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
-----------------------------------------
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.
I'm here...was just discussing good hiking locations with my coworkers. It's a slow Friday...
So...what's a funkle??
Heaven on earth...
Is that one of the states where you use "bean field" rifles?
Nope...shotgun only..."Beanfield Rifles" are a Southern thing...
We had 5 inches of rain last night in some places, thunderboomers rolling through continually from about 3:00 AM so I didnt sleep so well. I need plenty of Java this morning .
My $.02 for JenB: Sounds like you can just about write your own ticket and do whatever you want. Your future looks exceedingly bright whatever you decide, but may I play the devils advocate?: Why the rush to a PhD? You are young enough to work for a while and find out what you really like and are good at, maybe even find a company that will pay for your PhD. Academia is overrated IMHO, unless you have a very clear vision of what you want. (Which I never did). Corins comment above:
I wish I had gone to grad school right from college. My problem was/is that I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Now, in my 40s, I know the degrees I want, but I have neither the time nor the money.
pretty much pertains to me as well. But if you have a clear vision, more power to you Jen. Good Luck! (Minnesota (U of M) has a great program, and this area has lots of jobs, a great quality of life, and needs more good conservatives)
Sorry, had to get my Minnesota plug in
.. Have a great Friday everyone!
Ah...OK. I TRIED to look it up in the dictionary (it isn't great, but it's free), but didn't find it. So I wondered...
LOL! What an apt description!
OOHH! Very nice! Our daughter starts a Watercolor class next week, and Sir SuziQ wants her to do one of the beach at Perdido Key! We got some great pics with our digital camera of a cool heron that hangs around the beach at the condo where we stay; she's going to try to paint it!
Sister, you have no idea...the place is a zoo...I'd rather nurse on the muzzle of my .45 than get stationed there...
I'm trying to maintain that delusion as well, but it is increasingly difficult since the sumac and maples are already starting to turn....
Our oldest is in his fifth year of college (he changed his major and needed the fifth year to get the classes he needed). He wants to go ahead and do grad school. He has no debt because he had a 4 yr. full-ride scholarship; he wrote a letter asking to have it extended for the fifth year and they agreed! So he'll enter grad school with no debt at all, which is good because he's an English major who wants to be a professor. He certainly won't be making the big bucks in that kind of job, but that's what he loves to do. He's not married and has no responsibilities, so this is the time to do it!
I hunt in a wooded area, so even my .270 has more reach than I really need, most of the time.
I'm not sure if the .243 qualifies as "bean field," but a farmer I know uses one in the Australian outback on "roos."
I prefer to hunt with a bow, but I've never taken a shot over a hundred yards with a shotgun...not that I wouldn't, but the area I hunt in you can't see over a hundred yards...btw, when gun season starts, it ain't huntin'...it's killin'...
When I was stationed at Camp Lejeune NC, I had the opportunity to "hunt" over bean fields...with my custom Sako 7mm RemMag (Painless), I took 5 deer in one season off two different fields...the shortest shot being 350 yards...Painless lived up to her name...with my hand-loaded Nosler Ballistic Tips, none of 'em even took a step...dead on impact...that's the way it should be done...surgical...
Hope your daughter loves her watercolor class. My daughter is also taking watercolor, at college.
oh please oh please oh please oh....
Good morning to you too! I didn't notice where we were because I was making an actual post.
LOL! The E-BAY joke was really bad!
You're welcome. ;^)
oh please oh please oh please oh....
But then again you can just say "Fearrington Schmerrington" and hunt for yourself.
Bow season starts Monday
I have no affiliation with Green Linnet, except that a high percentage of my discretionary income is spent on their products...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.