The hotel was attached to a mall, which I must admit was convenient, since the extra space in my suitcase turned out to be due to my failure to pack pants. And it was convenient, because there was an Apple store there where I could take my dropped, broken laptop (only to have the genius at the bar tell me that it was beyond redemption).
One night we went walking thru the mall. Wandering like zombies among automaton shoppers with cell phones glued to their ears and with shopping bags full of all kinds of stuff. Stuff that no doubt no one can live without. It was evening, and we were stuck somewhere out in the suburbian sprawl of Orlando with acres of parking lot around us making a walk outside out of the question. And so we went walking up one hall and around down another. And at the end I went to my room and collapsed into numb oblivion.
The next evening after the workshop was finished for the day, we drove to Disney Downtown. I had forgotten that I had vowed never to go there again the last time we were stuck in this place. And I remembered too late. We walked in the piped-in music along artificial streets beside an artificial lake with artificial stores selling … artificial stuff that no doubt no one can live without. We walked amid wandering zombies having their vacations of their lives. (“Oh look dear, ducks. Let’s take a picture of the kids with the ducks at Disney.”) And at the end I went to my room and collapsed into numb oblivion.
I was stuck in this bizarro world of the future, except that it wasn’t the future and no one around me seemed to think it the slightest strange.
I stand here looking in the mirror. Is there something wrong with me?