What do you "assign" to the Shire?

[Lalwendë]

Barrow-Downs Pub

Then there is Stones Ginger Wine. I first tasted that when I was about 14: I'd got locked out in the rain on a freezing cold day, and a nice neighbour rescued me. She gave me a little glass by her kitchen fireside, to stop me shivering. It was lovely and I felt very grown-up.

Try mixing Stones Ginger Wine with a nip of whisky. Mmmm, hic. Very boozy.

Whereas Ginger Beer complements perfectly a few measures of Dark Rum to create what is know in the trade as a Dark 'n Stormy. Now there's a drink which belongs in the Shire.

Now that sounds a nice spicy drink! I would usually have mixed cherry coke with dark rum to make a lovely treacly, sickly drink.

What about Brandy and peppermint? I can imagine Lobelia partaking of that tipple at Yule. ;)

[Orominuialwen]

If you'd like, I'll help you drag several cases of Vernor's into the Shire. ;) I grew up with the stuff and it is more difficult to come by in the area that I live in.
I know...only something like one in three stores have it around here...

Oh, I love Vernor's, and fortunately I live close enough to Michigan (it's made in the UP, right?) that I can get it in at least one grocery store here. I love to drink it mixed with skim milk. I know that sounds absolutely disgusting, but it tastes really good. I'd recommend trying it, but only with Vernor's, since the other kinds I've tried are too bland to offset the milk. :)

[Roa_Aoife]

I assign getting married on a lunch break. Sure, it lacks ceremony and tradition, but it makes the rest of your work day incredibly good. Not to mention being a great story to tell to your future kids and grandkids.

[Lalaith]

Try mixing Stones Ginger Wine with a nip of whisky. Mmmm, hic. Very boozy

Ah yes, the whisky mac. Very nice winter drink.

Congratulations, Roa!

[Kath]

I assign passing all your exams and getting into your first choice university. All that worry suddenly gone! And then being able to go on holiday without fear of dealing with clearing or any other problems.

I'm so happy!

[Lalwendë]

I assign passing all your exams and getting into your first choice university. All that worry suddenly gone! And then being able to go on holiday without fear of dealing with clearing or any other problems.

I'm so happy!

Well done! That's two lucky Freshers from the Downs! I'm a tiny bit jealous because its all such fun you'll never forget it!

P.S. If you're going to the Peaks here's some amazing places: Haddon Hall, Chatsworth Park, Padley Gorge, Bakewell (excellent bookshop there, plus a jigsaw puzzle shop and an Austrian sausage cafe), Dovedale, Arbor Low, The Fox House pub, The Barrel Inn on Eyam moor, Stanton Moor and Mam Tor. It's Sheffield's playground! ;)

Erm, what can I send to The Shire to stop this being chatter? Oh yes, I'm sending that feeling you get when the manager is out for two weeks. The whole office was in high spirits today - it was as though the Christmas break was starting! Yippee! :D

[Mithalwen]

Oh blimey - I haven't seen such unappealing combinations since my rugby days and post match challenges. So I assign drinking bellinis with a happy God-daughter (who did better in her AS levels than we dared expect after missing so much time off sick).

And congratulations to Kath and Roa - and if I remember rightly Samwise Gamgee was also due to the knot...

[Valier]

I assign Birthdays to the Shire...even though I am sure they are already there...

Ok I assign people who like their Birthday, I have always felt a little giddy around my birthday no matter how old I get... and even if their wasn't gifts and the odd party I would still be as happy. The people who hate their Birthdays are missing out. :p

[Mithalwen]

The people who hate their Birthdays are missing out. :p

No we are just old......

[Kath]

Thanks Lal and Mith. :)

Sadly we didn't go to any of the places you mentioned, we were being far too active! Went paintballing, to a waterpark (flumes and all), horse riding and then to Alton Towers. All of which I assign because they were a lot of fun. In fact I assign the whole holiday because it was such a laugh, and all the people were extremely nice.

[Celuien]

People who say nice things are hereby assigned to the Shire. It's such a nice feeling, especially when unexpected. :)

[Firefoot]

Cookie dough blizzards with chocolate ice cream. Mmmm...

[Kath]

The hop festival.

I don't recall the exact origins, but basically it's an excuse for everyone to drink a lot and have a great time. Morris dancers, Punch and Judy, bands and all kinds of stalls. I've been every year since I was born, and I never fail to enjoy it. :D

[Orominuialwen]

Since birthdays have already been assigned, I'll assign being given flowers for the first time in my life. It's amazing what four orange gerbera daisies from friends can do to brighten up your day!

And I also assign chocolate birthday cake. Yum!

[Mithalwen]

Having a big swimming pool all to my own.... bliss even though I made myself swim seriously up and down rather than just float and meditate.

Getting your paws on the new book by a favourite author when you actually have time to read it.

[Kath]

Well I'm going to reassign birthdays anyhow, seeing as they're so much fun! Slightly bittersweet this time, knowing it's the last time it will be easy to get all 6 of us in a room at the same time, but still good. :)

[Laitoste]

A lovely night in (spent on the 'Downs, of course) after a long, hectic weekend of moving and visiting everyone I know, plus lots of work.

[Arathul]

My hometown of course. small town in rural area. there's too few a populations that everyone know each other. and too far from the big city and industrial area that you can spend hours just walking and breathing fresh clean air. too near to the mountainious view that you can relax your sore eyes after working or heavy readings.

[Lhunardawen]

Finally, finally, finally being able to take a breather from life and catch up with things, no matter how late.

It doesn't help, though, that I'm being hounded by the thought that I should be doing something else - something I should really do.

[Kath]

Success! Finishing a 50,000 word novel in way less than 24 hours. Ah the feeling of pride.

[Lalwendë]

Finishing work for a couple of weeks. Doing those deeply satisfying things like putting on your out of office assistant, doing a handover note, emptying the inbox, putting half a tree's worth of paper covered in esoteric obsolete plans in the recycling bin, and going "see ya!" with a big, smug grin. :D

[Mithalwen]

Unexpectedly warm September days. A book that came free with a magazine being a good read. And getting rep for an old post that you had put effort into ...not because of the points but for the nice comment.

[littlemanpoet]

There is a unique sheen of green that, due to a combination of geographical location near the sea, the amount of precipitation, and the latitude resulting in a certain angle of the sun, that can only be found in Ireland, southern England, and (my co-worker tells me) New Zealand (appropriate, eh?). It is a green that is like gloaming only the sun is bright in the sky. I'm put in mind of Hampton Court, along the Thames upriver from London, a year ago, how bright green the lawns and trees were. A pleasure to remember. I assign it to the Shire. It belongs there.

[Kath]

Photos that allow something to stay fresh in your mind.

Meeting up with someone you lost touch with a year ago, and finding that they're just as nice as you remember them being.

Sunny days.

[Encaitare]

Alto and bass flutes. Such a luscious sound, and so much fun to play! (The only downside is that they are NOT lightweight!)

And understanding. That one second when the light bulb goes on and you just get it is a beautiful thing.

[piosenniel]

A shift at work slow enough to allow me to meet the needs of my patients.

~ :) ~

Nice to be able to do that in these mostly hectic days . . .

~*~ Pio

[Kath]

Finally getting to grips with this e-savings account that has been quietly laughing at my inability to use it for the past few months.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Sudden moments of academic clarity. Silly Fea, it's not necessary to overload on classes to keep from being bored. Your classes are actually cool this year. Enjoy them. Do recommended readings. Have time to paint. Go paint more murals at the hospital, Fe, you know you loved it. Take the time to write that novel you'd like to finish before you graduate. Take the time to breathe the autumn air.

