What do you "assign" to the Shire?

[littlemanpoet]

I feel we could stand to balance the negative
of Mordorian assignments with something more positive.
The contrast to Mordor
is not Valinor,
which is beyond the girth
of Middle Earth.
It's the Shire.
So in case you tire
of assigning from your ire
to Mordor, you might desire
to give some thought
to what you're quite sure ought
to be in the idyllic Shire.

I'll start.

Groves of tall trees never to be cut down.

Neighborhoods in which people passing by greet each other as a matter of course.

[mormegil]

People who are willing to help for no public recognition or money

[Gil-Galad]

All my lady-friends from the downs of course... :smokin:

[Lalwendë]

Cold, malty ales freshly hand pulled from oak barrels, served in heavy glass tankards?

Vast trenchers brimming with succulent roast beef, strong cheeses and fresh crusty bread?

Large chocolate cakes with chunks of fudge and with rich, foaming cream just falling out from the centres?

And then a nice soft lawn under a shady tree, beside a babbling brook, the perfect place to sleep it all off?

[Oddwen]

Hobbits, of course. ;)

[Mithalwen]

Dry cider and soft red wines.

Welsh butter.


Homemade marmalade - not too sweet.

Toad in the hole

Treacle pudding

(Well I think they would like a lot of food..)

Tabby & tortoiseshell cats -if the fine breeds are destined for Mordor let the Shire have down to earth moggies.

Larkspur and bluebells cornflowers and poppies - typical country garden and woodland/meadow flowers. The sort you usually can't buy.

Down duvets and pillows

Huge, squishy sofas and sheepskin cushions.

"Traditional Afternoon" tea

"The Archers" and Radio 4

I am going to stop now since I can hear the Elgar Cello Concerto playing....... :eek:

[wilwarin538]

Every member of the downs.

All the teachers who passed me.

All members of the downs.

The colour blue.

Happy faces. :)

Did I mention all the downers! ;)

[Nimrodel_9]

Flowers, music, poetry, books, late nights, late mornings, and the smell of cookies baking?

[Encaitare]

Libraries. Forget cellar door; public library are two of the most beautiful words in the world.

[Elianna]

My big brother telling me bedtime stories in his deep bass voice, or my big sister who is Lúthien...

Just bed time stories in general. Grand adventure, eucatastrophe, and "happily ever after, till the end of his days..."

Home-made banana nut bread, still warm from the oven.

[mormegil]

Tolkien and his all his works

[Anguirel]

Lots of things I love just don't seem appropriate for the Shire. I can't really see the Gaffer much appreciating Anthony and Cleopatra...I'm more of a Grey Havens or Lothlorien type really...

However, elderflower cake.
Eggs so orange-yolked you think there's a fire.
Good stilton.
Courgettes and their golden flowers.
Lemon curd.
Hog roasts.

What, you say, something non-edible? Alright, if you insist. Punts. A perfect way to travel down the Brandywine (though preferably with someone else doing the work...)

[Gil-Galad]

Not to be a jerk but it was Antony and Cleopatra, a simple mistake i can assure you that

[Celebuial]

Hmmmmmmm....

Chocolate eclairs

Really big bath tubs

Lots of Bubble bath

Books to read in the bath

Kingsize beds

Pillows

[Elianna]

Pillows

And of course Pillow fights. :D

[Lathriel]

Ice cream !!!!!!

Books

Sunshine

Fellow tolkienites

of course libraries too :D

[Celebuial]

How about giant libraries full with all the Tolkien and Tolkien related book's ever written, that have sofa's and kingsize beds and pillows and allow food and pillow fights as long as the book's aren't harmed? And maybe special bathrooms so you can read in the bath? And big window's to let all the light in? That sound's like a good way to sum everything up, what do ya think?

[Elonve]

Song, dance, ale!

Homemade butter like mama makes it...

warm fresh "hearth" brown bread.

soup... especially mushroom!

scones and clotted cream.

sitting in front of the fire while torents of rain fall from the sky cuddeled up on your loved ones lap with the dog at your feet and a blanket over all of you while reading poetry to each other and sipping hot cocoa with little marshmellows and whipped cream on top.

fresh organic vegetables.

having a picnic on a clear full moon night...

roast chicken with tiny crisp potatoes and sweet carrots around the chicken. with stuffing of waterchestnuts and wild honey and bread ... gravy of course...

steamed puddings

i can go on and on!

Elly
________
Anal black (http://www.****tube.com/categories/81/black/videos/1)

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Perhaps redundant because the Shire will already have it but.....

Peace and quiet. :D

That is the best.

[Evisse the Blue]

Chocolate that you melt in a cup of hot coffee with milk.

Quiet summer evenings.

The scent of lilac flowers.

The scent of freshly mown grass.

Fresh fruits.

Fresh air. (truly fresh and unpolluted, rare thing, nowadays. Of course, the Shire will have that on its own, but I'll send it just to be sure ;D).

Fluffy creatures.

Irish music.

[Kath]

Hot chocolate on a really cold day.

Everything soft and peaceful.

Sunshine.

Grass and greenery.

Happiness.

[Orominuialwen]

Brat Fest (http://www.bratfest.com/). Four days devoted entirely to the consumption of sausage (brats, otherwise known as bratwurst) to raise money for charity. I just got home from 5 hours of wrapping brats...

[Larien Telemnar]

Reading a good book by a warm fire with a warm cup of tea.

Getting a letter from a long lost friend.

Kittens.

Puppies!

Babies of all kinds!

Chocolate: Light, Milk, Dark, White, any kind!

Cooking, and eating good food!

Friends and friendly get togethers.

Card Games.

Boiled Eggs.

No Orcs!

People who make you smile and feel better after feeling really bad all day! Thanks all! :D

[Elonve]

Bailieys Irish cream! ;)
________
The girls next door forum (http://www.tv-gossip.com/girls-next-door/)

[Mad Baggins]

Large comfortable, cushy chairs and large comfortable, cushy ottomans.

Fresh, clean, crisp vegetables and fruit.

Cheesecake.

Roaring fires and blankets to curl up in on a cold night.

A cool pond to swim in.

Many, many friends.

[Elonve]

fish 'n' chips (with vinegar!) :D :p

el
________
CALIFORNIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY (http://california.dispensaries.org/)

[Larien Telemnar]

Food!

Mushrooms!

Goats milk!

Steak!

Meat!

Apples!

(I'm hungry, can you tell? :D uh, fish 'n' chips with vinegar?) :confused:

[littlemanpoet]

I take it, Larien Telemnar, that you are not British, nor live on the east coast of the U.S.? Fish and chips (with vinegar) is a British favorite, comparable to the U.S. predilection for a burger and fries. Or maybe that's a bad example. Pizza and beer? Oh, that's another import. um...... I think you get the idea.... :p

[Garen LiLorian]

Antique books
Leather armchairs
Fireplaces
Big dogs (in front of the fireplaces)
Rooms that contain the above
The sort of New-England/European/English thing of having really narrow streets lined with actual houses
Irish Coffee

[Larien Telemnar]

I take it, Larien Telemnar, that you are not British, nor live on the east coast of the U.S.?

Noop, I live in the midwest. I've only left the state a few times, but I hope to visit other countries someday! Yep, this Hobbit's going on adventures!

Peace.

Quiet.

Round Doors.

[Strider]

Simplicity.

[Orominuialwen]

Warm apple pie

Big mugs of whole milk

Window seats

Waking up late on a Saturday morning with the sun streaming in through an open window on to your pillow.

Ceili dancing

Instrumental folk music

Violins and mandolins

Lemonade

Lying in the grass under a tree, reading

Wildflowers

Sausages

The Ragg (http://www.cds-boston.org/ecdc/vol3/TheRagg.mp3). It reminds me of the Springle-Ring.

[Encaitare]

Finding a particularly soft patch of grass.

Lying on the lawn with one's friends and lounging doing nothing in particular.

Children with big eyes and big smiles.

[Elonve]

what i imagine vienna to be like.

perfect

beautiful cobble stone streets with ancient beautiful houses of arcitextural wonder...

or like The Beacon in penryth :smokin:
________
Headshop (http://headshop.net/)

[Holbytlass]

funny people that share stories of their past and you laugh so deep and hearty that your sides ache.
children
chocolate
rollercoasters

[Lhunardawen]

Chocolate: Light, Milk, Dark, White, any kind! Unfortunately, white chocolate has been sent to Mordor (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=395538&postcount=142).

There's only one thing I can think of right now...bubbles!

[Holbytlass]

Unfortunately, white chocolate has been sent to Mordor (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=395538&postcount=142).

Muwahaha- by yours truly :D I didn't mention it here because I was trying to keep things upbeat!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I would assign patchwork and quilts to the Shire. With the Hobbits' love of bright colours and comfortable things, I can well imagine them sewing leftover bits of their clothing fabrics into cheerful patterns for blankets and other things. There would be cotton calicos for the summer, cozy wools for the winter, and the scraps of velvet (from the rich Hobbits' clothes) would be made into decorative crazy quilts, like those in Victorian days.

Quilting bees are a sociable activity I could easily imagine taking place in the Shire. At first thought, one might wonder if they'd have time to sew, what with meal preparation taking up so much of their day, but since the families were large, I'm sure some of them were able to pursue other handcrafts. I can see the Hobbit women and girls sitting around a quilting frame, gossiping about Bilbo's quirks or whether Rosie wasn't going to look for another fellow soon, now that that Samwise chap had disappeared so long - and the fact that the armour Merry and Pippin wore must be horribly uncomfortable and heavy...

I'm sure Tolkien would have approved, as he was all for handcrafts instead of industrial production!

[Lathriel]

This message should be sent to the Shire. My granparents are becoming hooked on LOTR!!!!! :D

[Lhunardawen]

Is it just me, or did anybody else wonder why a lot more are being sent to Mordor than to the Shire? Is the world generally filled with things that belong to Mordor?

I admit to being quite an active poster in the "What do you assign to Mordor?" thread. Every simple annoying thing in my life I send to Mordor, when I find the time. But the other day, while I was contemplating whether or not to send a certain very Mordor-worthy something to the Black Land, a thought came to me so hard I could have touched it. ( :rolleyes: ) Isn't there something in bad things that could make them more appropriately sent to the Shire instead?

Just a thought.

[/rant]

Now that I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, I'd like to send parents and their children to the Shire. Perhaps the serene environment will give them the opportunity to understand each other.

Or maybe just Fea and Sauce. ;)

[Orominuialwen]

I assign penny whistles, cookies, lemonade, long conversations, ginger ale, unconditional love, summer, hand-knitted scarves, swings, long skirts, and apple-picking to the Shire.

[Kath]

In answer to Lhuna's rant, maybe it's just easier to think of things that are bad in your life because you take those that are good for granted.

So to the Shire I assign everything I take for granted.

[Nuranar]

I assign to the Shire...

Open windows, curtained with white muslin blowing in the cool breeze
Breezeways every which way through the house
Breezes that are cool
Air that is pleasantly warm and no more
Sunlight that's warm and gentle
A sun that is cheery and yellow
Blue, blue skies
Puffy white clouds
Big tall white and gray and blue clouds (not green) that shimmer with lightning, pour out rain on the grass and garden, toss the leaves and branches with fine, stiff gusts, and move off into the cool evening
Dark, cloudy days in season, with stiff, nippy winds and warm, bright clothes to bundle in
A good fire inside when the day is cold outside
Birds that sing and play in the birdbath all day long, even in the afternoon
Tall, tall trees that aren't necessarily pines
Spreading pecan trees with branches drooping to touch the ground, laden with big fat green pecans
Chasing squirrels away from said pecans
Canoeing up down the river/creek, unmolested by heat or bugs or other wildlife
Large families with cousins and uncles and aunts and neighbors, all dropping in to work and play any time in the day
Singing simply for the joy of it, and the fun of playing with harmony
Singing and talking while working with one's hands - companionship in labor
Roses that bloom all spring, summer, fall, and into winter

[Dimturiel]

I assign starry nights to the Shire, and rainbows, and winter evenings when everything is silent and the snow glitters on the ground. I also send my dog there and all other furry creatures.

