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DC Meetup Photos?
I’m not sure if the photos from the amazingly fun — and crowded! — Ricochet D.C. Meetup have been posted somewhere, but if not, can we post them here? I’d love to see them.
Thanks again to all who turned out. It was a blast seeing everyone.
Ricochet, as always, rules.
Published in General
Alright, alright, downloading and editing will commence. Apologies for not getting there yet.
It was great fun!!!!!
Impressions: When I got there Rob was sitting with the Ks at a table for 8. I thought, “Hmm, not big enough, I have a least 16 name tags.” Being a timely bunch, people started arriving right at 7:30, and they just kept coming. Almost all the pre-printed name tags were picked up, and I probably should have brought more blanks. I estimate 50, maybe 60, Ricoteers.
There was a great contingent of thoughtful young people, debunking the “Old Guy” stereotype. Baby K was the youngest member, but you can see in the next to last picture, there were lots of 20-somethings. Rob and I remarked on how great it was.
The hardest-working man in podcasting, our very own Blue Yeti, arrived after putting to bed yet another podcast (for Hoover). Mr. Yeti sir, how many podcasts a week do you handle? HUGE respect from me! It was hard enough to get the pictures downloaded!
The bar at the Mayflower is lovely, the snacks were yummy, and as the evening wore on, some folks ordered dinner. I saw some tasty-looking steaks and crab cakes going by. We definitely took over a very large part of it. Conversation ebbed and flowed. people moved from group to group, everywhere were smiles and laughter.
The Redskins were playing Dallas in Dallas on Monday Night Football, and I feared a ruckus, but we hardly noticed the game (it was, of course, on the bar TVs). In the end, the Redskins actually won, which warmed my heart.
It was nice to see people I had met a few years ago, and really great to meet all my new Rico-friends. The best was bagging James Lileks, who is my new favorite person (final picture).
I had a bit of a disappointment when I downloaded the pictures. Focus issues! Argh! And all you wonks wearing white shirts made some of the pictures soooooo hot (color temperature-wise) that I couldn’t compensate. But there are lots of nice ones, and even better memories.
For all of you who think you are too shy, or don’t post enough, to go to a meet up, you are mistaken. Lots of us just read, or post occasionally. Go to a meet up! The people are the best! For me, it is comforting to be amongst people who think like I do. I live in hopelessly blue Connecticut and was glad I could make the time to get to DC. But you don’t have to wait for a meet up to appear; you can make one happen. I’ve done it. Just reach out. Ricochet members love to get together! Eating and drinking and chatting, it’s wonderful. Many thanks to Rob and James and the Yeti for instigating the fun.
Your loyal reporter, PJS
This looks like a blast. I still regret not driving down to NH (during election season) from VT to meet up with a few of the proto-Ricochetti a few months after the site got started. And, mostly, to see if I could talk Rob into buying me a steak.
Names! We need names!! Or, at least, handles.
I can attest, Ricochet meetups are the best. Ever. Really, if the government knew how much fun they are, it’d surely tax them. And they’d still be worth it!
Tell that to Western Chauvinist.
A LOT of gumint employees and Beltway Bandits. Good to know we have a Fifth Column deep in the heart.
Rick O’Shea and I carpooled. I drove, he drank.
Some military folks. Nicest people you could ever meet.
Some students, bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Some had joined Ricochet THAT DAY!
Lileks is one hysterical, cracked dude. I hear a new Diner is coming out!!!!
Y’all who were there: enjoy the freebies I gave out! I am writing this from a flight, and the crew are my very best new friends in the whole world.
And a LOT of people said they are coming to our weekly Shabbos meetups at my house!
Jimmuh doesn’t tolerate tardiness… just so’s ya’ know. He’s paranoid about being stood up, er somethin’. Five minutes, I tells ya’! That’s all it was!!
Oops, I was wearing a white shirt, but if you click on it the photo-editing software will latch onto it and fix everything!
I feel very fortunate to have been in DC for the meetup – what a wonderful group of people – an Oasis in the “Liberal” desert of DC.
I was honored to meet Mr Lileks, John O’Sullivan (fellow English expat in occupied USA), a Navy guy, and a Marine. Oh, and I briefly shook hands with our Dear Leader, err, I mean Rino Squish, who was propping up the bar. Sorry I missed the Blue Yeti, who was apparently lurking somewhere behind a mirror.
The following evening I arrived at AEI just as the program was ending (my flimsy excuse for being in DC was to attend a conference, which dragged on ’til 6pm). Very swanky, but I much preferred the Ricochet crowd.
Thank, PJS for picture posting—although in the last pic with James your lovely red dress is obscured by a trenchcoat.
I will join the others in saying it was great fun. I met lots of nice people and our fearless leaders (Rob, Blue Yeti, James) are just as charming in person as you might expect.
WC- there were quite a few Federal employees there, who wish to remain unidentified. If anyone wants to identify themselves they are welcome to do so.
Hey fellow DC folks (OK, I’m an escapee),
I’m trying to gauge interest in a meetup between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. My wife and I visit my NoVa-based family every year, so it would be great to get together with the Ricochetti.
I don’t have a firm date, but I was thinking Monday, 29 December.
DM me if you’re interested!
Indeed. I second, or third, that event was quite entertaining.
I should note, a good number of the “younger crowd” of 20-somethings was actually from the International Order of Alhambra Fatima Caravan #265 of Washington, DC [imagine the Shriners then imagine something better that’s also Catholic]. These people are attested to in the second to last photo of the stack. Our small organization has been attempting to get all of its members to become members of Ricochet as well… on that day I believe we browbeat two more Alhambrans into becoming Ricochet members.
I was one of the guys that joined ricochet 2 hours before the meetup. Great to meet the faces of some of the voices I’ve been listening too!
I am in the first picture getting Mr Long to sign his newly reissued book “Yaking with my Agent et al” or something like that…. I have been missing him on both coast for that signature. When business took me to LA just blocks from his hangouts, he was in NY, when I came back to the east coast he went back to LA. So that was a hard sought John Hancock to score. Mrs GLDIII is in the aqua blouse in picture number four.
It was an absolute delight, and thanks to all for coming. You’ve no idea how grand it is to meet readers and listeners; writing is a solitary business, and there are times you suspect you’re just whistling in a dark barn.