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.

[Wneighbor]

Yeah, with all this free stuff it will help a bit. I keep forgetting to add in postage to my budget for these things. Small package this morning was $11.00. The package I mailed Monday was $28.80. But, if Jill mails packages from on base they are only 1 stamp. 37 cents. Too bad I can't do that.

[2Jedismom]

No no! Not the priority mail supplies...the cost is in the shipping...you pay for it when you mail the package as part of the postage.

But I got huge rolls of tape from the usps website to use with no "upfront" cost. Corin is right (I know he loves it when I say that) that we do pay for it, but it's when you actually mail the package. You can either use your own box or one of theirs...either way, the shipping costs the same. So I use theirs! They are great boxes.

I'll email you the links where you can order on line.

[2Jedismom]

It takes a while when you order it online, though..couple of weeks. I think you could probably go down to a large post office and just request it. Say "I need a large roll of Priority Mail packaging tape, some white customs forms and 10 12x12x8 inch Priority Mail boxes."

I would think they'd just give them to you...what about it, Bear?

[Wneighbor]

No, I know what you meant. I was just saying that Jill doesn't have to pay like we do. Even those huge ones that are heavy with drink mix and cost so much, she can send for 37 cents.

I know I have to pay.

I just didn't know I could get boxes and tape free. They should tell you these things at the post office. Can I tape up my whole box with the priority tape?

[2Jedismom]

I know...it's dreadful, the postage is so high...just think of all that stuff we sent to AFghanistan and what we could have done if half the funding hadn't gone to shipping?

I Just send you via email a picture of what my boxes with the tape look like.

[2Jedismom]

The back boxes are flag boxes, but the front two in that picture are the boxes I was telling you about...with the packaging tape that I got. I use tons of it on the boxes to seal them up good and it's VERY tough stuff...you can't tear it...you have to cut it with scissors.

[2Jedismom]

I even got the address labels that you see on there...ordered them and they came through the mail. And the customs sleeves...those clear packets the customs slips are in...Everything.

[RMDupree]

Hi everyone. I am so sorry I wasn't here with breakfast this morning, but my boss just arrived today from his New Jersey trip and there was a lot to discuss and plan. As you know, my position is being completely eliminated sometime within the next 30 days. They're talking about the end of the month, but there may be another month we have to stay open since the leasing contract for the office requires 60 days notice before vacating.

Anyway, I've got my resume up on Monster.com, HotJobs.com and Careerbuilder.com and a few staffing places as well, so we'll see. I'm just hoping that wherever I land, I'll have internet access. I can't lose both my job and my daily Hobbit Hole fix all at once. It would just be too much to handle!

Hair, I cannot thank you enough for the awesome job you did. I went ahead and changed some of the wording around to better fit my writing style and added a few more bullets to skills, but the overall look and layout was too good to improve upon. Thanks so much, sis.

WN - Sorry to hear that Myranda didn't visit before leaving. Man, I keep remembering the things I put my parents though and I flinch. If nothing else, keep this moment as a very heavy application for a future guilt trip for her! LOL! It will be very effective, no doubt.

JenB - WOW! You're lovely and I just adore your dragons, even the elephant and whale "dragons". *grin* At this rate, we'll all know what we look like before Entmoot anyway. :)

Osagebowman and g'nad - have fun and try not to shoot your eyes out, kids! < /Christmas Story> *grin*

2J - I still haven't received my flag. yesterday, I received a box and was so excited until I saw the return address. I won one of those new self-inflating Spalding basketballs from one of my sweepstakes entries. Nice prize, but nothing compared to what I am hoping to get in my mailbox!

OK, enough chit-chat. I know you all are waiting for food, so here you are!

[2Jedismom]

I'm so happy to see you! And the food looks scrumptious!

Thanks for keeping me posted about the flag...sounds like a cool basketball, though!!

[Lil'freeper]

I've been away and haven't caught all the details on your situation. How heartbreaking. Double doses of hugs and prayers coming your way.

[RMDupree]

I wanted to get in here sooner, but I spent the whole morning in a meeting with my boss. The upper levels of management were incredibly rude to him and others who were fighting to keep the office open. I am truly disgusted.

Then, I had to get a few lists ready that the corporate office is requesting such as inventory, responsibilities, etc. A really heartbreaking and tedious job.

And now, my boss went out to run some errands and was held up because his daughter's car broke down and they are waiting for the tow truck in the parking lot of the mall down the street. He's having a very bad week and I feel so terrible for him. He's the best boss anyone could have and it just isn't fair.

But sadly, we all know that "life ain't fair". *sigh*

Anyway, the basketball is pretty cool because it has a built-in pump. You don't have to worry about finding a way to fill it with air...you just turn this rubber cork-thingy and it pops out, then you pump it until the ball is firm. Then you just twist the cork and it goes back into the ball. The kids are loving it. :)

[RMDupree]

Thanks LF. You guys make this whole thing a whole lot easier to deal with.

[Wneighbor]

Thanks Ruthy.... mushrooms..... slurp.....

Added bullets huh?

--Caterer

--Hobbit Hole Cheerer

--Moot Planner

[Wneighbor]

This is just cool. But, I went to the website. Signed up. Logged on. Ordered. And then got hung up in some kind of cyberloop. Page half loading and then refreshing itself over and over again.... So, doubt the order when through. But, I am signed up so I will try again.

[2Jedismom]

There should be a place where you can log back in and check your order status...

[Corin Stormhands]

Hi Ruthy. Hair and I did the best we could with breakfast, but it wasn't the same. Although after 4-5 Bloody Marys I'm not sure anyone really noticed....(oh of course they did...)

It still stinks about your job. But 30 days (or 60) is better than 30 minutes. And I'm guessing that your immediate boss (not the schmucks that are doing this) will be pretty flexible with your need to look for something new.

We're here for you. ksen said he'd even give you his credit card to pay for the breakfast groceries.

I still think that with all the brainpower we have here that we have enough "ontamanure" in us to start our own business. Just gotta figger out what it is.

[Corin Stormhands]

This is just cool. But, I went to the website. Signed up. Logged on. Ordered. And then got hung up in some kind of cyberloop. Page half loading and then refreshing itself over and over again.... So, doubt the order when through. But, I am signed up so I will try again.

I was just' thinkin', Wn if you start gettin' helicopters circling around yer place, y'all might want to start drivin' to the Post Office...

[Wneighbor]

I'm there. It's ordered and coming. I suppose this means I will wait on some stuff. But, I was going to try to mail a package to Tom every week or so. But, then Grama died and I didn't mail anything for 3 weeks. But, I mailed 2 this week.

[2Jedismom]

Right...but I really think you should be able to get most the stuff right away at the post office, just run by there and ask...

Nothing ventured nothing gained!

[ksen]

Legolas moot snaig....