What do you "assign" to the Shire?

[the guy who be short]

Realising that LMP has somehow managed to create two "general" threads and related them to Tolkien on a technicality. Wonderful.

Actually, I believe that this is sufficient reason to seventh his assignment to the Shire, in conjunction with his use of the word "beMordored."

The prefix be- belongs, quite definitely, in the Shire.

Also, Easter. The chocolate is meaningless, the religion lost on me, but I appreciate the two weeks of paying off my sleep debt.

[littlemanpoet]

General?!? TECHNICALITY?!?!?

What mean you, ceorl*?!?

(...indebtedness to one Fordhim on style...)



*ceorl (Anglo-Saxon) = churl (Middle English) = man (mod. Eng.)

[Laitoste]

Watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail for a class function...for the second time! Four long years ago, I was introduced to this glory through my English class, and now we watched it for an interdisciplinary course. The only thing better than the movie was watching my professor recited the entire film along with it!

[Kath]

Realising I'm not as much of a techno-dunce as I thought I was! I felt so proud this morning when I managed to install the mouse on my laptop

[Oddwen]

Originally Posted by Kath

Realising I'm not as much of a techno-dunce as I thought I was!

I assign the image of various 'Downers dancing to Techno music...

Go Saucepan, go Saucepan...

[the guy who be short]

Voltaire belongs in the Shire... though his pessimistic nature would probably get him exiled. Still, perhaps he could ensure his continued existence by telling stories.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

I assign the image of various 'Downers dancing to Techno music...

Go Saucepan, go Saucepan...

Perish the thought!

'60s pop is more my kind of dance music.

Although it can get rather noisy and off-putting for others on the dance floor ...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign my writing professor. You don't get a more understanding teacher anywhere. I don't deserve her.

Because for those of you who don't know, I scrapped my term paper less than a week ago and started from scratch. I also started a different paper and couldn't finish it due to time and sanity constraints. She gave me an extension based on that that I really didn't deserve.

And then I fell asleep as I was working and didn't get either one actually finished to bring to her office "before 8:00 or I'll turn many shades of purple." As a matter of fact, it was the 8:00 bells that woke me up in time to realize that I was in so much trouble.

Still clad in pjs, with my hair uncombed, a tweed blazer, and flipflops, I pretty much sprinted to her office (with unfinished papers printed in blue because, guess what, my black and white cartridge is dead) where I had to try hard to keep from crying because I really didn't plan on going to bed last night and my body thwarted my plans.

And she's in her office until 5:00 when "those papers had better be on my desk." I LOVE my writing professor. If she wasn't so amazing, I'd be medicated by now.

So yes... I assign understanding professors during finals week, and her most in particular.

[Farael]

I'm sure it's been assigned already, but I couldn't find it after a very quick scan and so here it goes again.... I assign being able to rant and vent on the Assigned to Mordor thread. That thread belongs to the shire... which I guess might explain why the shire is so perfect, if they keep assigning the bad things over to Mordor. It'd also explain why Sauron was just a wee bit upset

[the guy who be short]

Honey. Ah, sweet nectar from the bosom of bees...

That was odd. Anyway, honey belongs in Mordor because

1) It's like sugar, but more natural.
2) It's delicious.
3) It helps with sore throats.
4) It comes from flowers.
5) It smells nice.

[Celuien]

I assign the variety of origins in place names to be found in my corner of Pennsylvania. There's everything from Welsh (see the Mordor assignments for a brief list) to Lenape.

A personal favorite (besides all of the Welsh places) is Wawa, which means Canada goose in Lenape. Just makes me laugh to have a place (and convenience store chain) named Wawa.

Just so everyone doesn't think everything here is interestingly named, there's a street named Street Road. And a newer cross street to Street Road quite logically named New Street Road. Not very original, but entertaining anyway.

[Farael]

Originally Posted by Celuien

I assign the variety of origins in place names to be found in my corner of Pennsylvania. There's everything from Welsh (see the Mordor assignments for a brief list) to Lenape.

A personal favorite (besides all of the Welsh places) is Wawa, which means Canada goose in Lenape. Just makes me laugh to have a place (and convenience store chain) named Wawa.

Just so everyone doesn't think everything here is interestingly named, there's a street named Street Road. And a newer cross street to Street Road quite logically named New Street Road. Not very original, but entertaining anyway.

