Postcard from 'Paradise' in Orlando

Here in Orlando (where I'm awaiting the start of EPA '06), I had lunch (and am now writing this entry--score one for wireless Web access) in the hotel restaurant, which goes by the name "Paradise." This allows the servers to invariably greet guests by saying, "Welcome to Paradise." I'll reserve more comment on "paradise" and its connotations of tropical leisure (in addition to what I have in chapter 1) for later. As for the aptness of this name to my dining experience today, all I can say is I enjoyed a side salad the size of an LP record, topped with carrots cut into little curlicues, while I gazed at the palm trees right outside the window (the third and fourth ones on the left, I think, in the picture).

Perversely, I didn't pack short sleeves or sunglasses, so I'll be spending all but a few minutes of my stay here in the airport, the airport shuttle, and the airport Mariott. And thanks to the prevalence of our artificially controlled climates, which I discuss in the introduction to chapter 3, I'll hardly notice the change from the chilly Midwest to central Florida. (Except for the sight of those palm trees.)