It changed, you know. Summer ended this week. My friends went outside one morning and sadly realized, but I noticed as it happened. The leaves on that one specific oak at home had been dancing in paint for a few weeks now. The campus trees were behind them, but didn't my friends hear the geese flying at night? The trumpet calls as they found their way with each other? Did they not spot the fading shrubbery? The burning bushes shining brightly? That first chill scented breeze? Didn't they shiver exquisitely on the way to class those first few mornings and realize what it meant? Did the cold distance of the full moon say nothing?

And so I'll leave off with the conassignation of time and mutability. Beautiful, both, if you remember to see it.

[Kath]

Star Trek marathons!

I make no excuses for my nerdiness.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Discovering the meaning of life in the middle of Ethics class this afternoon. It was really cool. I took notes.

[the guy who be short]

I assign Caerdydd. Or Cardiff, as you guys will know it. I assign the cleanliness, the modern buildings, the lack of traffic. I assign the Welsh language with its unlikely vowels and silly plurals.

I shall also assign Jewish teachers who make up for an inability to teach by giving us lectures on Judaism.

[Kath]

The bittersweet realisation that your world is changing around you and while it is scary, it is also so exciting.

Also, my last kung fu lesson as a proper member. I was afraid it wouldn't be all that great and would be disappointing, but we had a great time. :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

That first tingling, expectant, rich, dark, savory sip of coffee after a long day without.

Sales! In one of my favorite stores!

Those bright autumn days that begin in jeans, a tank top, a polo, and a zipped hoodie, and end in basketball shorts and a cami. The ones that start chilly, grey, somewhat bleak, and perfectly characteristic of a blustery Pooh Bear day and melt into the dry scent of changing seasons on warm air. Ooh, awesome.

Good music and poptarts and a night of homework that doesn't seem like homework; Beowulf; James Joyce's Dubliners; Crime and Punishment; a few short essays and quick synopses of both; The Tao of Pooh. Amazing.

[Lhunardawen]

Black forest cake, and how it moves lab instructors to postpone deadlines.

[Kath]

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - with all the hype I thought it might not be that great, but it was very funny.

The smell of enchiladas cooking, mmm.

[Farael]

Feeling moderately content after two months of being rather down on oneself. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and knowing that things might just turn out well after all :D

Edit: Woot!! And also making my one-thousandth post on an assignment to the Shire! That's a good omen (I don't keep a close count on my posts, so it wasn't intentional at all)

[the guy who be short]

I assign second hand bookshops!

[Lhunardawen]

I assign second hand bookshops!
Seconded. :)

[littlemanpoet]

Not anywhere near his eleventy-first year, but it's good to see the old man kickin' around at the age of 83 with high spirits and a bum knee but still vigorous and laughing. Folks have been up this week. THAT belongs in the Shire. :)

[Lhunardawen]

The words "very good." When you're not having the best day of your life, even those simple words mean a lot.

[Kath]

Making friends! Having someone to talk to while you're sitting through some health and safety lecture is absolutely vital if you need to be awake.

Also, being used as an example of what not to do in said health and safety lecture. The picture of our house came up and we all fell about laughing, poor talking man was so confused.

[Lalwendë]

Oxford Botanical Gardens. Very nice indeed, not just for a gardening freak like me, either. They're very different to the Sheffield ones - which are about four times as big and lanscaped with extensive woodlands and a bear pit - and have lots of 'educational' plant displays such as rows of big savoy cabbages and a display of sunflower varieties, some of which were enormous. Then of course there is 'Tolkien's Tree'. Now it might not seem like much to look at, going somewhere just to look at one tree, but its worth it. The tree is huge, very unusual, and seriously impressive. It puts Tolkien's feelings about trees into perspective - he loved them just as Trees, immense, towering organic presences.

But in the Botanical Gardens you now get the added bonus of finding Lyra's 'bench' from the end of The Amber Spyglass. Pullman describes it exactly and its easy to find, and a nice place to sit for a quiet hour smoking and chatting. ;) Take the chance now, as I'm sure once the films have been out you'd have to fight to get a chance to sit there. Oh, and you can also laugh at people struggling to punt on the river behind you.

I'm also sending hunting for conkers to The Shire. We walked round Deadman's Walk at the back of Merton College (very nice path overlooking the rugby fields) and decided to get conkers off a Chestnut tree that was said to have been a favourite with Tolkien. Projecting umbrellas are pretty good for this, and provide more accuracy than a mere stick thrown up into the branches. :p Just make sure to run away fast when you realise that there are CCTV systems watching you...

I'll also assign sneaking into the private Fellow's Garden at Exeter when someone had left the gate leading into Brasenose Lane open by mistake.

[Taralphiel]

The first signs of Spring :)

The Liquid Ambar's that my Dad and I planted during winter are coming to life. That's got me really chuffed. And the various bulbs I planted and forgot about!

And taking lunch breaks in the warm weather. Makes the daily grind closer to bearable ;)

- Tara

[Laitoste]

Professors who manage to make topics you are committedly apathetic about fascinating.

Being able to properly enjoy a dreary, grey, September day.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Amazing people who make your bad day better by distracting you from your grumpy self-inflicted caffeine withdrawal with a shared rant about education systems. :)

[Laitoste]

Getting email. Granted, I received about 6-7 from myself (emails I had sent to email lists I'm on), but it's always exciting to open the inbox and see 5 new emails from friends saying that they will, in fact, come to my hobbit party on Friday. In other words, they don't think I'm dumb!

[Kath]

Learning and then playing poker until 2 in the morning, using Cheerios as betting chips, with a bunch of people you've only just met and having a great time.

Also, Cheerios! Who knew they were so nice?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Caller ID! Parents calling? What? "No visitors, well-wishers, and/or close relations." :D:cool:

[Lhunardawen]

Getting a high score in a supposedly killer exam given by a supposed terror prof. For Biology. Which makes me feel, sort of, that I'm really in the right course. Somehow, hearing my classmates tell me that they hate me didn't sound so bad.

Being surprised at the end of an ordinary day by something, something that made me smile for the rest of the night a smile so wide it hurt.

[Farael]

Rockapella. Those guys are pretty good... or at least the songs my sister's got from them. Kinda make me smile after a stressful day.

Having one of the kids you were volunteering with stop you on the street to say hi. And most importantly, one kid that you wondered at times if he liked you or not. I might have done a better job over there than what I thought after all!! :D

[Kath]

Lie ins! First one for a week.

Also, finding out that the rest of your hall is as nerdy as you are, and spending the evening watching First Contact, discussing RPGs and arguing over whether the Enterprise would beat a star destroyer in a fight.

[Formendacil]

Also, finding out that the rest of your hall is as nerdy as you are, and spending the evening watching First Contact, discussing RPGs and arguing over whether the Enterprise would beat a star destroyer in a fight.

Everyone knows a Star Destroyer would win- those things are battleships, pure and simple, with no other real purpose. Well armed as the Enterprise might be, it's more of a multi-purpose vessel. Also, the Star Destroyer is close to twice the Enterprise's length, if I recall correctly.

Erm... Anyways...

The REAL reason I'm visiting this thread is to assign today's peanut-butter cookies to the Shire. I can't recall the last time I had a cookie half so good. Moist, crumbly, and FULL of peanut-buttery taste... simply divine!

I already had four... and I still want more.

[Kath]

Everyone knows a Star Destroyer would win- those things are battleships, pure and simple, with no other real purpose. Well armed as the Enterprise might be, it's more of a multi-purpose vessel. Also, the Star Destroyer is close to twice the Enterprise's length, if I recall correctly.
But, the Enterprise can fire at warp and has quantum torpedoes. Methinks it's an easy win.