Ohh you should see my neighbourhood, Celuien.

We have the cross of Carlos and Carlotta (Just for those who don't see it, Carlos and Carlotta are pretty much the same name in Spanish but Carlos is for male and Carlota for female)

And then we have streets crossing with themselves, such as Buckle at Buckle, Carlotta at Carlotta...

Finally, you can go down one road and cross the same road twice without turning back.... some streets here are U-shaped. It's lots of fun to bike around my neighbourhood.

But what's the point of all this? well, I'm mightly happy because I'll go biking today, so I'm assigning bikes and bike rides to The Shire. Along with smaller bikes for hobbits.

[Mithalwen]

However I believe most bicycle saddles are instruments of torture manufactured in Mordor - may whoever invented the gel filled ones be forever blessed.

Also to be blessed are the inventors of these fabulous new moisturisers which incorporate fake tan thus enabling the celtic complexioned to go barelegged without exposing skin of horse-frightening pallor or hopelessy streaky orange.

[Celuien]

Originally Posted by Farael

Ohh you should see my neighbourhood, Celuien.

We have the cross of Carlos and Carlotta (Just for those who don't see it, Carlos and Carlotta are pretty much the same name in Spanish but Carlos is for male and Carlota for female)

And then we have streets crossing with themselves, such as Buckle at Buckle, Carlotta at Carlotta...

That sounds...fantastic. I was always amused by the fact that one of my former neighbors had the same first and last name, and lived on a street that also had that name. So Buckle and Buckle or Carlotta and Carlotta are great!

To the Shire: all of the little things that bring a smile to your face.

[Lalwendë]

I assign to the Shire Magners cider. I don't drink but when I do have a pint I like a nice one. I've avoided cider like the plague for about ten years due to its evil hangover potential, but a nice pint of this stuff goes down a treat. Hobbits would love it.

I also assign the fact that the city centre was almost deserted yesterday, giving us the chance to actually walk around and enjoy the new galleries (but not the shops 'cause we don't have very many of those any more!) and squares they've built.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign official acceptance letters. When you've been waiting for weeks to hear about something so important to you that you intentionally avoided mentioning it except in important cases (like "So Mom and Dad, I've applied to this thing on the West Coast this summer... how opposed are you to me working my butt off, buying a plane ticket, and going?"), it's amazing to open your e-mail and spot the letter saying "See you this summer!"

I swear, that was worse than waiting for a college acceptance letter.

[Diamond18]

Not sure this quite belongs in the Shire as I do not know the Hobbits' feeling on rock concerts, but:

I assign the happy feeling one gets when one finds out one will be going to a concert one really wanted to go to, but which one thought one was going to miss. The period leading up to such a looked-forward-to event can be as much fun maybe even more than the thing itself. So, actually, I'm assigning "anticipation" to the Shire. That works.

[Formendacil]

Easter.

Or, more specifically, the Easter Triduum, from Holy Thursday's evening Mass through to Easter Sunday's Mass.

Mind you, I'm enough of a Church-geek, Liturgiophile, and Mass-aholic to begin with, but these are awesome services... especially with our choir. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil... ah, how I love thee- and the message thou preachest.

And the Litany of the Saints in particular. Eusebius, Chrysogonus, John Chyrsostom... Not only does it sound awesome, the names are often cool and hard-for-the-normal-man-to-pronounce.

And then there's all the out-of-town students back for the weekend, and the midnight coffee and bread after the Vigil, and, of course, the Easter Sunday dinner...

Yes, I love Easter.

Alleluia!!!

[Alcarillo]

Speaking of Easter, I assign solid chocolate rabbits to the Shire. Not those rabbits with the space of chocolate-smelling air inside them, but solid chocolate rabbits. Yum.

I also assign jelly beans to the Shire, and any other Easter candy.

[JennyHallu]

Having dinner turn out the way it is supposed to...all like Momma made it.

[Firefoot]

I whole-heartedly agree. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. Leaving the Tenebrae service on Good Friday, then waking up at 5:30 on Easter Sunday morning to go to the early sunrise service where it is still dark, then for the lights to be turned on with the opening chords of the instrumentalists - trumpets and bells and drums. Truly awesome.