[The Only Real Estel]

Drawings of fellow Barrowdowners.

Sleeping in late on Saturday mornings.

Delivery pizza to the rescue.

Theme parks.

Werewolf games (especially when I have time to play in one).

Those one or two really great friends that always seem to be there for you.

[Lhunardawen]

Volcano islands.

Crater lakes.

Islets in the midst of those crater lakes.

Geology field works!

[Orominuialwen]

Friends who are there for you even when family members aren't.

[Lhunardawen]

I just realized that I sent a Mount Doom-like thing to the Shire.

A dormant island volcano, then. Just so they could enjoy the beauty of it. :)

[Firefoot]

Still, cool mornings, when the sun is just peaking over the horizon and the birds are singing and the sky is blue, and you feel like you're the only person awake in the world.
The same when you're with your dog.
Beautiful autumn colors and fall leaves. Sugar maples.
Long walks under the same.
The month of October.
Beautiful blue skies... especially in October.
Running barefoot over cool grass, especially in the early morning or under the stars.
Still mountain lakes.
Hiking trails and pine trees and clear, pine-scented air.
Rock climbing in the Black Hills with my cousins.
Mountains...
Forests.
Eagles, horses, dolphins, wolves, cheetahs, and all other manner of magnificent and beautiful creatures.
Sitting out on the front step and watching thunderstorms.
The type of rainstorms that roll in and roll out just that fast and leave the world fresh and new.
Log houses.
Good books.
Good puzzles.
Time to enjoy said books and puzzles.
Peace and contentment.
Faith, hope, and love.
Beauty and wonder.
Singing just for the joy of it.

Everyone should have to do this once in a while... it's very much a healthy relaxant.

[Lathriel]

I know this was mentioned before but... BOOKS!!!! LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOKS !!!!!!!
Plus a nice big lake which is perfect for canoeing and swimming.

[Orominuialwen]

Waltzes
Small children

[Oddwen]

Small children
Um...how about small napping children?

Yeah, sleeping babies should go to the Shire. Not just because they can be loud when they're awake, but because they're so sweet looking. :)

[Elonve]

Lager.(i.e. Guinness)
Warm duvets to curl up under...
Warm brandy and honey.
Freshly baked bread.
Cream of Mushroom soup.
Kosher Chicken sausages.
Chocolate.
High-altitude Coffee.
Ice-cream.
The warm feeling you get when you smell your boyfriend.
The smell of the ocean on a midsummers eve.
Lamb and dolmados and Greek-slata and Turkish Delights.
Tuna and brot when camping.
Imense peace.
Good beach.
People to flirt with.
Strawberry tarts.
Kisses.
Hugs too!

Organic everything (like at home :( )...
________
Zx14 vs hayabusa (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_bike_is_quicker_kawasaki_zx_-14_or_suzuki_hayabusa)

[The Saucepan Man]

Lager.(i.e. Guinness)Guinness is not lager. It is stout. And therefore most certainly belongs in the Shire. :D

[Elonve]

My mistake Saucepanman...:p

Spotted dick (i suppose the vulgar jokes will start...)
________
Free vaporizer (http://howtomakeavaporizer.info/)

[VanimaEdhel]

The first day of exciting new classes
Free afternoons after morning classes
Flip-flops
Coffee
Sweet people
Laughter
The night (my favorite time of day)
Love
Friends

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The entire month of October in my home town. When the mornings are cold and grey and the grass is cold and wet. When you breath the air and it's never felt so fresh. When the sun rises as you leave for the day and you see the pink sky greeting you. When it warms to a comfortable 60 degrees and the sun gently falls upon the crimson and gold leaves still fragily perched upon the branches of ancient trees. When squirrels chatter from above as you walk silently across the grass. When the sky grows terrifyingly dark and an unexpected afternoon storm blows its way through, inconsiderately pulling your carefully styled hair from it's place and blowing water droplets at you until you let your hair down, turn your face to the sky and laugh with the thunder above you. When you wake up to the first snow fall of the year... and immediately run outside with no coat to throw a snow ball. When you realize just how cold it is and drink hot cocoa under a warm blanket, curled up with something of Tolkien's. When the weather is changing and you still cling to summer, but you can't wait for the first real blizzard of the winter. The sort of soft snowfall that only arrives after the first cruel ice storm. The mewling kittens that cuddle up to your neck and purr. When your overgrown puppy holds still long enough for you to fall asleep using her as a pillow. When you just can't stop laughing. And when you have a good cry and feel all the better for it. Receiving unexpected letters from friends that miss you, and receiving unexpected compliments from friends you've just met. When you get stung by a bee and the RA treats your minor problem as though it is simply the most important thing on the planet to her... and you know that at that very moment... it is. When you know that you are away from home for the very first time... but you realize that you aren't away from people that love you. When it occurs to you that Firefoot is right, and that this particular exercise is very good for your mood.

[The Saucepan Man]

Spotted dickOh really? Where was he?

*groan*

Well, at least it's not vulgar. Cheesy maybe. But not vulgar. :D

[VanimaEdhel]

Now that I'm not rushing off to get somewhere:

New York - the city, the suburbs, the whole thing. Even a long commute - an hour and a half each way. Riding the train at nine-something in the morning. Watching the sun growing higher. Seeing people just like you on their way to a long day. You look out the window and you see the Hudson. You know it's polluted - that it would be bad judgment to swim in it, and that you should be careful even eating fish from it - but right now it looks so blue. Except it also reflects the hills - some of them still virgin land, trees as far as you can see, with birds soaring overhead. Some mornings you see deer from the train window, eating in the woods. You hear the quiet chugging of the train from inside the car - it's going to be a hot day, over a hundred degrees, but for now you're in the air conditioning of the car. You turn on your favorite music - the music you listen to almost every day when you're going into or returning from your job in the city. You know all day you'll be fielding phone calls, listening to customers and your employers, but right now your ears are your own. You can choose what you hear - either the cool riff of the saxophone in jazz or even the sharper riff of Carlos Santana's guitar. Or you even choose a group like Athlete or Embrace, hearing a quiet song building into an all-encompassing anthem. Singers singing of other lands, loves, cities just like yours - in a different time and place but still the same. Because music can connect us all. You see people around you, reading the atrocities in the paper, but being somehow soothed by the headphones they have on. You sneak a look at the display window: 50 Cent, Beethoven, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Nirvana, Modest Mouse, Annie Lennox, Eminem, 'N Sync - every possible artist with every possible genre. But they're all connected because that's what it's about - that's what the city's about: music. Listen when you walk through it - you can almost always hear music somewhere. And if you don't hear music, you hear a rhythm. The city has a beautiful rhythm from the time you step off the train until the time you get back on - it's as though it's breathing. Next time you're in New York, listen: it goes in and out and in and out. A steady, melodic breathing of people, machinery, cars, animals, life. And it's a see of color - skin, fabric, art, buildings - anything you can imagine, and a feast for your ears: Yiddish, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, English, Korean - I would hear all of these every day on my way to work. The little things - the doorman greeting you every day, asking where you're going to lunch, what designer you're visiting, whether you have to pick up a dress, if you're going home for the day, what days you're working this week. A conductor on the train not charging me for taking an On Peak train with an Off Peak ticket - smiling and asking how I am, getting a large drink when I ask for a small, with the provider smiling, he asks me how long I'm working in the area. Some men holding a door open for me, or helping me when I do have to carry a dress through the rain, even though I'm only walking three blocks or so. Coming into the cool, cool air of the collective after walking through hundred-something degree heat. The relief of the finality of the day - walking back through the heat, the journey seeming so much shorter, stopping to watch someone play music along the street - even in the evening, the music is still coming - seeing the college students protesting in front of the library, stopping at a small coffee shop to order an iced coffee before climbing on board the train, sitting down, examining my sore feet. Once again I put my headphones on, the day complete, out of the noise of the phones and the customers and the heat and the chaos. Sitting next to someone who's curious about my work - curious about where I'm going to college this year. Then climbing off the train and seeing my father in the car. Going home and seeing my cat - and my dog, though I'll never be able to see him again, seeing as this is the one week anniversary of his death - seeing my mom and having dinner just almost ready - but there's time to shower, wash the city off of me, forget the rhythm and the beat for now. Immerse myself in the silence of the suburbs - the silence punctured by the sounds of crickets, which in themselves sound almost like more silence. The drone of the Yankee game - the outcome important but not imperative. Relaxing on the couch, in my pyjamas, retreating into my own room - my own room - with the silent darkness, the blinds drawn, the silence and the dark colliding so that fantasy and reality become one. the soft feeling of my mattress, my pillows that smell like me - not like a dorm or a new smell, but me.

At the same time:
Boston, a new city, my new source of freedom and excitement. Different from New York - there is no pulse to Boston, no groove. You just meander. When I try to create my own beat, it gets lost amidst the chaos of walking. You walk to get somewhere, not to establish a beat. But there are the colleges - the students just like you, male, female, of every race and religion you can imagine - even just all in your one Residence Hall. People your age to be with every day - people who share your passion for learning, who want to go to class, but who also want to party at the same time. Going to class during the day with compassionate teachers who want to be there - who teach because they love people your age. Then at night on the weekends, going out - the excitement of leaving your all-female campus, venturing out. The cool breath of night whispering on the back of your neck, the sound of shouting, music, joyous celebration coming from the fraternity houses and dormitories. Men, women, boys and girls all together celebrating their youth. You know that it is time to embrace it and love it - make it your own. Conversation and flirtation with a random stranger, the pulse of music, making up for the rhythm the city lacks during the day. Talking about what you want to do with your life: your hopes, dreams, aspirations, none of them out of your reach. No one tells you to be more realistic or to explain your motives - they have their reasons for wanting to be doctors, biologists, engineers, so you must have your reasons for wanting to learn about Middle Eastern Studies, International Relations, Theater. New friends - the awkwardness of new friendships - the excitement of it. Learning about your similarities and finally reaching the point when the boundary breaks and you feel like one - the first time you hug a friend when she's leaving to go home to New York for a weekend. You hug her and miss her and envy her returning to New York. But you rejoice at your own ability to stay - leaving Friday means she can't come with you Saturday night, when the world becomes alive. The smell of the bus, looking out the window as you cross the Charles River - the city nowhere near as impressive as New York at night, but quaint - beautiful, even with some of the tallest buildings still being churches. The laughter as you discuss a desperate guy making a move on you, the jokes about the people who get out of control, the comfort of being with friends - not by yourself - as you're venturing out into the world of strangers. The exchange of e-mails, phone numbers, the invitations to come back whenever you want - and to bring more friends, as many friends as you can find. Coming home exhausted, sleeping, dreaming of him and her and them and us - of all pronouns in all tenses, mixed, evolving and swirling. Because that's what college is about - the combination of pronouns, putting them in order in your life: I, we, you, he, she, them. But also always knowing that you'll be able to go back to New York, to leave the pronounces and the static and return once again to the rhythm and silence.

[Elonve]

Spotted Dick is a desert. Not a human!

;) Nevermind I take it your not from Great Britian?
________
BUY MARIJUANA SEEDS (http://marijuanaseeds.org/)

[The Saucepan Man]

Spotted Dick is a desert. Not a human!Dick wiped the suet from his brow as he scaled yet another great sponge dune.

“Custard, custard …” he muttered incoherently through parched lips. A shimmering on the horizon caught his eyes. Was it the fabled Sticky Toffee Oasis, or merely a mirage?

He had been wandering the great Pudding Desert for days on end and currantly had little raison to expect rescue. Some earned their bread and butter crossing its great expanse but for Dick this was no mere trifle.

Happily, salvation came only hours later when a passing caravan of caramel traders spotted Dick.


Nevermind I take it your not from Great Britian? :D

[littlemanpoet]

no mere trifle.

Oh, how gloriously bad!

You messed up though! It should've been "no mere truffle"!

