Seriously. Am I the only person left who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the World Cup?

Take -that-, Hemingway.

Somewhere, Timothy’s Chalomet laughs.

@selfstyledsiren.bsky.social The happiest of birthdays to you!

Just slightly different from how I remember it, but more interesting-looking.

Can’t say I’ve ever seen this before. @bcdreyer.social, have you? youtu.be/-scjikmhkcc?...

More good news from my oncologist: my latest CT scan showed the lesions on my pancreas shrank a little (the ones on my liver held steady) and that I’m responding very well to treatment. The upshot is that I’ll still be around to annoy you all — for a while, at least.

So, in other news, one of my tumor markers, which had originally been in the 4000s, is now down to 26, well within the normal range. Thanks for all your support and good thoughts.

@selfstyledsiren.bsky.social Your notes for “Chicago” at the Day of Silents are a treat, as always.

1 / Well, I suppose I owe you all an update on our Canada trip, which turned out to be a bit of a bust – at least the Yukon part of it. Our intention was to see the Northern Lights, but on the nights they were active, the sky was clouded over, and when the skies were clear? Well, you can guess.

If only Merrick Garland had been alive to see this.

If I can get my ass to the polls on chemo day, you have no excuse. Get out there and exercise your franchise.

At the Vogue Theatre

Today would have been my mother's 104th birthday. Love you, mom.

Three treatments down in the first chemo cycle; one to go.

@markwaid.bsky.social Just wondering if "Pippo Pizarelli" is any relation to my guitar-playing pal John Pizzarelli?

In the immortal words of Clark Gable in “Hollywood Steps Out:” “It’s me again!” Chemotherapy: The Sequel

Let the fun and games begin!

I’d like to introduce my two new best friends: my chemotherapy port and the hole they had to make to connect it to my jugular vein (!). I start chemo on Tuesday morning and, while I’m not looking forward to the side-effects, I am looking forward to the actual effects. Stay well, everyone.

Hey, @bullythelsb.bsky.social and @randimason.bsky.social! Got an IP lawyer?

1/ So, here’s the deal. I’ll start with the bad news: I have stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now the good news: I’m looking at some very promising treatment options that could mean I’ll still be around to complain about stuff for a good while yet. (I’ll keep you all informed on those moves.)

I’m teaching today, so I’m imparting my new motto and philosophy to my students. Oh, and Fuck Cancer.

In tabloid news: DAVE SIKULA TELLS ALL. My “procedure” today was a liver biopsy, to see both if I may have pancreatic cancer and, if so, if it’s spread. This is all I know at this point. The pathologist has the samples and will get me the news as soon as possible. 1/

As uncomfortable as I feel about going public with this (and I will be more forthcoming in time), I’m having a medical procedure at 9:30 AM Friday, and could really use any positive thoughts or energy you can spare. Thanks in advance.

The appallingly-bad original opening to "West Side Story." One can easily see why they dumped the lyrics and dialogue. soundcloud.com/jonthessc/be...

@jackviertel.bsky.social You remain my favorite theatre critic ever. The Herald-Examiner was a gold mine of good writing.

Hoping it’s Walz, expecting Shapiro, and not affecting my vote either way.

Son, shut the hell up about Pikachu for thirty seconds.

@bcdreyer.bsky.social There’s an American Theatre (sic) thread at Zuck’s place about favorite last lines in plays or musicals and I thought you surely must have one. Mine are “I fell in love with James Tyrone and was so happy for a time,” and “Son of a bitch stole my watch.”

Two years ago, I was doing inventory at the American Conservatory Theatre library and opened a copy of William Gibson’s “Seesaw Log,” and found this bookplate.

Have to wonder if Vance keeps trying to get them to let him do a campaign stop in Davenport, Iowa.

Biden right now. youtu.be/O7QP9Zqge4s?...

Hey, media, can we please stop with the "Trump dodged a bullet" crap? I was closer to getting hit than he was.

If J.D. Vance indeed described Trump as a cross between Hitler and Nixon, why do we assume he saw that as a negative?

@markwaid.bsky.social Damn, you. You made me tear up over Bat-Mite. Bat-Mite, fer cryin’ out loud!

I swear to god; the Times would buy the Brooklyn Bridge from Trump if he said he owned it. (Not included: Trump falling asleep in the hall. Guess it would have made Dear Leader look weak.)

Thus is the hurricane map of bandages.

Really ashamed of myself for not connecting the "assassination attempt" with the Reichstag Fire. I mean, who'd ever suspect a Nazi like Stephen Miller of trying something like that?

Sometimes my scroll gets it right.

There’ll be an entertainment industry. It’ll just be all Trump documentaries and reruns of The Apprentice.

@thehighsign.bsky.social Listening to the Culture Gabfest, and the three fictional movies I most want to see are “So Long Sarong,” “Ants in Your Plants of 1939,” and — especially— “Hey Hey in the Hayloft.”

I blame @bermanmatt.bsky.social for this being buried in my mind's eye now.

There’s a crow in our neighborhood who apparently likes traditional media, because he tries to tear apart the blue plastic bag the NY Times comes in. Some days (like today) he makes it to the paper and tears it up (though today he added the wrinkle of separating the pages all over) 1/

I’ll stipulate that I don’t like Roz and really don’t like “Gypsy,” but “Rose’s Turn” is particularly grisly. #TCMParty

There are few movie moments that give me a greater visceral satisfaction than the one at the end of #49thParallel when Raymond Massey is about to knock the living beejeezus out of Eric Portman. #TCMParty

@petersagal.bsky.social I admire (and emulate) your commitment to “hoBOken,” and wonder if you also append “and the rabbits” to the line “where the deer and the antelope play”?

@markwaid.bsky.social I have a question I think only you can answer. There was a story where someone was impersonating Superboy and being coached by his boss. Asked where he came from, the impostor replies “Kryp-tahn,” and is corrected that it’s “KrypTON,” like “a ton of bricks.” 1/

I love this “oh, who’s going to play Katie Britt on SNL?” mania. If we know one thing about SNL, it’s that, whatever they do, it’ll be toothless, strained, and woefully unfunny.