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.
I hope you're right! Our theater is so small I know I can't count on seeing it there, but I'd like to. If it does come, I may take just my little sister alone one time. She VERY rarely goes to the theater (I actually can't recall if she's EVER been), so it would be a wonderful treat for her.
Just to make you feel better about your own house, though, this will give you an idea of what I'm working with...
On Saturday morning, I was showing my sister how easily the nasty fake paneling in the office peeled off. I had been picking at one wall, but I finally just ripped it right off, which got her excited, so she started r-r-ripping away, too! Here's what the old panel was like - see how it's loose at the top?
We found that the stuff underneath was the dreaded painted-over wallpaper. Here's my brother Bill (aka Bilbo Bagpipes) posing (I never told him to pose!) in front of one wall:
The top layer peeled away pretty easily, with a little help from some wall scrapers. Here's my sister, working away...
, But there's still a very thin layer of very old, very brittle paper that a steamer would be useless in removing. I'll probably just scrape any loose stuff off and sand it down as best I can. Hopefully that's enough!
Me too...I'm ravenous this mornin'...Hey RM, what's for chow?...
Mornin' all...you'll be happy to know Hair, that I was unsuccessful on opening day...it was 76 degrees at 4 a.m. when I got up...reached 90 by noon...deer just weren't movin...I had a couple of yearlings pass, but I let 'em go... I don't take yearlings...
I was out early this mornin, but had to head in to work at 0800...saw a few shooters, but didn't have a clear shot...
OT, I tried your mushroom recipe this weekend. I didn't have the motivation to get out the grill, though, so I broiled 'em instead. Still, they were good!
and I liked the marinade enough that I saved it for a steak later this week...
I just can't wait to get the walls prepped so I can get the paint on 'em...that room looks like a ghetto or war zone right now!
I doubt it really was urine soaked, but carpet in a bathroom? You'll never convince me otherwise!
Two young boys in the house still perfecting their aim?...that's a pretty safe bet...we've got tile floors in the bathroom here on Base... can always tell when Jake has some trouble...
Just caught up on the weekend reading. I basically just browsed over it all though. My husband and I took our 5 year old to see "Jonah" yesterday. Love the catchy tunes! It was great but I was saddened to see how empty the theatre was at 5:00pm on a Sunday. I expected a lot of church folk to be there. Oh well. *sigh*
I'm here just in time for elevenses by my clock, so I'm setting out the buffet as we speak.
Today is fix-yourself-a-big-ol'-hoagie day in The Shire, so to the left are all of the meats (kosher available!), next to them the cheeses, in the middle are all of the extra fixings (besides the obvious stuff there are mushrooms of course, as well as hot peppers for the fire lovers in our group!) All the way to the right are the different types of hoagie bread, anything you want but you have to toast them yourself if that's your thing.
Drinks are on the side table and don't forget your napkins!! ENJOY!!
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