I assign the feeling of being warm and dry after getting so soaked I swear I was 2 stone heavier when I returned than when I left.

[Oddwen]

My parents found our new rental house today. It's huge and beautiful, though I haven't seen it yet. It's got a tennis court. With trees in it! Too bad we're completely inept at tennis.

I get my own room! Yayyyyy!! And probably another whole room for my drums! :disco: Well, a whole music room anyway with space for them.

I might as well assign the whole process that has resulted in my Dad's getting this new job. It's been pretty great (not packing so much, though) so far, and we are all excited for what is to come. :D:D

I also assign going out to eat with a bunch of people you haven't seen in a while, even though you might not see them ever again. :( Also, one of said friend's two-month-old baby. He's such a sweetie.

Another wonderful thing is all-you-can-eat bacon, waffles & fruit, but especially the bacon.

I also assign the wonderful LOUD stereo in my car. Driving wouldn't be half as fun without it.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

ehm I kind of assign this afternoon, it was great.

First of all the weather was lovely. The sun was shining, not a cloud on the sky and a lovely cool wind. It was to cool to go around in T-shirt (exept if you are english) and to warm to wear a jacket, just as I like it. Further more I was at one of the most amazing sites in the world. Kronborg, a fabulous renaissance castle, renown for being the setting of Shakespears Hamlet.

The only down side to this afternoon is that all of the great national treasures that is there are not danish anymore, they where all taken by the swedish as spoils of war and are only borrowed! (If we can return Islandic and Russian treasures, why can't the swedes ?)

[littlemanpoet]

Remember about that English "sheen of green"? For well on two weeks now we in the Great Lakes have had English temperatures and an English amount of rain, and the grass! The grass! The lawns! The only things missing are sheep to graze, and the correct angle of the sun, though perhaps this is equivalent to London in July (just a guess). Gloaming at high noon! But it's Autumn, the perfect season for it, and it especially brings back memories of a wonderful trip a year ago to the blessed isle. Such green and such memories do indeed belong in the Shire.

[Kath]

So that's where all our rain has gone. Bring it back, thief!

I assign going to your first real lecture and discovering that it wasn't half as bad as you thought it was going to be considering it was statistics, because the textbook for the course is specifically named: Statistics without maths. :D

[Mithalwen]

Spray-on starch. Partly because it makes the ironing easier but also because really crisp italian cotton is so nice to wear. I am lazy so I usually wear cotton jersey tops but I had an interview today hence the formal shirt...

[Valier]

I assign those days when you are dreading going to work, then no sooner than the thought entered my mind, my boss called to give me the day off...WooHoo!!!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign lazy days when things still manage to get done. Hello, relaxation.

[Thinlómien]

Exam week. I don't have to wake up as early as I normally do. (It begins tomorrow. You might ask me again about this in a few days and I won't promise that it will still be assigned to Shire rather than Mordor... :))

[the guy who be short]

I assign Yom Kippur. I got a day off. :D

Happy Yom Kippur!

[ninja91]

I assign my own bed. It feels great, especially after a cross country meet. 18:24 5k PR! Booyakah!

[Thinlómien]

Exam week. I don't have to wake up as early as I normally do. (It begins tomorrow. You might ask me again about this in a few days and I won't promise that it will still be assigned to Shire rather than Mordor... :))Could reassign it. Exam week is like a holiday; only few hours of school each day (if at all) and the exams were pretty easy, aftre all.. :)

I assign also the soundtrack of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's great.

[ninja91]

I assign LOST !

[littlemanpoet]

I assign LOST !
Sorry but reality TV shows have already been assigned to Mordor. :p

(yes I know it doesn't LOOK like a reality tv show.....) ;)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

along with people that salt their food before tasting it. . .now be gone :p ;)

[Saurreg]

A wonderful Saturday night with good friends, good beer and an in house band that does great renditions from the Sultans of Swing.

[Volo]

Walking in the dark forest while listening to The Fear of the Dark and "dark forest music". Sometimes that sure does you good...

Alexei Ribnikov for writing such a great rock opera.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Omigosh, sushi. Yum. I've been missing out.

More specifically, having class at a sushi bar. Discussing Marx and Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky over vegetarian sushi... mmm.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I swear, it's cool enough to double post.

Understanding, after almost three weeks of mental grappling, everything Immanuel Kant was talking about!

Moral Calculus. Amazing.

[ninja91]

I assign the Mouth of Sauron for being such an interesting and mysterious being.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I doubt any one understands Kant. . . .I think someone once said something like this "All philosophers before Kant should count them self lucky, as they did not have to study Kant" It wording was probably much better, but you get the picture.

If you Fea, truly understand Kant, I can only say that you amaze me even more than you did before and I shall recognise you as my superior.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The sort of professor that lets you sit brooding in his office for a few hours, moping and feeling utterly sorry for yourself, being both hypochondriac extraordinaire and moody English Major, and then laughs at you. :cool:

[Elonve]

I assign friends coming over to see you when your ill. Especially when they bring treats!!! :D
________
Arizona medical marijuana (http://arizona.dispensaries.org/)

[Lhunardawen]

House. (Thank goodness it's no reality show. Hah, Elempi. :p)

Surprising a friend with a "Merry Christmas!" greeting in a bowling alley when it's her birthday.

[Kath]

The feeling of freedom that comes when you no longer have an essay peering at you from around corners the whole time.

[piosenniel]

The tidied up veggie garden where Hallowe'en's pumpkin people will now retire. We'll light up their stubs of candles each dark, cold night until their orange cheeks begin to fall in upon themselves . . .

[Lalwendë]

Fea, for assigning Derrida to Mordor.

:cool:

[littlemanpoet]

Hah, Elempi.:eek: Wha'd I say? Wha'd I say? ;)

I assign finding unexpected references to yours truly on the Downs. Good as reps. Thanks, Lhuna. :D

[Oddwen]

I assign being back after an extended abscence. :D

And (finally) getting my new library card in the mail!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Let me assign having you back then :)

[Volo]

Adhesive tape, for being a way to mend nearly anything (including earphones)

[JennyHallu]

My own earphones have a break repaired as well, wrapped in duct-tape.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Duct-tape can fix anything ! (we call it Gaffa-tape)

They use it for last minute repairs at areoplains. . . .

[JennyHallu]

Actually, it's a slightly different product that is used on aeroplanes. My husband is an aircraft mechanic and firmly corrected me last time I made that claim.

My dad and I used duct-tape to repair a fence once. It was supposed to be there to keep the dogs in the yard just long enough for us to go purchase a new board, and ended up lasting for two years, before the board was replaced in order to sell that house.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I was joking. . .
I too have a family member that is an air craft mechanic, he did tell me that they did not use ducked-tape, but he did not say that they used some other tape.

[JennyHallu]

It's called, creatively, aircraft tape.

I assign the mathoms my husband brings home from work. Odd tools and switches and parts, the purpose of which is a mystery to me, and the guessing games he plays with me. The other day he got me good with this metal cylnder the size of a battery that clacked inside when you shook it. Turns out it's called a "G-switch".

[Kath]

I assign finding out that your lecture tomorrow is cancelled, meaning that you can go home nearly two hours earlier than expected!

Also the relief that comes when you discover that today is not the deadline for a piece of work you haven't even started yet.

[Oddwen]

Let me assign having you back then :)
Thank you. :D

I can't believe I forgot to assign the best thing of all so far - a faster DSL connection! Now I can download eighty things and still surf the Downs at a decent speed.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

No comments on this, Saucie...

I assign my parents for um... understanding me.

:smokin:

[Kath]

Better post quick so Sauce can't get in on that one!