A holiday not over-comercialized nor too busy nor filled with hordes of relatives I either do not know or do not like. Even with the chocolates (which I do like, admittedly) and the Easter bunnies, Easter by its very nature remains truer to the spirit of the holiday than Christmas. And there's not much anyone can do to secularize Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

And many Easter hymns are among my favorites.

[littlemanpoet]

Seeing Maundy Thursday spelled right, and hearing it pronounced right. Not that hobbits would care all that much, but the sense of "that was done right and proper" is as hobbitish as they come.

[Samwise]

Meeting someone new.
Keeping a friends Library book by accident.
Reading through Two Towers in one night.
Reading the second book first !??!
First being known as Sam.

[Orominuialwen]

Easter. It's absolutely beautiful durig the Vigil Mass when all the lights are turned off and you look down from the choir loft and see the congregation all holding candles. It's also wonderful when you bring your mandolin and get to play with the Estudiantina choir (they sing in Spanish), even though you've never practiced with them before, in addition to singing with your own choir. The marathon of singing five days in a row is even fun: practice Wednesday night, singing for a trilingual (English, Spanish, and Latin) Mass on Maundy Thursday night, singing Good Friday afternoon, singing for what feels like the world's longest Vigil Mass (2 hours and 45 minutes) on Holy Saturday night whichwas trilingual and ended at 11 PM, then singing for Easter Mass when you have to be there at 8:30 in the morning. It's also wonderful when after the disorganized semi-disaster that was Maundy Thursday, the Vigil Mass goes off fairly smoothly. The music is unbeatable, too. The Hallelujah chorus, Schutz's Cantate Domino, and a chant by some monk named Wipo that poeple have been singing for over 1,000 years (Victimae Paschali Laudes), Stabat Mater (from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater Dolorosa), along with some other pieces I can't even remember right now. Going over to a friend's house where a big group of people gather for every major holiday and being able to have a mandolin and penny whistle jam session with another friend is great fun as well.


Painting my nails for the first time in 8 months. It makes me feel wonderfully girly. (Sad but true.)

Those wonderfully crazy Native American and misprononced place names that seem to be found only in Wisconsin that nobody outside of the state can ever say properly, much less spell. Some examples include: Oconomowoc, Peewaukee, Prairie du Chien (pronouced 'Prairie doo Sheen'), Waukesha, Ashwaubenon, Waupaca, Waunakee (it's the only Waunakee in the world), Racine (pronounced ray-SEEN), Antigo, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Kewaunee, Menominee, Wausau, Sheboygan, Chippewa Falls, Baraboo, Oshkosh, Ozaukee, Fond du Lac (pronounced Fondue-lack), Wauwatosa, De Pere (pronounced Duh-PEER), Kickapoo, Lac Courte Oreille (pronunced Lacouda-RAY), Winnebago...

You have no idea how much fun I had compiling the above list. I never really though about how many place names here that I take for granted as normal that are really quite unusual.

[littlemanpoet]

Michigan has a Cheboygan too. And a Menominee, I believe. lesseee.....

Macatawa, Michilimackinac, and that's just a start from memory. More later....


... Manistee, Kalkaska, Kalamazoo, Newaygo, Keweenaw, Algonac, Arenac, Chicora, Chicagon, Dowagiac, Gogebic, Hiawatha, Huron, Ishpeming, Keewahdin, Kincheloe, Leelanau, Lenawee, Paw Paw, Pewabic, Manistique, Manitou, Meauwataka, Missaukee, Monongahela (!), Negaunee, Ojibway, Okemos, Pinconning, Roscommon, Sebewaing, Tekonsha, Wacousta, Ypsilanti, Zilwaukee.

That was fun.

[Kath]

Sun! I love sun! Even if it does give me freckles. Actually because it gives me freckles, I'm far too pale and they hide eye bags from when you've had about 5 hours of sleep a night for the past 4 days.

But it's so warming and nice. I sat in my room with a cami and skirt on today and was warm!

Also to third (fourth, fifth?) the motion, I support the assignation of Easter. I'm not very religious, at all religious really, but I like it because it's a lot less commercial than it could be, at least round here.

[Formendacil]

Prairie du Chien, possibly De Pere, and Lac Courte Oreille are French, I think, although someone more knowledgeable could call me out on this one... If I'm right, it goes back to some of your French-Canadien roots- same as those more major American cities of Du Bois, Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Pierre, Des Moines...

