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.
Not in polite society. :) Anyway, it was on Oklahoma's ballot.
I think their general tone defeated them. They are not a happy party to be around.
I also wonder how much the Wellstone "memorial" affected the races.
I can't believe most of our proposed amendments passed. How in the world can Jeb get over 56% of the vote and then have constitutional amendments like "Protecting pregnant pigs", "Statewide Kindergarten for 4-year olds", and "Smaller class sizes" pass? You know that the 4-year old kindergarten will eventually become mandatory, things like that always do.
I think I realize now why the pubbies seem to be such a schizo party every now and then. It's the voters fault. We vote in our "conservative" candidates and then when we have the chance we help pass the most liberal of proposals.
Good point. That whole Wellstone thing really shocked me, I couldn't believe it was happening in America, reminded me of a Hitler rally. Others must have felt the same.
"I can't believe most of our proposed amendments passed."
I usually vote against amendments just on principle, they usually end up adding to bureaucracy and augmenting the power of authority.
But I am firmly convinced that we would have used our "democracy" to vote all our rights away a long time ago, if it were not for our Constitution. Of course the Democrats do their best to ignore the Constitution and appoint judges who will "interpret" it differently on every occasion.
In Wake County (one county away from me) 5 of 7 County Comissioners will be Republican. Wake County has to have one of (if not the most) greedy school boards in the state. I expect (hope) we'll be seeing some upset school board people when the budget battles start. :D
Thats why I cant believe they passed. Jeb got over 56% of the vote. So you would think that over 56% of those who voted would be, generally, of like mind with us, but that was not the case.
When a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to protect pregnant pigs passes in an election where the Rs win big, something is very wrong with our voters.
I wonder if most Rs these days are fiscal conservatives but social liberals. They like the idea of government being involved in aspect of our lives, but they dont want to pay for it.
I came over because I was hearing the Nine Riders were making a mess. Sorry about the horse poop by the entrance.
Stayed up until about 3:00 a.m. thinking Fox was going to call South Dakota, which is still the one too close to call right?
Katie Colic was NOT happy this a.m. NBC wasn't calling Minnesota, but most others have.
Wake me when the next campaign starts.........huh? snort....what do you mean we've already started?
I appreciate that gentle Dark Lord. Horse poop I can manage... It was the sniffing that really creeped us out.
That would be fun! Y'all are up here until the 4th? Sometime during the weekend after Thanksgiving would be good! Let me know what your schedule up here will be. We have nothing planned. Our #2 son isn't coming home for T'giving because he has three big projects due at the end of the semester, and he'll be coming on on Dec. 18th for Christmas anyway, just in time for the TTT premier!!!
Maybe we could convince Rosie to come to 'Deep South' NH, too!
I think the voters are gradually moving to the "French Tradition," that is the tradition of egalitarianism and socialism. I think they are starting to think socialism is an American tradition.
Wife and little one are doing well and taking their antibiotics. Jr. and his friends cleaned out the rest of the Halloween candy (I'm guessing 4-5 pounds of chocolate...and no we didn't say it was okay) yesterday since there was no school. Dog got his predinizone shot...
Life goes on. It's just a little more fun this a.m.
LOL! You're right, Sam. Some of it is a little overwrought with the upper middle class singers going on about how tough life is! But yes, some of the music is really good. We like Garnet Rogers, a Canadian, and brother of the late Stan Rogers. The man plays a MEAN fiddle, and has a lovely rich baritone. We've seen him twice in concert in Worcester.
The Folk Music show on WHYY in Philly is what introduced us to Celtic music, and that's the majority of what we consider 'folk' music that we really like. We went to a concert in the town next door once to see Tommy Makem. Tommy Sands (not the IRA terrorist with the same name) opened the show, and now he is a popular singer in his own right! But that concert was fun because we were there with a couple who had recently moved to the US from Ireland, and it turned out that the husband was from the same county as Tommy Makem! The two of them started talking after the show, and it was hilarious, because the more they talked the THICKER that brogue got and we could hardly understand them! We ended up going to the couples' apt. with the man who ran the folk club and Tommy Sands and sat up talking religion and politics til 5 in the morning! It was a fun night!
Sir SuziQ and I certainly DO NOT share the politics of most 'folkies'; I'm sure we'd get strange looks if we drove up to a folk club with our Bush/Cheney bumpersticker!
Doesn't Brother, Where art thou get into this a little. I've heard it's an OK movie.
It was a FUN movie! The music is Bluegrass/Old Timey, which is covered under the folk title when folk music radio shows are played. I've enjoyed Bluegrass since college, long before I ever started listening to 'folk shows', though I enjoyed folk music from the 'folk scare' of the 60s such as that done by Dylan, Baez, and Joni Mitchell to name the more popular folks.
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