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.
I'll have to see what I can do with that cheap digital camera I've got. Her Majesty would not be caught dead wearing reindeer antlers.
My heart went back to it's irregular beat over the weekend...sigh
You haven't been watching any TTT trailers, have you? :)
Glad you're back 2Jm! Your mom sounds like my mother in law, God Rest her soul! She was a nice lady, but she HATED to cook! Sir SuziQ always tells the kids, when they compliment me on the food, that they don't realize how good they have it. Our #1 son mentioned over the summer that he loves to come home because the food is so good; hey, whatever keeps em comin back!! My Mama cooked 'big' as well, and she never did figure out how to cook for smaller numbers!
I enjoy cooking, and I'm rarely satisfied with eating out because I know I can do it better. We have a couple of favorite restaurants, a Chinese, a Thai, and Wendy's for fast food, so we go out once or twice a month.
We're getting a "Ruby Tuesday's" in the next town over, and I hope it will be ready in time for TTT. The boys will be home from school, so we're all going to see the movie together, then go out to eat. We can't go until the 19th because I didn't pay attention to the flight time for our #2 son, but that's ok, it is still only 16 days!!!!
I hope that the Thanksgiving weekend was restful and pleasant for all of you. I ate and ate and ate until I was fit to bust - shame on me! ;)
I barely had a chance to come and visit the Hobbit Hole this weekend. With the kids and the husband, it's hard to find the time to get online. Becky was playing her CD-Rom games and Glen was learning how to download and check e-mail (the basics), so I had to wait my turn. By the time those two were done it was 10PM and I was too tired to even start a conversation.
My Thanksgiving was pretty good. The sad part was that my aunt's dog passed away last night. She was one of the pups from my Basset Hound Tequila who passed away years ago. Vanilla (my aunt's dog) was almost 11 years old though and had a very happy and tranquil life. She enjoyed some lovely ham on Thanksgiving and was cuddled by everyone all weekend. I have peace knowing her last days were so wonderful. It's still heartbreaking though since she never had a litter of her own to carry on the heritage of her wonderful mom.
Anyway, only 15 days left until the Two Towers, so things should get pretty busy in here. I've prepared some coffee and ham & cheese biscuits for breakfast. I'm off to catch up on some work now - be back later!
Mine did that a couple of months ago, for several days. And I'm even on the Digoxin for regulating the heart rate! Whatever. I go to the Cardio guy next week, so I'll see what's up.
I tried going off caffeine completely, but discovered that I got congested easily. My Mama developed asthma when she stopped using caffeine products. When she read about how caffeine is the major component in asthma meds, she started back drinking regular coffee! Anyway, I grind the beans for our coffee, and use 5 scoops of Decaf and 1 scoop of Regular for each 12 cup pot of coffee. Before you go off caffeine altogether, try that. Your heart malady may not have anything to do with caffeine at all. The doc said that mine didn't; I just have a wiring problem!
His name was George, and he was so cool.
Thanks, OT...except I don't think it's going to be today. They just said they'd call and give me a TIME sometime early this week, and I'm hoping for today. Why they couldn't just give me a time two weeks ago, I don't know, and I'm sitting here stressing about it. They'd BETTER not leave me hanging all day!
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