Buy, Buy, Buy

The Boat is a cash free society.

The shops, the OB (Officer’s Bar), the coffee bar and all excursions simply take your room number and charge your account – your account being the money you’ve already earned, remember Jew and Gentile reader, I AM getting paid for this…and that can be very dangerous. We get a good discount at the shops, the OB charges ridiculous prices for drinks – .50 cents for a beer, .90 cents for a vodka, $1.25 for a glass of wine – but the coffee bar isn’t discounted at all.

Of course, I’ve developed a slight shopping problem. I haven’t gone crazy, but I’ve come damn close.

Have you ever furnished a new home? Buying the basics, sheets and towels and cleaning supplies and kitchen supplies and the such? Well, that’s what I’ve been doing the past three weeks; furnishing a new home.

I know what you’re thinking, “Vinnie, you don’t have a kitchen! You’re living in a floating hotel, what do you need with towels and sheets? Don’t they feed you? What could you want for?  Are you insane?”

And I would answer, “Yes. Yes, I AM certifiably insane.”

I’m going to be living in this Flat for the next nine months (possibly 18 if I decide to extend). I need it to be home as much as is possibly can be. I’ve bought only the necessities:

Grooming - Body wash, toothpaste, razors and all lotions, potions and creams necessary to make myself pretty.

Office - Pens, papers, cork board, desk organizer, scissors; all the bits and pieces one needs to have a proper home office.

Organization - Coming from NYC and living in a small space for fifteen years, I’ve become an expert of fitting as much as is humanly possible into a small space and not having it look cluttered, I’ve done the same here. Shoe racks, used for more than just shoes, a storage ottoman, an expanding file folder, and bins, bins, bins.

Decorative - I had to have something on the walls, I chose maps. I have a World Map and a map of the United States. I went with maps as a theme because there was one picture in my room upon arrival and it was a map, I figured why fight it. I also had to buy a few lamps and a bed in a bag ‘cause, well, I wanted them. Granted, I didn’t need the few purely decorative items I bought, I could’ve done without the velvet lined box that looks like a leather-bound book but I need somewhere to put the jewelry I’m buying.

Personal - I needed the Burberry Sport cologne and the black onyx and white gold polar bear pendent from Alaska – I did NOT need the brushed aluminum and diamond ring – they’re small diamonds, but they’re real and they’re mine I bought myself as a birthday present. The Kettle-One was a bit cheaper than the Grey Goose so I saved twenty bucks on the two bottles I bought… I needed the new $100.00 watch to make sure I come back to The Boat on-time from on-shore excursions, I’m still not used to wearing it, but that’ll come with time.

Hobby - I was told, “Bring something to do, Vinnie, because you’ll have a lot of free time.” I didn’t realize exactly how much free time I’d have and I didn’t nearly bring enough to fill it, so I had to go out and buy the things I needed to fill it. It killed me a little to buy things I’ve already got at home but, my hobby is paper crafts – card making specifically – and one needs paper and glue and cards to do that – I didn’t think I’d be able to continue my hand-made Christmas card tradition while on The Boat, but now I don’t see it as a problem, if you’re wanting a hand-made Vinnie original make sure I have your address…

Food and Drink - I’m one of the lucky ones who moved into a room with a little ‘fridge, and I need to keep it stocked. Yes, they’re cooking for me, but there are times I don’t want to get dressed in Passenger Friendly Attire and I’d rather just have a yougurt and Fiber One bar or a pb&j sandwich for breakfast; my larder is full of healthy snacks, granola bars, multi-grain crackers and booze.

All in all, the past few weeks, I’ve been spending money as if I’m printing it myself. But the way I’m thinking, “It’s ship money.”  I’m not spending anything on food or bills or rent, so if I want to treat myself to a few nice things, I can do so without regret.

It’s not like I’m spending money buying stupid souvenirs I’ll throw away upon my return – my “collection” is patches, one from every city/country visited – and besides, I have a feeling the spending will stop as so as I get bored with it, if I get bored with it…