[The Saucepan Man]

It should've been "no mere truffle"!Ah, but a truffle is not a Great British Pudding (http://www.puddingclub.com/puddingclub.html), all examples of which I hereby assign to the Shire (in an effort to drag this thread back on topic from the mischeivous side road that I have taken it down).

[Nuranar]

And I simply must assign biscuits to the Shire.

[VanimaEdhel]

The opportunity to have ice cream as long as the dining hall is open. I only eat it once a week or so, but it's nice to see it there. Someone endowed the school with money for "24 hour ice cream" because they thought it was the one thing missing when they went.

[Bêthberry]

Yorkies (http://store.shopenglandonline.com/nesyorbar12o.html)

Note point of shipment. :D

And

Terry's Chocolate (http://www.kraft.com.au/confectionery/index.cfm?fuseaction=TERRY.main)

And

Marmite (http://www.marmite.com/)

Some may prefer to send this last item to Mordor. ;)

[piosenniel]

Marmite !!! :eek:

I'm sending the shiriffs out now - no bottles of pureed marmot will be allowed in bounds.

;)

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What would I assign to the Shire?

Spring with its call to life; bullfrogs among the rushes at the edges of The Pool; fiddlehead ferns unfolding

Summer with it's thick lazy days, the air filled with the drone of bees . . . healthy bees, beyond number, their legs heavy with pollen

Autumn clean and chill about the edges; smoke curling in the air as fields are burnt off; quilts airing in the meager sun then folded away with the last of the dried lavender so they'll be fresh when the snows come

Winter chapping the broad faces of the lads and lasses; crackling fires in the hearths; and old stories to get us through the dark

~*~ Pio

[Lyta_Underhill]

In the spirit of VanimaEdhel's rant on the experience of particular cities (I've never been to Boston, and NYC only the airport, so I'll add my own Southern fried experience of a city much talked of recently):

My memories of walking through New Orleans, the particular and unique steam and stench that mixes with the dust of ages and hints of dust imported from France long ago, the pleasant cryptic maze to find a single well-hidden grave in St. Louis Cemetery Number 1 and the strange selfless moment when you divest yourself of something, anything to offer as you scratch three X's onto the monument of Marie of Family Glapion and make a wish...the history in miniature as you see bouquets of flowers and thank you notes surrounding the special yet homogenous crypt stone....then, then pang as you wonder if it is still there now. Memories of long afternoons spent searching for the 'Chicken Man' of Voodoo, heedless of where that might take you; knowing there are secrets for the discovery if you only set your eyes on the right things in the City of New Orleans.

Cheers!
Lyta

[Lalwendë]

Marmite

Some may prefer to send this last item to Mordor.

Marmite, AKA the Food of the Gods. *drool* :p

To the Shire with:

Finding wildlife in your garden, even though it's a tiny city garden. I have seen squirrels and bats here this year, and there is a large female toad who lives under the shed, but it seems a brood of baby frogs has made a home in the Lobelia. One is larger than the others and has been there a few weeks but last night around 8 little frogs hopped out when I went to water the plants. There are also several colourful Orb Weaver spiders making their webs around my garden, including one right across the back door.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

A pencil set. Not new, because no art supplies can be perfect unless they have taken on a bit of their owner. But nearly new, and still a novelty. With several pencils in different hardnesses and shades of grey... three separate sticks of charcoal, still clean-edged. A brand new kneaded eraser waiting on the side lines to help you when your hand strays. A tortillion, for seamless blending. A well-crafted sharpener that keeps your tips perfect. The feeling that comes from working with high quality supplies. The feeling that comes from knowing how hard you worked to pay for it.

You're camera, and the feeling you get when you just took an incredible picture... and you know it.

[Elonve]

I agree about marmite...

Garlic bread fresh from our clay furnace.

I daresay tagletalle with alfredo sauce and green beans, asparagus and tofu?

Iced lemon tea.
________
Magic Flight Launch Box Vs Iolite (http://www.vaporshop.com)

[Encaitare]

Really comfy suede boots that look vaguely elvish and don't give you any blisters at all. Flowing skirts and beaded bracelets. And vests of all sorts.

Betcha can't tell what I'm wearing today. :p

[Nuranar]

Pecan praline ice cream.

Soft pillows and cool sheets on a hot summer/fall night.

[Nuranar]

A yellow crescent moon, sailing in a sky of scudding clouds.
A warm, blustery, dark night wind.
A hint of coolness that presages fall.

[Glirdan]

A starry night and sitting outside looking up at the stars with your girl/boyfriend.

I know this one was already said but it's to good to not say again, those few friends that are there for you whenever you need them.

*Coughs* Wilwa *Hack! Hack! Cough!* ;)

and of course....

PARTIES!! :D

[Encaitare]

Collaborations by fantastically talented people (ie: Burton & Elfman, Burton & Depp, Gaiman & Pratchett).

Late-night cartoons.

Hanging out with the guy you think you just might fancy. :rolleyes:

[THE Ka]

The Shire has me thinking lots of things, mainly though, these things:


The all knowing Bernard Shaw. I don't know why, but I could see him acting like god in Shire quiet comfortably. Don't get me wrong, he's a wonderful man, but I don't know how those poor hobbits could keep an argument with the man, being that he hasn't any friends and his enemies love him.


A middle-classed dandy. Comfortably situated leaning on a fence, exploiting his vainity to the young hobbit boy working in his mother's garden.


...And of course: A good, robust, flaunting, merry-minded flower garden. Especially those prideful Sunflowers.


~ Aesthete

[Orominuialwen]

Birthday parties

Running around in a dark back yard with your friends, making each other laugh like crazy.

Gifts, especially the homemade ones.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Long talks with old friends that go late into the night, so that you quitely watch the sunrise before going off to bed, (and wakeup a few hours later to start the day in earnest).

[Elonve]

caramelled granny smith apples!
Horse riding!
________
Uggs (http://uggstoreshop.com/)

[Orominuialwen]

Afternoon naps.
Celtic knots.
When your mom finds the penny whistle you lost and have been looking for for several weeks.
Thinking about the fun you'll have playing the new music you got on your violin once it's done being fixed. (Oh please oh please oh please let the repair guy call tonight and say he's finished!)

[Glirdan]

Any kind of fiddley type music.
Music in general.
Playing my clarinet. (CLARINET'S ROCK!!!!)

[Nuranar]

Teaming up with two of one's brothers, one's mother, and four miscellaneous AirSoft weapons, to trap a nasssty little thief - er, a nasty little pecan-stealing SKWERL - on the roof. :p

[THE Ka]

Your relatives stealing sets of spoons...

It's really weird when this happens in your family, almost exactly as it does in The Hobbit. Really, why would someone want a set of spoons, when there's furnishings in your name? Relatives are a strange species...

~ Aesthete

[Lalwendë]

Now my proposed new addition to The Shire wouldn't have strictly met with Tolkien's approval, but nevertheless, a perfect place could not be truly perfect without them.

It is the mp3 player. What a brilliant invention! You can have your entire music collection (minus those boring filler tracks) in your bag at any time - and when you have a conversation about whether Debbie Harry was a good singer, you can whip out the mp3 player and prove your point. :)

Course, it also means you can listen to audio books of Tolkien's work whenever you like, too. ;)

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

It is the mp3 player. What a brilliant invention! Ooh, I second that. I bought my very first mp3 player last Saturday and it's really handy.

I send to Shire those little moments when you have been practising and trying to do something difficult and then a part in your brain goes ´click´and suddenly it occures to you how to do it. Like how to juggle three balls, for example (I just learnt that last week).

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I send to the Shire (lovingly packed in bubble wrap) the following:

Swedish Fish. After a tiring morning of running from meeting to class, to class, to meeting, to meeting (eating lunch on the way), being able to raid the junk food store on the second floor of the campus center and come back with a bag entirely full of swedish fish, gummy worms, peach penguins, peach... thingies... reese's peanut butter cups, chocolate, dark chocolate... and soy milk (but that's to atone for my unhealthy sins just listed, I promise) to consume while writing a half dozen papers. For some odd reason, Swedish Fish just make it easier to rewrite a C paper and turn it into at least a B.

Understanding professors. The kind that readily admit that your favorite aunt's wedding is more important than a Saturday morning class and are happy to excuse you from it because you asked so nicely and in advance. The kind that go off on as many tangents as you while telling stories. The kind that spends extra time praising one single paragraph of your latest paper: "Eventually, she will die."

Practicing for ages. When you know that you are not the most talented in your class, be it music, dance, or even acedemics, but you practice whenever you can. Knowing that you are working your absolute hardest, and that your instructor respects you all the more for it. And finally, after so many frustrating mistakes, finishing a song or routine and knowing that you nailed it.

Bubble paper and the fantastic fun opportunities that it allows for. Especially the huge kind, with four inch bubbles.

Eomer of the Rohirrim's signature.

[Kath]

Tractor transporters! :D Like car transporters except for tractors! That was so cool! We were just driving down the motorway and there it was with 4 nice shiny tractors balanced in the most precarious positions. My dad wasn't best pleased as we had to drive behind it for a way but it was so cool!

And yes I know, but it doesn't take much to please me :D

[the guy who be short]

Shoving one's mouth full of grapes before chomping down, releasing loads of juice. Mmm... What experiences in life can rival that?

[Kath]

Shoving one's mouth full of grapes before chomping down, releasing loads of juice. Mmm... What experiences in life can rival that?
I shall tell you. Trying to pick up said grapes with chopsticks and accidentally flinging them across the room and hitting your headteacher in the back of the head. But that's not the best bit. That honour goes to then ducking down in the chair and seeing your head give the filthiest look at the girl who has been a plague on your life the past couple of weeks.

Man that felt good :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Lazy days, full of warmth and calm. The way the rain patters on the flagstone and pools on the sidewalks. The way I just considered writing "pavement" instead of "sidewalk". A muted grey overhead of miles of cloud, with low fog hugging the tree tops of the forested hills. Walking calmly through the weather, enjoying every raindrop to caress your face, while laughing warmly as the breeze picks through your hair, carefully bringing chaos to what had looked so prettily styled. Knowing that you will have ringlets framing your face before the day is up, and not particularly minding.

Devoting an hour of what free time you have to helping local teachers with their charges. Knowing that you aren't getting reimbursed, but not caring, because the experience of working with the kids is what you were after. Feeling like continuing in that sort of vein, and offering your umbrella to your friends, as they are getting soaked, and you truly don't mind the wet. Knowing that since you plan on studying in Britain within the next few years, this is probably not a bad thing.

Taking long afternoon naps and waking up to a poptart and a nice memory of how you BSed your way into a 100 this morning in class on a reading quiz where you managed to read about a paragraph out of forty pages. Yes... Cortèz was a conquistador. And he just so happened to have been in Mexico. Who else is impressed with Fea's imagination?

[Lhunardawen]

Eomer of the Rohirrim's signature.
Eomer of the Rohirrim himself.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I would like to send to the Shire the fact that Headache Week (the week before Finals Week) lasts only for a week.

See? You can rant while remaining positive! :D

Actually, I think Headache 'Week' (or Hell Week as some call it) lasts a fortnight.

*sigh* There's always a critic.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

A beautiful queen who wakes you up in the middle of the night and makes you smile.

Tall trees with thick foliage.

Free manga--so even though I miss episodes due to class, I still know the story.

LEGO.

Frees.

The 2-hour commute home--it allows me to gather thoughts and actually try to finish my writing.

Squatter and Rimbaud's exchange in Tolkien's Letters (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?p=417527#post417527).

Hugs--even hugs from giant spiders are nice.

[Lathriel]

A day when you have nothing to do and you can simply curl up in a chair and read a good book.

[Alcarillo]

A day when you can stay in pajamas till 1 in the afternoon.

Moleskine notebooks.

Bookstores and libraries, especially the big ones that cover city blocks and have their own parking garages.

Playing my clarinet with the window open and a slight breeze coming through.

And traveling by ferry.

