Waking Up

It's no great revelation that blogging isn't as popular as it one was - - Facebook and other social media outlets make it easy to post the details of your life there instead of on a blog; but increasingly, Facebook and Twitter are suppressing speech from everyone that doesn't approach the world from a leftist direction. I've been banned by Facebook twice already, and by Twitter a couple of times, also. I don't appreciate it, it pisses me off, and increases the resentment I have toward leftists to the level of hatred.

So I'm going to wake the blog up, based on Brigid's (Home On the Range) example. She was the victim of leftist trolls and hate mobs, and took her blog offline for a while, blogging as a guest at Borepatch's place instead. Now she's back, and since I see my blog listed on her sidebar, I can only man up and do what she's already done, and try to start posting regularly again. I'll try to start out slow. Can't make any promises.

Most of my leisure hours are spent taking refuge in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, via the game Lord of the Rings Online. I literally waited decades for the technology to come along so I could spend time in Middle-Earth; I purchased a lifetime subscription while it was possible to do so, a decision that I've never regretted. The game is over 10 years old now, and people still play it daily, just as they do World of Warcraft or other online games. The developers bring new content online regularly - - North Mirkwod and the Lonely Mountain most recently - - and some of my happiest hours are spent exploring these new places. Being a game there is too much killing required for levelling up, which would probably horrify Tolkien; remember that Frodo Baggins never killed anyone in The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee is noted as killing only a single orc, and the other hobbits have similar low body counts. So I'm not really comfortable to be constantly killing stuff in game. I like wandering the landscape, exploring. Crafting. One can farm in the game,raise crops - - pipeweed included. And one can smoke a long pipe, and blow smokerings. Or play music - - there is a robust system for playing music in game, and there are many very talented bands that regularly give "concerts" in game.

I have a full stable of various characters, including a family of dwarves, the Stoneskulls, named after the patriarch of the clan, Blarni, who survived an orc bashing his helm in during the battle of Azanulbizar. Blarni has four sons: Sporki (named after an eating tool that Blarni invented), Snarki (the wiseass), Corki (likes to drink), and Tardi (a little slow, perhaps, or maybe it's because he's often late to appointments). There's a hobbit burglar, Asbo Stabbins (an ASBO is an Anti-Social Behavioral Order in the UK, given to minor criminals and delinquents), three men: Animbecil, Thoronwe, and Pinkrandir the Transwizard (he likes to be called Trandalf; he's pink now, but once was blue). And a couple of Elves, Feleg and Linroth. Blarni Stoneskull the dwarf is my main character, the one I've played the most; the rest are just there to provide a bit of relief from time to time.

Probably more information than you wanted, but it's my current main interest. Lord of the Rings Online can be played free in a limited way, so if you want to visit Middle-Earth, you can do so. I play on the Brandywine server, if you want to meet up in game.

When a Man Surpasses His Human Potential

In New Zealand, A man built a church from living trees.

Pic:

On Facebook where I first saw this, there were very quickly mentions of Tolkien, as one might expect. Author Tom Kratman, who shared the story on Facebook, remarked in comments, "One suspects that God would be there, if anywhere." I can't disagree, and if an order of druid-monks was needed to help care for this masterwork, I'd happily apply.

I Wonder If Morgoth Was a General Motors Product?

'High elf' attacks woman's car with sword while battling 'the evil Morgoth.'

Konrad Bass was allegedly high on LSD when he used a sword to attack a woman's car and puncture it. Bass was wearing chain-mail with a helmet and carrying a shield during the attack, but the woman was apparently unable to recognize his costume and told a 911 dispatcher that "a pirate" was attacking her car.

Bass told police he was a "high-elf engaged in the battle with the evil Morgoth," not a pirate, according to KATU. He also had a staff on him at the time of the attack.

You...shall not...pass inspection!

Tolkien's Revolver

Webley Mark VI, carried by Tolkien in the trenches of the Western Front during WWI:

Looks like it's in good shape.

In the Good News Department, Redux...

...the trailer for the second of Peter Jackson's movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit has been released:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters Dec. 13th:

For You Middle Earth/Hobbit Fans...

...Air New Zealand has a new commercial that may appeal to you:

The Cow MUST Be Milked

Peter Jackson announces a third "Hobbit" movie.

And, no doubt, each film will stray even farther from the spirit of Tolkien's work.

The Trailer For The Hobbit...

...has arrived:



And note that the movie itself is still a year off, so there is quite a wait ahead of us.

Looks like they didn't use Tolkien's silly hair/clothing colors as described in the book. They appear to have used one of the most soul-stirring songs from the book, however, and that is all to the good. Just hope that they don't use the inane (and, frankly, gay) elf-songs from the book: Oh, tra-la-la-lally here down in the valley, ha ha!

h/t Random Acts of Patriotism.

(As an incidental note, I have been in Middle-Earth myself all morning, via the MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online. Did you know that you can play the game free, in a limited way? You can visit many of the places famous in the books, including Bag End, Bilbo and Frodo's home. Depending on which race you choose, you can meet various characters from the books in the tutorial, including Gandalf and Aragorn.

You Let Him Out Again, Old Man Willow!

In Laguna Hills, California, a man had to be rescued from a tree.

Pic:

Help! It's Eating Me!

Luckily a funny-looking man in a bright blue jacket and yellow boots came by and helped free him:

You let him out again, Old Man Willow! What be you a-thinking of? You should not be waking! Eat earth! Dig deep! Drink water! Go to sleep! Bombadil is talking!

And, Hey! Presto! they got him loose. Bombadil left soon after, muttering something about water lilies and "the River's Daughter."

Here's another pic, post-rescue:

It's Been a Tough Year, and I Needed Fertilizer.

For Lord of the Rings Fans...

...Peter Jackson has released a photo of Thorin's Company from the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey movie.

Here it is:

"Hope" You Enjoy Lawsuits

British film-makers are making a Lord of the Rings-inspired movie titled Born of Hope without the permission of the Walt Disney Corporation, which owns the film rights to the book.

Good luck with that. Disney will sue you so that torture by Sauron the Dark Lord would be pleasant in comparison.

Here's their concept of an orc:


Also Named In Suit.

A Fairy Cavern Of Crystal Under The Deserts of Mexico

Absolutely amazing. I can't say I've ever seen anything like it.

It puts me in mind of the Glittering Caves of Aglarond that Tolkien wrote about in The Lord of the Rings. Pic:



Look at the scale. Those crytals are huge.

Peter Jackson to produce The Hobbit

via NY Times.

Not to direct, but produce, but he'll be given great deference, obviously. Two movies called for; one being The Hobbit, the other being a new Middle-Earth-themed movie base on the period between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

This second movie idea is intriguing, but allows Hollywood writers (or the NZ equivalents, if Jackson stays in NZ) to play with Tolkien's universe, which is potentially a disaster, if not a franchise-killer. That period in Middle-Earth was of chess pieces being moved into position, mainly. Gollum had some adventures, Balin entered Moria to re-establish the dwarf presence there, but it was mainly a calm before the storm. It will be interesting to see.