Who is mark12_30, anyway??
Which LotR character reminds you most of yourself - and why?
Some primary characteristics:
--merry among a few close friends, very quiet in a large group
--would rather be hanging around with jolly young friends & nephews & nieces
than doing something "important"
--long walks alone, often in the dark
--love the stars, elves, trees, water
--singing and collecting songs (and every now and again, writing one)
--the garden needs weeding-- where's Sam?
--dawdle and delay before leaving home
--when a big decision is due, I sit and think and think and think while people
wait for the decision
--pessimism surfaces during difficulties
--wish someone else had been selected to do the job I have
--tried to give it away a couple of times
--yes, it's a burden; just keep putting one foot in front of the other
--I'm writing the history (of the family) because it needs to be done,
including writing down my dad's stories (Bilbo!)
...Frodo.
(Frodo started as an extrovert... I wonder if he
ended up as an INFP)
What LotR Costumes/Clothes Have You
Made?
…congratulations on finishing your cloak! You tempt me to start
work on the green woodland cloak I've been wanting. (20 + yrs ago I made a
brown, and a dark blue, in wool.) Aside from the cloaks, I haven't made much of
anything.
But I shop elvish and hobbitish.
I wore elvish dresses all summer; but the nights are
darkening earlier and chilling deeper, so Saturday I got out all of my hobbitish or elvish shirts and
laid them out, planning my fall wardrobe. In the breezy summer, all those elven dresses are fine, but when the
Aside from my hobbit jackets (corderoy) which came
from the dress barn, and my thrift-store vest & waistcoat collection (thank
you RAE!) everything else has come from Elf-mart... roughly twenty shirts
(mostly brown, green, or tan) that either tie at the throat, or have an elvish/ hobbitish/botanical motif
on the front. Add to that hobbit-breeches (brown, green, or tan) and
elf-leggings (regular knit pants in brown/ green/ tan) and the jackets, and it's an unusual day that I show up at work as something
beside a hobbit or an elf.
Once in a while, I wear blue jeans; I'll have to use additional greys and blues, and make those "Grey Havens days".
LOTR and your Weltanschauung: what credit (if any) do you give to JRRT’s
work in shaping your own moral system/personal philosophy/worldview?
I read the trilogy at 12 or 13 yrs of age.
Elves, elves, elves. Lothlorien
was The Place to Be, Rivendell was pretty good too;
and there one found Virtue, Holiness, Truth, Honesty, Justice, Sincerity, Love
of what is Good. The natural beauty, the harmony with
nature, and the singing (in the trees! under the stars!) didn't hurt either. Aragorn, and Frodo, and Faramir, showed such integrity, I always admired and
trusted them. Gondor showed valor as did Rohan.
What wasn't affected by this during my teenage years? Not much. Art, music, writing... elvish or Gondorian, or Rohirric. I
majored in physics because I wanted to be an astronomer; love of the stars,
which came from the elves. Ballet and
flute were
a direct result of "Tinuviel was dancing there
to music of a pipe unseen." Celtic music; harp (I
made one
from scrap lumber). The clothes I chose, the jewellry... what I listened to. Anything that reminded me
of Tolkien musically: celtic
I mentioned already. Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell haunted me with a few Tolkienish songs. Moody Blues and Tuesday
afternoon. Tschaikovsky was especially
ultra-cool because all of his music was obviously about elves and hobbits; you
could tell just by listening. Anything that reminded me of Tolkien's
elves and hobbits was intriguing.
Naturally I tried to find more books of that caliber. But of all the other
realms I looked into, none ever really "held water" after Lord of the
Rings. I kept hoping to find that integrity, love of truth and goodness,
holiness, virtue. I tossed many fantasy novels aside in sheer disgust. Nothing
came close.
Eventually, I found those things in The Gospels, and recognized there what I had
loved from the first. And the more I read the Letters of Tolkien,
the more I believe that that is exactly what he intended; that his sub-creation
myth would point to what he called "The One True Myth": incarnation,
death, resurrection, new creation.