[The Perky Ent]

A cozy little room with an endless library of books and CD's. And of course, The hobbit hole Cafe (http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol61/951013/7a.html) located just around the corner :)

Oh, and of course, Maple Street Bookstore (www.maplestreetbookshop.com/ (http://www.maplestreetbookshop.com/)) It's a great store where the people there know you and care about you. It's divided into a children's bookstore and a regular bookstore. It's a great place where people grow up and remember it. It's filled with great books, at fairly good prices. If I'm going to buy an important book that's on the bestsellers, I'm going to buy it there! Plus, their motto (which is also a free bumper sticker they give away) is 'Fight the Stupids!'

http://blogs.salon.com/0002967/images/2005/08/20/fightthestupids.jpg
Not my car, but the only one I could find with the bumper sticker :D 'I care', and 'Fight teh Stupids' next to a 'W' bumper sticker. Ironic?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

A beautiful queen who will not tell you off.

People who can forgive you for your procrastinating. (There's quite a lot of 'em in the Downs. ;) )

The fact that Headache Week is over.

Yeah, but now Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Week* begins.

Well, yeah, but that too shall pass.
__________________
* Due to all the paper-writing.

[Lhunardawen]

Take home Geography finals (gives a big :p to Nilp)

Not having to travel two hours to pass the said final exam, thanks to E-mail

Idle days

Semestral breaks! Yay! :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Good friends, good food, good times.

And knowing that in five days, you will be home for the first time since Uni began. And knowing that once there, you have a wedding to go to... the perfect excuse to wear the perfect dress you so serendipitously discovered in your size and that fits you like it was made in your honor.

That sort of thing belongs in the Shire.

[littlemanpoet]

Uffington Castle; The Vale of the White Horse; and Wayland's Smithy; ... and a fresh breeze blowing over that hill on a cool morning as the ubiquitous sheep graze absolutely everywhere outside of London.

A great English Pub, just down the valley from the White Horse, called The White Horse by the way, that does bed and breakfast, and offers great English Rarebit. Yum!

Oh! Well, these two are so close to Oxford they probably ARE in Tolkien's Shire.

Villages called Wootton, Buckland, and Wood End, all within 30 miles of Oxford.

The North York Moors. Yes, I realize that they seem more like Forodwaith or maybe Fornost, but you're just so high up, the wind blowing at gale force, nobody else anywhere near, it's 8 Celsius (about 45 F) not including the wind chill (brrr!), and you're out on the moors looking at the oldest man-shaped stones you've ever seen. The sun is close to setting and York is an hour south and far below, and you feel like you're literally at the top of the world, even though it's only about 1,000 feet above see level, nothing but purpling heather ... and sheep .... and the world sloping away in every direction.

[mormegil]

This is one of those rare occasions when I'll admit the Brits have a better word than we do.

"Adverts"

I absolutely adore this word and when said in conjuction with that british accent it makes me oddly excited. This is a shire word if there ever was one even though the actual adverts have been banished to Mordor the word belongs here.

[Lhunardawen]

Exemptions from Asian History exams. Especially when you've been given all the time in the world to study for it, but because of the relentless hold of procrastination in your system you just did the night before, and all you think about as you sleep is "Manichaeism...Yuan Dynasty...Fujiwara Clan..." and stuff like that, and the moment you wake up you've been gripped by a fear that this time you're really done, and you arrive in the university a few minutes late, only to find out you have an option not to take the exam.

[Gandalf_the _white]

i would send my worst enemy to the shire so they could learn the good things in life, (and so they were out of my way lol :p )

[Glirdan]

Hmmm.... I send the arts to the Shire. Music, art, drama, dancing all that stuff. It makes one feel happy inside, does it not?

[Orominuialwen]

Movie marathons--12 hours of LotR!
Mushroom-Barley soup (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=326344&postcount=101)--It's the perfect Hobbit food.
Hugs, especially from people you don't get to see that often.
Flaming bananas-- You slice them lengthwise, put a lot of sugar on top, and take a blowtorch to them. They're absolutely wonderful, especially if you get to do the blowtorching. :smokin:
Combinations of all of the above. My Golden Ring Marathon was fantastic!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Artistic inspiration. When you've got an idea, and you just can't wait to begin. When it's killing you that your glue gun is at home and you haven't got any aluminium foil, but that it's okay, because you've got all of Thanksgiving break to do it. When you can't wait to raid the scrap bins for fabric to sew a bag that is taking shape before your eyes. When you can't help but giggle at the prospect of actually incorporating "meaning" into a project, instead of concentrating solely on asthetic appeal, and knowing that you know exactly what you're doing, and how you're doing it. The sudden spark that ignites your entire outlook into a sudden inferno of excitement... that rush belongs in paradise.

Also, hours-long talks with old friends. When you've been out of touch for far longer than you'd have ever liked, but you suddenly discover a simultaneous break in your equally busy lives that allows you to simply sit and catch up. When the speed of your typing correlates directly to the size of the smile on your face, which keeps getting bigger as you realize just how much you missed gushing about the wonderful things and pouring your heart out about the hard to the most trusted guy in your life...

And the kind of memories that bring a goofy smile to your face that when you're called on, make you blush. I like the Shire. These happy thoughts are brightening my outlook even as I write.

[Cailín]

This is going to sound terribly silly.

I assign to the Shire that one girls’ bathroom at our university library. It’s the most wonderful bathroom I‘ve ever come across in the entire world. It’s in such a remote place in that labyrinth they dare call a building, hardly anyone is able to find it, but once you have, it’s so rewarding.

The walls are covered with poems, famous quotes and declarations of love to long-dead poets, phone numbers, sketches of Shakespearian theaters and advice. You are always the only there - despite the many different handwritings and names that can be found on the walls. On one of the toilet doors, one can find the following message:

After four years, finally done. I will never forget this bathroom.

It’s like a novel in itself (and I have a far too romantic mind).

--

Also I like to send chocolate chip cookies (though I'm sure I'm not the first) and that cute bartender at the Irish pub, who is so skilled in getting even our teachers slightly drunk. :D

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Silly? Not at all. . . Ok mabey a bit.

I have been in a bathroom like that and what a joy. . . :D

[Gandalf_the _white]

a bathroom? :rolleyes: watever floats ur boat lol :D

[littlemanpoet]

I assign to the Shire that reawakened awareness of the trees, bushes, and air around as you walk that comes when you let yourself believe that something from Faerie might just peep around the corner, or from within that pine tree, or scuttle (thanks, Lal) between the bushes, and you just know it's not a four-legged critter. :eek: :)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign relaxing hours with a good book. I finally understand what my mum tends to mean when she says "I just don't have time to read." and yet... I make time. And it works out especially well when you truly enjoy reading required course-work.

I guess it's more... I assign the feeling that you get when everything just kind of falls into place to allow you to learn, relax, and enjoy yourself all at once.

And I assign great teachers. Everybody has had good teachers, who make you learn, and make you work, but has anybody else ever had that one teacher? That one that truly changed your life for the better? Who challenged you, and who helped you, and who you knew was always there for you. The one to make you laugh, and with a single admonishment, carried the power to make you cry, and never once in the world would consider using that power. The teacher that cares more for you betterment than their own personal lives, devoting many hours of their off-work time to their students. The kind of teacher that makes you think... "I wish I could be like them."

[the guy who be short]

Call me crazy, but French A level belongs firmly in the Shire. So rewarding, so beautiful, so how learning French should be.

And Aldous Huxley's corpse should definitely be somewhere in the Shire. Pala is perhaps more Shirelike than the Shire itself.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

People who, when you encourage them to read a good book, do it, and find it as fascinating as you had hoped they would. They can relax in the Shire with said good book.

[Glirdan]

People who say you did fine when you know you messed up belong in the Shire.

[Orominuialwen]

Ice cream, especially when shared with wonderful people.

Friends who care about your self esteem and are even more hopeful that things will work out well for you than you are.

Robot costumes, even ones that people need help getting in and out of. Especially if they involve little whirring fans and flashing lights. In fact, I'll just assign robots in general.

Long weekends.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I believe whole-heartedly that the color blue should go to the Shire. Not just any blue, but every blue. The blue of the sky on a fall afternoon, when the failing sun saturates the shade with unreplicable brilliance... The blue of the early morning, before the sun rises, and the only real illumination is the stars... when that blue, so nearly black, is visable in the pre-dawn sky, and you can't help but shiver at the cold air of a day not yet come, but you await the sunrise eagerly, because when that blue is in the sky, you know that day shall come again. You know that anything is possible, and that all it takes is a little more patience, and miracles can happen. When that blue is in the sky, you know that a sunrise is near.

The blue of the ocean on a cold and windy day, when the waves are capped with white, and you can't see beneath the surface... that is the blue of fear. You cannot tell what lies in wait beneath the chaotic organization of one wave at a time... and yet you can't help but wonder, and imagine. You place your trust in whichever boat, or plane, or anything, that you are held by, and you hold your breath and you wonder. And when the whales break the surface, and you gasp in awe... that is the blue of amazement.

And my favorite color isn't even blue... I prefer green. :)

[Lalwendë]

I send to The Shire the taste of a really good pint. I don't drink, and the last time I had one was August, but I had one yesterday (Theakstons) and it was very, very nice indeed. Cool and hoppy and fruity. ;)

This is also to be followed by fish and chips. What could be better than fish 'n' chips at the seaside? :cool:

[Orominuialwen]

Polar fleece, because it's just so wonderfully warm and soft and fuzzy.

Those moments when everything just suddenly makes sense and you truly see how just a bunch of disjointed events or ideas are all connected and interwoven into a whole.

Doughnuts. I'm not talking about those icky shortening-laden store-bought ones covered with icing that's just pure sugar with a little water added, I mean little homemade deep fried ones with either powdered sugar on top, or real custard in the middle (not 'creme'). Having those only a couple of times a year is more enjoyable than store doughnuts every week, and probably better for you in the long run (despite all that grease and sugar.) :smokin:

[Kath]

Going back to school (I know, I know, I sent that to Mordor already) after having a week off due to illness and having everyone ask if you're better now. It's lovely to know that people care about you and missed you while you weren't there. And the best bit is that even though I'm really behind with my work, because my dad plays tennis with one of my teachers, they all have very exaggerated reports of just how ill I was, and so I have all the time in the world to catch up!

So my dad goes to the Shire too, for being so unwittingly helpful :D

[Encaitare]

Talking to old friends for the first time in months. It's a very nice feeling because you just pick up right where you left off. Similarly, saying you and your ex-boy/girlfriend are going to stay friends and actually making it happen.

[Lathriel]

The Beginning of winter should go to the Shire because it is nice to have krisp new snow and it makes you think of Christmas.

[Eonwe]

indeed it should. when it gets here :rolleyes: . can't wait.

im sure they eat at least one huge bowl of chili a day in the shire. anyway they should.

[Orominuialwen]

Umbrellas. As well as being excellent weapons, they keep me dry when it rains.

Fuzzy slippers. They're just so warm and comfortable.

Doing better than you expected at something and having people compliment you afterwards on what a good job you did.

Peanut butter. But only the kind without sugar and all sorts of nasssssty preservatives and goodness know what else. The kind that only has peanuts and salt is the perfect Hobbit food.

Fencing. Especially the fact that after two years of being mediocre to bad at foil, I'll finally get to learn saber, which I suspect I'll be much better at.

People who make you feel happy, even when you're trying to be angsty and sad.

My light purple shoes. Just because they make me inexplicably happy.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Swedish women. . . eeh let me rephrase that to: Women who speak swedish.

I don't know what it is, but it sounds so beautiful, that you forget that she is talking incredebly fast so that you only understand 10% of what she says!

The funny thing is I don't find Swedish in generel beeing a beautiful language. When it is spoken by a male it is just another ordinary language, this could be explained easely by the fact that I am automatic atractet by allmost every female with in a radius of 50 m.

But no! You see, women who speaks french dos not affect me, but then again french is an overrated language.

German is a better exampel, I like german and nothing happens when it is spoken to me.

To sum it up: I assign women who speak swedish to the Shire.

[Plastic_Panda]

rain! my friends, and ya, i guess Planet Tolkien and the Downs....

