Dolphin Address 16
April 15th 2005
This is the name of some fightfilm by Stanley Kubrick. The hero is clad like a Christmas tree with all kinds of weaponry. Not very much my kind of movie, but I feel addressed by the title because, for practical purposes, I like to hang myself with all kinds of things I might need. To this end I have purchased my attire. With my two coats, inner coat, hoody and body warmer I have a total of 34 pockets at my disposal of which until now 28 are in active use. Passport, business cards, dictaphone, paper notebook, everything has its place and is there when I need it. It takes a bit of organizing and remembering, but then it is sheer luxury to have everything at hand.
I found that too when, three years ago, after living in a farmhouse with 17 rooms for 30 years I started to live in my car. Suddenly everything came within arms length again. My car became my 'Full metal jacket' and seldom I stray from it more than a few hundred meters. It is an adequate, up to two person mini mobile dwelling. Only a kitchen and a bathroom are missing, but these are provided by my rock nest and the ocean.
The energy in the bus is provided by the engine. Via the car battery electricity is conducted to the marine battery and consequently turned from 12 to 220 volt by an inverter. This feeds my computer, supported by two storage batteries. Likewise my shaver and the charger for my camera batteries and that of the power drill. The halogen light over the worktable is fed directly by the marine battery. In between both batteries I have fixed a switch in order to prevent me from exhausting the car battery so the bus won't start.
Recently I got a Vodafone connect card that enables me to e-mail directly from the bus. This gives me unprecedented freedom compared with the waiting time in outrageously expensive Internet cafes. Moreover it gives a feeling of being connected.
According to Dutch legislation a nailed-in bed makes a bus into a camper and this is insanely heavily taxed. Therefore my bed is held together by gravity and a few loose pins. On the side it is supported by a modified wheel case and in the middle by vertical plywood partitions that are stabilized by iron hooks. The luxury latex mattress lies upon three plates of plywood of which two double. When I turn the supports slightly aslant the third plate can rest upon these and upon the other modified wheel case and serves as Verena's berth. The mattress for this serves me now vertically as a back rest.
In single line-up I have a collapsible table-top that can be jammed in between one of the side planks and the measure mounted hook irons, next to the sliding door. Also I have mounted a profile over the glove compartment that takes a work-top.
At the rear of the drivers partition hangs a 12 pocketed apron for the small and handy and along the closed side, over my bed, hangs a textile storage with 10 pigeon-holes. These I use like for my dictionaries, loudspeakers and waste bag collection. As a safe I use a lockable metal ammunition box that explodes when accessed by unauthorized attention and that is immovably anchored to the car.
Here I keep my laptop, the camera, its underwater housing, the binoculars and other things that are dear to me. Under my bed is storage for swim things, tools and clot hes. With the double bed comes similar storage room.
My waterwings fit exactly behind both chairs in the cabin. The monofins fit into the planked wall. Above my table-top is plenty of room to tuck all kinds of flat things behind the lathing. I keep my food in a 20 liter water barrel next to the table-top. Further I have a tiny fridge that cools down 30 degrees, a large shopping bag screwed to the drivers mate door, a halogen headset and, last but not least, a trunk on top of the car.
I may have forgotten a few things, but when I need them I know where to find them.
Jan Ploeg, Fanore meadow, April 15th 2005
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