Mae govannen everybody!
I've been a Tolkien fan for something close to 30 years now (God, I feel really old writing this...), starting when I was sixteen or seventeen; discovered the Downs a few years ago and finally got tired of being a dumb viewer when there's so much fascinating discussion going on here (especially over in the Books forum).
Also, I've always wanted to find out how it feels to be dead, and this may well be my only chance to do so while still alive...