[Kath]

Accidentally causing your friend to fall off the climbing wall (from a safe height!) and then seeing the startled and completely bewildered expression of said friend as they try to work out what just happened. Closely followed by the fit of hysterics you get upon seeing this face, where you're laughing so hard that tears are pouring down your cheeks and you can't breathe.

Yesterday was fun :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The guy who, after your advisor tells you that what you plan to do is against the rules, has no qualms about helping you bend them. Making friends with administrators is a good tip for any college students [or potential ones] out there. But seriously, the people who understand that ivory towers are occasionally fun places to hole yourself up in and who have absolutely no issues with admitting you into their class (against the rules, in this case), or letting you take it with no grading involved (not against the rules, but nobody tells freshmen about these things) after you explain that no, you don't have to take the class because yes, you did test out of it thus meeting the requirements for your major, but sure will allow you to take it anyways because you simply want to. The ones that you don't have to explain your point nor purpose because he got it as soon as you started to speak. And that he's got the most laid back southern drawl imaginable doesn't hurt, as you notice that as you chat, you begin to pick it up a bit yourself, not even noticing your born-and-raised-Northeastern one disappearing. Of course, mah own ax-int came back ree-lee fas' aft r'I left. I'm sendin' tha' t'the Sha-er too. :D

So to sum up: I'm sending to the Shire the guy that's letting me take a class that I'm technically not supposed to and I'm sending my own accent.

[Himilsillion]

Southern Germany during Oktober Fest :D

[littlemanpoet]

When the segment of the story you're writing passes muster such that there's no criticism, but eager curiosity about the story itself. Especially when it's a segment that you really felt you were "in the zone with" when you wrote it .... eight years ago ... and barely reworked at all, especially especially when you thought that it might not be that good, and then you're told that it flowed well. That belongs in the Shire, right under the Party Tree, on September 22nd. :)

[Lalwendë]

To The Shire with: lovely, fluffy, colourful Doctor Who scarves. In fact, scarves in general, but the longer and fluffier the better. It's the comfort blanket grown-ups are allowed to have. I have just got my first new one of the winter and it was so difficult choosing just one from all the lovely scarves I saw (and felt, though the assistants in M&S were looking at me funny ;) ).

[Thinlómien]

Nice substitute librarians at my work practice place who let me and my friend leave two and a half hours earlier than we should have left.

[Kath]

General studies (most pointless lesson on the planet) teachers who decide they really can't be bothered to teach you and give you a sheet and say that so long as you have read it and don't bug anyone else you can have a free!

Oh also, meetings. Sounds odd I know but when they get you out of psychology they feel like bliss :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign the feeling you get when you see a really good grade on a test that was going to make or break your first semester psych scores. If I'd done badly, I'd have considered dropping the course. But getting an A on a test created by one of the 'hardest' professors at your school (that even other professors agree is difficult) absolutely makes your day.

Also, the feeling that comes with watching a respected professor label your work specifically "because people are going to want to know who composed this." It's such a feeling to know that no matter how little confidence you might fall to in other classes, that you still have a bit of talent for music theory.

[the guy who be short]

My local library, in all its wonder.

Need an obscure book hardly anybody has heard of? Written in 1945? Only one edition printed? No problem, we'll have it at your nearest library in three days.

:D

[Lhunardawen]

Walking through the mini-forest in my university in mid-afternoon, when the sun is shining but not too glaringly brightly, and there is no pressure to hurry up because your last class of the day (Calculus) has just ended.

Oh, and my Calculus prof. She's incredibly funny and has lots of wonderful stories to tell. And the term has just begun...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The feeling of accomplishment that comes after a long day. When sure, you spent a good portion of your day stressed out, but the end result was totally worth it.

Accidentally daydreaming in Psych only to snap back to reality and realize that for the first time all term, you weren't paying complete attention and you didn't actually miss anything important.

Knowing that your hometown library system got the book you wanted and that it's waiting at home for you to read in your pyjamas on the couch with your dog as a pillow on your first weekend of break.

When even though you got your pride handed to you on a platter by a ten year old that beat you at chess because you weren't paying attention and got your queen killed off four moves into the game, the look on his face when he realizes he's winning makes losing entirely worth it.

When you find out that the most random people think you are amazing, and you really haven't got the faintest idea why, but decide to ponder it over a peach smoothie until your lack of anything resembling a high attention span kicks in and you start playing with something shiny instead... and it doesn't bother you any.

Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving break, and the way it feels to know that you are about to see the people you love most in the world.

Totally acing a performance and the absolute rush you get when you and your companions run off stage to the echoing screams and applause of the packed theatre.

And the best... absolutely best thing of the day that has to go to the Shire:

Realizing that you've just finished your term paper, and that you're probably going to get an A on it. And the split second that it occurs to you that you've got nine days of break in a day and a half and you don't have to think about your twenty-page research paper once during the entire time. :D:D:D That's a good feeling.

[Melilot Brandybuck]

Wow, a lot of you have described Exmoor, where I live. For those of you who aren't from the UK, it's a small protected National Park and AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the SW of England.

I reckon Jackson could have filmed the Shire scenes here. We have beautiful scenery, green rolling hills, moorland covered in heather, and we have real honest-to-goodness barrows here too. I walk my dogs past a series of these burial sites nearly every day. I always imagine the creeping hand under the soil guarding hoards of treasure.

Exmoor is full of tiny communities, like the shire. Exmoor even has Shire-ish sounding villages and places: Wootton Courtenay, West Buckland, Withiel Florey, Aldermans Barrow, Elworthy Barrow... I could go on and on.

The pace of life is so gentle here. It's full of old farmhouses, old fashioned people, tiny village shops. Little bakeries full of cakes, pastries, good breads. Butchers shops selling locally produced meats. Cosy little pubs with open fires selling ales by the pint. It's as close to the Shire as you're ever gonna get. I sometimes wonder if Tolkien ever visited here, the way he describes the Shire is pure Exmoor through and through.

[littlemanpoet]

Wow, a lot of you have described Exmoor, where I live. For those of you who aren't from the UK, it's a small protected National Park and AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the SW of England.Welcome to the Downs, Melilot! :)

I was to England this September past, but only got as close to Exmoor as Bath. More's the pity. I wanted to get to Glastonbury, but one can only do so much in three weeks. Maybe next time.

[Melilot Brandybuck]

Thanks for the warm welcome Littlemanpoet.

Ah, shame you couldn't make it as far as Exmoor. It is so lovely here.

Bath is a great place to visit, with its unique Georgian architecture and history - I esp. like to visit the Roman baths. Glastonbury is OK, very crowded in the summer months and to be honest I have never sensed any mysticism or spirituality. Maybe all the crowds soak it up and there isn't enough to go around...

Exmoor's great if you love hiking or riding and you want to see the English countryside with a sense of an age gone by. Not so good if you're looking for clubs, dancing or night life. But if you're looking for history, Iron Age remains, old druid's groves, wild deer, soaring hawks, heather-clad moorland, ancient woodland, medieval churches, thatched farmhouses, then it's really worth a visit.

[Lhunardawen]

Having a chat with a good friend, one you haven't seen for more than a month although you study in the same univ. Especially if you have to step out of your math class (while discussing logarithmic functions) for several minutes in order to do so. :D

[Lalaith]

On Sunday afternoon I was walking on Richmond Hill when I saw a large crowd of people gathered. I wondered what they were doing, and then I realised they'd all stopped to look the beautiful sunset. There were all sorts there - shoppers, families, people walking their dogs, drinkers with pints in hand who'd come out from the pub across the road.
The sunset and the view were absolutely glorious, with the purple trees and river stretching out covered with mist, but I also loved the fact that so many people were spontaneously enjoying it.

[Roa_Aoife]

Let's see- best friends who let you complain about your life at 3 in the morning, seeing the love of your life again after 3 months apart, Pepsi, and professors who truly love the subject they teach.

[Orominuialwen]

Getting to see and talk to a friend you've barely seen and haven't had a proper conversation with in 3 months belongs in the Shire. We hadn't talked or really seen each other at all because our schedules are completely different and my friend got a girlfriend, which rather takes up his time. Hopefully now people will stop thinking I'm his girlfriend! :rolleyes:

[Lalwendë]

Sorry, but this just is not going to Mordor - Christmas. It's my very favourite time of year, and my favourite time of the whole year is between 4 and 6pm on Christmas Eve. It's gone dark, you get the lights switched on, and maybe watch the Carols from Kings on BBC2 while you finish off trimming those parcels and stashing them beneath the tree. You have a drink, maybe a mince pie (even if you don't like mince pies, this is compulsory), and peruse the Radio Times for what's on TV later. All the time you're remembering what it was like when you were excited about what Father Christmas was going to bring you, and wondering if you'd see him - even though you also remember that the Christmas you stopped 'believing' was the one where you woke up to find your dad, dressed in vest and underpants, putting the presents under the tree at 5am, and swigging the glass of whisky he always told you that Father Christmas preferred to Sherry. ;)

I'll stop now because this must be making everyone sick... :D

[mormegil]

I'm sending the delightful movie A Christmas Story to the Shire because it is a fun yearly tradition to watch at least a segment of that but usually the entire movie. For that matter I will send all the fun Christmas traditions to the Shire where they shall stay....

See Lal, you're not alone :)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Then let me assign The Nightmare Before Christmas , I wached it 4 times last christmas and it was not one time too many.
I am planing on doing so again this year.

[Kath]

Oh definitely The Nightmare Before Christmas! That's a wonderful film.

I'll add going to midnight mass (though I'm not religious :rolleyes: ) just so you can walk home in the freezing cold afterwards absolutely hyper!

[Roa_Aoife]

In the holiday spirit, I assign New Year's Eve. It's the one time of year all my old friends from childhood get together in one place.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Inspiration and people who understand it. When your professor asks you at the beginning of class how your final project is coming and you tell him to go away: "It's grand. I haven't worked on it since before break, but I just had an idea, that's why I'm writing. Go away so I don't forget." And he does with a smile.

The way it feels to stare intently at your hands while manipulating them into different shapes and then, ten minutes later, finally deciding that a small black smiley face on your pinky will convey the necessary humour. And then getting so involved in photomanipulation that by the time you finally look up, the 1 1/2 hour class had ended a good 15 minutes before, your classmates were gone, and you were still more focused on your project and the precise hue desaturation of your face than you were on the clock.

The total lack of caring about the rain that's pouring down on you even though you're cold, you're soaked to the skin, and the wind is blowing, because as you walk back from class, you're still lost in thoughts, and they are cumulative. When inspiration strikes... and you don't ever want to stop writing, and you don't ever want to stop creating really cool stuff.

And to expand on what others have recently sent to Mordor: seeing your best friend for the first time since summer. The relaxed silence, because you already know what's being thought. Curling up under a blanket on the couch in the wee hours of the morning with a dog between you and a cat on each lap, and being unable to stop smiling because you're finally together again and have shared the giggling moment that comes when you see the big diamond on her left ring finger and the jokes have already passed about the bachelorette party that you get to plan.

Oh, and this fantastic dessert that I'm eating. Wow.

[Formendacil]

I'll add going to midnight mass (though I'm not religious :rolleyes: ) just so you can walk home in the freezing cold afterwards absolutely hyper!

Ooooh...

Excellent choice!

I second the motion!

Albeit for somewhat different reasons (I am religious)... I love that Christmasy, Christ is born, after Mass feeling as people mingle in the foyer ere they return to their homes.

And I herewith assign our church choir to the Shire. They always do an awesome job!

And, now that I think about it, I'd like to assign the word "ere" to the Shire. It is simply an awesome word.

[The Saucepan Man]

Personally, I just love the excuse to eat and drink lots and get loads of presents.

:rolleyes:





I'll get me coat ...

[the guy who be short]

I send to the Shire raw, physical happiness. It's just as good as deeper, spiritual happiness, in my eyes. Happiness is happiness.

