The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The New Hobbit Hole
Concerning Hobbits
The New Hobbit Chronicles

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.

[JenB]

Oh well, thanks. Oh dear, poor Bilbo's just flipped out over the Ring. Dear old hobbit... he seems like a childhood friend to me. It's so hard to look at him, old, and remember the times he saved the Dwarves or fought Goblins, or even the time he found the Ring. Nobody - not even Tolkien! - knew what an event that was!

[Penny1]

Ack! I just found out my CD is screwed up and ommitted much of the Council meeting....argh! It blipped out on me right after Boromir mentions the great eye.

Hehehe, Boromir just got tackled by Merry and Pippin...

Can you guys imagine how much fun this will be to do this in chat when the DVD comes out?

[carton253]

Do you guys have the movie somewhere? I just ordered my DVD. I might get that special DVD player... Just let me know. Thanks.

[JenB]

Those of us bad hobbits who already have access to a copy might consider doing that chat earlier, then again another time! If anyone else is interested, we could set up a time, no problem, I'm sure.

[2Jedismom]

I know! To see Bilbo so hale at the beginning of the movie was just what I expected. Bilbo the way I always imagined him. But to see him old and tottering around, well, I knew it happened but it was still quite a blow.

[Penny1]

Yes, I admit I was thinking that last night myself. The trick is, chatting on the computer while watching it on the computer might be a little tricky. But if we can, I would certainly be game to try it!

Aragorn is about to take Boromir's head off on Caradhras.....love that scene... ;)

[JenB]

Actually, if you make the windows right, you could have the movie in the top corner and the chat across the bottom half of the screen. Windows Media comes with a "compact view" option that cuts out the useless stuff and just basically shows the movie, in a 2x4 inch window. It's small, but since the film is kinda... fuzzy, that doesn't matter.

Our friends are being chased into the Mines by the Watcher. It's very dark in here.

[Penny1]

hehehe, my copy of the movie is very sharp and clear at nearly full-screen (of course, I have a smaller screen, so that helps).

However, I would be willing to size my window accordingly in order to chat with y'all...shall we pick a time/date/etc.?

[Penny1]

I am now in Moria, and in the middle of the orc and troll battle. It's really interesting listening to this without the picture...

[JenB]

Hmm, well, sooner is better for me if we want to do a chat movie night. Any weeknight after 9 would work, or Wednesday after 6 or 6:30 (eastern). Monday or Tuesday night would work out well for me since I get to sleep in T and Wed mornings. What doesn't work for me is weekends. As for date, anytime between now and May should work.

The fellowship is fleeing the Balrog... I'mn feeling silly, thinking up advertisments like "They put the 'fellow' in Fellowship".

[Penny1]

Hehehe, that's a good slogan. ;)

Well...how about tonight? Are people free? Tomorrow, Hair and I are going to the theater (I think)...so it gets more complicated after tonight...

What say you all?

[JenB]

I just entered Lorien and got an odd series of 'beeps' that were definitely from the film, not the computer itself. Hair, you have the same file - have you had this problem? They stopped but it was very weird.

[ecurbh]

Tonight works for me. I think. My roommate might need to computer to finish up taxes.

[Penny1]

BTW, you might be interested in the Digital Video Forum

It's the forum for Digital Digest and it is where I am finding all this lovely info on how to work with different types of multimedia files. It's turning out to be a great resource...

[JenB]

Tonight's great, I'll be back right around 9, I think. Oh! Aragorn just lopped off that animal-Orc's head. Poor Boromir.... what a death scene....

Ok, Frodo's about to leave. Let me know if tonight, 9 eastern, won't work after all.

[htur_75]

I finally was able to get back on, and had to catch up once more. What time tonight? vortex and I have to go to the store, but I don't think we are doing anything else. Depends on what time he gets home though. I can procrastinate some more on homework, I usually do anyway. My saying (taken from my oldest brother) is "If it weren't for last minute, nothing would get done."

[htur_75]

Oh yeah taxes. We have to finish those up too. YUCK!!! Oh to live in the Shire. They don't have taxes do they? (I think I've heard that question before.)

[carton253]

Or as I say, "deadlines are our friend..."

[JenB]

You have the film? Looks like we're talking right around 9 eastern... really, any later than 10 eastern and I'll have trouble functioning tomorrow (I need to be in bed by 1:30 or so, some college student I am!). Hope you will join us - hope we'll be there - should be fun!

[htur_75]

Yes. Well it's on vortex's computer, but I am sure he knows a way to watch it and chat. I know that I can't stay up any later than about 11:00 Central though. We both have to get up at 5:30 in the morning. I used to be able to live on 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Not so anymore. We'll try to be there for awhile though.