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.
Did you know that when a NCSU professor reviewed a high school science textbook that he found our Linda Rondstat (sp?) was a lithium crystal?
LOL! THAT's the part of the story my Dad would really love...he's convinced that fiddle is the best instrument out there. ;-)
We played a little "gig" at our parish's elementary school this spring...here are some of my notes:
Monday morning we had another "gig", if you want to call it that. The music teacher at my parish's elementary school is a friend of my mother's, and asked if we could come, sort of as a St. Patrick's Day event, and play for the kids' classes in the morning. From what I remember, grades K-4 each got half an hour, and then 5-8 had a combined class. For each class, we introduced ourselves, told a little bit about our instruments (how many strings they had, did a little sound sample, depending on the age told a little bit about technique or history), and then played some songs for them. Opened it up for questions between songs.THAT was a great gig. Some of the kids got really into the music, tapping their feet and counting along, and were very interested in the different instruments. Some of the questions were kind of funny...my Dad is no speed demon on the violin (though he does TRY), and one kid make a comment about having seen "a man with a fiddle, and he played REALLY fast! How come you don't do that?" Ouch. ;-) The 4th grade was my fan club - it was a hoot! Every question was about the mandolin, and when at the end of the class they were allowed to come up and see things up close, I got mobbed. I let them hold it and showed them a two finger G chord, which they seemed pretty thrilled to be able to do, simple as that is. After they left Dad mumbled some things about the mandolin being an inferior instrument for people too lazy to learn the violin, but I think he was just jealous...
This was before I started to attempt fiddle, BTW. Dad still teases me about my "fan club"!
Yeah, yeah...
Then there was the day that Corin, Jr. came home from kindergarten and told me that the South Americans killed Abraham Lincoln...
What? You didn't cook for anyone else?
LOL! Sir SuziQ has a PhD in Statistics, but still jokes that a lot of kids would be better off if their parents gave them the money that would have been spent on a college degree and let them learn a trade and start their own businesses! He considers the whole college scene today, with a few exceptions, to be a racket! If you 're in a field that requires some actual research, that's one thing, but for just Liberal Arts, unless you have to get a teaching certificate or you're using it as a stepping stone to a professional degree, it is sometimes a waste, especially if you go to a big name, big bucks college. Our oldest got a full 4 yr. scholarship to a state school, so decided not to go to either of the other two schools to which he was accepted because he realized he's have to be paying loans back FOREVER! Now he's decided to go to Law School, but at least he'll only be in hock for that! Our second son didn't get any scholarships, but was accepted into the Computer Science School at Carnegie Mellon. It is probably the BEST school in the country for CS, and he knew that, so that's why he applied. He may get a Master's, he may not. He doesn't think a PhD will be of any greater help unless he wants to get a job at a University. But he'll get out of college with a real skill which will earn him some big bucks, and which he just LOVES.
I was reading in my "This Old House" magazine yesterday that the tradespeople are beginning to worry because there are so few younger people going into those jobs. Because of that, it will take longer to get jobs done because there will be so few people doing them. It seems that would be a great skill for kids who aren't interested in higher ed., but want a good paying job. If a lot of dollars are chasing fewer workers, those people will be able to charge MORE for their services! They'd probably make MORE money than their friends who did go to college!
Oh UNFAIR, UNFAIR!! Boromir was protecting Merry and Pippin. You could say he was 'taking the arrows' for them! I won't diminish what Aragorn did; he really whupped up on Lurtz, but Boromir truly gave his life for his friends! ( even if he DID end up looking like a pincushion!)
I'm not an elf, and couldn't begin to teach fashion, but I could teach home design and handcrafts! I could have those little munchkins doing beading, sewing, jewelry making, polyclay, and decoupage, then show them how to use a CAD program to draw floor plans for their own Hobbit Holes!!
Yes, and are we about to have another serious discussion?
I'm not sure I can handle two on a Friday...
Or maybe, I could set up the dummies for self-defense class. (I know, I'm leaving myself wide open with that statement).
Republicans fail when they act more like moderates and/or Democrats.
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