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.
Hey Corin, how about we do an Entmoot North and an Entmoot South? I'm in MA, but you won't find this Mississippi born girl in Minnesota in the Winter!! I don't even like MA in the winter; at least when it is icy. The snow looks pretty from inside the house, I just don't drive when it is coming down!
Yeah, Miami, I think I'm the southernmost inhabitant of the Hole.
I am sorry I missed the delightful men's club meeting last night.
Much as I hate the cold, I have got to agree with you there, Rosie! We lived in Indiana for one winter, and it was so neat looking out onto the snow with the full moon shining on it. You could see the tracks of little critters going into the woods!
Tattle Tale!!
I'm with you g'nad. We've had an outdoor water ban in effect in our town for the last two weeks because the town's major well had to be closed and the screens cleaned. We were on vacation for the two weeks before that and our grass didn't get watered while the temps were up in the 90s, so it looked and felt like corn chips when we returned.
We had rain for about 18 hours straight yesterday; drizzle, heavy, then drizzle again. It was great! At least the fertilizer got watered in!
God Bless your Dad for continuing the homeschooling! It is amazing how LITTLE time it takes compared to schools. Someone posted the results of a study of time spent in 'high school' done by some large organization on my Classical H/sing message board; out of the 1080 hours typically demanded by school systems, less than 400 hours were spent on actual learning in the academic sense. The rest of the time for a typical student was taken up by changing classes, lunch, absenteeism, assembly time, and study hall! So if anyone asks you about 'accredited' hours again, share that little tidbit with them. Homeschooled students have that beat by a MILE
By the way, did you know that the govt. can no longer deny homeschooled students Financial Aid if they don't have a diploma from an 'accredited' school? As long as the program they use follows the guidelines of their particular state, they can be approved for the aid. If the college has accepted someone as a student, you can be sure the student must have completed all the requirements!
I have to scoff at the accredited thing anyway. Our kids used to go to a Catholic School which was trying to get accredited. I saw what the group was looking for, and very little had to do with academic quality, so accreditation means NOTHING to me.
I had a long day at work... basically I'll be working Monday. So I was so fed up I bought anime on DVD - it's that whole "ooo, my first paycheck, I have money!" deal. Makes me feel better. Soon as the boys are in bed - they don't appreciate art - my sisters and I are starting on it.
Which series did you buy? We got our daughter a set of 6 DVDs of 'Fushigi Yugi' for Christmas. She's been saving up her allowance, and she was able to find 3 DVDs of Cardcaptor Sakura on half.com last week, and the first one arrived today.
She's aware of the different kinds of anime out there, and actually found a site that reviews them, so that helps her when she's looking for something new. I'll ask her if she knows about 'Lost Universe'.
I have friends who speak Japanese so they supplement the subtitles. At least it's better than dubbing!
Sounds good, don't misplace the receipt, keep if for a year or two anyhow!
sob
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