I also assign to the shire warm coats. So, SpM, if you are leaving, you'll have to do so without he coat. :D

And, finally, the healthy / environmentally friendly / feel-good feeling you get from switching from bus to bike, obtaining a recycling bin, or pledging to drink lots more water.

[Dimturiel]

Christmas defintely goes to the Shire, and so does decorating the Christmas tree, and so do carrols. I also send snowfalls there as I find nothing more relaxing than watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. It truly gives you a great feeling.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I send to the Shire raw, physical happiness. It's just as good as deeper, spiritual happiness, in my eyes. Happiness is happiness.
Happiness is happiness? I never knew. I assign Aldous Huxley and the awesomeness that comes from chatting over his works with intelligent people.

[Roa_Aoife]

Assign to all good philosophical debates. You know, the ones that really get your mental juices flowing, excite the adrenal, and bend your brain in whole new ways. Even if you never reach a conclusion, you still feel a sense of satisfaction.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I would like to add my voice to those who want to take their Christmas decorations with them to the Shire. I go all out with mine, and it takes the better part of several days to take down all the "normal" pictures and bric-a-brac and replace them with Christmas nativities, angels, stars - and quilt wall hangings on a combination of those themes. I've begun a series of blog entries showing some of the decorations, in case anyone wants to see - yes, the link is still there in my signature. Just look closely...

[Lalwendë]

Esty - you've got lovely decorations, and your candle arch is identical to mine! I hang star shaped lights above it in the window (or attempt to, as they invariably fall down), and my tree decorations are all silver and gold, with a lot of stars - I buy just one or two new ones each year and love getting the old trinkets out.

Well now I don't feel like I've begun too early now - though the full 'bedecking' will not begin til the 10th (when a certain someone is out of the house and unable to complain if I get into tinsel frenzy... ;) ).

[Lhunardawen]

Oh, definitely Christmas. Its commercialization goes to that place far away to the East, though.

And the sudden enlightenment that came when my Calculus instructor taught us infinite limits a while ago. When we were taught that in high school last year I was totally lost (no offense to my teacher then, and may he rest in peace), but this time I began to get it. It's amazing.

[Kath]

I assign getting offers at universities after you've been nervously biting your nails for nearly 2 weeks and have just been wondering if no one wants you! Also, getting the offer from the one place you really want to go to!

:D I love the postman!

[Phervasaion]

I assign getting offers at universities after you've been nervously biting your nails for nearly 2 weeks and have just been wondering if no one wants you! Also, getting the offer from the one place you really want to go to!

*gulp* I am still waiting for mine... It isnt a good feeling, I know ;)...

Perhaps I would assign something simple, yet brilliant... Like taking part in sports(and winning)....

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign the simple de-stressors of college life: knowing that you've got at least one less thing to do on your monumentally huge list of all the assignments that have to be completed within the next week.

Francis Bacon was Shakespeare? Who cares. But is my class going to think so by the time I'm done with them? Heck yes. If I can get you lot to trust me when I'm a werewolf, just think of what I can do to a bunch of exhausted 18-year-olds at 8:30 on a Saturday morning.

My strawberry smoothie being thawed enough to drink.

Not doing so well on a psych test... but being able to counter it by having gotten a 90 on the last "homework" (homeworks in this class are huge project assignments given a fraudulently simplistic name to make them sound less scary).

Getting a half dozen encouraging messages before you truge off to take that scary psych test.

Watching snow fall past softly illuminating streetlights on a calm night.

Finishing a tough art project and knowing that the look on your friend's face when she receives it the last day before Christmas break is going to be priceless.

Knowing that you've only got 15 days before you'll be home again.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

"Real" mail is definitely Shire-ish, even in these days of instant phone and internet communication. There's nothing like getting unexpected mail, and when that is a package, and when that package unwraps to reveal a "Shrek" advent calendar - well, that just made my day!

[Dimturiel]

Going out in the morning while it is still dark and finding out that you are the first person to leave footprints in last night's snow. It feels as if you are in a new world and you are the first person to see it.

[Lathriel]

The days when you have no homework. I can't wait for thos days to begin. One week, then exams and then...NO HOMEWORK!!!!!!FREEDOM!!!!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Unexpected brightenings of long days. When you are forced by your conscience to attend an acedemic winter banquet where you are seated with a professor that you don't really know... and he turns out to be pretty cool. When you decline the turkey and nobody questions it. When you stop a server and request a small cup of tea and she brings you the most adorable one-serving teapot along with cream and sugar. When the professor whose class you skipped the same day is seated at the next table over and doesn't see you. When you get back to your room, start working on homework again... and finish before 1:00 AM. Knowing that the third draft of your term paper is due in the morning and that it's finished, it's a really good paper, and you weren't even too bored rewriting it for the third time because you had a friend helping you find what needed to be fixed. The way she adopted my style of marking mistakes in bolded red font so that it's easy to find and explaining the mistake in hilarious terms.

Fun words like ballerino (what do you call a boy dancer?) and Hamlet (a baby pig?) that keep you really amused in the wee hours of the morning.

Knowing that in two weeks, you're going to be home, and that you can shorten that to 13 days if you can convince your big brother to drive down and get you a day early. :D

[Lhunardawen]

Incredibly amusing PMs, especially knowing that the sender/s spent some time writing them.

Maybe I could send the sender/s to the Shire as well.

[littlemanpoet]

Incredibly amusing PMs, especially knowing that the sender/s spent some time writing them.

Maybe I could send the sender/s to the Shire as well.

Ooh, that could be a whole new kind of fun, if you know what I mean (coughassignedtotheShirerpgcough) and you can bet Pio would have a fit. :D

disclaimer: not serious about this one... sorry.

[Lhunardawen]

Ooh, that could be a whole new kind of fun, if you know what I mean (coughassignedtotheShirerpgcough) and you can bet Pio would have a fit. :D

disclaimer: not serious about this one... sorry.Assigned to the Shire RPG, eh?

That's an interesting idea, although I doubt many would share my opinion. Apparently most people find it easier to send things to Mordor than to the Shire...

That tells me the RPG probably won't have enough to go on.

To be on topic, I assign lazy, I-have-nothing-much-to-do afternoons - even though one actually has an Archaeology quiz, an entire epic on the land of Troy, and a Greek tragedy with a woman's name as a title to worry about. :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign those qualities in me that make it so incredibly easy to procrastinate. You see, why would I stop when I'm able to ace projects last minute? I wrote a paper last night... fifteen pages. For Psych. One inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman, with absolutely no toying with character spacing or making the line spacing a discreet 2.2 instead of just double. It's straight writing. If I can do that in one afternoon and still get around six hours of sleep that night... I'm somewhat proud of myself. I'd have been more proud if I'd done the assignment a month ago, but that's something for Mordor, and I'm assigning my good and useful abilities, not my absent-minded lack of enthusiasm for connecting what we've learned all term to my life.

I also assign plot twists, anakronisms, and the phantom because he's able to amuse me in the wee hours of the morning when I'm stressed out, exhausted, and just discovered a hilarious PM about emo-MEN.

EDIT: I also assign what it feels like to be on your way to Psych and to be stopped about half-way there by a half dozen classmates saying that class has been cancelled!

[Lhunardawen]

EDIT: I also assign what it feels like to be on your way to Psych and to be stopped about half-way there by a half dozen classmates saying that class has been cancelled!In line with that, I assign to the Shire seeing a post on the door of your Archaeology lecture room that says class has been cancelled, and your quiz on Philippine geography - which you have not studied for despite your great need to - has been moved to the end of the week!

And I assign to the Shire the wonderful weather we're having here. It's cool, cloudy, a bit windy, and barely sunny. It almost makes one believe that Christmas break has begun, even if it's still a week away. It's perfect...as long as it doesn't start raining.

[Orominuialwen]

Neighbors who plow your street when it snows, even when the dumb city won't. I don't even know who it was, but I saw someone in a truck that definitely did not belong to the city with a plow on it the other day, and lo and behold, when I got home they had plowed my street! Generous people are wonderful.

[Lhunardawen]

My Chem lab instructor, for giving back my quiz paper with TWO smilies written on it. One said "Yay! :)" to congratulate me on my success in balancing a particularly difficult chemical equation. The other said "Ngek! :p" pertaining to the joke I gave as an answer to the bonus question.

The smilies had me scared a bit, but mostly they made me laugh.

Oh, and I assign redox reactions. They are just sooo fun.

[Roa_Aoife]

I assign walking out of a History final, knowing that you pwned the essay question that counted for 50% of the test (no exageration) and professors that encourage debate, discussion, and the expression of your opinion to the point that you can declare that you hate the subject (Business) and think it's the most boring thing in the world, but the class was fun all the same.

[Orominuialwen]

Whipped cream, chocolate mousse, and garlic bread. However, under no circumstances should garlic bread be combined with the previous two!


The way it gets all quiet when it snows. All you can hear is your footsteps, your own breathing, and snowflakes landing in your hair. Even when cars pass by, they hardly make a sound.

[Laitoste]

Being excited about writing a paper.

Sending a long letter to your grandma, who will then go and show it to all of her "geezer friends". (Her words, not mine :D )

Snow falling outside my window, nearly blending into the metal sky beyond.

Only having two more classes of Chinese left!

The quiet anticipation after getting the glorious, creased, blue package slip in your PO that proudly proclaims, "SECOND NAME ON BOX", meaning someone somewhere loves you.

Picking out the perfect gift for a whole 3 people on your list!

Smelling the real Christmas tree my friends decided to put up in their dorm room.

The relative calm restored after the insanity of Christmas Fest (too many old people in Norwegian sweaters).

Excitement over next semester's classes.

Watching my roommate get excited about getting up early on Saturday morning to eat breakfast with Santa in the cafeteria.

The Christmas postcards my roommate's mom's Sunday School class sent to her (especially the ones who don't know how to write!).

Knowing you still have an hour before facing the frigidness of the front desk.

Taking a much-needed nap on the window-seat.

Stupid puns in the middle of long classes.

The candlelight services on Christmas eve when we sing Silent Night a capella with all the sanctuary lights dimmed and our candles glowing. Even our top school choir can't beat that heavenly sound.

Feeling connected to an entire gymnasium full of people during the Christmas Fest choral concert, and getting to sing, even though you aren't in choir for a reason!

Tomato soup and Swiss cheese.

Long discussions about moving to France or South America with friends and raising sheep or llamas, even if only in jest.

Being told by one of your professors that Socrates would like you.

[Oddwen]

Stupid puns. And the people who hate them.

The synths in The Deftones' "Change (In The House of Flies)" and lostprophet's "Sway".

[Eonwe]

lets see...

The Trans-Siberian Orgestra! Lazer shows. Wicked solos. Rocking out to the wonderful music of Christmas Carols.

Wonderful nights out with friends, celebrating a surpise birthday party.

OOOO! and Saturday mornings off from work! and sleeping in till 10:30!

oh oh! and knowing that Chritmas break (aka, skiing in West Virginia) is only three days away!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The feeling of completion that comes from finishing your first semester of college life. After a few nights thinking "How am I ever going to manage this?", knowing that you've got at least a few As heading for you and knowing that even if you bomb Psych, you still did your best and couldn't possibly have tried harder. It's a good feeling to know that you tried your hardest, even if you don't succeed because it means so much more to you than success with minimal effort.

I also assign small smiles. Not spontaneous ones, though they too are welcome, but the small, hesitating smiles that come from glimpsing something that truly makes you happy. Those smiles are what make me grin.

[Lhunardawen]

I know I've conassigned ammonia to Mordor, but that's just specifically 1.0 M ammonia. I assign ammonia in smaller concentrations to the Shire. Only when I've almost fainted myself did I realize how helpful the chemical can be. It still smells a bit Mordor-ish, though.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Getting your wallet back, with all your cash and cards. :)

(look in the mordor thread)

[Laitoste]

The fact that my dorm is really bad at this whole quiet hours idea. However, I do live in the "smart" dorm, so it can't get much quieter than usual. But no one freaks out if you talk loudly in the hallway in the afternoon.

