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.

[HairOfTheDog]

No. Not sure how. The fish that died was the remaining big seven inch Bala Shark. Now I will have to buy another small one to keep the other new one company!

I suppose it's possible that he was big enough to break it if he slammed into it or got caught between the heater and the tank side.

I had one shatter once when it was left on while the tank was emptied, and then filled with cold water. It was hot, and the cold water shattered it. But that didn't happen here. Maybe it was malfunctioning and had gotten too hot.

I think if I keep the house warm I can make it till tomorrow without buying another heater. I usually keep the water around 70 degrees, maybe a touch warmer. They are doing OK... I am too busy rearranging my office. It is back like it was, and I like it better! - Now that I have the computer set back up, I can re-organize the rest of this frap!

[JenB]

So how's it going? I took a break to feed my brothers but am now set up to write some more... watching Fox News and the election news looks really quite bright!

[Overtaxed]

Well....I've got a new starting place that'll help (hopefully). Took a break for a little housecleaning, and I'll get back to writing as soon as I do the dishes.

[Overtaxed]

....and I've got the Precious!

[JenB]

Let us know... I'm going to find a good stopping point and post the next bit today. We keep getting all these election calls - had one from a State Rep and one from our senator, who isn't been elected this year, but is getting out our vote. I'm excited! This is my first major election!

[Overtaxed]

Ringers stay off at my house. They can campaign on the answering machine if they like.

Dole has finally pulled out the "in cahoots with lying Bill Clinton " ads since Friday.

[ksen]

I read your first installments last night. They were both terrific. I can't wait to see what happens in them.

JenB, when I was reading yours I clicked in the box that contains your story and a cursor appeared. I deleted the letter the cursor was next to and then put it back. I don't think I should be able to do that when visiting your page.

You think you could find the elf bash I put in there? ;^)

Where's everyone else's first installments? Inquiring Hobbiteers want to know.

[Paul Atreides]

TTT stills...

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

We keep getting all these election calls

When we got home Friday night we had 4 calls on our answering machine, all of them electioneering calls. One of them was from the Big Creep himself, X42. I can't ever remember getting this many campaign calls, and certainly never any from such "big names".

[JenB]

It doesn't matter if you "delete" the letters because they don't really go anywhere. If you reload the page they'll be back. It's just a feature of the control I used.

The next page will be up very soon...

[JenB]

Well, the "biggest" we've had so far is Sen. Santorum, who's a Good Guy; he homeschools and everything. But his reelection was last time so he must have just been getting out the vote... my unpolitical younger brother who asks "what's a liberal" got the phone so I don't know what the real message is.

[ksen]

I bought the LoTR Risk game last night. It's pretty cool. You either play the standard Risk way or play the LoTR way which has you trying to get as much of Middle-Earth before the Fellowship makes it off the bottom of the board.

It comes with a replica of the Ring. It is made out of some sort of metal and it has the inscription on it. One of my sons already lost it, so it must have heard its master's call.

Oh yeah, we went and saw *Master of Disguise* at the dollar theatre today. They played the TT trailer! It was the one with Galadriel narrating it. It looks SSOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD on the big screen. I can't wait!

[HairOfTheDog]

Those are so great! - I am lovin' the Legolas in TTT!

And the horses! 45 days!

[ksen]

Dan and I are in the chatroom if anyone has time. I also have the movie on......

[JenB]

Next installment here!

So you can read it, everyone...

[RosieCotton]

I did a bunch more, too! Didn't finish the next chapter, though. I'm not putting in chapter headings yet since Word will add 'em to my word count, and I don't want to have to keep track of 'em. Next installment here...

First chapter here

[JenB]

It's getting really interesting, Rosie! Looking forward to more. Are you on track?

[RosieCotton]

Are you on track?

On track? Meaning word count? If so...yeah, or very close to it. I'm at 3340, if I remember right. Way behind you, but OK according to schedule. ;-)

[JenB]

Good for you! I'm only ahead now... wait til we get to the middle of the month, I'll probably be behind.

[Corin Stormhands]

What's a tesseract? . The definition is the four-dimensional equivalent of a cube.

I need JenB and Bear (maybe others) to help me out here. Am I correct to say that in science fiction usage the tesseract would refer to a cube that could be folded into itself into a "new" dimension? And are there other authors who have used the tesseract other than Madeline L'Engle? There was a discussion of tesseracts somewhere on FR a few months back.

Going back now to catch up on the posts I missed...