Forget it, Greg. It's Chinatown.

I just got back from a quick networking jaunt in Washington, D.C. Amazingly, as horrible as I am at networking, I actually seemed to have successfully networked with one or two people. It helps when everyone in the room has the same basic fundamental belief system: privatize the roads.

Speaking of that, the roundtrip cost from NYC to D.C. was only $30, thanks to a little thing called The Chinatown Bus. You cityfolk know what I'm talking about. The Chinatown Bus (which actually is not just a bus, which would be incredibly inconvenient) takes you from any Chinatown in the world to any other Chinatown in the world for almost nothing. NYC Chinatown to Philly Chinatown? Six dollars. Richmond Chinatown to San Francisco Chinatown? Fifteen dollars. Chicago Chinatown to actual China Chinatown? Mmm, maybe closer to a thousand. Still, if you want to get around cheaply, forget all that Amtrak and Greyhound Americatown nonsense. Build a Chinatown in your community, and get to Boston for five bucks.

I don't know why, but it wasn't until after the trip was over that I started thinking about the movie Chinatown. It's a pretty decent flick, but I never liked it as much as I'm supposed to. Maybe now that I've been on the Chinatown Bus a few times and met Roman Polanski, I'll be able to appreciate it a little more.

The only thing I remember about that film is that at the end, Jack Nicholson (playing a character named Jake - now that's a stretch!) is racing around Chinatown and the woman he loves gets shot in the head. Her brains splatter all over his face, she's dying in his arms, the blood is pumping out the hole in her skull... then his best friend of all people turns to him and says, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." At first Jake is speechless. Then he thinks about it for a couple of seconds, drops her corpse like a slippery baby, and basically says, "Yeah, you're right. It is Chinatown." And what else could you possibly expect from Chinatown? Besides reasonable bus fares?

The thing is, based on my own Chinatown experience, I don't think I would find it normal - much less acceptable - for the woman I loved to die a gory death in my arms just because we happened to be in Chinatown. I can't really articulate why. It still just doesn't seem right.

Anyway, here's me networking in D.C.

This is me with Greg Newburn and Julian Sanchez - my two best friends from my Koch Summer Fellow 2000 internship - and also the only other people from our year who showed up at this reunion! These two made the 10 hours of traveling worth it. Greg is one of the funniest people I know, and Julian is one of the most intellectually unassailable. I hung out with Greg and his interns at Cato for an entire day; it was like a libertarian sitcom. Greg is an occasional contributer to my other blog, Liberteaser. Julian writes for Notes from the Lounge, which still hasn't blogrolled Liberteaser or Beat Jeremy Coon. Get on it, Jules!

Here I am with Meghan Keane, the arts editor of The New York Sun, New York City's most fiscally responsible daily. I haven't actually read it yet, but I might get a job writing for them. Networking, yes! Megan claimed not to be photogenic. Please, can I get a few comments here - drop the false humility, Meghan!

I didn't know this guy was a Koch Fellow! James Davison, survivalist and liberty-lover in the classic tradition of Thoreau. He's most famous for hunger-striking at anything that gets in his way, or in the way of freedom. Ever hear of the IRS is Unconstitutional Hunger Strike of '03? He was going to fast until the IRS was abolished. And he's alive to tell the tale today! He's also big on mountain climbing and water skiing. My hand is still aching from our handshake. Watch that bearhug!

Here I am with Jason and Stephanie Regal, a couple of semi-famous economics writers who happen to be married. I would compare them to Milton and Rose Friedman, except that Milton and Rose are on the same side of the battle. Interestingly, Jason is a third-way Scandanavia-worshipping "economist," and Steph prefers the free market approach (thus she was the Koch fellow and he was "Guest"). Any political debate inevitably ends with the two of them bickering about who's turn it is to change the baby.

Chatting it up with David, a Koch Fellow from 1999. Should have waited a year, David - could have hung with me, Newburn and Sanchez!

Anyone who's anyone will know who this is. She's the daughter of the president of a famous thinktank in Washington, D.C. Her mother is, of course, an even more famous senator from one of our most populous states. Need I say more?

Now this was a prime networking op - this is Anastasia from Liberty Belles, a blog by women of the liberty-loving mindset. She's pretty sure she can get us some funding to make a documentary. Cha-ching!

One of the downsides of networking is that you often find yourself groveling at the feet of the lowest of the low. This is a guy I would never in a million years talk to under any normal circumstance. I would kick sand in his face if we were in the south pole! But, he's got cash, so, "How do you do, sir?" I should have spilled my water on him.

On the other hand, sometimes you meet genuinely likable people that you want to be friends with, even when it turns out they have no money or potential. Debbie was one of those. The clincher? She'd seen my freedom ad and loved it. She couldn't relate to the soymilk scene in my ad, though. She's allergic to wheat and soy. Oy!

Here's a mini-pic of me with the better half of the Regal couple. Jason was chatting some poor sap's ear off about nationalizing auto insurance.

Here I am with you-know-who. And no, she couldn't hook me up with a job at you-know-where.

Anonymous fans of Beat Jeremy Coon and Liberteaser molest me.

All-and-all, it was thirty dollars well spent!

Comments

[Micha Ghertner]

Dammit, Rhys, all these pictures of other people when all we want to see is you and you alone!

[Elisabeth]

You're pretty funnyyyyyy

[lily]

aww, there's our boy, holding not one, but TWO drinks in one paw, clutching some poor schmoe to him with the other.
THE WORLD WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT IT.

[duncan]

Did I ever tell you this bit of Beat Jeremy Coon trivia? Julian and I were summer camp roommates in junior high. He introduced me to Tom's of Maine toothpaste, and I've never been the same.

[Brooke]

Oh my god, I am at my new job and I just overheard someone talking about Jeremy Coon's agent. I didn't quite hear what exactly they said, but I'm gonna go try and listen in on their convo some more, don't worry, I'll keep you posted.

[Dad]

I called your Mom and she checked the birth certificate. You're supposed to have blue eyes.
Those libertarians bring out the devil in you.
Reminds me of the time we went to H Ross Perot Junior's Texas bar-b-que that was cooked by an Englishman. Does he know how to suckle the government teat or what?

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Jeremy Coon is cuter than you.

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