I assign frozen Dr. Pepper. When the shards of tingling ice melt on your tongue, it's the most fantastic sensation.

And I assign the warm sun on chilly days, with the gleam of light off of half-frozen ponds. Look-out views where you can see three states from one perch and the way the lazy clouds unconcernedly blanket the mountains you are photographing. The bright afternoon sun blazing through ragged branches, the sound of birdsong.

Cold water in the middle of the night when you wake up parched. Books that you simply can't set down. Wiggly puppies and affectionate sarcasm. Really good pizza... with broccoli, sun-dried tomatos, onions, and mushrooms, and sprinkled with a bit of hot sauce.

And Lal... Marmite! But only if you eat it the right way. :D

Lovely, amazing, wonderful people who encourage you to start writing again after so many many months.

Four extra hours of uninterrupted sleep - thanks to classes in all levels being suspended - and upon waking up and looking at the mirror, seeing a face that looks less stressed and haggard than the day before.

The reason for the suspension of classes does not at all belong to the Shire, though. I would pity poor Sam if it does.

The following conversation gets assigned to the Shire:

My supervisor was talking about the Monty Python skit in which the traumatized fellow can't say any word with the letter 'c' in it, so he says "bolourful" until someone says "well, usk 'k'" in stead. "Kolorful", he says, and then his eyes :eek: "Why, I never thought of that!"

So I brought up Victor Borg's "inflationary English" in which all incidents of numbers in the English language are raised by one number. Thus, to, two, and too become three; and fortuitious becomes five-three-itous. Then I said that I would have to try that out in my current werewolf game.

My supervisor said, "And they'll assign you to Mordor!" :D

no kidding??

Well I assign my puppy dog. And anyone who feels this should be explained is hereby ordered to go and adopt a puppy dog from his or her neighborhood shelter.

Reading a book and finding a BDer siggy or former siggy in it. It's wonderful. :D

I assign uses of LotR references in every day life.

For example, my church has a two story 'split level' addition so that the lower level is not as low as the rest of the basement, but below everything else. It's been nicknamed "middle earth". :D

The Westminster dog show. Actually, the AKC in general. Or how about all dogs...I just spent five hours of my life curled up alone in my room, watching dogs parade around Madison Square Garden, and I cried. I want to do that! I want to devote the rest of my life to bettering a breed, to bettering the species!

Eleventy-one pop-ups blocked! That has to mean something, right?

littlemanpoet, because he has always wanted to go there. ;)

Glorious, first of spring weather in Oregon . . . time for mushroom hunting and a trip to the hot springs :)

Well gee thanks. :) Golly gee whizzers even! :p ....such lingual promiscuity should of course not accompany me to the Shire. See you all there! **LMP hops, skips and jumps in the general direction of all homey, comfortable, provincial and stolid things.**

Snow!!!

Particularly the type of snow that thinks it's sand. I've only seen it once, earlier this week. Particles of snow blowing around in waves like a desert... it was beautiful.

It sounds lovely. My particular variety (falling steadily from very early this morning until now) is that sort with the large snowflakes that coat everything they touch with a shimmering blanket. The kind that decorates pine boughs until the wind shakes it off when you least expect it to fall on you. The sort that fills in paths as quickly as they're plowed and the sort that you really don't want to drive in.

*pouts in envy*

Well, the Shire deserves a fine sunny-windy day like *this*, too. ;)

So long as it doesn't rain. :rolleyes:

Snow. Tch. It spoiled my tea tonight.

No sooner had I sat down in the best Mexican/Cuban/Argentinian place in town and ordered my Chimichangas (drool) but without any prior warning in the way of a decent weather forecast, the skies opened and literally dumped several inches of snow on the city centre inside half an hour. My feet are still freezing. :(

all assignations italicized
 

I assign Rivendell Books in Montpelier, VT. Cute new/used bookstores of all sorts deserve assignation, but specifically this because I was so enthused at its name and the fact that I bought several books for a fantastic price shortly after consuming some really amazing Ben & Jerry's, some fantastic apple cider, and more habanero cheese than strictly necessary.

I also assign habanero maple syrup. The sensation is incredible. A taste and your mouth is filled with the sweet explosion of sugary bliss and most suddenly, there's a second explosion of heat. As you continue to taste the wonderful mapley goodness, your eyes water, your tongue burns, and you can't help but be impressed with how cool it is that they managed to mix hot peppers and syrup in the middle of Vermont and make some really awesome stuff.

I'm going to temporarily unassign snow though... run over to Mordor if you're curious why.

Were you eating ice cream, cider, habenero cheese and maple syrup all at the same time?

I'm afraid that gets an ick from me...

But I must assign to the shire days you get to work and are told not to work...simply lovely. It will probably be assigned to Mordor as boredom sets in later.

