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.
*THUD* [LF hits the floor in a dead faint]
...That sentence made me a bit light-headed as well.
That sounds like my ideal diet as a teenager. Come to think of it, some things never change.
Glad to see you have a sense of humor!
Are there any cookies left?
That only gets worse with age, luckily...
You may be wrong about the Mrs. and the homeschooling thing. If she sees Jr. taking to it, it may spark her interest. Remember you don't have to TEACH Jr. most things. With upper middle and high schoolers, they are teaching themselves for the most part. They are doing the reading, writing and learning. You are the facilitators. You provide the means and the materials based on what you know of your child's weaknesses and strengths. Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes not. The best part is that when something isn't working, you're not stuck with it, and you don't have to force it on your child because it is something is required by someone else! You can sell it to someone else and buy something NEW! Not all children learn the same way, so homeschooling is wonderful because each subject can be learned in the way that is most suitable for your child.
Remember that YOU don't have to do the teaching, and for those things with which your child needs help, you can always engage a tutor, or enroll him in a homeschool resource center for a couple of classes. The main point I'm trying to make is that this type of education is TRULY geared to your child. Now with Jr., you may have to have a little sit down, 'come to Jesus' meeting about HIS responsibilities to his OWN education. Have you talked to Jr. about this? Don't couch it in terms of "you're not doing well in school, so let's see if we can whip you into shape at home". You could try it like "It is obvious that you seem to be having difficulties being interested in what they're teaching in school. (You've made the SCHOOL the problem, not him!) Have you ever thought about trying homeschooling? We could look into some of the currucula and programs together to choose what you would like and what would be best for you.(You're giving him permission to direct his own learning) Learning is ultimately something you have to do for yourself. No one can MAKE you learn, so it might be fun to find some subjects you would really like to learn about and could teach to yourself." But most kids really jump on this opportunity to follow their interests and do the work in their own time. Sometimes our daughter will only do two subjects in a day. She'll do her Geometry, and either she'll concentrate on Literature or U.S. History. But she'll read for several hours and really LEARN the material rather than be stopped after an hour to move on to something else. It all seems to work out if you have an overall plan about where you want to be by a certain date.
I wish you luck. Your wife could be going through a time of mild depression, that was there before the experiences with her father's illness and death. I had a period like that a few years ago when I had just lost interest in keeping up with the house, and I really wasn't paying attention to what the kids were doing in school. As a result, we didn't notice that they weren't being challenged, and their education was suffering. It took me a couple of years to shake it off, but Sir SuziQ was patient, though it drove him nuts! I'll keep your family in my prayers, Corin. I know it is tough, and the decision to homeschool will be a big one, but I think you're in an area of the country which has many resources available to h/sers.
Well, my advice is worth just about what it costs you, so you can take it or not. Just some thoughts.
Omigoodness- TONS of cookies. I'm bringing home 6.5 dozen different ones and still have cookies left from my own efforts last night (plus half a batch of extra dough in the freezer). I've been trying to pass cookies off on everyone who comes in the office.
I will never do a cookie exchange again!
BWAAAHAHAHAHAAA!
I'm lookin' forward to it...
I got invited to Sergeant Major I know's retirement next Wednesday... even better, I'm invited to the hoe down afterwards... not many people invited, blue jeans, 5 kegs, open bar... to quote the Sergeant Major "Sir, you and me are gonna get gutter crawlin', commode huggin' ugly drunk..." I'm lookin' forward to it... I've already asked fer Thursday mornin' off...
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