James Jones
@jljones0618.bsky.social
A presence inside the Beltway since the Kennedy administration. Proud stoic with varied interests in politics, art, American history, cinema, whiskey, and comedy. Living spontaneously without goals. So much to laugh at, so little time...
I’m excited to be attending this year’s Beltane Fire Festival in #Edinburgh. With my wife’s birthday on Beltane and my large Green Man shoulder tattoo, I suppose it was inevitable. #Beltane
youtu.be/FgIERTmYobo
youtu.be/FgIERTmYobo
Beltane Fire Festival Edinburgh
YouTube video by ArmandaryPhotography
youtu.be
February 14, 2026 at 2:17 AM
I’m excited to be attending this year’s Beltane Fire Festival in #Edinburgh. With my wife’s birthday on Beltane and my large Green Man shoulder tattoo, I suppose it was inevitable. #Beltane
youtu.be/FgIERTmYobo
youtu.be/FgIERTmYobo
I don’t speak Spanish but understanding the lyrics isn’t necessary to enjoy the music.
February 8, 2026 at 3:47 AM
I don’t speak Spanish but understanding the lyrics isn’t necessary to enjoy the music.
Someone please tell Barry Svrluga that I’d pay to read his coverage of the Nats. Just tell me where to sign-up. #washingtonpost
February 4, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Someone please tell Barry Svrluga that I’d pay to read his coverage of the Nats. Just tell me where to sign-up. #washingtonpost
Saddened to hear of the death of composer Ray Lynch. I found his music while working in an esoteric video store in the early 90s, and have spent hours getting lost in his soundscapes. Here’s the first piece that ever resonated in me…
youtu.be/SinL1sRrV1Q
youtu.be/SinL1sRrV1Q
The Oh Of Pleasure / Ray Lynch
YouTube video by Ray Lynch - Topic
youtu.be
February 3, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Saddened to hear of the death of composer Ray Lynch. I found his music while working in an esoteric video store in the early 90s, and have spent hours getting lost in his soundscapes. Here’s the first piece that ever resonated in me…
youtu.be/SinL1sRrV1Q
youtu.be/SinL1sRrV1Q
I found this relic while scrolling thru some old files given to me years ago by a now-deceased radio jock friend. Time to make myself a t-shirt. Does anyone alive still remember WBNY? #PirateRadio #WBNY #Shortwave
February 1, 2026 at 11:03 PM
I found this relic while scrolling thru some old files given to me years ago by a now-deceased radio jock friend. Time to make myself a t-shirt. Does anyone alive still remember WBNY? #PirateRadio #WBNY #Shortwave
After my 105-day Wordle streak ended this week, I’m trying another game.
Flashback for Jan. 31, 2026
28 points
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Play here:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Flashback for Jan. 31, 2026
28 points
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Play here:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, Jan. 31, 2026
Can you sort 8 historical events?
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:52 PM
After my 105-day Wordle streak ended this week, I’m trying another game.
Flashback for Jan. 31, 2026
28 points
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Play here:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Flashback for Jan. 31, 2026
28 points
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Play here:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
ICE agents appear to be just a 21st century Fugitive Slave Posse. Let that sink in…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitiv...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitiv...
Fugitive slave laws in the United States - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 22, 2026 at 5:08 AM
ICE agents appear to be just a 21st century Fugitive Slave Posse. Let that sink in…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitiv...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitiv...
Tomorrow's performance by the National Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players will be the first of several NSO events at the Kennedy Center this season for which I have tickets but will not be attending. I cannot in good conscience patronize this now vandalized memorial. Apologies to the musicians.
January 17, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Tomorrow's performance by the National Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players will be the first of several NSO events at the Kennedy Center this season for which I have tickets but will not be attending. I cannot in good conscience patronize this now vandalized memorial. Apologies to the musicians.
January 15, 2026 at 11:25 PM
You cannot just blame to despot. Equal if not more blame must be placed upon those who put the despot in office and continue to support his despotism. Alone, a despot only has two hands. Grant him use of yours and you share every ounce of his immense infamy.
January 15, 2026 at 9:50 PM
You cannot just blame to despot. Equal if not more blame must be placed upon those who put the despot in office and continue to support his despotism. Alone, a despot only has two hands. Grant him use of yours and you share every ounce of his immense infamy.
In all the turmoil around DC these days, I find comfort listening to the music from The Dream Is Alive, a 1985 IMAX film about the shuttle program narrated by Walter Cronkite which ran at NASM for decades. I've seen it dozens of times and the music takes me right back to the Langley Theater...
January 13, 2026 at 1:50 AM
In all the turmoil around DC these days, I find comfort listening to the music from The Dream Is Alive, a 1985 IMAX film about the shuttle program narrated by Walter Cronkite which ran at NASM for decades. I've seen it dozens of times and the music takes me right back to the Langley Theater...
