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.

[HairOfTheDog]

A fresh start with no baggage might do the trick for Corin Jr.! - So you guys have other school options around?

[Corin Stormhands]

A fresh start with no baggage might do the trick for Corin Jr.!

We'd have to go private, or homeschool. I don't see the personalities working out for homeschool. He's not driven to get anything done. So we'd be hounding him even more.

I'm not sure we could afford private. I did check on a nearby military academy....$19,000 per year.

[Sam Cree]

Hey Rosie, I am a little flattered that you asked if I am not really a dwarf.

Tell you the truth, I feel more like Bilbo, tho not a burglar, not a great and brave character either, at all. Like to hang around dwarves, though, and go on their adventures.

Just hope, if a time comes, like a hobbit, I can find the courage to do whatever may be right. I feel like, most of the time I can at least figure out what that is, tho.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yes, I don't think you would want to homeschoool a kid that is already trying to rebel against you. He wants to befriend the outside world, not necessarily his parents. (I remember!)

He loves you, but obeying you prickles the same hackles as big nanny government raises on you. For whatever reason, the outside world is easier to follow.

He might find his inner-hero at the military academy, if you could think of affording it. That is *a lot* of money. Are the private religious schools more affordable? - The Catholic schools I thought were more affordable.

[Lil'freeper]

Military school....

Surely there are scholarship, grants or something somewhere.

[Sam Cree]

That seems high, Corin, does it include room and board, maybe?

[Corin Stormhands]

Well, that price is a residential school, which we would hate. There are a couple of really good private schools here locally that would still be pricey. Mom would need to go back to work full time, which in turn puts little one in full time daycare.

If we manage to make it through 8th grade (that is, pass), there's a summer youth program in our state park system I can get him into. It's a three week program working in a part, doing manual labor with other teenagers. He would get a stipend as well. It's intense, but I think it would be a great experience. He was all up for it until last night and has now decided he doesn't want to go.

Of course his "reason" is that he's moving up from middle school youth group and doesn't want to three of the last few weeks there. A silly reason, but again, he's 13.

When I told him it didn't matter, since he'd still be in the 8th grade he'd still be in the middle school group, he was not amused.

I backed off a few months ago when I thought Mom had things under control. But I'm back on the frontlines now.

[HairOfTheDog]

There is something wrong with city people. It is hard to define.

My co-worker I hate at work and I had to go drive to Wenatchee together last summer. A drive through some of the prettiest country in the state.

We drove through one of the small towns on the way, and he started laughing and mocking the town, and the people. Small town people, sitting around their trucks at the feed store talking. Said that this town made him "sad" that people live this way.

I called him an ass (with extention) and told him that this town was a little slice of heaven.

I asked him to describe what was better about the city, and he said the standard stuff (theater, the arts, museums, etc) And I said... Look, I have been to the city, and get snubbed when I say hello to people I am standing next to at a cross walk. The ignore me or look at me like I might be a lunatic. For people who live so close together, they interact with none of them. So for fun you go go to the theater and 'watch' other people interacting. Or go to museums and look at stuff other people did. And you think you are cultured. But you don't talk to strangers, you don't know more real people than I do in my small town. You are surrounded by people and yet they are not 'real' to you either. You insulate yourself from ever talking to them.

Small town people just do the living themselves. They are touched by real life. They just do things. They stop and talk to people they meet, not because someone is watching them on a stage, they just stop and talk. City people would be 'touched' by someone 'mimicking real life' on a stage.

He looked at me like I was a lunatic.

[Lil'freeper]

Around here, many of the snootier Baltimorons have "I (heart) City Life!" bumperstickers. It is a family game to shout whenever we see one, "And you deserve it, moron!" I really dislike city people. Most of the suburbanites rank up there- they have brought their city attitudes to the "country". My neighbor is a farmer- it is a historical farm and protected under MD law. The beautiful thing is, he uses a lot of organic techniques. All heck breaks loose when he and other nearby farmers manure the fields. The city folks call the police, shiriff, county leadership, write letters to the paper and so on. It's so funny to watch them squirm.

[Lil'freeper]

Speaking of manure:

Mr. Wring-my-Hans Blix is speechifying now.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - listening to him.

Well, this guy ticks me off especially, because he is a geeky guy who probably goes home every night like the rest of us. He is an Urban "wannabe". Now, my boss, on the other hand, really does 'live' the city. She walks the city, goes to shows, and museums, and gets really into it because she really digs it. My co-worker, on the other hand, probably never does any of the stuff he says is better about the city. He would go to a museum, not 'get' any of it, but call it 'culture' and congratulate himself for having been there.

[Lil'freeper]

Blix speech summary:

Iraq is not in compliance, but we need more inspectors and time to make sure.

[Sam Cree]

Not too many years ago, I showed up on the small tropical island of Bimini, and a guy, a good guy, a friend of mine from Pittsburgh was there, laughing at the natives and at how ridiculous he thought it must have been having to grow up on such a place.

I thought it was paradise.

But recently, I have come to appreciate big cities more than I used to, maybe 9/11 has made them seem precious to me.

But I am continually astounded at the superior attitude put on by many of their dwellers, an attitude made ridiculous by the narrow thinking of these same folks.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

"Up in Michigan," eh? Very pretty.

Yup, it's beautiful to look at, and I love to visit it, but I don't think I could live there anymore. Unfortunately.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Another GREAT movie. One of the few DVDs I own.

Same here, it's one of my favorites. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find many quality audio clips from it... I've been thinking of hooking the audio output of my DVD player to my sound card and trying to make my own!

[Corin Stormhands]

Here's hoping Powell says to Blix: "Kiss my brass."

[Sam Cree]

Long winter, I bet. Still, you can always break it up with a visit to the Bahamas.

[RosieCotton]

Same here, it's one of my favorites. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find many quality audio clips from it... I've been thinking of hooking the audio output of my DVD player to my sound card and trying to make my own!

If you do and get some uploaded, let me know! I'd love to have some!

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Well, I like to think the winter wouldn't bother me... but I find that I enjoy living near a good-sized city too much. The U.P. is too rural for me, now.

[Lil'freeper]

"Kiss my brass."

I'd like to send him a big brass fork.. to stick it in the UN- it's done!