Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Take Tylenol!!
...and drink lots of water.
We settled on a place that actually is all day long, but he won't be there. It was cheaper (that wasn't the only consideration) than the place that would give us the three-day rate. He'll be there Monday/Tuesday/Thursday from about 7 am until about 3 pm while Mom is teaching. He may go there a little more often, but not the dawn to dusk thing.
Oh, the other thing they do is the Abeka (sp?) program. And they told us that when he doesn't come, they'll send his work home so he can keep up.
When I was there on Monday (after the break-in), the guards had already shocked the pool twice. It was still green enough that you couldn't see the bottom of the deep-end.
This was maybe THE biggest benefit of homeschooling from my standpoint, aside from moral issues. My brother and I would get our work done and head out for hikes or work on crafts or play music or whatever - probably explains why so many homeschoolers excel at "extracurricular" activities.
It's also one of the aspects "outsiders" seem to have a real problem with - they don't get that it's basically a quantity vs quality issue. My Dad is still homeschooling the youngest two (in spite of my mother's death), and a lot of people are giving him a hard time about it. He has several days off during the week and will work them whenever he's off, but it's not going to be a 9 to 5 sort of thing (never has been, for that matter, but people may have thought so since Mom was a homemaker). I just talked to a coworker a few minutes ago who wanted to know, didn't they have to get a certain number of "accredited hours" (as she put it)?
I said they just had to work long enough to finish their school work, not a certain number of hours. She wasn't really satisfied with that, I don't think.
can we mix the water with bourbon?
Hangover?! Jus add vodka and ice!
We decided to go with Sonlight...heavy on the literature...The name of our math program escapes me, but I wish I'd had it when I was a kid...
I thought so. That was actually a plus for us as well.
I don't know what things will be like when he's "school age," but we think he's advanced, maybe gifted. He was born 10 weeks early, so he's not "really" 2 1/2.
But he's already talking in complete sentences, knows when something's a joke (and makes his own), recognizes letters and numbers and does well pretending. The other night at dinner he was finished so we gave him his markers. He took all the lids off and was playing with them (giving them personalities, etc) instead of coloring...
I think the stimulation he will get from daycare will be a good thing. We're also looking at pre-school software programs. One of his favorite things to do is sit on my lap when I'm playing "Roller Coaster Tycoon." He's fascinated with the computer, but could take or leave tv (although he's fond of SpongeBob and Elmo).
But, we're talking about the fact that homeschooling may be the best for him.
That and the myth your child will be a social retard, shambling around in a soiled diaper and drool covered chin...
BTW, God bless your father...
That too! The thing that gets me most about THAT particular myth is that in general (there are nutsy exceptions, of course) homeschoolers are BETTER socialized than public skool kids. As just one example, they socialize with people from all age groups (adults AND children) instead of an artificial society made up of just children their own age.
Don't worry about your kids g'nad. Not all of them turn out like their fathers...
Hobbit for a day?
they just take up valuable space that could be used for alcohol...
Sure you can! But that would defeat the purpose.
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