I Paid For This Room

Dearest Rachel –

There’s a certain irony in my telling you about how, on these sea days, I prefer to stay in my room, while at the same time I’m hanging out elsewhere on the ship. In my defense, this is partly because this is about the time when I could be expecting Marlon to come by, knocking on my door, and asking if he can come in and make up the room; he’d already done so a couple of hours ago, when I was on the phone with Lars, and I deferred him until four in the afternoon. But now that those hours have passed, there’s no holding him back from doing his job, so (unlike at home, when I prefer to be around when Kris is here, so I can pay her as soon as she’s done) I feel the need to clear out so he can get to work. I’ve even changed into smarter clothing than my customary T-shirt and shorts, so that I won’t be too out of place if I have to stay out until dinner is served.

That change also explains why I’m sitting around in the Crown Lounge, as opposed to working out in the gym. It would be an ideal time to do so, I suppose, but I did that yesterday, and by the time I’d finished my routine (which didn’t include rowing, as the one machine was occupied; I did, however, put in forty minutes of uphill walking, as well as a little bit of effort on various weight machines) and showered and changed, it was already just about time for me to be downstairs for dinner. Since I wasn’t going to make it on time, I decided to skip dinner entirely; I really need to do that more often anyway.

However, after having seen some of my table mates this morning, I’d committed myself to being there tonight, even though I understand it to be formal night, judging from the menu. I have missed being there for a couple of days straight, between yesterday and my late night roaming the dock in Osaka the day before. Sometimes, one has to be social in spite of oneself.

I know I’ve told you before about my preference for staying in my stateroom, and I hate to belabor the point, but I challenge anyone to convince me that being anywhere else aboard ship is better. Almost anywhere else, I’m having to listen to someone else’s music, for starters; even in the library, you’re perched eight stories above the centrum floor, with one musical act or another performing throughout the day. Don’t get me wrong, they’re skilled musicians, and I can enjoy some of their stuff (although I probably could write a whole letter about occasionally hearing this or that one of ‘our’ songs, which, while not unbearable, does not help their case), but if I’m wanting to focus on reading or writing, it’s decidedly distracting.

To be sure, I have plenty of distractions back in the room keeping me from accomplishing any one or another of the several daily tasks I assign myself, which is another thing. Sure, I could bring my laptop with me anywhere else on the ship, but in those places I’m not being drowned out by someone else’s noise, I’m the noise that’s bothering someone else. I’ve been caught outside my room by the phone several times, and in answering and actually holding a conversation with whoever back home, I’ve been reprimanded by other passengers several times for being too loud. If Lars, say, was here in front of me, and we were having a conversation at the same volume (and probably louder, as he’d be clearer in person than on speaker, which I need to have when he calls using FaceTime), no one would object, but the fact that he’s elsewhere on a little screen gives everyone the right to tell me to be quiet, apparently.

So whether I’m on the phone, or just wanting to indulge in YouTube videos (my chief distraction from my self-imposed duties), I’m so much better off engaging in them back in my stateroom. Better to hide out there than be a nuisance to everyone else that my presence seems to be otherwise.

Besides, I paid good money for this room (I’ve done the math, and on a per-day basis, it’s actually quite pricey. Then again, that price covers more than just the room, as there are all those meals and the costs involved in transporting us from place to place which is the whole appeal of the cruise ship in the first place); I might as well enjoy it. I get all the exposure to the sun that I want, and while I do need to leave the room for meals – setting room service aside for the moment – I need to get that much exercise in any event. More, really, but that’s where Marlon sort of comes in. By forcing me out of the room on a daily basis, I’m also required to deal with those basic tasks I’ve imposed on myself to keep from getting fat and slothful.

But once those obligations are taken care of, I’m quite satisfied to return to my room. After all, I paid for it; might as well get my money’s worth.

For now, though, keep an eye on me, honey (oh, and Daniel, too… I understand he’s working on a restaurant story of his own, but that’s his to tell, not mine), and wish us both luck. We’re going to need it.