The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[NewCenturions]

Maybe they didn't want to hear me whine about my old computer?

Hey, you know about "survival"...how does one start a fire with very wet firewood?

[Overtaxed]

I'm making more coffee and switching back to Celtic. I think the kitty likes Josquin des Pres better. :)

[Lil'freeper]

He wants something he can steer.

Bah, that takes the fun out of it! Where's the thrill in missing the trees if you can *steer*? just kidding. Skiing is so overrated- sledding is the BEST!

A couple years ago when I was teaching there was a freshman boy with a bizzare mom. The boy, call him Ryan, was perfectly normal. I mean, perfectly normal! He forgot his homework just like the other boys, got the same "B" grades, and threw food in the cafeteria and got detention just like the other boys. Perfectly normal.

His mother was unconvinced and dragged him from doctor to doctor until she got a diagnosis confirming that something was medically causing him to throw food, forget his homework, and get "B"s. So the teachers had to keep logs on the kid and file weekly reports on his "progress."

Then in January, there was a snow day and the kids went sledding. Ryan lost control of his sled and hit his head on a light post. *ouch* He spent a couple weeks in a neck brace after that enduring a fair bit of ribbing over hitting his head.

Well, his mom was convinced he had a brain injury. Neurological damage! So now we had a new list of symptoms to look for- sleepiness in class, forgetfulness, disorientation. Of course the more interesting exercise would be to find a single freshman boy who, after a sugary lunch, wasn't sleepy or unfocused.

Anyhoo. Getting hit on the head helped. He stopped misbehaving and forgetting homework (it was all documented). He started getting better grades. It was insane, the woman didn't believe us and got quite agitated that her 'brain damaged' child was now making A's. It was sooooo hard to keep a straight face during parent conferences. True story- only the name was changed.

I'm rambling- sorry. I have waaaay too much time on my hands today. Must find chores to do.. must find chores.

[Corin Stormhands]

Getting hit on the head helped. He stopped misbehaving and forgetting homework (it was all documented).

THAT'S IT!!! JR. HEAD FOR THE TREES!!!

We have essentially those same problems, except Jr. is no longer pulling the "Bs." We may not make it out of eighth grade.

But I just looked at his sled. The back corner is just busted. I told him to clean off the snow, bring it in and get warmed up and we could fix it with duct tape.

Gee...I hope we have duct tape...

[Sam Cree]

"Snowpants don't seem so out of place now, do they?"

HaHa...true, a pair of long underwear wouldn't hurt either.

[HairOfTheDog]

Is a fascinating story.... that mom is one step away from Munchausen's...

[Lil'freeper]

More snow pictures!

Digging out!

Neighbor's car.

Window ruler is reading 9" above the sill. And the white stuff is still falling!

[Overtaxed]

Gee...I hope we have duct tape...

Well...doesn't everyone?

[Corin Stormhands]

You didn't go to Syracuse without your longjohns did you Sam?

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL! - What a great hobbit hole this morning!

[Corin Stormhands]

Every true southern male does...

[Lil'freeper]

that mom is one step away from Munchausen's...

She was a fine example of an elite limosine liberal. It was an exclusive private school but most of the money-ed families were quite plesant, generous, and good hearted. We, from the president of the school on down to the grounds crew, were supposed to bow and scape and wait on her every whim. Anyone who didn't endured an uncalled for amount of verbal abuse, rumor mongering among the other moms, and backstabbing. She is the type that induces a panic attack if you see her car in the distance. A horrible, miserable woman. That's partly why her son getting hit over the head was so funny.

[2Jedismom]

Two men with briefcases just came to the door. I saw them walking up from the window back here in the computer room and Matt and Josh were back here with me, so we just ignored the door.

Wonder who they were...JW's maybe? The Authorities?

[Overtaxed]

*Looks around* Where did everybody go?

[2Jedismom]

If they were JW's...they didn't leave any literature.

[Corin Stormhands]

Candy gram.

[2Jedismom]

I'm going to go off line and call my neighbor...see what she thinks.

[NewCenturions]

Wonder who they were?

Dark Riders!

[2Jedismom]

I don't know...they were in dark suits and ties...with briefcases. They were in a white suburban and the came (from what I could tell) only to my door. When they left, they turned around in the driveway down the road and paused in front of my house again for a minute or two, stayed in the car.

I'm calling my neighbor.

[Penny1]

Wow, sounds a bit freaky, 2J. Let us know what you find out!