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.
Mine either. I choose to be happy. After all, I still like Jimmy Buffet, idiot thought he is politically. Mortensen gives a great performance and I would like to think that he's a good guy, if you can judge such a thing from his performance and publicity.
But clearly he is a foolish liberal, or maybe a socialist. In a minute I'm going over to that thread and make some rude remarks about him. After all, it is the Left that causes us, by blocking all effort to extract oil domestically, to remain dependent on the Middle East for energy.
Morning, Hair.
Hmmm... Something tells me Hair's house is not quite THAT big!! I think I meant a Norfolk Island Pine. I've never seen one any larger than 4' tall.
I know that this is in your neck of the woods, so I wanted to give you a heads up! :)
Supposedly they have something called a "whiteout" in Syracuse, where it snows so hard that people get lost 30 yards from their front door. I'd love to see one of those one time.
BAH! And here I thought you were a hardy man of Gondor!!
I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet you and your family during your trip up North! We'll just have to wait until Entmoot, I guess! Have a safe trip; the weather looks nice up here for your takeoff, hope the landing is just as pleasant! It will CERTAINLY be warmer ( now I'm jealous!)
I try not to let politics interfere with my movie going experiences, but I will admit that I refuse to pay to watch any flick with Alec Baldwin, Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts, Ben Affleck, any of the Sheens and a few others. It drives Glen bananas!! I can't stomach certain actors though - especially Baldwins and Sheens!!! They stink anyway!
I really wish actors would keep their mouths shut on their political leanings. *sigh*
LOL!! That's the one thing our kids hate about homeschooling; no snow days!! We just light the fireplace and enjoy watching the snow from indoors while they do their work!
They are the same tree. Apparently some are kept small for house plants, something I didn't know until you mentioned it to Hair. They are indigenous to Norfolk Island, in the South Pacific, where some of the mutineers from the Bounty came ashore and settled. Those are some of their descendants pictured in the photograph of that tree.
The 2 that used to be in my backyard were huge, the kids used to climb them in those days. The branches are spaced in such a way that if you fell, there was another branch handy to grab.
I haven't seen that thread yet, but it must be about Viggo on "Charlie Rose" last night. He was wearing a t-shirt that he hand lettered that read "No Blood for Oil". He is of the typical liberal opinion that this is just a war for oil, or some sort of vendetta the Bushes have against Saddam. He didn't like some folks comparing the US to the good guys in the movie; he thinks we're more like Saruman's forces beating up on everybody with our superior might. He was repeating the mantra that we've killed more folks in Afghanistan with our bombs than were killed at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93. He was angry that it seemed that asking questions about why we were getting involved was considered treasonous.
We just got bored and wanted them to get back to discussing the movie. I thought of your comment Hair, that if you take the grungy look, costume and Narsil away from Aragorn, all you have left is Viggo, and he is not interesting! LOL!
What was interesting in the interview was that when Viggo was done, Charlie turned to Elijah and asked him if he agreed with Viggo. Elijah just said he agreed that we need to ask questions about what is being proposed. Good out!!
But the interview as a whole was good. PJ was saying that he was excited about "Return of the King" and that he thought it was going to be the best of the three!! Elijah said that it was very emotional, and that he cried every time he saw clips from it!
I like that idea, Hair. The Hobbit Hole IS supposed to be a nice cozy place we all like to visit.
There ya go!! Dubya and Spotty visiting the Hobbit Hole!! I like it!
It's time for SPAM!
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