I wanted to bring this topic up so there would be a space where we can express ourselves about the pure enjoyment of this site.
For me it is both the topics AND the people I have made friends with here. There is a pure joy in just trading a few bits of information about Tolkien and his works. It is just plain fun to accept the challenges my fellow members put up on the board. Whether it be quotes from Tolkien's works, or trivia from a wealth topics, to a place where questions and opinions about Tolkien are welcome, it is a place that fosters new insights, reviews of the actual works, and a place to gain a deeper and clearer knowledge of the worlds of Tolkien's imagination and his scholarship. That, after all, is the basis for The Tolkien Forums existence.
But there is another, perhaps deeper, element that makes this site of value. And that is the people who share this wonderful vehicle. We are a world-wide fellowship embracing many nationalities and seeking understanding as well as knowledge. We are people who encourage each other and maintain an open door of welcome. We maintain a gentle sense of humor and provide input that brings a smile and the belly laugh. We develope friendships that extend beyond the site and friendships within the site.
That is a few of the elements that make "The Joy of The Tolkien Forums!"
My friends please and your own two-cents to this topic ...(or should I say your own twelve silver pennies worth?)
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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit Called or uncalled, God is present
For me this has been also something that helped me keep myself busy through a rough patch of unemployment. It was nice to have someplace where I could exercise my little grey cells and not dwell on my jobless state (I have a great job now!)
Also, it's nice to have this site to be able to ask the big questions that JRRT's works can evoke, or have fun with the silly little questions we've wondered about since childhood. Also, no one here is going to call me a NERD for my love of Elvish things! Or if they do at least it's a case of the pot and the kettle
And while I'm at it I'd like to send a big thanks to everyone on here. It truly is such a great place to feel like a part of a super-extended family!
While activity can be slow at times (I don't get on as much as I'd like to) it's good to be on a forum with some long-running members, rather than endless new people you've never heard of (I've been on forums like that). New people are, of course, welcome. I was merely saying it's good to come here and respond to people that have been on here a long time.
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Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
I was first turned on to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" in the late 80's and knew I would keep a copy on my shelf as a standard, but when I read LOTR many years later and saw the vast appendices and rich back-stories I was hooked, to say the least, though I never truly understood them. In those days, whether it was because of my location or just the circles I ran in, I could not find anyone to confer with about these treasures. No one was really talking about these books in my usual haunts back then.
Then came the Lord of the Rings movie trilogies! And those films made concrete the uncertainty I had about Middle-earth, its' people and lands. The picture was beginning to congeal for me now. On a side note: through the films I learned that I was pronouncing about 85% of the names in Tolkien's world wrong! Oh the shame...
But I found that the movies, although answering many existing questions, only managed to open up a flood of new ones. And then there I was, adrift in a sea of instant Tolkien scholars and they had the movie ticket stubs to prove it! Everyone had bits and pieces of the story and very few real answers.
That's when I decided I wanted to know more from people who could shoot the facts straight from the hip! I knew people like the members of this site were out there but where to start looking? I was a man without a country much like the Dunedain. Then on one fateful day I stumbled upon this awesome site! Instantly welcoming and hosting a vast array of knowledgeable and steady mannered members of all sorts, I was fascinated. I felt as if I had wandered into some university and sneaked my way into a course on Professor Tolkien where the class was conducted by the students. Don't get me wrong! I had tried many other sites before I found this one and I can tell you first hand that the other sites (the ones I ran into) were clicky and cold to new visitors and many topics, although having headings that were resoundingly Tolkien-esque, were filled with members' ramblings about mundane things, or recipe exchanges for a delightful danish of some sort and just a pointless laundry list of BLAH!
But not here at this Forum, thanfully. It seems that a tireless vigil for the Great Professor Tolkien's work marchess on through the members here, and to me, that just shows the passion each member of this site has for the wonderful world we all cherish in some way or another. The members welcomed me into the fold and through the many interactions and even more diverse topics and threads I have come to understand Tolkien's rich creation on a whole new level. Once in a while a new member will arrive and become a more permanent part of the crew, so to speak and it's always a joy to speak with the members who have been here for the long haul.
The comraderie of the members here does feel like a fraternity to me. One I am proud to participate in. No topic is too obscure and no thread is too dormant to stir into a volley of activity from members old and new...