I’ve just learned of the death of Joe Byrd who’s American Metaphysical Circus has been a seminal work for me since it was given to me by a musical mentor back in 1978 (who also brought me to Novalis). I’ve played it hundreds of times and it never disappoints. RIP Joe
music.apple.com/us/artist/jo...
music.apple.com/us/artist/jo...
Joe Byrd & The Field Hippies on Apple Music
Listen to music by Joe Byrd & The Field Hippies on Apple Music.
music.apple.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:57 AM
I’ve just learned of the death of Joe Byrd who’s American Metaphysical Circus has been a seminal work for me since it was given to me by a musical mentor back in 1978 (who also brought me to Novalis). I’ve played it hundreds of times and it never disappoints. RIP Joe
music.apple.com/us/artist/jo...
music.apple.com/us/artist/jo...
Since our current president maintains that the 2020 election was fraudulent, would he have supported a foreign government using its military to remove then-President Biden from power?
January 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Since our current president maintains that the 2020 election was fraudulent, would he have supported a foreign government using its military to remove then-President Biden from power?
For me, the song Auld Lang Syne has itself become a memory of days gone by. While us kids were watching Dick Clark on ABC, my grandmother would watch Guy Lombardo on CBS. She died in 1974. Ever since, that song for which Lombardo was known reminds me of her more than 50 years later. #2026
January 1, 2026 at 5:33 AM
For me, the song Auld Lang Syne has itself become a memory of days gone by. While us kids were watching Dick Clark on ABC, my grandmother would watch Guy Lombardo on CBS. She died in 1974. Ever since, that song for which Lombardo was known reminds me of her more than 50 years later. #2026
I attended the performance of VOCES8 at the Washington National Cathedral a few weeks ago. My third row seats allowed me the luxury of hearing the singers without amplification. Those works in that location! Music so beautiful that even this atheist can appreciate it.
December 31, 2025 at 4:35 AM
I attended the performance of VOCES8 at the Washington National Cathedral a few weeks ago. My third row seats allowed me the luxury of hearing the singers without amplification. Those works in that location! Music so beautiful that even this atheist can appreciate it.
I recently attended an event at which Jacqueline Mars was also in attendance. It’s the first time I’d ever been in the presence of a billionaire and I must tell you that she seemed… well… ordinary, like my grandmother. She was quite refreshing in that regard and I gained much respect for her.
December 28, 2025 at 4:02 AM
I recently attended an event at which Jacqueline Mars was also in attendance. It’s the first time I’d ever been in the presence of a billionaire and I must tell you that she seemed… well… ordinary, like my grandmother. She was quite refreshing in that regard and I gained much respect for her.
Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, Dec. 27, 2025
Can you sort 8 historical events?
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I have asked the Kennedy Center to delete my account and will allow my NSO seats for the remainder of the season to fallow. I am hopeful that Phillip Glass will consider delaying the debut of his commissioned new symphony until the stench of authoritarianism no longer permeates the Kennedy Center.
December 19, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I have asked the Kennedy Center to delete my account and will allow my NSO seats for the remainder of the season to fallow. I am hopeful that Phillip Glass will consider delaying the debut of his commissioned new symphony until the stench of authoritarianism no longer permeates the Kennedy Center.
A beautiful sunrise on the Potomoc River this morning. Every new day means another chance to do better than the day before. #WashingtonDC #sunrise
December 10, 2025 at 12:06 PM
A beautiful sunrise on the Potomoc River this morning. Every new day means another chance to do better than the day before. #WashingtonDC #sunrise
My great aunt Ozalah Jones was only 18 years old in 1912 when she was murdered by her estranged husband in Washington DC. I loaded her photo into Google Gemini and… wow. A moment of life restored.
December 6, 2025 at 3:00 AM
My great aunt Ozalah Jones was only 18 years old in 1912 when she was murdered by her estranged husband in Washington DC. I loaded her photo into Google Gemini and… wow. A moment of life restored.
Proud of my discerning taste for the classics and my obvious stunted cultural exposure. @toddbarry.bsky.social @pattonoswalt.bsky.social
December 3, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Proud of my discerning taste for the classics and my obvious stunted cultural exposure. @toddbarry.bsky.social @pattonoswalt.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Here’s why I loathe The Birchmere: you can arrive more than two hours before the show and yet still get a shitty seat. It’s the perfect venue for people who don’t value their time or who have plenty of it to waste.
#birchmere
#birchmere
November 9, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Here’s why I loathe The Birchmere: you can arrive more than two hours before the show and yet still get a shitty seat. It’s the perfect venue for people who don’t value their time or who have plenty of it to waste.
#birchmere
#birchmere
The new @netflix.com limited series Death By Lightning is astonishingly good. Well acted, exceptionally well written, with spot-on production values and seamless CG. This show reminds us of a time when men of integrity could still be found in politics. #deathbylightning
November 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
The new @netflix.com limited series Death By Lightning is astonishingly good. Well acted, exceptionally well written, with spot-on production values and seamless CG. This show reminds us of a time when men of integrity could still be found in politics. #deathbylightning