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
-----------------------------------------
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.
(blush!) Sorry! But I figured a quiet Saturday night would be my only chance to win it...
It is Precious to us, our Precioussssss...
Oh, and Texas beats Rice, 2-1! Texas plays Stanford tomorrow!
Oh, no, I've already promised on the thread, no flitty dances for me.
Instead, I'll do a Bombadil caper.
WOOHOO!
Boy am I exhausted. Work was - well, it was a mess. See, the driver who was supposed to work until 12:30 and close the store decided he needed the night off, and the idiotic second assistant manager in charge of messing things up decided that was a good idea. Only to find that for some reason, no one wanted to stick around that late on a Saturday night. And everyone had a good excuse, too - one had a farewell party to attend, one had to be up at 4 am tomorrow, I had church, another just had a baby and wanted to get back to his wife... basically, the guy with the lamest excuse got stuck with it. So he whined for the next five hours about it. And, we had no deliveries - I made $10 in tips. On Saturday night. It was pathetic.
Now I'm tired, but more relaxed; we made chocolate chip cookies and read another chapter. I do love Connie Willis! And church is only 12 hours away. I really enjoy church these days, it gives me a feeling of recharging my spiritual batteries, of losing a lot of my worries and such. Kind of like a hot bath and chocolate cookie for the soul.
(sigh!) What can I say, I lead a very dull life.
Still 5 more Preciouses to go before the big quadruple-Precious.
Sorry work was such a mess... here's a pretty spring sunset to help you relax...
Penny and I met in Tacoma at the "Blue Mouse Theater" which turned out to be THE cutest little old theater you ever did see.
It was obviously a very old turn of the century-type theater built for stage, and the stage looked like it was probably still used for local performances. There was a piano on the stage on one side, and a cute little screen that may have actually fit on my living room wall. I would guess the theater only would hold less than 200 people, and then only if they were very good friends.
Was good to see the film on a bigger screen than my monitor for a change, and with good color and sound! I think it was a pretty new copy of the film, not scratched up like some copies when the film has been out 6 months.
Afterwards we went across the street to The Prancing Pony and had our first pint, then some raviolis at a little Italian place down the street! Penny should be home shortly, and may fill in gaps that I didn't get, but the film was great!
I spent the afternoon working on putting together Penny's screencaps for my site (thanks again, Penny). So far I have finished the prologue and the Shire sections. Not yet linked in to the homepage yet, but I'm getting closer. I want to finish as much as I can before the move, since internet connectivity may be iffy for a while afterwards.
It was fun to see the movie again on the big screen (well, a big-ger screen, anyway).
We had one lady in the audience who had seen it 17 times who for some reason decided it was perfectly okay for her to recite every line as we watched the movie. We may KNOW all the lines, but at least we're not so socially inept as to admit that in public by reciting each line. :o
We got waited on at the concession stand by someone we thought was either a hobbit or an elf (definitely NOT a boring human ;) ). And I think we decided that our waiter at the restaurant was a Rider of Rohan--very fun, chatty and colorful (and really cute, too). Our poor busboy, though, was very confused when Hair asked for a "pint." I guess he's still too young to know what she was talking about. ;)
Both of us wished we had cameras so we could post pictures, it really was a cute place!
BTW... There are lots of theaters in the country named "Blue Mouse" it was either a chain or a type of theater built in the silent film era. Our theater is not the original Tacoma Blue Mouse, but a replica built in 1927.
I am thinking of going back for that Rider of Rohan... he was dashing! ... or the cutie concession-hobbit!
Oh - I laughed uncontrollably the first two minutes of the movie because the people behind us were eating their popcorn so loud that I swear I was in a dairy barn at feeding time! chomp! chomp! hehehe
I will not be long for this evening! Thinking of hitting the couch soon :~D
Maybe her fish died. :)
I'll have to see if I can find a happy one (I liked the colors.)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.