The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The New Hobbit Hole
Concerning Hobbits
The New Hobbit Chronicles

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.

[Overtaxed]

With previews and other padding, a theater could fudge anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

Another reason I like smaller theaters. Last year I had to suffer through only one trailer.

[carton253]

Do you remember last year. I saw Orange County, Queen of the Damned and GoldMember... repeatedly. Hopefully, NewLine has some good films coming out. Does anyone know which studio is putting out Gangs of New York, which I think will be The Two Towers main competition at the Oscars. I wouldn't mind sitting through that trailer since I'm looking forward to seeing Gangs of New York.

[HairOfTheDog]

Hullo! - Welcome home! - How are ya doing? - Keeping an even keel? I am serene. I am now off for the next two days!

[HairOfTheDog]

Remember after FoTR? It just starts counting UP. Heh.

[Overtaxed]

I think Miramax is putting out Gangs of New York

[Overtaxed]

I didn't have a counter for FOTR. :)

I was talking about my Java applet....I expect I'll get negative numners.....let me check.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh - it is something you wrote? - I have the one from Clockdown.com.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Well, only a couple of thousand posts to go to break 50k by weds....

Haven't caught up on the thread, but have we discussed the new trailer out? I got to see it when I came home from work. Looks phenomenal. I missed seeing the the ents walking, but I got to see one throwing a rock at Isengard.

[carton253]

Well... that's not good news. Oh, well... I just remember how tedious the trailers were last year. We would see three or four trailers of the worst movies ever to come out last year. Now, some may disagree with my calling Austin Powers a bad movie, but I don't think Mike Myers is funny.

[HairOfTheDog]

Are you talking about the "5 days" and "3 days" trailers? It has ents walking and throwing things, for all of 2 seconds! They go by so fast.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Yeah, probably. My kids were excited about it when I got home. Got to catch a little bit of it, but it looks wonderful.

[HairOfTheDog]

Austin powers LOOKED like and incredibly stupid movie. I haven't seen it, and would have to be tied down in order to see it!

I loved Mike Myers in "So I married an axe murderer" though. That was a great movie!

[HairOfTheDog]

and - d = an

[HairOfTheDog]

You can download em! - Look in Yesterdays news at TORN!

[RosieCotton]

Hope I didn't miss anyone!

I've been trying desperately to catch up before jumping back in, but I think I'll just have to do that as I have time.

First of all...two more days! Woo-hoooooo! I just hope it warms up a bit - with no pre-buying available, we're likely gonna be in line for quite a while. Last year we waited about two hours (theater didn't open until six thirty, and the movie started at seven), and this year it's going to be a much longer wait, I'll warrant. My younger siblings want to get in line by three or so and are already planning what they want to do while waiting.(So far it mostly seems to involve food...guess I'm not the only hobbit in the family?)

STILL haven't heard much from the college where I'm supposed to have an interview. After leaving a few more voice mail messages, I did finally get a call back (while I was out, of COURSE) saying they plan to interview all applicants in one day this week, either Tuesday or Thursday. So I called back and told them which would be best for me, as they requested - left a voice mail again - I have YET to make it through to an actual person. That was Friday, and I still haven't heard anything, despite leaving yet another message inquiring about the status late this afternoon. I assume Tuesday is out, unless they're planning to call me and tell me to come in fifteen minutes or something. Which leaves Thursday, if I'm lucky, which means I can't go meet my brother (jrherreid) at the airport. A bunch of us were going to go down to pick him up in the van, and it's not essential that I be there, but I'd like to go! And that's the best case scenario...other scenario is that they say they'll interview me at the beginning of the next semester, which isn't until the end of January. Which means back to square one...and I really haven't heard about any other openings.

So...at least I have TTT to look forward to...

[ican'tbelieveit]

That would explain it, I wasn't online a lot yesterday. Too pretty outside, had to enjoy it before the next snow storm moves in.

[2Jedismom]

That's right! I'm going to the midnight show tomorrow night. It's going to be quite a party!

http://www.theonering.net/movie/lineparty/displayList.php?id=123

[HairOfTheDog]

Hullo Rosie!

Too bad about the lack of urgency the college has for these interviews! Jeepers!

Check back in with us when you know, and certainly check in about the movie!

[Overtaxed]

Nope....the "numners" count up....I forgot my own code. :)

[ican'tbelieveit]

Oh fantastic. I had my own images of the ents with more to their legs, but it still is pretty good.