I also like the fact that the Moderators give you a feeling like they are ever-present, much like the characters they took on as their "Network Persona's" if there is such a thing.
All in all, this site contains a fruitful environment for the novice and scholar alike and makes the passing of knowledge a comfortable and time-worthy event. Many times I envision each member as we interact in the forums in the garb of their intended avatars, lit by the glow of the hearth in the Hall of Fire. We may walk out of the Great Hall and into the night but the fires roar on!
Many continued years of success to those who have made this site a possiblity for me...I am grateful to whomsoever they are and certainly to the members of this beloved site.
I'll add a huge second to what Jaidoprism said. I'd only been on one other Tolkien site a while ago and got super frustrated. It felt like most folks were only into the movies and had no interest in discussing the finer points of his works. That is definitely not the case here :)
Surprisingly it seems to be a bit slow of late, new members seem to have been joining but they don't post alot, if at all. I wonder why someone would join a site and then not post?
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Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
I only really use this site when I have exams. I use it as a welcome break from studying and a stress relief because it has information that I actually want to learn about and no flash cards to speak of. It's a little corner of my life that has nothing to do with anything else. Which sounds bad, but is often exactly what I need.
I only really use this site when I have exams. I use it as a welcome break from studying and a stress relief because it has information that I actually want to learn about and no flash cards to speak of. It's a little corner of my life that has nothing to do with anything else. Which sounds bad, but is often exactly what I need.
My friends, In our day to day stuff we find our time to enjoy ourselves often decreased. So ... to compensate ... we must prioritize, economize, and sometimes just plain eliminate areas of our relaxation. It is dangerous to push "all the fun" into the background ... but there are times when we must "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's." Usually this means our priorities must take us to where we must act because other folks depend on us. I don't think it is a "bad thing." It is just accepting our responsibilities.
I think that without to much stress to our imagination we can see that happen with our friends here on The Tolkien Forums. Both longtime members and short-time members may claim ownership to this "club." I both honor and respect those who don't participate because of the constraints mentioned above.
But I really want to thank those of you who come here and spend that "special play-time" with our games and topics and just plain "hanging out." It is truly a joy in my life and fuels the love I have for Tolkien ... it triggers "play-time" away from the computer with my beloved books, stories, and scholastic commentary.
So ... Thank you very much for the joy I find here.
Can't wait for your next visit!
Bear an Elf-Friend
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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit Called or uncalled, God is present
Just like Bear is saying: "Life happens" or my favorite quote from Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum's quirky "Chaos theorist" character states: "Life...finds a way." I know he meant that life finds a way through adverse conditions to happen regardless, but I always like to complete his sentence with: "Life...finds a way, to get in the way."
It's a good thing though; to walk upright and fight the good fight every now and again. Hell, it happens to me more than I credit it. But it does feel nice knowing I can come here when the time allows and find most of you all pluggin' away at the threads between your turns on the 'hamster wheel' o' life!
I guess one of the reasons I love coming here is to relax from the stresses of life. Yes, life gets in the way. But, in my old age (ha!) I've decided I want to choose the pace of my life as much as possible. Even if I can't I will somehow find the few minutes in each day to do something relaxing, silly, nerdy, or whatever fills my de-stressing need at the moment. Fortunately this site takes care of all the things that I listed.
Plus, there's the added benefit of Jaido's comedy.
I am like the Vala Ulmo. He too comes and goes and sometimes is gone for a longer period. Life does get in the way at times and sometime we are working through our own crisis. I have been sick for the last month and battled with a stomachaches, nausea and such, but I still took time to look when an email came in saying somebody had posted in one of my forums.
I appreciate the warmth and fellowship of the membership of this site. Although I don't show up as frequently as I like, I am also having a challenge with depression at time. Something my oncologist says is normal for people fighting caner.
Bear always says that I am like a mother to the board, I always feel blessed when members actually talk to each other. I send packages of books to some members because they were worse off then I was. I can't remember the number of Bears I send to bear, until he told me that I had completed his Bear Collection and that he had donated some of them to a local group for children.
As a Moderator, I know I should be here more to moderate, but I am afraid I may come over as pushy.
This site is a blessing. Thanks everybody for allowing me to be a part.
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