I assign seeing friends again after a long parting and lunch out when you're not paying for it.

[ninja91]

Fast cross country courses.

[the guy who be short]

Making a kick-donkey assembly! And incorporating the song "I'm Holding out for a Hero."

[Laitoste]

Opening Wikipedia and seeing that the featured article was on Tolkien (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page). And then having friends to share this fact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien) with!

[Lhunardawen]

Opening Wikipedia and seeing that the featured article was on Tolkien (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page). And then having friends to share this fact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien) with!
I just saw the same thing a few hours ago. Oooh, creepy. :D

[Thinlómien]

Finally contacting a friend from your early childhood after a few years silence...

[piosenniel]

The first mug of Old Peculier (http://www.theakstons.co.uk/ales/view_detail.php?id=9).

Lovely brew . . . lovely . . .

:)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Häagen-Dazs

The name totaly fooled me, I thought it was a German brand.

[Rikae]

I assign this thread to the Shire; reading it has improved my mood dramatically.

I also assign to the Shire:
Curly, crunchy red fall leaves scattered over a wet sidewalk that reflects bare branches against an overcast sky.

The conjunction of rich, strong coffee, Kate Bush, Borges and DSL.

My two year old when she hugged me and said "that's my mommy!"

Feta cheese, parmesan cheese, brie, provalone, fresh mozzerella, extra sharp smoked cheddar; oh, just, cheese in general.

Pesto sauce, warm crusty sourdough bread right out of the oven, grapes picked from my own vines, matar paneer, rice noodles with peanut sauce, macaroons, baklava, tiramisu, peaches, chai, real homemade linguini...etc.

The smell of garden soil when you first dig into it in the springtime.

The scent of star magnolias.

The color of the sky just after sunset, when it's the most saturated, glowing sapphire blue.

Russian sage, lilacs, violets, lamb's ears, lavender, phlox, virginia creeper, thyme, roses, peonies, allium, physostegia...

Warm, comfy slippers that don't look silly or fall off.

Knowing I'm leaving in 50 days (plane tickets - $516. Travelcard - $25. Finally seeing London - preciousss!)

The tiny red bugs that live in books; raccoons; white deer; wild geese.

The moment when the whole semester's work is finished ...

Sorry for being so long-winded. Once you get going, it's hard to stop.

[Macalaure]

I assign Rikae to the Shire for this heart-lifting post. :)

[Rikae]

Awww, shucks. Then I assign Mac to the Shire!

[Macalaure]

Thanks, Rikae!

Though, I just realized that line above was my first assign-to-the-shire post at all! :eek: (eight to Mordor...)
So I think I'm not really all that shire-worthy. ;)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Oh my... how could I ever have forgotten this? This is amazing...

I assign the smell of hot breakfast being cooked late on a Sunday morning... Oh, how could I possibly have forgotten that mum always makes a fantastic brunch? She'll smile as I come downstairs and tease about there being no better alarm clock than the smell of good food. It's what always happens, and I always forget...

Oh, being home rocks.

[THE Ka]

The moment when the whole semester's work is finished ...

To quote The Temptations, I second that emotion.

I started out thinking I wouldn't find any of my professeurs that interesting, but now I am sort of sad to be leaving them. Except, one more year with Madame Julie, which shall be tres cool.

As thus, I would like to assign to the shire, wonderful french professeurs, who are as surprising as their expertise.

Also, first year anniversaries. Je t'aime mon petit choux, Il me déraille, il est aimable, pensif, et l'oh si romantique, mon homme des lettres. :)

Also, good friends, who haven't given up on themselves entirely. It is nice to feel that giving advice and having un peu parler has done some good.

Last but not least, new paintbrushes and paint! I can't wait to try them out. :)

~ Ka

[Thinlómien]

I assign the feeling that you get when you know you're never ever going to have a chemistry lesson in your life. It just feels wonderful. :) :) :)

[Rikae]

A couple day-after-Thanksgiving things for the Shire:

-Pecan pie for breakfast
-Internet shopping

[littlemanpoet]

I assign that mysterious occurence when brand new plot twists come out of nowhere but are so obvious once you see them that the writing just flows. :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Cost of gas to drive to Toys 'R' Us on Black Friday: $5

Lego Vikings sets: $33.80

Staying up late after work with your big brother and some wine and re-enacting Beowulf's death scene with your brand spanking new Lego dragon: priceless.

[Mithalwen]

Rainbows ...so pretty and the sun and rain thing so fascinating..

Oh and being proved right ;)

[Mithalwen]

Unexpected peopel being king in the midst of a bad day.

Getting Christmas cards from friends across the country and across the world - after having the really horrible day on Friday it was great to receive news, good wishes, and invitations to visit.

Getting the Christmas tree ( and a free glass of mulled wine) and starting to fill the house with lights.

Finding baubles in exactly the right shade of rose red you coveted..... in an unexpected place..

[Kath]

18 hours sleep after 3 days of getting up early and continual exercise. It was quite startling to wake up and realise just how long I'd been asleep, but it did feel wonderful.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I did not that was possible to do, Kath !

[Kath]

Apparently so! I like sleep. :D

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Me too I love sleep. . .but I seldom sleep more than 10 hours.

[Celuien]

Lengthy conversations with my sister about the Krebs cycle via IM...written in 1337. Such fun. :cool: :D

[Nogrod]

Seeing your (now) former students celebrating their day of getting out of the school!

How they and you yourself love the thing and still feel so sorry about it!

When that feels both ways, it's heaven and hell at the same time.

So good! So happy!

[Lhunardawen]

Lengthy conversations with my sister about the Krebs cycle via IM...written in 1337. Such fun. :cool: :D

:eek:

Wow.

[Celuien]

:D

We were trying to come up with a story about the cycle to help her memorize it for finals next week. Finals, by the way, belong in Mordor, and I'm glad I don't have final exams anymore. It was a pretty horrible story. Example: It all started when Ox[aloacetate] and Py[ruvate] got together over orange juice [=citrus fruit = citrate]. Then they left, so the juice was alone [alone = isolated = isocitrate].

I think the 1337 made the story more memorable. :rolleyes:

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Finals, by the way, belong in MordorSo true. My only two finals are both the last day of finals week.

I assign the friends of mine that are paying for me to eat next week, because I've got about $30 left on my meal card to last me until next Friday. :rolleyes:

[littlemanpoet]

It all started when Ox[aloacetate] and Py[ruvate] got together over orange juice [=citrus fruit = citrate]. Then they left, so the juice was alone [alone = isolated = isocitrate].I say old bean, that most assuredly belongs in Mordor - or at least ATM. :D

[THE Ka]

So true. My only two finals are both the last day of finals week.

I feel guilty for celebrating the end of the quarter now, since my finals ended yesterday, and all of my friends have them today and tomorrow. Well, at least there is friday.

I assign to the Shire finals via final papers. They seem to be less of a worry over, and much more rewarding to turn in. Especially when you can finally go to sleep at night and not have half of the paper going through your head, because you've re-read it millions of times.

~ Ka

[Orominuialwen]

Having one of your classes finish more than a month before all your others. And having the final for said class be a take-home test. :D

Tea. Especially chai. There's nothing better to warm you up on a cold day than a steaming mug.