I also want to send taking a study break to go see the Chronicles of Narnia with a group of people you don't know very well or haven't really talked to in about two months and having a good time anyway. Oh, and the Late Night Breakfast at the caf last night...and being served by the residence life staff. :D

[Lhunardawen]

Four hours of staying in a bookstore where you can read, cover-to-cover, whatever book you like.

Of course there's no harm having more hours to spare. :)

[The Saucepan Man]

This will probably be seen as heresy by some here, but I hereby assign Peter Jackson to the Shire.

Despite his recent astonishing weight loss, he is still a Hobbit in my mind.

And not content with giving me three of the best film experiences of my life, he has now gone a step further and given me a fourth. His re-make of King Kong is awesome! :smokin:

[Lalwendë]

Finishing work for Christmas. It doesn't get much better than that! :D

[the guy who be short]

Working to save somebody else some time or energy, and knowing how much they'll appreciate it. The kittens are going nuts today. :)

Philosophising with people you not only like, but also respect, and the feeling of awe that it might, just might, be mutual.

[the guy who be short]

Coming back home after a fun expedition, with Jacques Brel running through your head, to see the moon so large, bright and yellow that you momentarily mistake it for the sun. And then watching the clouds dance across it and doing nothing but staring. Apparently, it wont be brighter for another 25 years.

My first experience with Old French. Beautiful.

Reading books more than 50 years old. You really start to appreciate the English language, its complexity and beauty and the panaply of words to discover. The sad feeling that books seem to be dumbed down these days may belong to Mordor, but the nostalgia of old books definitely goes to the Shire.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I assign that danish tv channals assosiate LOTR with christmas!

Tomorrow evening they are sending TFOTR and the day after TTT, next year they will probably include ROTK. :)

I can allso remember that some years ago they send that animatet/normal film around christmas.

[Farael]

I assign vacations without knowing all your final marks and therefore not worrying about them!!! I can't start calculating my GPA and such things right now so I'm in heaven.

[Parmawen]

Organic salad (the kind that sometimes has bugs in it)
Peeling potatoes
Really red tomatoes
...(the shire makes me think of food, either that or I'm hungry.)

that and Furry feet of course!

[the guy who be short]

Snow.

I don't know why either. There's just something about semi-frozen water precipitating that just makes me oddly happy. Everything looks so pristine and fresh.

Of course, I am warm, indoors, and not desirous of travelling.

[Orominuialwen]

Christmas lights. Whether you're driving by houses that are all lit up at night, or you turn off all the other lights in the room to look at your Christmas tree, they're just so beautiful.

Homemade eggnog. It's delicious!

Going back to a piece of music that you previously couldn't play at all and finding that it's easy for you now because you've become so much better at the instrument.

Gigantic icicles.

Scarves.

Christmas carols.

The feeling you get when you've just pulled off a really difficult piece of music and you know your choir did a good job.

[Amanaduial the archer]

People are just alot better at moaning maybe. Why else has the News, a whole programme devoted mainly to bad news, has lasted so long? ;)

I am going to stop now since I can hear the Elgar Cello Concerto playing....... As a cellist, I must here interrupt you, Mithalwen - you every tried playing that?! 'Tis pain to the fingers, nay, to the whole arm! ;) Lol, however, Elgar would certainly be there - some of his short pieces such as 'Serenade' and 'The Shower', as well, of course, as a few of the Nimrod variations: may I suggest Nimrod, written as it was as a tribute to a loyal, lasting friend, (Jager, Elgar's published) and therefore very suitable to the little folk of the Shire and the stoicism and loyalty they are so marked for; Romanza, for the more amourous of tweenies - an ode to the courtship of Rosie and Sam maybe!; and maybe the 11th variation, 'G.R.S', for it's mischief, so portrayed in characters such as Merry and Pippin.

Yeah, I like Elgar. ;)

[Mithalwen]

Alas I am not so gifted ... if time and motivation allows one day I would love to learn (I did violin but apparently I am temperamentally more suited to the cello :p ) - and people always assume I can play because of a passing resemblance (when a little younger) to a young Jacqueline du Pre .....

[Amanaduial the archer]

Alas I am not so gifted ... if time and motivation allows one day I would love to learn (I did violin but apparently I am temperamentally more suited to the cello :p ) - and people always assume I can play because of a passing resemblance (when a little younger) to a young Jacqueline du Pre .....
Lol, what an assumption! I have several recordings of her playing on my computer actually - actually, if you watch my sister and I while listening to the faster passages, you may witness an incredible phenomenum...as we actually turn a mild shade of green with envy! ;)

I also assign raspberry jam. Terribly important to get your toast just right.

[Mithalwen]

Well yes but strangely true..... just shows how appearance can be deceptive... but The Barbirolli version goes to the Shire even though it will remind me of sitting on the music room steps and crying my heart out the day she died. to keep it company I will send Yo-Yo Ma's Vivaldi disc...

[Kath]

I second TGWBS's assignation of snow! Woke up this morning to find the whole of Faversham covered in a white blanket. Half an hour later we were down in the park with sledges.

Also getting back from said sledging absolutely soaked in mud because you acidentally fell off the sledge half way down the hill and getting into a nice warm bath.

[Lathriel]

I assign the complete score of FOTR to the Shire. I love that music, it is great and I can't wait for TTT and ROTK.

I also assign the moment you learned you did much better at a course then you thought you did. I did much better with my philosophy(Logic) course thean I thought and that makes me happy!

[Cailín]

All good things that brighten up a dark period. As for example:

- Getting drunk on Belgian Chocolates.
- Ice-skating on the Dam.
- Christmas shopping when you have no money to spend.
- Baking cookies and chocolate cake and watching silly romantic movies in soft pink pajamas.
- White wine and Christmas tree decorations.
- Winning the Risk game three times in a row while pretending to be completely indifferent and clueless (it drives people mad, seriously.)
- Friends who will never let you forget high school.
- Dressing up all your six Harrods Christmas bears.
- Building a tree house with your little sisters.
- After seeing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the second time, looking for Narnia in the big scary closet in the attic and only finding enormous spiders (the spiders going to Mordor, of course, the hilarity that ensued to the Shire).
- Watching Animal Planet after midnight while your friends give all the animals scary voice-overs with a distinctive German accent.

And most of all: my city in winter time. Especially when it has just snowed and there’s a thin silver blanket covering the canal side houses, the church and ancient library and the air is crispy clean and clear and you are suddenly convinced there is not a city in the world more beautiful than your own. I am normally not so patriotic, but I guess it is just Christmas sentiments. ;)

Wow, that became rather more extended than I had in mind. :o

[Eluchíl]

Being carefree, jolly...mildly hedonistic.

Sort of like summer picnics, where everything is temperate and lush and the people just want to be in the moment with friends and comfort. I think that's what the Shire and Hobbits endeavor for all the time, even if it doesn't always work out that way. But then, when does it?

[The Saucepan Man]

The Fireworks over the Thames to herald in 2006.

They were bloomin' brilliant. Wish I'd been there ...

Happy New Year to all fellow Downers and would-be Shire dwellers!

:D :smokin:

[Lobelia]

[QUOTE=Lhunardawen]Is it just me, or did anybody else wonder why a lot more are being sent to Mordor than to the Shire? Is the world generally filled with things that belong to Mordor?

But the other day, while I was contemplating whether or not to send a certain very Mordor-worthy something to the Black Land, a thought came to me so hard I could have touched it. ( :rolleyes: ) [I]Isn't there something in bad things that could make them more appropriately sent to the Shire instead?



Yeah. Gossip. Pettiness. Nosy neighbours - you'd never get THOSE in Mordor! Well, maybe you would - those orcs sure gossip about each other... ;)

Heavy English food, all that fried bacon to start with - erk! On the other hand, if I have to eat bad-for-you food, Sam Gamgee's fish and chips ... mmm :D

[littlemanpoet]

Good point.

[rant]
To the Shire then:

Provincialism.

Being so small minded you care more about your son's weskit missing than any world saving he might have helped accomplish.

Being more proud of the brash and brave looking young warriors than the one who did all he could and lost almost everything to save the Shire for everyone else.

That stuff all belongs in the Shire. And there's more of it, not even found in LotR.

Like caring more about music style than the message behind the music.
[/end rant]

[Lhunardawen]

All those beautiful, relatively quiet HIs...I mean fireworks I saw yesterday. The noisy ones are a different story.

And having January 1 a second longer due to some adjustments concerning the earth's rotation. Not much, but it's still a second. :)

Finally, having classes the day right after New Year's Day! Don't ask.

[Lhunardawen]

Weird stares, especially those that come while you cross the street or walk through a mall while making chicken sounds.

Right, Nilp?

Professors who continually enjoy their holiday breaks when school is supposed to resume on January 2.

Friends you've known for merely months who ambush you the day before your birthday. I was busy celebrating a friend's birthday a while ago (after partly successfully surprising her) when another came up to me and asked me to accompany her somewhere. I ended up being surprised myself as well, although it was rather advanced, but I have no problem with that.

And no classes on the day of your birthday. It protects you from further surprises. ;)

[Lhunardawen]

Cool, I get to triple-post...just like in Werewolf!

I send the number seventeen to the Shire. Aside from (and in spite of) being a beautiful unsociable prime number, it is also the sum of two prefect squares: sixteen and one. Also, it is the sum of 2^3 and 3^2. Interesting, ain't it?

And for that, Lhuna, I send you to Mordor.

Well, see if you can find your way to that thread alone.

[Orominuialwen]

Friends who give you Christmas gifts that are totally unexpected, but yet absolutely perfect. I would've never expected my friend to give me a sound card, but it was absolutely perfect, considering that the sound on the computer hasn't worked for over a year. It's wonderful when people know you well enough to get you things you'lll actually use.

[Noxomanus]

http://www.freeparrots.net/images/articles/20050610174112459_1.jpg

kakapo,the Hobbits among parrots, definately belong in The Shire.

and furthermore,

- the sight of the rising or setting sun over the sea.
- sleeping long
- storytelling
- romance on the beach,especially when combined with a sunset
- kissing the person you love for the first time
- long walks over narrow paths through nature
- my mother's applepie
- discussing
- reading a lovely book for an entire day
- dodos
- sloths
- the Whoolly Whatsit from 'Teddy Ruxpin'
- very soft beds
- libraries
- a few people I met
- lying in the grass with friends,talking about trivial things
- being on my own,lying down and thinking about numerous things
- hamsters
- starlit skies
- cuddling
- caramel
- chocolate milk

[Laitoste]

My roommate, who, when she went to Ireland to visit her sister over break, brought me rocks from Dublin and Paris. But she still didn't take me!

[Orominuialwen]

Robotics (http://www.usfirst.org). Especially all the wonderful friendships that come from the competition. Also, when you start a new season and you know you can look fun to all the fun and craziness you'll have in the next 6 weeks.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Due to the miracles of modern communication and the timely intervention of some very helpful soul, my afternoon of 10 January 2006* deserves a place in the Shire. Wow, I'm really going places. Two places (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpost.php?p=438266&postcount=773) in one day.

As a side note, I send mobile phones to the Shire. What do you mean they're already in Mordor?
__________________
*This despite being pushed to the brink of starvation and waiting three and a half hours for someone. I actually got a lot of writing done!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Magnets. Magnets belong in the Shire. Who can fail to be entertained by them? You can take them and click them together to make fun noises. You can set one on a desk and one under it and make them zoom around playfully. You can clean up paperclips and nails and sort metal from paper in seconds with almost no effort. But the best part is sitting and trying to force together the opposing sides of two really powerful magnets. It... just... won't.... work.........

And I send my best friend at school for knowing me well enough that instead of candy or something "typical" of souveniers, she brought me magnetic rocks and glow-in-the-dark nail polish.

:D

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

The silhouette of a cat in the window over yonder. It is so unbelievably lovely and cool. I could just watch it for hours. And I just might...

Also, water. I know that the Shire already has water but I think we all need to stop and truly appreciate how brilliant water is. I mean, you can drink it and it makes you feel good. You can bathe and splash and sing in it. It truly is a noble thing (and not just water hot). You can also half-fill a bucket with water and place it on the top of a door so that it falls on the person who opens the door. That's amazing fun! :D Plus, rain and rivers and oceans are beautiful.

