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.
Tommorrow is the annual cleanup day for the little community cemetery where my Mom, Grandma, Grandpa and our yet-unused family plots are (one of them will be mine). It is a little unkept old cemetery maintained only by those that volunteer too.. This is the main day for cleaning it up and mowing and scrubbing the moss off the markers, the week before memorial day so it looks nice!
(I like that, my wife is from Greensboro)
Off I go to see AOTC--this should be very interesting....
It looks like the fire is mostly contained now. Here is a sad picture some of the destruction that occured. Nothing left at all. 
We have a couple of lovely rabbits that graze at the back of our yard from time to time. They are almost brindle in color, and are not scared away when we walk near them. I was watering a few patches in the yard where I had had to kill the grubs and plant some new seed, and I walked to within 10 feet of him before I ever saw him. I just spoke to him in that high pitched 'baby talk' voice, and he just sat and nibbled brass while I watered the yard. He was so cute! I haven't seen any bunnies, but with all the crows in the woods behind our house, the parents might keep them close to home. The rabbits like our yard because they know they are safe from the dogs next door because the neighbors have an invisible fence for them. The dogs will sure howl if the bunny is going across the front yard heading to the back, though!!
We definitely have backed the right team. ;)
It wasn't as bad as I expected, though. It was of course visually stunning, and Ewan McGregor, Sam Jackson, and Christopher Lee were enjoyable. Anakin and Padmé made me cringe, but then I expected that. I felt sorry for Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, because even though their acting was terrible, a lot of that is also the responsibility of the director. They're too young to be able to carry something like this without any guidance from behind the camera, ESPECIALLY when the dialogue is so bad to begin with.
One thing that really started to wear on me that I wasn't prepared for was that the action scenes went on far too long in almost every case. By the final big finish, I had a pounding headache because there was WAY too much going on onscreen and it just went on, and on, and on.
The overall plotline, I actually liked, the big picture is intriguing and fascinating, though I disagree with the philosophies that are taking shape. But when you bring it down to a character level it's highly unsatisfying.
The news is starting to really bug me. I shall not be watching any more of this "unheeded warning" frap.
Time to go fix pony breakfasts....
And had more handsome men. Star Wars was much better than the Phantom Plotline, but the dialogue stunk. I liked the political stuff, and the Rise of Empire stuff, but Yoda with a lightsaber is just silly. Saruman was one of the best parts. Obi-Wan was pretty cool, but most of the other characters stank. I found myself rooting for the bad guys sometimes. The action scenes were pretty great, though, especially the big Jedi battle. I think I get their point finally!
Anyone else who's seen the movie - did it end with a wedding or not? My sister and I are arguing that point as it's a little vague.
...I am glad to know I'm not the only one who had trouble with the Yoda-duel. I thought it looked kinda silly. :o
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