[Kath]

Sitting in the kitchen trying to revise, and being interrupted by the sudden need of my housemates to be 5 again. We made paper snowflakes and started a collection for Christmas decorations, and we made an extremely irreverent nativity scene. It was great fun. :D

[littlemanpoet]

Especially when you can finally go to sleep at night and not have half of the paper going through your head, because you've re-read it millions of times.Huh. I s'pose I slept better in uni than the average bloke, but it would've done me good grade-wise if maybe I'd re-read my papers more than about half a time.... :rolleyes:

[Lalwendë]

Sitting in the kitchen trying to revise, and being interrupted by the sudden need of my housemates to be 5 again. We made paper snowflakes and started a collection for Christmas decorations, and we made an extremely irreverent nativity scene. It was great fun. :D

Christmas is so much fun when you live in a shared house - we used to have a traditional enormous pre-Christmas feast, before everyone went home for the season. One of the blokes would cook it and we'd cram into the living room and eat until we burst. Lovely.

Sent it before and I send it again: Christmas! Fab! I've just come home from an afternoon spent eating and drinking with colleagues and laughing about weird stuff, to a lovely fully trimmed up living room. I've got about 300 white lights and a load of blue ones in the window and its lovely and cosy. Two weeks today I shall be lying on the settee, full of roast beef and gravy and roast taters and sprouts and feeling all content, like any good Hobbit should.

[Mithalwen]

finding a handbag you coveted but didn't really need has been reduced to a no-brainer price :D And getting nearer to finishing present shopping....

And my beautiful Christmas tree - killing a tree is the environmentally sound option, they are a local crop and it will be recycled :D

[Lalaith]

my birthday present, preciousss... (http://www.glamourpussslippers.co.uk/userfiles/products/webmarabou3.jpg)

[Lhunardawen]

my birthday present, preciousss... (http://www.glamourpussslippers.co.uk/userfiles/products/webmarabou3.jpg)
Oh, it's so adorable!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

That the Danish television is keeping up the tradition of showing LotR in the Christmas time.

the 26th RotK will be shown for the first time on Danish Television.

[Lhunardawen]

I assign considerate (Chem) profs who schedule exams enough weeks after Christmas break, so we're not too hung over when we take them.

[Kath]

Good, funny pantomimes.

Sitting in the front room, chatting to your friends and watching Dylan Moran.

Helping a friend make a compilation CD for another friend and having a great time picking songs.

[Oddwen]

I assign beads...beads, beads, beads, and all sorts of jewelry findings.

Especially when they're on sale.

And when there's a "Help Wanted" sign on the door.

*crosses fingers*

[Mithalwen]

Christmas Carols

[Mithalwen]

I thinkI sent my god-daughter to Mordor a few months ago when she missed a flight when I was collecting her from the airport :rolleyes: but I now send her to the Shire for inviting me to go with her to the LOTR musical first night :D

[Valier]

I assign Christmas Eve!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!!! :D

[Farael]

English rock bands... specially the 'older' kind. Obviously Pink Floyd and other greats... but even lesser known bands are so much better than the commercial Mordor-style stuff they try to makes us listen to now.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Why english rock bands? I mean sure a lot of the greatest has been from England, but there are also good ones from other countries.

But I totaly agree with you, I mostly listen to rock from the decades past.

[Farael]

Why english rock bands? I mean sure a lot of the greatest has been from England, but there are also good ones from other countries.

But I totaly agree with you, I mostly listen to rock from the decades past.
Oh, there are definitely great bands from all over the world (even North America) but I just felt like assigning English ones, as I think they are great.

I could assign "good music" as a whole, but I'm sure that's been assigned already.

[Mithalwen]

The worker in the bakery of a local supermarket who sang "O Holy night" pitch perfect as he stacked shelves and transformed the drudgery of preChristmas shopping into something magical.

[the guy who be short]

Perfectly made noodles. An honest, simple pleasure, perhaps, but one that is twofold. The first pleasure comes from the consumption of the noodles when they're of the perfect consistency to slurp. Too wet, and you get covered in noodle-juice; too dry and slurping is not a possibly. Then, once you've eaten and lazed around for a while, the second pleasure of washing the saucepan... when the noodles are made right, it takes 20 seconds to clean.

[Kath]

Going to the dentist and not having anything wrong!

[Elonve]

Okay I don't know if this goes in the Shire or Mordor.But being in love with a stranger. I know it sounds weird but my friend introduced me to this guy over MSN and he's really nice.

We talked for ages! :p
________
Hawaii Dispensaries (http://hawaii.dispensaries.org/)

[Thinlómien]

I assign everybody being so nice to me today. :)

[Farael]

The TATA box. Any genetics students will know what I'm talking about. In a field full of almost random acronyms such as TFIIIC and Pol I and what not, the simplicity (not to mention rather laughable sound) of the TATA box is quite amusing.

For those of you who have no clue of what I'm talking about, the TATA box is a sequence of repeated Thymine and Adenine bases in DNA that are used to initiate the expression of the gene. But it is just lovely that it is pronounced Tah-Tah box... I can't say that with a straight face!!

[Rikae]

I assign to the Shire the fact that I could make the assign to Mordor post I just did, and several other things I'll add tomorrow (time's running out).

[Wayland]

The Queen of the May, morris dancers, green buds, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme and all that sort of thing.

[the guy who be short]

Ambulance drivers, Amnesty Internation members and other altruistically inclined individuals. :)

[Rikae]

I assign to the shire:

After seven hours on a plane, a far green country and a swift sunrise*. Tube stations that, though they look old and dilapidated, have touches like fancy columns or mosaics or such things, hostels that cost 10 pounds a night yet have rooms with high ceilings, huge windows and beautiful architecture you would only see in expensive hotels in the US, trains that come every two minutes, mist and fog and air so wet it's like a sauna, and everything damp and green, with richer, darker colors, blue-green grass, seeing Bellini and Titian paintings from two inches away, recordings reminding one to “mind the gap” and “caution, you are approaching the end of the conveyor”, decibel levels in public places roughly half the US equivalent, little shops with all sorts of fresh produce in baskets in front of them, warm, friendly well-read people with melodic accents, tropical looking plants growing outdoors in people's gardens and black and white tiled paths to the door, tiny little electric cars, signs that tell you “look right” and “look left” when you cross the road, the feeling of being in Middle earth, in a Dickens story, in a place where human beings have lived since prehistory – a place that is old and full of memory.

*Without being dead/unable to return! ;)

[Oddwen]

I assign things that help you reconnect with someone close. My brother and I used to do everything together, but as we've grown up we've grown apart a bit. We hardly speak the same language anymore.

Thank you, Trogdor, for changing all that. :D

[the guy who be short]

I assign Lhuna. Thank you for warning me, months ago, of the horror of vectors.

[Elmo]

3 points to Aberdeen on a Saturday :D

[shieldmaiden4xsword]

teasing my youth pastor, being teased by him, and laughing together about stuff.

[Roa_Aoife]

I assign having a student who has had a very hard time adapting to pre-school, the other children, and especially these strange adults called teachers, run up and give you a hug and a kiss before she goes home.

Also, the cheers from the entire building when you turn the lights back on after nap-time. It makes me feel like a superhero. :D

[ninja91]

I assign when a great idea hits you dead on, and it works great with everything you have already written.

[Lhunardawen]

It sounds crazy, but I'll assign it anyway.

Nomenclature of organic compounds.

Yes, I know having to memorise the priority of naming them (salts > carboxylic acids > acid anhydrides > esters > acyl chlorides > amides > nitriles > aldehydes > ketones > alcohols > phenols > amines > double bonds > triple bonds > single bonds > ethers > alkyl halides, or I could be wrong somewhere) isn't worth it in the long run, but I'm amazed that the IUPAC came up with it at all. Besides, it's fun to name those weird lines with scattered letters.

[Mithalwen]

Getting your first Book crossing "catch"!!!!

I realeased about ten books a year ago.. and lost heart since none were logged again. Then I started again a couple of weeks ago and I have just found that one has been found and taken to Switzerland!!!!!! And it wasn't the best book in teh world ..it came free with a magazine.... but I am so excited and enthused to set more books free :D

[the guy who be short]

Honey and Milk. If the gods have a nectar, this is it.

