education. I am learning a bit more Spanish and German, and my fellow inmates are learning the utility and pure form of some of the Anglo-Saxon words which, dear reader, you will know can be used as nouns, verbs, adverbs, pronouns and sometimes even make up a complete sentence! We have educated Ignacio in a Catalan form of the key word and is generally used in the form of 'todo fuckado' when applied to mistakes. The verb form declines in the normal way, 'yo fucko', 'tu fuckas', 'el fucka' etc . . .
He will be like a foreigner in his own land when he returns to Palma! He has grudgingly agreed to send us a couple of his great 'Bluesville Bar' T-Shirts in return for some naked promotion of his excellent bar and live music venue http://www.bluesvillebar.com/ Thanks Ignacio!
Mind you, he is going slowly mad. He had a 'Silence Of The Lambs' moment yesterday. I don't want to see what he keeps in his basement!
Anyway, back from these ramblings to the work of the day . . .
Neck refinement with more routing, rasping, sanding etc. I also cut and sanded the my headstock in the planned PRS shape. Every day, it looks more and more like an instrument!
After a few drinks the professor, Eki, gets quite theatrical in these 'lectures'.
At the end of the day, about 10.30pm we went off to Es Pujols for a great dinner at an Italian restaurant called Hemingways. I know he spent time in Spain, but I can't believe old Ernest came all the way out here during the Spanish Civil War. And naming an Italian restaurant after him is beyond me . . .
Generally, apart from a couple of good restaurants and clubs, Es Pujols is the arse end of Formentera. With a nod to the more touristy end of the Balearic resorts, it is mobbed with tourists and is pretty tacky. So, if you ever come to Formentera, DON'T stay in Es Pujols, rather San Ferran (San Fernando), San Francesc (San Francisco), Mitjorn, Cala Saona or Cap de Berberia. If you like Es Pujols, stay in Mallorca or Ibiza!
Anyway, getting back to Casa Eric (or Can Eric in Pagesse), we saw and heard the end of the private party for a Russian billionaire at the Gecko club, with a denouement of a serious firework display. He flew in the Gypsy Kings for his party, and you could hear them all the way down Mitjorn beach.
Our invite must have been lost in the post. The postal system is crap here (but I bet Philippe Starck got his invite!). Starckey has a beautiful house on the south side of the hill from Eric's place.
Then a couple more Hierbas and time for bed . . .
Now for Friday's endeavours . . .
Cheers!