Shire, don't take thy water for granted!

[Child of the 7th Age]

Baseball.....I am very certain that the hobbits would make excellent baseball players. It is one of the few sporting events where the clock plays no part, and I can't imagine hobbits measuring their happiness with a timepiece.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Smilies. Especially this one. :) I had an especially lovely moment involving this smilie in huge numbers.

Although, this one ;) is quite nice, too. A bit coquettish even, I think.

[Lalwendë]

Baseball.....I am very certain that the hobbits would make excellent baseball players. It is one of the few sporting events where the clock plays no part, and I can't imagine hobbits measuring their happiness with a timepiece.

Maybe they would have played it rather like rounders (http://www.letsplayrounders.com/), the older version of baseball. It's great fun, especially when you have to slide on the grass to get to a post and end up with mucky knees, and you can play it just about anywhere. I remember playing it with a plank and a stone once in the field at the back of our house, with twigs to mark out the posts. :) I often wonder if the game would have died out altogether if it had not developed into Baseball in the US?

[Roa_Aoife]

I assign the first real snowfall of the seasoon, even if it didn't stick.

[Lhunardawen]

A little late, I know, but the full moon definitely deserves assignment to the Shire. It's just... *sigh* ...beautiful. I could spend hours upon hours gazing fixatedly at it.

*howls*

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Several slightly planned hours of dreamless sleep deserve Shire-mentioning. Though it's a little sad about missing those classes that I slept through, the well-rested and content feeling that comes from waking up without the headache you fell asleep with is wonderful.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

There's something very reassuring about munching half-frozen Indian food at nearly 1:00 AM. The way the ice crystals formed over the dinner you ate yesterday evening, branching and spreading like two-dimensional trees across what you know to be so hot that you can't force away the amazement that comes from there being ice at all. Surely the kind of food that can make you gasp for bread is impenitrable by frost?

The slight burn across your tongue and down your throat as the unidentifyable food stuffs (though no meat... you know because you asked) pass through to your stomach where you are a little worried that it will singe a hole. You think you see a pea, but you don't really know, because you've never tasted a pea quite so zippy before now. You wonder vaguely what spices were used in the creation of this fascinating meal, but don't really care enough to find out. After all, the name of it has escaped your thought and you're content merely to eat as much as you can before searching your cabinet for something to blunt the edge of the sting.

It hurts so good, I suppose. The burn allows you to forget the issues that are clouding your judgement. You know that some things in life are really stupid, and some require a lot more thought. You end the night and the post by putting away your really cold (but so darned hot!) meal that was even hotter served at the correct temperature, and knowing that what's really important in life is to order half portions next time and to know that when they say "mild", they meant "wild". You get a pretty decent idea that you wouldn't last a day with some intentionally "hot" curry.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I assign Taxes! YAY

There can never be to many taxes. *doing my tax dance* I pay 39% and that is not high enough!

[Roa_Aoife]

Rune, get help.

I assign having the greatest job in the world, which makes income tax slightly more bearable.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

but dom't you see? Taxes can be the giver of freedom.

With taxes we can insure that the people in the bottom of society can get by, otherwise they would have to hope that religous or charety orgenisations would help them. Wit taxes we can make sure that people get equal opportuneties, we can help them overcome social barriers, we can make sure that even a child of the poorest family has the same chance for succes as one frome a more priviliged home.
TAXES ARE THE AMERICAN DREAM


(Don't worry I will stop now)

EDIT: Post nr. 900 YAY

[Laitoste]

The feeling that you have just finished your final paper of the term despite having the flu certainly belongs in the Shire. That sense of accomplishment and knowledge of having a speck of free time is unmatched by anything else!

And Rune, dear, kindly ensure you don't injure yourself! :D

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign the ability to get an A+ on an acedemic paper written in class on a book that I haven't actually read yet. It makes college so much easier.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I assign chocolates to the Shire. Though not just any chocolates, but ones with 'Painettu Suomessa' written on the boxes. Bonus points if they're heart-shaped ones. :)

[Lhunardawen]

I assign chocolates to the Shire. Though not just any chocolates, but ones with 'Painettu Suomessa' written on the boxes. Bonus points if they're heart-shaped ones. :)Oh, indeed. And I assign those who receive them and give some to their lovely little sisters. :D

Ironic, yes, but I assign the "What do you assign to Mordor" thread to the Shire. Especially since I should be pushing myself off the computer right now but, needless to say, I can't. :D

[Roa_Aoife]

I assign my History professor. He obviously loves what he's teaching, and loves to teach it. And he isn't a boring History professor, either. He's fun, and interesting, and he's always coming up with new ways to get the point across.

Like our discussion of the French Revolution, he assign members of the class to be members in the Three Estates, to demonstrate how the whole thing got started. We had fun getting into our various roles (I got to be a member of the Third Estate, Fight the Power!) If more history professors were like this, maybe my friends wouldn't think I'm so strange for enjoying it.

[Valier]

Well I would definately assign the Shire Canadian beer.....So refreshing,and bubbly.(Yes I like beer,alot I guess. I am Canadian :D )

[Orominuialwen]

My local music store. It's very small and rather crowded, but it has so many wonderful things in it. It has every sort of stringed instrument imaginable: violins, violas, guitars, mandolins, ukeleles, harps, dulcimers, the list goes on. There are also penny whistles and recorders, and probably some other wind intsruments I'm forgetting. There's also lots of wonderful books of sheet music (almost all folk music and jazz) and recordings. To make it even better, the owners' two sweet-tempered golden retrievers are always there to greet customers and be petted. The owners are really nice and helpful and don't make me feel like I'm completely ignorant.

My mandolin. Which I just bought at above store on Saturday. It's wonderful the way I'm able to play for an hour and a half and feel like no time has passed. I also love how I can see hear how much better I'm getting at playing it from day to day. :)

[Oddwen]

I'll assign the only things about winter that I like -

How the snow at night on the edge of the lights is grey and shadowed.

How when you're driving and it's dull or night out, and the powdered snow blows across the road and weaves and roils like poisonous fog over a deadly bog - that's beautiful.

[Lhunardawen]

My university's Archaeology department's pet cat, Flint. He's incredibly cute in that orange and white fur of his, and his eyes just sparkle like stars. And most of all, he helped keep me awake while my prof subjected us to a half-hour video on pottery making, by sleeping on top of the projector. :D

[Thinlómien]

Mudcake + tea + roleplaying + friends. Makes a wonderful evening. Especially if you're the GM and can laugh to your friend's confused expressions when something unexpectable happens.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign days of small miracles. Nothing that will go down in history. Nothing even particularly memorable. Just the quiet things that make you smile, like those ten extra minutes of stolen sleep before you rise for the day. Like cold spaghetti and peanut butter cookies in forts made of precariously affixed blankets and sheets and decorated lovingly with feather boas, pillows, and silk scarves. Like getting out of work early... and being paid for the whole shift. Like unexpected visitors and finding that your pizza has red bell peppers instead of the gross green kind. Like banana flavored Runts and new books.

And I assign butterflies.

[Lhunardawen]

I assign understanding professors who realize that students just don't know some things, don't know where to look to know about those things, and just have to cram. With that knowledge granted only to a chosen few they postpone the deadline of the requirement/s involved to the next class meeting.

[Lhunardawen]

Rainbows. Even "artificial" ones, like those you accidentally conjure by holding your pen towards the sunlight.

And beautiful white cumulus clouds that stand out against a clear blue sky and are so dense you think you can scoop a handful of them.

[Kath]

I assign the blissful feeling you get when you have just finished the last exam of the term and you know that you don't have to worry about it again for a month and a half!

Seriously, standing up after a two hour exam and knowing you don't have to do it again til May is wonderful.

[Lhunardawen]

I know she's in Mordor - albeit trying to get out of there -, but I assign Alumìne Umfuìl to the Shire.

1. I got a good laugh out of listening to my Chem lab instructor fumble as he tried to pronounce the name, which I chose as a code name for a graded activity.

2. Because the instructor had a hard time saying it (and in front of the class at that!), he retaliated by giving me a (supposedly) difficult unknown solution to analyze.

3. Despite his threat, I figured out all three ions in that solution and was the first to finish.

4. It's just a beautiful name. Very fun to pronounce...and mispronounce. :D

So Alli, if you ever manage to get un-assigned to Mordor, go straight to the Shire. Don't forget your 200 bucks.

P.S. I would have sent Fea as well if I haven't already... :)

[Cailín]

I assign my Medieval Irish literature project to Mordor. Even though I knew it was doomed before I even began, I had not thought it to be doomed quite so... permanently.


It's done! It's done! I love mermaids! They are wonderful! :D :rolleyes:

So now I would like to assign to the Shire that enormous wave of relief, satisfaction and pure joy that comes at the end of a first semester when you know that you have probably passed all courses.

And holidays. Blissful, quiet and undisturbed holidays.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I assign stars to the Shire.

. . .

No, wait, it wouldn't work.

. . .

. . .

Okay, I assign the stars back to the heavens, where they belong. They're much prettier to look at from there. And if I did assign them to the Shire, they'd probably consume the land in a horrific explosion of compressed protons and annihilated electron-positron pairs. :D

Then, I'll assign gazing at more stars because some people forgot to open the streetlights to your street to the Shire.

Much better, yes? ;)

[Eonwe]

Chap stick and lotion. I live and die by them...

[Enedhilion]

I assign Progressive Metal to the Shire.
THANK YOU.

[the guy who be short]

While I love metal, the image of little hobbits moshing to Iron Maiden does seem a little... odd. :p

[The Saucepan Man]

Iron Maiden?

Progressive?

:eek:

[Lalwendë]

While I love metal, the image of little hobbits moshing to Iron Maiden does seem a little... odd. :p

Can't beat a bit of moshing. I've just spent half an hour doing it in the living room - it's my alternative aerobic routine. Rargh! :cool:

Or does Enedhilion mean things like Yes or early Genesis? I defy anyone to mosh to The Battle of Epping Forest. Or am I just showing my age? :(

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

While I don't dislike Iron Maiden, I prefer the thought of hobbits jamming to Metallica's Master of Puppets album... Ride the Lightening works also. Surely a bit of hobbitish playing of the air guitar to chase off the stress of a long day?

And I must assign to the Shire the song La Tortura by Shakira. You can't listen to it without wanting to dance.

And dancing must certainly have been assigned already. Ballroom, ballet, belly dancing... All fun in their own way.

I assign learning to waltz with your grandfather, who just happens to be the coolest guy ever. I assign the limberness after a long ballet warmup. I assign everything about belly dancing, because there's nothing quite like the looks on people's faces when they catch you laundry-room-dancing.

And about that, I assign laundry-room-dancing. When the lounge is full and the common room is taken and there's just not enough room in dorm-room or hall to move, and you take an old-school boombox to the laundry room for a bit of jiving... that's a blast, I promise. All should try it.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign scissors. And hair. And spontaneous creation of bangs that, let me tell you, totally rock. I'm sure hobbits love cutting their hair. Right?

[Mithalwen]

I'd assign "Eleanor put your boots on" (which is my current favourite song) ..... but I am not sure the hobbits would really get it....

[littlemanpoet]

Yes or early Genesis? I defy anyone to mosh to The Battle of Epping Forest. Or am I just showing my age?
Oh migaw! :eek: Don't worry, it's a good age. :D

I assign to the Shire everything Genesis did between 1970 and 1976; except for Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, which belongs in the realm of the University Hospital of Mordor at Urukapolis (http://www.forums.barrowdowns.com./showthread.php?p=443150#post443150) (keywords: Sigmund, Jung, psych eval).

[Caunwaithon]

I assign Progressive Metal to the Shire.
THANK YOU.

I assign studying history to the shire, endhelion.


I have always thought of anything of bounty belonging to the shire. Everything is large, the parties, the food, the egos.(Well...except for the hobbits, lol.)