[Volo]

Alpenkäse! For now it shall be in the Shire, but when getting more weight won't be a good thing...

[Thinlómien]

I assign PMs. They're such a good way of getting to know people. :)

[Kath]

I assign managing to get all your work done and handed in on and even before time, so that the last two and half days of terms are enjoyable!

[Bêthberry]

Learning terrific new words that have much potential for parody.

Today's word is brought to us by David Radler, the rat who's going to fink on Lord Black: disgorgement.

Officially it means:


A repayment of ill-gotten gains that is imposed on wrongdoers by the courts. Funds that were received through illegal or unethical business transactions are disgorged, or paid back, with interest to those affected by the action. Disgorgement is a remedial civil action, rather than a punitive civil action.

. . .

to discharge forcefully or as a result of force

Now, with all the loyering and repo-wraiths on REB, that's just got to be a word with much potential for the rpg. :smokin:

[Boo Radley]

The first day of Spring.
(As long as it's not too cold, damp or dreary)

[Mithalwen]

The Ignore function...

[the guy who be short]

The first butterfly, ladybird and bee of the year. Spring is upon us! Flowers are in bloom! SAD is gone! Hayfever is come...

[Kath]

Booking tickets to the LotR musical! 16th May we'll be there. Having watched a little trailer type thing it looks like it should be pretty good. Shame we couldn't get seats closer to the stage but my friend wasn't willing to pay £50 for it!

[Mithalwen]

Oh a week after me!!!

SO exciting :D

My colleagues who lent me a petrol can and gave me a lift to the petrol station when I coastedin to work on fumes.... (stupid me has taken to ignoring the red light because it goes on when there are still 15 litres of fuel in the tank.. but I ignored too long :( )

[Kath]

Ah! We were going to go earlier but exams got in the way. :(

[the guy who be short]

Journalists who put their email addresses at the bottom of their articles. These people are writing messages read by hundreds of thousands of people, and yet they have the humanity to allow each and every reader to get in touch if they wish to. I think that's very Shire-ish.

[Rikae]

This thread is languishing. I assign:

Reading Chapter 19 of the Silmarillion aloud with the person one loves mehr als alles...

*sigh*

[Orominuialwen]

Graduation! :D

Graduation parties. They're lots of fun, and I never realized quite how many people feel the need to give you presents when you hold one.

Lovely summer evenings when there's nothing more enjoyable to do than sit out on the deck and read, and then eat dinner with your family.

[Finduilas]

I assign the fresh deep green that first appears late spring, often after a rain. Oh, and also every other beautiful green...

Also the quiet summer twilights, when everything is starting to cool down, and the whole world is a soft blue.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

It takes dirt roads to get there. The air has been heavy for days; you're beginning to think it's raining when it's not: your eyes play tricks, moving the opaque moisture in the air into imaginary sheets of slate and silver. It doesn't rain, it just is, and the pressure is intense. The corner of your eye catches ghost motions. Everything is green and shadow.

A high deck, looking out over fields and forests, ending in mountains that jag into the horizon. The sky above you was blue ten minutes ago; you see the last of the clearness fading away toward the mountains. Darkness envelopes you, and lightening flickers absently behind you. Thunder echoes faintly through the countours of the land. Ten year old boys throw balls in the grass below you. An old dog, wet from a recent frolic in the creek, naps on the hot wood. You watch the blue sky recede. You feel the energy in the air.

Without warning, the sky opens; you remember your book, your electronics; you remember that you forgot a change of clothes. You regretfully retreat indoors.

You stand, in a darkened room, in an open door, watching the sky fall, listening to a redwing blackbird berate the wind from the safety of an overhang.

Fresh coffee, the first you've had in a week, made just for you, is pressed into your hand. As you watch the violent storm break calmly from the dry indoors, you smell steam and feel the faint warm glow inside your chest that comes from your favorite indulgence.

Summer storms. I adore summer storms.

[the guy who be short]

Doctors. They do an inspiring job...

[Orominuialwen]

Home-grown raspberries. I love that they grow so fast, you end up picking tons every day or two.

Fireflies. They're beautiful on summer evenings

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The temperature soars to 96 humid degrees. The sun is roasting. It rained for just long enough to saturate the air and fill it with the smell of steam on pavement. The early afternoon has been spent laying on the floor under a lazily spinning ceiling fan watching Optimus Prime die surrounded by his beloved Autobots after battling Megatron and the Decepticons for one last heart-wrenching time... This is about to sound like an advertisement.

Dunkin Donuts. Because they're air conditioned, they have really good coffee that's just as good iced, and they're across the road from a gas station that's only charging $3.02 per gallon. Hecks yes for cheap[er] gas and cold coffee. :)

[Elmo]

lying in my garden, listening to Neil Young on my ipod, watching the clouds go by

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Finding a used book store you've never been in. Realizing it's your dream store, at the end of a long driveway surrounded by untended rose and lily beds, with flourishing peonies and weeds, with cats wandering through the towering shelves of books that reach far over your head. Three stories in a renovated barn, with labyrinthine aisles and steep staircases with rickety railings. The smell of must and books that haven't been opened during your lifetime, being sold for a dollar a piece.

Spontaneous sushi lunch outings.

A Superman t-shirt that cost less than a gallon of gas.

Cooler weather than yesterday. :cool:

[Lalwendë]

Finding a used book store you've never been in. Realizing it's your dream store, at the end of a long driveway surrounded by untended rose and lily beds, with flourishing peonies and weeds, with cats wandering through the towering shelves of books that reach far over your head. Three stories in a renovated barn, with labyrinthine aisles and steep staircases with rickety railings. The smell of must and books that haven't been opened during your lifetime, being sold for a dollar a piece.



Oi, missus! That's my house, not a bookshop! :D

I assign to The Shire when they put Lord of the Rings references into Doctor Who. :eek: They have truly surpassed themselves with this last series and that just added a cherry on top of the cake....

[Orominuialwen]

Lemonade on hot days.

Fireworks after a baseball game. Even if the game was phenomenally bad (my team lost 16-7, after making 9 errors!), it's lovely to sit in the outfield on an old sheet and watch explosions set to music. :cool:

[Kath]

6 straight hours of cheerleading. It's nice to feel that you're doing something constructive (and actually exercising properly!) and so when you manage to get through almost all the routine and succeed in getting two stunts up within that it does leave you with a feeling of great satisfaction.

[Lalaith]

Captain Jack being the Face of Boe.

[Lalwendë]

Mmmm, just Captain Jack (not of the Sparrow variety, though he is welcome too ;) ). And a succession of visually appealing Timelords...

Errrr....

:Merisu:

[Thinlómien]

Being at home.

[Oddwen]

I assign going to a movie with a sibling - when the movie is actually good.

Our timing was just right, we gasped and breathed "Oh, cool!" at the same moments, laughed at the horrible dialogue together, sighed at the lame dialogue together, looked away and didn't laugh at the inappropriate dialogue together, and made up our own sequel happenings while we were walking out of the theater.

And the SFX in Transformers too. Wow. Cool. Mind-blazingly cool, I mean it.

[Morthoron]

Finding a used book store you've never been in. Realizing it's your dream store, at the end of a long driveway surrounded by untended rose and lily beds, with flourishing peonies and weeds, with cats wandering through the towering shelves of books that reach far over your head. Three stories in a renovated barn, with labyrinthine aisles and steep staircases with rickety railings. The smell of must and books that haven't been opened during your lifetime, being sold for a dollar a piece.