On a related note, I assign "smatterings of linguistics" to the Shire. I'm far too lazy to ever learn a second language (and if I do, it would be Latin... which is "dead"), but I do love smatterings of foreign tongues. Strange words here and there, of miscellaneous international origin, coupled with the proper pronunciation that most people can't manage, but you're usually good at...

I also assign Catholic ordinations... another fine example of beautiful liturgy. I also assign the fact that I get to go to one tomorrow...

[The Saucepan Man]

Spending Easter Sunday with old friends in a beach bar in Spain, sipping Rosado and tucking into gorgeous seafood while the children play in the sand.

In fact, I'll just assign our entire Spanish Easter break, which was wonderful.

[Lhunardawen]

The sunflowers neatly lining the avenue leading to and away from my university. How they brighten up an impending doom-filled day!

Also, those little white fluffy things that some trees shed to scatter their seeds. They make it look like we're having snow in summer.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign the best kind of pedicure around: every nail a different color, painted lovingly by a seven year old.

[JennyHallu]

aww...too cute. Are your toes (as well as the nails) all different colors too?

Oh! OH!

And I assign my parents visiting. Why weren't they this cool when I was growing up? My folks are just awesome!!!!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

A wee bit around the edges, of course. And my left fingernails happen to be a different color than those of my right hand.

I also assign the cat-like instinct to curl up in a sunny window and nap in the warmth. I love spring... I looooove being warm and snuggly.

[JennyHallu]

I assign living somewhere my cold northern friends, relatives, and sundry regard as a vacation spot. It's all nifty. Anyone want to come curl up in my windows? It's been 80 to 90 degrees (Fahrenheit, you weird Europeans) all week.

[Orominuialwen]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Prairie du Chien, possibly De Pere, and Lac Courte Oreille are French, I think, although someone more knowledgeable could call me out on this one... If I'm right, it goes back to some of your French-Canadien roots- same as those more major American cities of Du Bois, Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Pierre, Des Moines...

Actually, a lot of the explorers who named the places came straight from france and didn't do more than pass through Quebec. Father Marquette and Joliet were the first French explorers to come to Wisconsin (I believe) in 1673. My family came along with them. A few stayed in Wisconsin, while the rest all went on to Missouri, where they continued to speak nothing but French until the end of the 19th century...


Chocolate milk belongs in the Shire. It's just fun to drink.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Lac Courte Oreille are French,.

Short Ear Lake? Evidence of naming by Francophone elves who have les oreilles longues ?

[Orominuialwen]

It's the name of a Native American tribe and I think a town as well.

[Lalaith]

A lot of the Native American tribes spoke French, early French settlers and all that...I know this from reading Little House on the Prarie... ....remember that really cool Osage chief, Soldat du Chene....

[Mithalwen]

and so reality intrudes on my charming ( to me)whimsy of Francophone Elves ( impossibly chic and drinking espresso and smoking gauloises ) naming the lake because of the strange round eared mortals who dwellt by its shores ...

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

A lot of the Native American tribes spoke French, early French settlers and all that...I know this from reading Little House on the Prarie... ....remember that really cool Osage chief, Soldat du Chene....

Wan't there a tribe called Nez Perce? And somewhere there are mountains called Grands Tetons (sniggers in an immature fashion).

[Diamond18]

Originally Posted by Orominuialwen

Those wonderfully crazy Native American and misprononced place names that seem to be found only in Wisconsin that nobody outside of the state can ever say properly, much less spell.

Oh, yes yes! But you forgot "Kewaskum" from your list. (Key-Wahs-come)

Originally Posted by Paul the poet guy

... Manistee, Kalkaska, Kalamazoo, Newaygo, Keweenaw, Algonac, Arenac, Chicora, Chicagon, Dowagiac, Gogebic, Hiawatha, Huron, Ishpeming, Keewahdin, Kincheloe, Leelanau, Lenawee, Paw Paw, Pewabic, Manistique, Manitou, Meauwataka, Missaukee, Monongahela (!), Negaunee, Ojibway, Okemos, Pinconning, Roscommon, Sebewaing, Tekonsha, Wacousta, Ypsilanti, Zilwaukee.

You seriously have a Zilwaukee?