Tuesday's Back and Bi's

Short of some exciting business news, there is little to report in the last few days here over in China.  Applications for our program continue to come in, and we finally have a Western looking payment process thanks to the fine folks over at PayPal.  Still waiting on those first transfers to roll in, but with a payment deadline of June 1st, we're going to have to wait a bit longer.   

Much to my lazier half's chagrin, I have finally joined a gym over here.  There are two types of gyms over here it seems: the glitzy glam well-air conditioned ones with TV's and Chinese nationals not doing much of anything, and the prison-gym-looking spots in apartment complexes where the floors are questionable at best and the equipment seems borrowed from a Rocky set.  Given the less-than-favorable financial statements lately, the latter was the only real option, but it does have the benefit of being frequented by several other expats, one of whom is a southern boy from Virginia with a savvy for lifting.   I have found a bit of comfort in the fact that I am far from the weakest, but my American dietary habits make me a bit of an oddity around here (something I aim to fix in the next few months).    

The concept of the gym here is pretty interesting.  The first type I mentioned cost in the thousands of RMB per year, some as much as $1200 USD even, and are allegedly worth it.  They sport swank decor, newer machines, and abundant eye-candy.  The problem is that they are less gym and more of a place where membership is all that really matters.  Men will roll in, saddle up to the lounge and watch TV, draped in rather expensive workout attire, as if to imitate their favorite Italian TV mobster, or Long Island native.  They are there because they can afford to do so, and perhaps to admire a pretty young thing walking the hours away on a treadmill.  These gyms are status symbols, and truth be told, a hell of a business model.  It was a concept we had flirted with but decided against due to the high startup capital required.

The gym I plan on frequenting is the other end of the spectrum, contains the basics, and is full of locals ranging from some Olympiad caliber physiques to the spindly stereotype working out in a button down and navy slacks and black shoes.  It is nothing short of amusing, and well worth the 800RMB membership.  And the music, oh the music is not what you want while working out, but it really just ties the package in so well that you cannot help but smile and laugh a bit.   I've been told if it's not super busy you can toss them a CD or iPod and they'll play it for you, and this gets me into my slight supervillain cackle as a imagine the reaction to various tunes pulled from the bowels of my music library.  

It will be an interesting next few weeks folks.  Hopefully more so than this last one has been.