Hmmm...your find sounds much more picturesque, but I just found a regular storefront edition not 5 miles from my house (but it does have cats -- I suppose necessary to keep the rodents from nibbling the treasures), operated by a feisty old lady who I believe has memorized each of the thousands of books crammed to the rafters. I found a folio copy of Duc de Berry's Les Tres Rich Heures in excellent condition (I'm a 14th century fanatique), a four-volume set of Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples, an early English translation edition of Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and various and sundry hardbound novels to replace tattered paperbacks (Huxley, Dee Brown, Orwell, T.H. White).

I came home excitedly with my finds, only to have my significant other roll her eyes and walk away mumbling something about my books spilling out of the study and encroaching on her living room space, the spare bedroom, the dining room and the first floor bathroom. She's so easily irritated.

[Bêthberry]

Finding a used book store you've never been in. Realizing it's your dream store, at the end of a long driveway surrounded by untended rose and lily beds, with flourishing peonies and weeds, with cats wandering through the towering shelves of books that reach far over your head.


Hmmm...your find sounds much more picturesque, but I just found a regular storefront edition not 5 miles from my house (but it does have cats -- I suppose necessary to keep the rodents from nibbling the treasures), operated by a feisty old lady who I believe has memorized each of the thousands of books crammed to the rafters.


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/MimsyBorogroves/cat.book1.jpg

PS. Sorry for the size. I have tried to make this smaller, but somehow that ain't happening here.

[Morthoron]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/MimsyBorogroves/cat.book1.jpg

PS. Sorry for the size. I have tried to make this smaller, but somehow that ain't happening here.

Hmmm...it would seem this philosophical feline is deeply engrossed in his catechism.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I assign the covers on the Danish versions of Harry Potte (http://gallery.the-leaky-cauldron.org/album/967)r, I really like them and I do so even more after seeing the American and English ones.

[Thinlómien]

I assign summer holiday.

PS. Rune, how do you like the Finnish ones (http://gallery.the-leaky-cauldron.org/album/969)? They're quite... original and I can't say if I like them or not.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

ale,
bag-end,
the green dragon,
hobbit holes,
trees,
peace,
and you can't forget Hobbits!

[piosenniel]

A long, leisurely Sunday breakfast shared with a good friend at the local diner.

Pancakes, eggs, sausage, crispy bacon, hashbrowns, biscuits covered in gravy, and bottomless cups of coffee with cream and sugar to wash it all down. Pleasant company, good conversation.....

Life is good, eh?

:)

[Mithalwen]

I second long breakfasts and the company of friends but (and I know it means something different that side of the pond) but biscuits covered in gravy still sounds incredibly revolting ..... at best it is something you might give a dog... but hten I'd quite happily eat Toad-in-the-hole

[Lhunardawen]

Sleep. :) Really, you cannot fully appreciate something you're used to until you stop getting enough of it.

[Finduilas]

Rain. We so need it.

Coming home from a two week vacation. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful vacation, but home, ah, well it's home.

[the guy who be short]

Having one eye that is perfectly fine. Preferably two.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Unsolicited backrubs. :)

[Finduilas]

If you were around, I'd give you one, but I have to disagree on it anyway. I find them painfull. They do releive headaches though:rolleyes:.

[Folwren]

I second sleep!

I also nominate good, fluffy, home-made biscuits with lots of butter and home-made peach-butter.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

If you were around, I'd give you one, but I have to disagree on it anyway. I find them painfull.

I recommend the Raiders of the Lost Ark approach. "Well, goddamnit Indy, where doesn't it hurt??"

[THE Ka]

Having one eye that is perfectly fine. Preferably two.

:)
I'll have to second that, except with hip joints and legs.

~ Ka

[Lhunardawen]

I assign suspended classes. I know we'll suffer later because we have to make up for what we missed, but it's fun at the time all the same.

[the guy who be short]

I assign Freedom.

*waves small green, white, orange and blue flag*

[smeagollives]

i assign parties to the shire.
lots of good food, meeting in the morning for breakfast, having lunch and tea together at the same day
beer and cider
dancing a lot
all the people work in crafts and make fun of people who read to much
strawberries
a very very blue sky
rain outside a cup of tea inside
fiddles

uhm... and actually i assign chavs to the shire. i just imagine some of the hobbits to be like chavs. i have always thought pippin would have been a chav if he was born today.

[Kath]

Going shopping and finding exactly what you're looking for in the first shop you go in. Makes things so much easier.

Plus spending the day with friends, especially when you haven't seen them in a while.

Finally, the Simpsons Movie, 'cause I have now seen it 3 times and it made me laugh as much on the third viewing as it did on the first. Spider pig is gold. :D

[Rikae]

The first cool days at the end of summer.

[Lalwendë]

The first cool days at the end of summer.

You aren't in Britain then? ;)

I assign cold, wet summers. Not only has it been much more comfortable than I expected/feared, but the Honeysuckle is covered in flowers because the constant rain has beaten the greenfly into submission. And Honeysuckle belongs in The Shire because it smells soooo good! Kind of like a mixture of warm cowsheds and sugar. ;)

[Finduilas]

Ducklings. They are so adorable. (Don't tell me it's the wrong time for this, it's my ducks fault, not mine.)

[Orominuialwen]

Spontaneous late-night outdoor singing. Being able to sit on pleasantly warm pavement and listen to someone sing and play songs they've written is lovely.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

The University of Copenhagen

(I got in. . .I don't know how)

[Lhunardawen]

Night strolls.

[Mithalwen]

Watching really good Rugby when the ball is run with not just kicked ... it is just such a great game when played properly.

[Lalwendë]

I assign whoever decided to sell things like rugs with Dragons on them in IKEA. This is A Very Good Thing.

And it even more deserves to go to The Shire because a visit to IKEA is in itself like Frodo's journey...the warehouse section where you try to find the Groett and Tatt parts that you need is Mordor; the towering, bleak shelves which do not contain your needed new chair parts are Mount Doom; and the Cracks of Doom are the greedy checkouts ready to swallow up golden credit cards...here you battle not with Gollum but with the packaging of your heavy Groett and Tatt because the barcode is helpfully (inevitably) on the bottom of a box of super-heavy MDF (which tears as you manhandle it over to find the sinister barcode, thus losing the all-important allen key in the process).

The Field of Cormallen is the hotdog stand on the other side. Bliss. Though you have the Scouring of the Shire to get through with the ridiculous loading bay due to the 'no troilleys in the car park' policy, something that could easily have been dreamt up by Saruman.

[Kath]

This afternoon. It was ridiculously fun.

We had Freshers Fayre and had a cheerleading stall going to try and get people to join which went well, we even got some guys signing up.

Then we did our demonstration which went almost perfectly (and I didn't fall off so that was good) and the American Football lot were cheering us on.

After that the rugby guys came over and started lifting us up their way, so we taught them how to do it our way and they agreed to come stunt with us on Tuesday. It may go slightly better then as they won't be quite so drunk!

But the best part of all was that in the midst of a rainy, dull, cold day the sun came out for the fifteen minutes that we were outside. :D

[Mithalwen]

Getting a journal entry on one of your "Bookcrossing" releases after nearly 3 years. Amazing - it has travelled a hundred miles or so....

Submitting your tax return in time for the IR to do the calculation and 3 months (not hte usual 3 days before the deadline)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I assign summer holiday.

PS. Rune, how do you like the Finnish ones (http://gallery.the-leaky-cauldron.org/album/969)? They're quite... original and I can't say if I like them or not.

They are truly horrible, I actually think they are worse than the English.

[Thinlómien]

They are truly horrible, I actually think they are worse than the English.Haha, you're surely not the first one to say so.

