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.
In case anyone would find this useful, I found a site a while back that can tip you off to great deals on computers and electronics. They seem to really get the word out on Dell computers in particular. The website is Techbargains.com and is definitely worth a look for computers, peripherals and all kinds of electronic gadgetry. They don't sell items themselves, they just track all the offers, specials and deals that are out there for people to take advantage of.
Excellent news! I really hope this turns out well for you. Especially so your wife can stay home with the little one - that is very important, in my opinion! This job would be a great early Christmas present for you, wouldn't it? ;-)
So if they already asked my permission to check references, even before my interview, is that a good sign, you think? I'm not sure! I really hope mine works out, too!
All my "relaxation" time lately seems to be going toward writing. Grrr! I'm up to 35,000, though. It's going to take some doing for me to finish in time, but I think I can do it, though I may just barely limp across the finish line rather than blasting my way through to the end.
Listening to Slainte Mhath, a rather strange young band from Nova Scotia that my brother got my hooked on. Supposed to be motivating me to write, but I'm doing more listening than writing. I'm bad about that...
I read that they will be played over the end credits.
I don't really like it. Part of it is just that it's soooo different, and I'm not really sure what exactly it's supposed to be saying. And the fact that it doesn't fit into the movie...though I suppose it would work over the end credits. But it's weird! I don't get it!
Working my way up to 36,000 by the end of the evening, hopefully! Only about 900 words to go!
Woo-hoo! Congratulations! Of course, you really reached the goal on what, the 20th? But it's nice to have it all verified, I would expect. ;-)
I'm aiming for finishing mine (or at least reaching 50,000) on Friday, but if I have to go to the last day, I have to go to the last day, and I might.
750 words to go now! And I may go for another good chunk tonight, beyond my quota. Might as well. We'll see how I feel by nine-thirty or so. I've been staying up too late lately...
Yeah, I can just sleep in. Trouble is that I'm essentially a morning person, and sleeping in isn't easy for me to do. And I end up spending the day being kinda confused and headachey. Never been someone who handled time changes easily. ;-) But I guess a week won't hurt.
I'm such a sissy, ain't I?
If you don't build it yourself, the next step is to buy a new system off the internet which has been put together and burned-in (has been operated for about 48 hrs.) by the vendor, to make sure all the parts are working. If you're interested, Sir SuziQ could freepmail you some info on the locations. With this route you'd need someone locally to set it up and show you how things work. Sounds like you know a lot already, and what you don't, your sister could show you. His personal opinion on computer parts is that most parts are reliable. Going with brand names doesn't necessarily mean NO trouble; it's random. Software problems are a greater risk than hardware ones.
Well, I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't. Our two most recent PCs were purchased as parts and assembled by me. The last PC we purchased as a complete system was back in 1999, from a small local company here in Austin. The last PC we purchased from one of the "big players" was a 25 MHz 80386 system from Gateway, back in 1992 or 1993 (I forget!) Back then, Gateway was the hot company, but I've heard they're not now.
My Rose is a lot more current than I am on PC pricing and which companies are better than others... she's the one who picked and priced out all of the components in our newest systems. I've pinged her to your question, and I'll ask her to look into it a little later!
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