Spread out over a few hours. That syrup was really cool though. Seriously... it was like downing a few dozen hot chicken wings with no bread, only at the same time, the mouth-watering sweetness of maple sugar candies.

Whew...I feel much better, then.

I assign...free stuff from vendors. Really. I work on a military base, and this lady came in today and gave everybody knives. Including your friendly neighborhood secretary, yours truly. So now I have this little free utility knife that is MINE and that a certain person I am sworn to follow around for the rest of my life can't touch and lose it, or worse, break the tip off using it as a screwdriver or something.

I assign days off (even those when someone from your agency interrupts your lie in slumber with a query that could have waited at least to 9.30 - they have found me a nice project for next week so I forgive..) and long lunches, and catching up with old friends and defrosting in a Turkish Bath from the unseasonally chilly weather....

songs of travel and adventure.

Knowing you don't have to got to school tomorrow! And so knowing that you'll get to lie in til 10 (not long enough but hey it's something). Also having the reason for this being a visit to the uni you're sure you want to go to, and knowing you're going to have a good day.

In a similar vien, spring break. And sleeping...

Some long-overdue assignments
 

Snow days. Especially when it's the first one in five years and long overdue.

Entering a French pronunciation contest and doing well in it. It's wonderful to have teachers compliment you on your accent!

Spring break being only two days away. :D

Getting nearly nine hours of sleep on a school night, even if it means not finishing any of your homework.

Teachers who write their hall passes in pencil, and being able to successfully forge a pass because of this by erasing everything but the signature. (Don't worry, it was only so my friend and I could go see a teacher during lunch when we weren't supposed to be in the halls. We weren't doing anything terribly illegal. :p ;) )

Fog delays. You don't have to make up school days at the end of the year, but it basically turns that day into a blow off day where the only full periods are the ones that are during lunch hours - and one of mine was a study hall. :D Study halls are quite nice too. Half the time all I do is read.

Cake or ice cream for breakfast. Yum. And you don't feel too bad because it's just breakfast and any breakfast must be better than the none that is oh-so frequent.

I assign late night discussions where you just can't remember what an elephant sounds like. So you make the noises, trying to remember. For over ten minutes.

I assign cute skirts with awesome spin-power.

I assign discovering a class that you really want to take.... and e-mailing the professor that's teaching it to find out your likelihood of getting in since it's a sweet class and is going to fill up fast and you're only a freshman so you're registering pretty much last... and running into her when you go for dinner... and having her guarantee you a place! And I quote... "Your chances of getting in? Of course you're getting in. I want you in this class." Exciting!

That sounds really cool...

I assign Segways. Yes, the IT invention...a perfectly balanced little platform and a handle. I got to play with one last night...and it was nifty. You just kind of think of where you want to go, and you get there. And my husband couldn't figure out how to stand still, which made me feel all superior for a while ;)

Candy floss. Especially free tubs of it. :D

Learning that violence really does solve all of life's little problems. My heater is totally silent right now. :D

The first sounds of crickets! Immpending Spring! Warm weather! Soft rain! Yes, all of these certainly belong in the Shire.

Emissary from Mordor arrives with a new Shire resident...
 

I hereby assign Mardil II, formerly of Gondor, formerly of Mordor, to the Shire for acts of heroism and being a generally good egg. :D

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Why thank you, m'lady. The free peoples of Middle Earth are forever in debt to you. ;)
Oh, Fea, you are too awesome.

I read that as I was drinking half frozen Dr. Pepper. It is so amazing. When I want a Dr. Pepper, I stick a can and a mug into the freezer for a good while. When I go to drink it, the mug is all frosty, and the fizz freezes as I fill the mug up, and the frozen fizz floats around like crushed ice.

There's something about it being just barely barely above frozen that gives it more of a bite, and not just the bite of the cold. It improves the flavor, I swear.

I know.

Cramming, but with the knowledge that everything's under control. It feels so...liberating.

Or the feeling of elation you get after you see you got a good mark in that exam you had crammed desperately for and weren't too sure of what your mark would look like

Discovering that you got good marks in all your exams, especially the ones that you thought you'd done really badly in.

A day at the beach with family and friends....then later on after dark starting a fire and roasting marshmallows! :)

Made so much better by having been a fool and staying out until 4:00 AM only to get up for work the next morning, the Shire-worthiness is the pair of pyjama pants and amazingly large and comfortable hoodie that you get to put on once you get back. The uninterrupted nap that's on its way. Knowing that you don't have to go back out until tomorrow. Ooh... exciting.

I assign the etherial quality of fog. Walking slowly and alone through an abandoned campus in the soft silence of the night, pausing in awe of the way the light catches on the opaque air, separating into distinct beams by the sillhouetted trees. The soft smell of thawing earth and the warmth of the damp air. The way it all seems so unreal.