I assign being tired and happy, the latter for no specific reason.

[littlemanpoet]

"Nine-Day Weekends" ~ if you know what I mean.... ;)

[Volo]

I assign 4kg on Echter Dresdner Christstollen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen) coming by post on one totally random Tuesday. I'm not sure what my father decided, but whatever the idea was the surprise was nice. :)

[Mithalwen]

Good news:D

[Bêthberry]

I assign senior citizens who know how to deal with Mordor. (And even if this story is apocryphal, it still belongs in The Shire. :D )

Apparently a 98 year old woman in the UK wrote this to her bank and the bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the Times. I didn't see it there, but it was sent to me by someone who believes that no institution should go unrewarded for its customer service.



Dear Sir,

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three 'nanoseconds' must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my Pension, an arrangement, which, I admit, has been in place for only thirty eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become. >From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person.

My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Solicitor, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, I will issue your employee with PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
1 - To make an appointment to see me.
2 - To query a missing payment.
3 - To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4 - To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5 - To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6 - to transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7 - To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.)
8 - To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through to 8.
9 - To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year.
Your Humble Client

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins would be proud!

[littlemanpoet]

Going for a long weekend color tour and hitting the colors just at their peak; finding a nice, not too pricey motel; happening upon a curving road we never had been down before, surrounded by maples, oaks, and other trees in full fire of fall color, and it goes on for miles. :)

[Oddwen]

Visits from relatives - almost all my family's back in the homestate, and it's so nice to see them again.

[Macalaure]

I assign the end of the daylight saving time. Finally, after half a year, all my clocks are right again. :)

[Folwren]

Daylight savings doesn't end until next Sunday, though, I thought? :confused: I hope I'm right...

[Brinniel]

Folwren- Daylight savings time ends at different weeks in other countries. So you're right...we don't change our clocks in the US until the 4th of November. :)

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I assign this wonderful place with all of you very nice people, and going down to my nice quiet room with absolutely no brothers wanting to listen and scratch up your RotK or FotR soundtrack, reading a nice book. Or eating Pierogies eating veggie sausage links and drinking Henry Weinhard's root beer, and watching those PJ LotR movies and yelling at the tv screen for bad or worse.

And playing outside on a warm sunny summer or autumn day, and whacking the boys across the street with my awesome stick...(just wait 'till I can get myself a "Sting"). Or laying on the bright green grass in my front yard in the lazy days of summer break feeling the sun on my face!

[Macalaure]

Daylight savings doesn't end until next Sunday, though, I thought? :confused: I hope I'm right...

Yep, as Brinniel said, it ends at different dates in different places. It really should be unified internationally. I can tell you from recent personal experience how confusing it can get. :rolleyes:

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'd like to assign a small Peruvian boy who will never know I exist for selling one of my teachers a bag of [knit?] finger puppets an indeterminate number of years ago.

[Kath]

Daylight savings time ends at different weeks in other countries.
Aye, and no one told me it was on Sunday, I was very confused. :rolleyes:

But to the Shire goes doctors who don't argue with you but instead accept that you know what drugs you need having been dealing with them for 18 years and that the asthma nurse is pointless so don't try and force you to see her. I like my new doctor.

[littlemanpoet]

But to the Shire goes doctors who don't argue with you but instead accept that you know what drugs you need having been dealing with them for 18 years and that the asthma nurse is pointless so don't try and force you to see her. I like my new doctor.Sounds like a sensible Hobbit. :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign Lemony Snicket for this book (http://www.amazon.com/Latke-Who-Couldnt-Stop-Screaming/dp/1932416870/ref=sr_1_23/002-6927073-6572048?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193971394&sr=1-23). I don't like holidays. Anybody who knows me knows that. But I just bought two copies of it because it made me happy enough to keep one for myself and mail one off in the morning to an unsuspecting friend. Yep. Hecks yes for witty and erudite (by this I mean "learned or scholarly") children's literature which doesn't shy away from words and ideas of a gargantuan (and by this I mean "very large") nature.

[littlemanpoet]

I assign staying up late and getting up late the next morning because there's nothing you need to get up for. Very rare these days. *sigh* :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Days that are perfect for coats and hats and scarves but don't require gloves, with sunlight and leaves on sidewalks and wind that is cold but doesn't insist you be that way too.

Hot soup for lunch in small establishments with live music. Good company. Good tea.

Pumpkin pie!

Autumn makes me happiest of all the seasons.

[Thinlómien]

I assign reading a good book that is not fantasy. :D

I always seem to read either fantasy books or not-so-good non-fantasy books. Small wonder I read mostly fantasy.

[Kath]

Spending the evening with family members you don't see that often, and having a surprisingly good time considering you know a grand total of 3 people in a crowd of about 20.

Good food!

[Mithalwen]

Coming home - I love travelling but Dorothy was right....

[Brinniel]

I assign doing something for once on a whim.

I went to the box office to buy tickets for Wicked for Sunday's showing only to find out they were all sold out. I was ready to go home when I ran into a friend and he invited me to sign up for the lottery for tonight's show. And what do you know, I won! So I got two seats for a $20 discount. The last thing I expected to do tonight (a school night) was see a Broadway show...but I did and I had a blast! :cool:

[Orominuialwen]

Moving to a climate where fall feels more like late spring or early summer.

Discovering that despite the miniscule size of your college (about 485 students, including grad students), there is still a large enough population of Tolkien fans to include someone who makes movies of The Silmarillion and enough people interested in watching the movies to warrant a Saturday-night showing in the lecture hall.

Unexpected compliments, when even the complimenter doesn't realize what they're doing.

Cheese and crackers, especially when good cheese is hard to come by.

[Lhunardawen]

Singing in a chorale.

Learning to sing alto after having spent all your life singing soprano.

Having a Christmas song (or several) stuck in your head.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I would probably send the latter one to Mordor. . .interesting.

[Lhunardawen]

I would probably send the latter one to Mordor. . .interesting.
Oh, but I love Christmas songs! The ones stuck in my head, anyway. Who wouldn't love Carol of the Bells, for one? :)

[Oddwen]

Who wouldn't love Carol of the Bells, for one? :)

Mwahaha...I love Carol of the Bells...I would sing and whistle it at Burger King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQyib5ZQZY) for hours at a time...hours at a time...

I assign good times at an otherwise crummy job to the Shire. Some of the sweetest memories can be gleaned from those times.

[Orominuialwen]

Long holiday weekends spent with friends.

Almonds and cashews.

Marathon games of monopoly.

Summer weather in November

Late-night outdoor conversations.

Watching silly movies well after bedtime.

Pumpkin cheesecake and bacon-and-cheese stuffed mushrooms.

[Lhunardawen]

Together with your best friend, being able to install and get a printer working, despite practically being technologically Neanderthal.

[Volo]

Going to a restourant and messing around harmlessly.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

The online alarm clock that helped me get up and do my "homework" this morning.

I realised at 3am that I had no other alarm than the one in my phone which I had left at my grandmothers place, knowing that I can easily sleep 10 hours I was quite desperat. . .but then I found the online alarm clock which helped me to get up after only 7 hours.

[Kath]

Handing in one essay and already being 500 words through the other! It won't last, but it's heartening to know I can do it when I really try.

Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. :D

[Valier]

I assign CFL football, we just won the Grey cup and this city was just crazy,in a good way. Everyone gets into the spirit, from little kids to the really old. My boss at work even painted her face for 3 days straight to show her spirit. She now has the stained S's embedded on her cheeks. I like that it is something everyone can share together. Everyone parties hard and no one fights.

[Finduilas]

I assign still getting lettuce from your garden after Thanksgiving. Sadly, I don't think that will last long.