In that (rather evangelical) sense, Tolkien was the
most effective element drawing me toward the gospel and the savior. I hope
someday I can tell him "thanks."
WRITER’S PROFILE FOR TAPESTRY:
The usual "All About You" questions:
Name (that you go by): Helen
Age: 42
Occupation: programmer
Future Aspirations: stop being a programmer... write or make music or
teach instead
Goal in life: To hear the words "Well done good and faithful
servant" from God on judgement day.
Short term goals: mark12:30 (Love God with all heart, mind, soul,
strength.)
Passion: Seeing God invade everyday life.
Hobbies: Music, writing, hiking... Barrow
Famous for (brag about yourself): singing and guitar playing.
Fave book: LOTR; George MacDonald's What's Mine's Mine; MacDonald's other fantasy
Fave movie: LOTR; Passion of the
Christ; Ben-Hur.
Fave sport: Swimming; rowing; hiking.
Fave store: bookstores and music
stores. Oh, and stores that sell elvish earrings and
clothes (elf-mart...)
Fave music: Celtic; Beethoven's
Moonlight Sonata; Tchaikowski's ballets; mellow Bach.
What you can't stand: Guilt trips.
What you plain dislike: People that hand out guilt trips like they are
God's Will.
Who you admire: My aunt the nun. Mel Gibson. Tolkien.
Frodo.
Aragorn
and Eomer.
What you most love to do: (blush) read good reviews about my writing...
Your self-confessed flaws: procrastination and laziness.
What intrigues/fascinates you: not my job, that's for sure.
What scares you: Being stuck at my job for another twenty years.
Quotation to live by: "We'll muddle through somehow."
Value-specific:
What do you want most in a friend: Compassion and mercy.
What do you want most in a teacher: patience
What do you want most in an ally: loyalty
What do you want most in a team-mate: love of God and desire to serve
Him
What do you want people to remember most about you: Hopefully that I
helped them love God more
Writer-specific:
Your favorite work you've written so far: "The Fairy Wife".
Your favorite character so far: Bolco; and Lindo.
What you plan to write soon: I'd like to do a screenplay.
What inspires you to write: Usually one-liners or intriguing questions... God, bottom line.
What makes your writing stall: A sense of boredom or futility.
Do you get writers' block and how do you overcome it: I hear that journaling
(stream of consciousness) is good. But I suspect prayer is better.
Middle-Earth specific:
Your favorite ME character(s): Frodo; Aragorn; Eomer.
What do you like about them: Frodo--
Sensitivity and depth (he's both profound and funny.) Aragorn--
purity of heart and motive, and he's funny too. Eomer-- loyalty and humor.
Your favorite moment(s) from the Trilogy: Eomer's
song at Pelennor (out of doubt...); Sam's song in Cirith Ungol; his embrace of Frodo in the tower; his visions of Frodo
shining.
Your favorite plot twist(s) from the Trilogy: Gollum's
near-repentance as Sam holds Frodo asleep.
Looking at your personality as it is, what race do you
belong to in Middle-Earth and why: Eh... probably some nondescript race
south of Gondor that doesn't come to the battle when
called... I've been too lackadaisical lately about many things.
What race would you *like* to belong to in Middle-Earth and why: Silvan elves, because they're woodsy and natural and
artistic (and musical) without being stuck on themselves.
What place(s)would you live in Middle Earth and
why: Hmmmmm.... Ered Luin,
maybe. Remote from all the fuss, but still elvish
(and so, musical) and it has woods and the ocean and mountains all at the same
time. Or-- Evendim, it's near the Shire but also has
water and hills.
Where would you want to visit & Why: Rivendell
(elves! Music! Dancing on the riverbank!) Lorien (Elves! Music! Dancing!) Gildor's camping
area (Elves! Music! Dancing!) Thranduils' halls (Elves... you get the picture...)
How would you travel: With elves if I could; with hobbits if I could;
I'd bring a horse to ride or pack; and hopefully I wouldn't have to shoot and
skin critters. Ick.
Besides the usual camping & travel stuff, what single special item is in
your knapsack and why: Pennywhistle. Maybe a tiny harp.
...live without music? Not.