I am eating pasta and butter (my sick food) and relaxing on the couch. I'm starting to feel a little better.

vw, I only read bits of Utopia and it was years ago, but good luck with your essay!

We're supposed to be looking at it from fresh eyes and find something that hasn't already been said. It's harder than it sounds!

Actually, finding something that hasn't already been said sounds pretty hard. I wish you luck. I haven't read the book so I'm useless for idea bouncing.

Hi, vw!

I've never read Utopia or any serious commentary on it. But just to toss out a dumb idea, how might More's vision have been different if he were writing today? Could his vision accommodate the Internet, instant communication, and so on?

(Edit to correct typo.)

how might More's vision have been different if he were writing today?

Heh.

He probably would have made Utopia into an online RPG. Or maybe an FPS.

He probably would have made Utopia into an online RPG.

The modern Utopia is just a WoW expansion?

vw, write a paper on the Doctor Who episode instead. Look surprised when the professor hands it back: "Oh, you meant the BOOK?"

Iconsidered some sort of comparison to The Handmade's Tale, but I'm not sure I have time to do that idea justice. Also, my copy of THT is in a box in the garage.

Mooshu was going in for tests last week. How did those come out?

Fred, first off, so, so sorry about Rigatoni. I am in absolute AWE over the level of care you were able to get for him and so happy he had so much love as he passed over.

As far as Mooshu goes, he was diagnosed with diabetes (poor baby had a glucose count of over 500) so he started on insulin a week ago Saturday and seems to be doing well. In fact, he's at the vet right now having his first glucose curve to see if he needs a higher dose of insulin or if he's okay where he's at. Then, while we were out of town, the vet called again with more results from the blood work-- it turns out that in addition to being diabetic, Mooshu is also hypothyroid. So he's going to start on those meds today and hopefully, we'll see a real turn in his health and behavior. Which would be great with our impending move if he's feeling more like his old self.

Anyhow, thanks so much for asking--

So vw, the prof expects you to come up with something new and different about a book that people have been discussing for over century? So, what, maybe a compare/contrast to Twilight? No wait, if he's been asking this question for a couple years, he's probably already gotten that. What about imagining Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters having a go at it? I'm sure an MST3K has already been done....

Can I blame this on swimming, please? Or the Dark Side? Or my mother? Or former President Bush. I think he's ultimately responsible.

Alas, poor Tino, so quickly he is forgotten!