Conifers & Citrus (Jeff Bull Maroon Jackson 5)

YouTube video by John Whitehead Silver Threads Among the Gold (with Lyrics)....an old American song.

“All this repetition makes for a structure in which love is a force of stability: a haven shielding partners from the ravages of time.”
- Richard Crawford, An Introduction to America’s Music

Good night. #Musicsky

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ovyP...

Also, what’s the biggest, pointless diverse menu you’ve ever seen?

Thinking the chain restaurants that do everything, but none of them well.

The one that popped into my mind: Claim Jumper.

That’s a weird good time.

Has anyone been to the The Melting Pot? Also, I am going to The Melting Pot to put the punchline into a running joke..

A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS Secretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations.

Just to keep it straight ...

It's Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security who's allegedly having a barely concealed affair with her married aide who tried to fire a Coast Guard pilot for not turning their luxury jet around mid-flight to go back and get her blankie ...

😬

Local girl and associates make a goddamn mess in our nation’s already messy capitol.

(Y’all dodged a bullet, Oregon District No. 5.)

Pending that massive secret signing that will change everything and that we all know is coming (any day now!), pundits are meh on the Timbers in 2026. #rctid

Every one of these guys sounds like the weed dealer who made you sit there and hold his iguana and watch a VHS copy of faces of death before selling you an eighth that was half oregano in 1997.

This feels like the last eight signings have been wingers. (I kid, I kid.) The deeper sense is that Ned/Merritt sign players as they come available.

(I obsess over CDM. I have heard they’re working on it, but won’t be able to relax about things until they get it over the line.)

Goddamn. Go off, New York Daily News.

(Also, this should be a basic,
daily-repeated talking point for every Democrat and they should make Republican complicity with the criminal enterprise explicit in their comments.)

“Yes, it hurts, of course, it hurts. But God has chosen Ethan for a reason. God is doing something, and we're gonna glorify his name regardless.”

Sad and disturbing on so many levels.

Okay with all of that. The only player I saw in preseason who didn’t look ready (enough) for primetime was Sawyer Jura. And maybe that was just a rough day at the office…

Is there a word for government by brain-damaged nepo babies?

Per the famous phrase, yes, I would like to see them try more shit.

…………….uh, another winger? #rctid

50 years from now, some reactionary weirdo working for some billionaire-backed think tank will talk around all the grift, theft and self-fellation in an essay that claims “Trump had some good ideas.”

To recap, this asshole is hard launching his board of peace the same week he’s loudly musing about starting an unprovoked war with Iran, right?

I can’t believe we chose to light our future on fire for this fucking clown.

Remember who backed him, and never let them forget they did.

🤞

The Skywalker family/jedis generally just make me want to punch holes in walls at this point. They fucked up and turned them into superheroes.

Democrats Plot Boycott and Protests of Trump’s State of the Union Some Democratic members of Congress are planning to skip the speech entirely.

“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Democrats in a closed-door meeting last week to either skip the State of the Union or attend in ‘silent defiance.’”

So on the nose, that it is the nose.

newrepublic.com/post/206728/...

I went to Apple TV last night, hoping to find a little something to put me in the mood for 2026. Got a collection of bland player testimonials that may as well have been AI slop…

…AI slop might have been better, honestly.

Total wasteland. #MLS

YouTube video by MonstersOfFolkVEVO Monsters Of Folk - Say Please (Official Audio)

Anyone else feel like they’re reading some version of the same half dozen articles for the past 10 years?

Good morning. #Musicsky

m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksg...

YouTube video by The Dancing Troll Band Of Gold - Freda Payne (1970)

Should I focus on a history of music from the dawn of quality recorded sound, or the literal metric ton of bands and sounds I can connect
to just by recreating the one-hit wonder project?

Wish I had a preference…

Also, this song. Good night. #Musicsky

m.youtube.com/watch?v=DyUF...

Crypto Is a Victim of Its Own Success Bitcoin, which has been plummeting in value, has come to feel less like a rebel upstart, more like an eccentric uncle.

So many words to avoid calling bullshit by its name. ($ site)

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Eye of the Tiger , Survivor, the entire skate would be air guitar and me biting my upper lip.

last sentence is too apt for comfort…

Finally, I have a programming note about the plan for Conifers & Citrus in 2026. The short version:

There will be weekly posts. The Timbers will star, but I'll be casting a league-wide net and there will be more bullet points and brief arguments than long rambles or deep dives. #rctid #MLS (5/5)

While I think the team could stand an upgrade at the forward position, the current forwards (e.g., Mora and Kelsy) will probably be all right if they get service...

...and that's probably Part 2 of my big doubts: I'm not sure about Velde's ceiling or Antony's mental state. Tricky shit... (4/5)

As with every season since soccer was invented, I have concerns about central midfield.

On the defensive side, I can't believe the F.O. still hasn't found a successor for Chara that they trust.

On the other side, am I left hoping Bassett and DDC will bring enough creativity? #rctid (3/5)

As noted in last night's plug, my current theory is that a better coach than Phil could get more out of the current roster, *but* that doesn't mean I see the current roster as meaningfully competitive in #MLS 2026. Going from back-to-front:

I'm okay with the 'keeper/defense. #rctid (2/5)