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.

[RosieCotton]

Scott,

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your job loss, though it sounds like it may have been a good thing in a way. I think I felt somewhat the same about my last job...if something hadn't changed soon, I would probably have started looking for another position anyway.

I'll be praying that you find the perfect job! I'm really happy with my new one so far, to say the least. Yes, I am working for a college (a state one at that), but the people I'm working with directly are super, there's plenty of work to do, and I'm finding that even here there are people I can agree with. I had to smile the other day when one of the work/study employees in this department was talking about arguing with a [liberal] friend of his on various issues...he sounded like he'd fit right in with the best here at FR. So I have allies! ;-)

[Corin Stormhands]

It may not be Monday, but inlaws arrived yesterday for a week's visit, which is worse.

You have my axe.

[HairOfTheDog]

Was that the wrong thing to say?

Oooooh. I think so!

LOL! - Hullo! Good morning! - [blink] am I really up? - or can I reboot in an hour?

[2Jedismom]

When you sell something on eBay, how do you determine your shipping costs?

I don't really know...my brother always sells things for me and he just figures it out somehow. Maybe he's just shipped enough stuff to know about how much it's going to cost. He said $5 for those sneakers I sold, and they ended up shipping parcel post for less than a dime more...but I bought a tracking number for them, so there you go.

[RosieCotton]

Good morning, Hair!

Yeah, I'm sleepy, too. I downloaded some old TV shows (I figure people have been taping them since taping was available, and they aren't available on DVD so I'm not ripping anyone off...) and my brother and I stayed up watching stuff until after midnight, then talked for awhile after that. Morning came too soon!

[HairOfTheDog]

Erm..uh...Hair, what did you have to put into Google image search to find that? ;-)

I didn't search for it! - It came me! It was in one of the places I must hunt every day for images to bring you all! At your service!

[Wneighbor]

Morning all. Am I awake yet?

[HairOfTheDog]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! - Who is it that keeps talking? I am trying to sleep here!

[Sam Cree]

Oh, thanks Corin, the axe may come in handy, it is giving me a pleasant mental image.

I am getting up early and hiding in my office before inlaws get out of bed.

Can't figure out whether I hope they are insulted by this.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Thanks Rosie, there's always allies around, wherever we are. I've always liked the period at the beginning of something new, where everything is fresh and there's no history or past conflict to overcome.

Today I start with the old -- go into my old place of business for a little preliminary negotiation with the Director. I suspect the outshoot will be that I will be on a long paid vacation (up to about six weeks) while we work out a final arrangement. When I leave that'll be it though...I'll never be coming back there from vacation.

Then it's off to meet with an employment-specialist attorney here in town this afternoon to tell the whole, long, sordid story (was up until 2:00 AM writing it up in abbreviated version!) Then we determine my options and my attorney begins outright negotiations for my leaving, hopefully to a satisfactory end. (I doubt I really get an entirely satisfactory settlement, before we get to that I think negotiations will break down and they'll simply fire me on the spot -- then we'd go to court). Lots of fun.

But it is something new. And no matter what, it'll only last so long...and I do never have to back there (I think) after today. I have some very good friends there, and I'll probably have to break the news to them and say goodbye. That'll be hard to do right.

[2Jedismom]

Sam, when my FIL was alive, he used to wait till my husband had gone to work in the morning and then attack me on my religious and political beliefs. Usually they'd come in around the time Steve got off work on Friday and stay till Monday morning, leaving a couple of hours after Steve left for work. I always dreaded that Monday morning!

Ah well, FIL is on the golf course now...sprinkled around where he got his Hole in One.

[RMDupree]

Morning!

My boss will be here any minute, so let me set out breakfast!

Fried eggs, grits and biscuits, along with a few platters of bacon and sausage, some sausage gravy and a bowl of scrambled eggs with ham and cheese in it! Plenty of coffee for everyone (I'm tired too) and hot chocolate on the stove. ENJOY!

Scott - Sorry about your job! Hang in there, I just know something better will come along soon enough. You can always come down to Florida! We have the President's brother for Governor here! *grin*

2J - your sneaker quest still goes on, I see. Here's hoping that you won't be overbid next time! *laughing* Anyway, how's Pippin?

Sam - hope their (ILs) visit is brief and pleasant! LOL! Do you think Jeanne will mind me posting the pic of you and her? Let me know, OK? FReepmail if you like.

[Overtaxed]

Well...as long as we're updating employment stories.....

We officially stop working here on June 30 (at least...that's the last day for the dishwasher folk). Some lab personnel would be needed to help dispose of chemicals and close the place down.

The latest word I have on the Kansas gig is that they have 20 spots to fill. There are 5 temp/contractors out in Kansas that they're going to offer permanent positions to first. They're also on this cost-saving thing thing so I may or may not get moving costs paid for.

Still waiting......

[HairOfTheDog]

Happy Birthday Elijah Wood!
1/28/03, 9:29 am EST - Xoanon

today, January 28th is Elijah Wood's (Frodo) Birthday! Elijah Jordan Wood was born on January 28, 1981 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That makes him 22 today happy birthday Elijah!

[RMDupree]

Oooohhhh!!!

Happy 22nd Birthday, Elijah!

I'm going to bake a cake for the Hobbit Hole dwellers. Maybe he'll stop by and let us sing for him. Are the whistle players ready? *grin*

[Corin Stormhands]

Okay, so you guys have employment turmoil going on. A bunch of people here do. I'm "fairly" secure where I am, but I'm not happy here and I really need to bring in more income.

While we all share a love for Tolkien, we really are a diverse and multi-talented crowd. Collectively we're just too darn smart not to be able to figure out a business where we can all stay where we are (or relocate to a more-preferred spot), make lots of money and still stay connect through FR and the Hobbit Hole.

So, what is it?

[RosieCotton]

Thanks for letting us know, Hair!

You know...this is a bit sad, but funny, too! My little sister (she's 12) has a calendar with all of our birthdays on it, along with the birthdays of a few close friends of the family...and the hobbits. ;-) No last names, either - just "Elijah", "Dom", "Billy"...like she knows them!

[Dawntreader]

Get used to the late nights! For me I had late nights for at least the first couple months lol I was a walking zombie every day.

[2Jedismom]

Uh-Oh! It' the irresponsible "tweens"!

But he's a pretty level-headed fellow...he'll do all right.

[HairOfTheDog]

We can all have short moments in time where we are not "one" with the movement of the horse, and I hope that is what this was. There is so much wrong with the riding here I don't know where to start! And I don't know if that is Ian McKellan, I kindof doubt he was on a trotting Demero at liberty very much, if at all. Maybe it is him, and they had to try to see if he could stay on for a few strides so they could get a shot. Whoever it is has the skinniest little chicken legs I have ever seen.