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.
Yeah, you're right, but if you used more flour than cornmeal, it wouldn't crumble so much.
I always use more cornmeal because I LIKE my cornbread crumbly!!
*Cough*...ahem...uh...not currently...
OH YEAH!! Preferably with Jimmy Dean Sausage!
I really didn't care for the expanding of Irulan's role at the expense of other characters. She has a big enough role in the book sequels (which are being made into miniseries sequels!).
On the whole, I prefer the mini over the movie. I have both versions, and it is amazing how little of the story is present in the movie.
Did you watch the Special Edition of the miniseries, or the regular DVD?
Come over to The Landsraad for news on the upcoming sequel to the first miniseries. It will combine the second and third books.
If they're like beignets, you just cut them into that shape and drop them into the hot oil. They'll turn a nice golden brown and puff up in the middle. The only problem with the beignet comparison is that when you bite into a beignet, they're mostly hollow in the middle, so they can't be slightly crumbly! But they sure are GOOD!!
RUH ROH!!
And thus it begins....
So...does he play bass or drums, by any chance?;-)
There's a sort of running joke in my family...Dad has tried (unsuccessfully) for years to get someone to learn to play bass (or even bass guitar) and / or drums (including but not limited to the bodhran). He's tried bribing people with lessons, offers to buy instruments, everything...but none of us are rhythm affecionados, I guess! So Dad and my brothers tease me that I really should marry a bassist or drummer to complete the family band.
It would still be crumbly, though. And not crisp. Which is fine for cornbread...but wrong for lembas.
I wanted to make lard biscuits one time just to see if my Grandmother was right. Of course, I didn't have the wood stove to do it exactly right....(I'll catch up in a minute.)
You could get all the textbooks he's using at school right now from the publishers, or used, online. Each of the texts has a teacher's manual, so that would help you if you feel you needed it. Our daughter is using the Amer. History, Literature, and Grammar textbooks we still had from our older sons' private school. She likes them a lot. She has a great Geometry text, and we've gotten a couple of other texts for other subjects; the History of the Catholic Church in the Americas, Spelling, Latin, and Vocabulary. She decided she wanted to learn Japanese, so I got her some textbooks and workbooks for that as well, published by the Japanese Language Society!
There are SO many resources for studying at home, and sometimes the kids just THRIVE at home. That has been the case with our kids. They have learned so much more at home; and not necessarily having anything to do with their studies. When they're home, you can have such interesting discussions about stuff that comes up in life.
Just wanted to give you a little more info about homeschooling in the high school years! BTW, did you know that you don't necessarily have to have a high school diploma to be admitted to college? OK, I'll shut up now!
AACK! Don't let them get me...Call the PTA! Call the NEA.....eeeewwwwww...gasp....sputter....faint....
Where'd everybody go?....oooohhh the colors....gasp....sputter....
Ahem...excuse me...now what was the name of that curriculum again?
Well see, there's your problem Rosie, you're Looking for Lard in all the wrong places....ducking...
There were a couple of places (Paul and his mother walking across the sand dunes after escaping from Harkonnen's men and before they met up with the Fremen) where I had to tell my wife, "Do not let the bad effects master you, let the bad effects pass through you, and all that will remain is the story." ;^)
I really didn't care for the expanding of Irulan's role at the expense of other characters.
Which character was Irulan?
Did you watch the Special Edition of the miniseries, or the regular DVD?
I don't know, I'll have to look when I get home. Whatever version it was I had to turn my volume all the way up in order to be able to understand what was being said (maybe my audio was set wrong).
Come over to The Landsraad for news on the upcoming sequel to the first miniseries. It will combine the second and third books.
Thanks for the invite, I'll check out the site.
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