RNC Redux, Part One

I got to spend the last week in Tampa at the Republican National Convention.  It was awesome.  I went with a group of 16 Georgetown students.  We got to hear from some really incredible speakers.  We got to see what happens when Republicans all congregate and drink heavily.  We have seen tattoos in places where tattoos should not be.  Your...belly button?  Really?

But everybody knows that the best part of ANY convention is free stuff.  Google had a really neat lounge area set up, and they gave out free coffee.

And the Bloomberg media suite was full of free food.  Whoever did their catering deserves a gold medal for being fantastic.  Because they had gluten-free gazpacho and beet and goat cheese salad....And a vat of ice cream.  Like, SO MUCH ice cream, and the flavor changed daily.  Mango sorbet, anyone?  Keep in mind that the guy behind all of this is Michael Bloomberg - the NYC mayor who famously banned super-size sodas and required all hospitals to stop giving out baby formula in take-home bags.  The guy is kind of a health nut.  So when you're plowing into three scoops of Haagen-Dazs (I dare you to judge me) that Michael Bloomberg is paying for - you feel like you've somehow cheated the system.

Of course, liberals are the best at giving people stuff that other people paid for.  So it makes sense that the Huffington Post setup - which they called the "Oasis" - was pretty magical.  It was set up to look very zen-like...soft lighting, white couches, smooth jazz in the background.  One entire floor was a yoga studio.  They gave out free pomegranate juice (yum) and free coconut water (not so yum).  There was a place to get massages, and a basket of lotion samples called "Mint Romney."  But the best part of all this was that they gave out those little packets of almond butter that I lived on while we were in France, and they had - get ready for this - GLUTEN FREE REESE'S CUP KNOCKOFFS.

Reese's have been my favorite candy since I was in 7th grade.  But they're made on the same production line as something that's not gluten-free, so I haven't had a Reese's in a year and a few months now.  But when I saw the "certified gluten-free" stamp on the back of these ...

photo credit: HealthyHungryHappy.com

.... it was a match made in Celiac heaven.  I ate way too many.  And I may or may not have caaaaasually slid a few more into my tote bag on the way out.  Sorry, Arianna. #YOLO

There was also free barbeque at a Rick Santorum event held just outside the convention.  I don't know how official the event was - or if Rick was trying to steal some thunder from the convention itself? - I just know that he set up giant white tents on a vacant lot, fed us, and talked to about 100 of us for a little while.  It's proof that you can get away with anything, as long as you cater it: So, he miiiiight be trying to overthrow the GOP, but...have you tried the Rice Krispie Treats?

So, that's Part One of my RNC experience.  Stay tuned for more...