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

-----------------------------------------

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.

[HairOfTheDog]

A search on google indicates that couches are not just for sitting in anymore.... the are a means of transport too:

Ask your guys at the hardware store if they can build one of those!

[HairOfTheDog]

Sounds like you interrupted their talking... How rude of you! ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

Now, why do you hate women again?

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Evening all...

Home for work and finished with dinner here. It was kind of nice for a last day at work, everyone kept telling me how much they wished I wasn't leaving. Maybe, if they shake some money loose, they'll be able to re-hire me... I wouldn't mind that at all.

Sorry you had a rotten day, Jen. Hope tomorrow goes better for you!

[JenB]

Now, why do you hate women again?

Because women are bad at computer science and mostly fluff-brained liberals (present company and missing friends excepted)

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Boy, it's a good thing Rose isn't here to read what you just said!

[HairOfTheDog]

I have done a lot of temporary contract work, and when you find a good group, it does feel sad to leave it... I tell ya though, there were a lot of places where I was glad it was temporary! - It is a great way to test whether you really want to work in a place!

I helped a company switch from DOS to Windows once. (That dates me!) It took a month to convince the secretary at the front desk that her files were moveable and were not located "IN" Wordperfect...

Her: But all my files are in Wordperfect.
Me: I moved your files, they will open in Word.
Her: Did you put Wordperfect on my new machine?
Me: No, you have Word on your new machine. You can open the files in Word.
Her: But how do I get them out of Wordperfect?
Me: [whack!]

Next day: Repeat.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Yes, the contract I worked just before this one, I was glad when it finished. But, I have to admit that I'm mercenary enough to be missing the paycheck more than the people right now. ;) Still, it was a nice ego-boost to have everyone tell me that I'd done a nice job and they'd be glad to have me back.

As for "remember when's"... you and I are of an age, as the saying goes. The first version of Windows I ever installed was 1.0; I installed it on a DOS 3.2 system, so that the company I worked for could run PageMaker 1.0. Oh, those were the days! ;)

[ksen]

I just got off the phone with LCS. He had some more computer trouble, corrupted files, etc. He said he should be back soon, hopefully by the weekend.

We talked for a minute about how Daschle made a jerk of himself. It was pretty neat to finally "talk" to a FReeper. I am really looking forward to our moot.

LCS said to tell you all hi and he is ok.

"Hi everybody! I'm ok!" - LCS ;^)

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, in defense of my youth, I am pretty sure we were installing Windows 3.0. These guys at waited a long time to switch.

I remember how wonderful even that was compared to the old way!

It was a little bit of a scary place to work... It was a Morton chemical plant that was making some unpronounceable susbstance that was so caustic they had weekly random evacuation drills with sirens and everything! We all had to go across the street while they went through a whole containment drill. It was usually good for a couple hours if we had errands to run.

They had to conform to IPO 9000 standards on their procedures, even office procedures... Have you ever worked in that environment? - It was unimaginably tedious.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh Good! - I am glad he is well, and I hope he gets his computer all fixed!

Thanks for checkin' on him for us!

[ksen]

You are very welcome.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Well, that's some good news! Glad to hear nothing serious was wrong!

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Windows 3.0 was so much better than the previous version... and 3.1 was ever better.

I've never worked in an ISO 9000 house, but the place I was working at back in '96 was just starting to work on qualifying for it (they were a government contractor) at the time I left them... the preliminary steps struck me as being very unnecessary, especially in a small company (which it was).

I once interviewed at a nuclear plant in Ohio... everyone had to wear dosimeter badges (even me, as a visitor). One of the big questions at the interview was whether I had any moral objection to working at a plant that helped produce nuclear weapons. I didn't, but I wound up not taking the job anyway. I'd read the book "Nerves" by Lester del Rey at an early age (it's about an accidental meltdown at a nuclear plant.)

[HairOfTheDog]

You're right.... ISO, not IPO.... my memory of the experience is (thankfully) foggy. thanks for reminding me ;~D

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

I just figured it was a typo...

[HairOfTheDog]

The only nuclear plant I ever worked in was one that never became operational..., in fact, I was working for the law firm that was suing WPPS over it. It was never finished. (our Nuclear power authority had at that time the unfortunate acronym "whoops!" ;~D)

[Corin Stormhands]

I see the Guild is still upset that the Emmys weren't news.

Let's see headline comparison:

"Friends wins Emmy" vs. "Gore and Daschle undermine America's Future"

I dunno. Maybe I wish the Emmys were news too...

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

lol, with a name like that maybe it was a good thing they never became operational... ;)

[Corin Stormhands]

I get there, there's a bunch of old men talking about cement.

Was this them?