Prisoner of Fun

I'm still locked in the "fun gulag" (as a friend of mine referred to this resort) here in Florida. With 2,000 conference attendees, the already-limited and controlled resources seem even more spartan. Perhaps this is a dress rehearsal for an emergency in the future, like an evacuation center of some kind.

I have not seen a vegetable for three days now. When I asked for the platter of "grilled tuna, rice, and veggies," I received an astonishing, obscene array of fish, rice, and mashed potatoes with gravy, for example. This was the only food option in the canteen that listed "vegetables," as far as I know. The food prices are quite high and the options are so few that I wonder how the average American family can afford a holiday here.

Meanwhile, the messaging is everywhere. Even my hotel soap has Mickey Mouse stamped into it. The only store in this complex--and there's nothing else for miles and miles--sells only branded merchandise and a small handful of sundries, like Polident.

The conference itself has its good moments and its so-so ones, as do most conferences. I did enjoy the session yesterday led by a woman named Jane McGonigal, a game designer who creates innovative learning and gaming environments such as a simulation on life without oil, where users contributed to building the alternate reality to experience it. But some of the sessions were less stimulating, with the fringes of the room populated by sales reps looking for prospects.

A couple of my colleagues had rental cars, so we were able to drive away from the compound last night. We ended up at a mall a few miles away that was a bit surreal and which contained some of the usual suspects: Hard Rock Cafe, Virgin Megastore, etc...and a large Cuban restaurant, which offered a couple of mild variations to what we'd already been eating, but with plantains added to the mix.

Here's the resort canteen, which is surrounded by bars.