The New Hobbit Hole

[Corin Stormhands]

I yam having a furzy navvell!

Friends don't let friends sneak drunk...

G'nite all. I've done all the damage I can do for one night.

[JenB]

Hey LCS, when you nuke the abortionists, can I drive the getaway car? Thanks for the CGEB info, btw. Now I'm utterly confused.

Hello all, back from work and ready to party - actually, ready to sleep. Promising myself to be lying down by 12:30, at least. Wow, you were busy while I was gone.

2JM, George MacDonald is a very good author - or rather, some of his stuff is good and other bits are boring. I enjoyed "The Light Princess" but IMO, the best things he wrote were "The Princess and the Goblin" and its sequel, "The Princess and Curdie". Great stories for your boys when they're a little older - maybe after they visit Narnia.

I like the idea of renaming the thread. Maybe "The something somethingoranother; Hobbit Hole III" "Hobbits version 3.0"?

Just finished rereading a favorite book of mine, Passage by Connie Willis (greatest living science fiction author, bar none. Not even the Niven/Pournelle duo is this good.) Anyway, all of a sudden this Christian symbolism just hit me - the fifth time through. It was rather neat. I detected the symbolism in her Doomsday Book, one of the ten best books I have ever read, but here it was just... wow. There are so many reasons I love that book. It makes me cry every stinking time I read it.

So, what's new?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Yes, I would imagine so, and I don't know who will do it!!

Well, who is very good on Tolkien, is knowledgeable about the history of the HH, and is not here to defend themselves. I nominate JenB!! I also propose that Penny1 be on the committee.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

As tonight's entertainment, you make the call.

Well, now, that could be dangerous... but I'll behave!

Here you go... have a sunset!

sorry I took so long, I'm rusty...

[Corin Stormhands]

Thank you very much. That'll do quite nicely. G'nite.

[Sam Cree]

"it will keep down the bugs. In Florida that is an important consideration."

I sort of like the bugs, they keep Florida from being overrun by human beings. I used to keep buckets of water around the yard, I was hoping to breed enough mosquitos to keep the neighbors indoors so I wouldn't hear them.

[ksen]

Not if Kevin takes another day off...

Not on your life, bub. ;^)

I am an elite Ring bearer! ;^)

[HairOfTheDog]

How about Hobbit Hole III - WaitingForTheTwoTowers!

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Rats!! You got back before we could stick you with the work. Hair is in the middle of a navvy furzel or something, so I don't know if we can look for her firm executive hand at this point. Anyway, even if we do end it at 10,000, we have most of a week left! If the maximum number is 65,000, that would mean we could safely go to the FOTR/TTT transition, in November, on this thread. The 25,000 limit would be cutting it too close.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

I believe the exact number is 65,636.

I would bet it's 65,536 'cause that's 64k (64x1024, or 2^16... can you tell I'm a computer geek?)

I'm running a 300 MHz K6 on a 28.8 bps connection... not that I'm whining or anything...

[JenB]

Hey, I'm too young to run for office! You can't stick me with this... oh, well, I'd do it, but only if I get to delegate massively.

By the way, I don't handle power well. You have been warned. ;-)

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Thank you very much. That'll do quite nicely. G'nite.

You're welcome! Sleep well!

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Just finished rereading a favorite book of mine, Passage by Connie Willis

I haven't read any of her books, but have heard very good things about her, especially her book To Say Nothing of the Dog. Have you read that one, and if so, what did you think of it?

[Sam Cree]

I read Doomsday Book, liked it alot, though it was told from the woman's point of view. Strangely I read it over a 2 day period sitting in the hospital with my 18 year old (then) daughter, while doctors tried unsuccessfully to figure out her problem (eventually they operated and found a rupturing apendix which surprised them). The subject matter of the book probably made me even more scared than I already was.

Still, I found Doomsday Book strangely inspiring. I'm trying to get my wife, who is Jewish, to read it, I thought it could give her some insight into Christianity.

I'll try Passage if you recommend it.

[JenB]

To Say Nothing is frigging hilarious. I mean, I've read the book more times than I can count, and I still can't help laughing out loud. Why? Well, you've got the premise - time traveling historians bouncing around time looking for something called the "bishop's bird stump" which was lost when the Nazis bombed Coventry. Our Hero, a historian named Ned, comes down with time lag (think jet lag, only really funny to watch) and gets sent to Victorian England to relax - oh, and to fix a problem in the space-time continuum. Too bad he doesn't have a clue what he's supposed to do, where he's supposed to go, or which fork to use at dinner!

Throw in an Oxford don who quotes in Latin, a love-struck student who's trying to marry the wrong girl, a spoiled young Victorian lady, the historian who looks like a water-nymph, the dog, the cat that's going to destroy time itself, to say nothing of the butler... Well, it's only the second best of Willis' novels, but that's because Doomsday Book is so incredibly good. And I didn't mention most of the best stuff - like the seance, or the shipwreck, or the near-miss with the train, or the croquet match, or the bedroom scene with people sneaking in and out, or the church benefit, or the trip to Coventry...

Um, anyone here want to join the Connie Willis fan club? We could make it an extension of the Hobbit Hole if you will just go read her books, ask me to tell you which ones not to bother with...

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I'd do it, but only if I get to delegate massively.

Well, if is OK by everyone else I think you should do fine. Remember, ecurbh is doing the graphic.

It seems to me that if Kevin is right, and the maximum number is about 65K, we might as well keep going here until much later in the year. If it is 25K, we ought to try to end it at 10K next week. Does everyone want to think about this for a day or two, until we get the definitive answer on the number, or is there some non-technical reason to bring it to a close now, such as to not have the same lead article for 6 plus months?

[JenB]

Right - let's all think about things. LCS, see if you can get an answer on the number of allowed posts, please. That will help us... I do think it might be nice to have a new Hole.

Ecurbh, if you are making us a picture, maybe it could be Two Tower themed - let's start getting in the mood. Someone posted the other day about when we would be "halfway" to December 18. Maybe we could start the new Hole then!

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

it's only the second best of Willis' novels, but that's because Doomsday Book is so incredibly good

OK, you convinced me! :) I'm going to look for her books next time I'm in a bookstore. I've been thinking about doing that for a while now, but I get nervous picking up books by authors I haven't read before.

We could make it an extension of the Hobbit Hole if you will just go read her books

The Hobbit Hole Reading Circle?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

If anybody cares, the Lakers Threepeat. Riots anticipated in LA.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Maybe we could start the new Hole then!

Just a random thought to pitch into the stew...

If the post limit is 65k, will we be able to last in the current Hole until December? If so, howzabout starting a new Hole when TTT premieres?