What do you "assign" to the Shire?

[Celuien]

People who say nice things are hereby assigned to the Shire. It's such a nice feeling, especially when unexpected.

[Firefoot]

Cookie dough blizzards with chocolate ice cream. Mmmm...

[Kath]

The hop festival.

I don't recall the exact origins, but basically it's an excuse for everyone to drink a lot and have a great time. Morris dancers, Punch and Judy, bands and all kinds of stalls. I've been every year since I was born, and I never fail to enjoy it.

[Orominuialwen]

Since birthdays have already been assigned, I'll assign being given flowers for the first time in my life. It's amazing what four orange gerbera daisies from friends can do to brighten up your day!

And I also assign chocolate birthday cake. Yum!

[Mithalwen]

Having a big swimming pool all to my own.... bliss even though I made myself swim seriously up and down rather than just float and meditate.

Getting your paws on the new book by a favourite author when you actually have time to read it.

[Kath]

Well I'm going to reassign birthdays anyhow, seeing as they're so much fun! Slightly bittersweet this time, knowing it's the last time it will be easy to get all 6 of us in a room at the same time, but still good.

[Laitoste]

A lovely night in (spent on the 'Downs, of course) after a long, hectic weekend of moving and visiting everyone I know, plus lots of work.

[Arathul]

My hometown of course. small town in rural area. there's too few a populations that everyone know each other. and too far from the big city and industrial area that you can spend hours just walking and breathing fresh clean air. too near to the mountainious view that you can relax your sore eyes after working or heavy readings.

[Lhunardawen]

Finally, finally, finally being able to take a breather from life and catch up with things, no matter how late.

It doesn't help, though, that I'm being hounded by the thought that I should be doing something else - something I should really do.

[Kath]

Success! Finishing a 50,000 word novel in way less than 24 hours. Ah the feeling of pride.

[Lalwendë]

Finishing work for a couple of weeks. Doing those deeply satisfying things like putting on your out of office assistant, doing a handover note, emptying the inbox, putting half a tree's worth of paper covered in esoteric obsolete plans in the recycling bin, and going "see ya!" with a big, smug grin.

[Mithalwen]

Unexpectedly warm September days. A book that came free with a magazine being a good read. And getting rep for an old post that you had put effort into ...not because of the points but for the nice comment.

[littlemanpoet]

There is a unique sheen of green that, due to a combination of geographical location near the sea, the amount of precipitation, and the latitude resulting in a certain angle of the sun, that can only be found in Ireland, southern England, and (my co-worker tells me) New Zealand (appropriate, eh?). It is a green that is like gloaming only the sun is bright in the sky. I'm put in mind of Hampton Court, along the Thames upriver from London, a year ago, how bright green the lawns and trees were. A pleasure to remember. I assign it to the Shire. It belongs there.

[Kath]

Photos that allow something to stay fresh in your mind.

Meeting up with someone you lost touch with a year ago, and finding that they're just as nice as you remember them being.

Sunny days.

[Encaitare]

Alto and bass flutes. Such a luscious sound, and so much fun to play! (The only downside is that they are NOT lightweight!)

And understanding. That one second when the light bulb goes on and you just get it is a beautiful thing.

[piosenniel]

A shift at work slow enough to allow me to meet the needs of my patients.

~ ~

Nice to be able to do that in these mostly hectic days . . .

~*~ Pio

[Kath]

Finally getting to grips with this e-savings account that has been quietly laughing at my inability to use it for the past few months.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Sudden moments of academic clarity. Silly Fea, it's not necessary to overload on classes to keep from being bored. Your classes are actually cool this year. Enjoy them. Do recommended readings. Have time to paint. Go paint more murals at the hospital, Fe, you know you loved it. Take the time to write that novel you'd like to finish before you graduate. Take the time to breathe the autumn air.

It changed, you know. Summer ended this week. My friends went outside one morning and sadly realized, but I noticed as it happened. The leaves on that one specific oak at home had been dancing in paint for a few weeks now. The campus trees were behind them, but didn't my friends hear the geese flying at night? The trumpet calls as they found their way with each other? Did they not spot the fading shrubbery? The burning bushes shining brightly? That first chill scented breeze? Didn't they shiver exquisitely on the way to class those first few mornings and realize what it meant? Did the cold distance of the full moon say nothing?

And so I'll leave off with the conassignation of time and mutability. Beautiful, both, if you remember to see it.

[Kath]

Star Trek marathons!

I make no excuses for my nerdiness.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Discovering the meaning of life in the middle of Ethics class this afternoon. It was really cool. I took notes.

[the guy who be short]

I assign Caerdydd. Or Cardiff, as you guys will know it. I assign the cleanliness, the modern buildings, the lack of traffic. I assign the Welsh language with its unlikely vowels and silly plurals.

I shall also assign Jewish teachers who make up for an inability to teach by giving us lectures on Judaism.

[Kath]

The bittersweet realisation that your world is changing around you and while it is scary, it is also so exciting.

Also, my last kung fu lesson as a proper member. I was afraid it wouldn't be all that great and would be disappointing, but we had a great time.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

That first tingling, expectant, rich, dark, savory sip of coffee after a long day without.

Sales! In one of my favorite stores!

Those bright autumn days that begin in jeans, a tank top, a polo, and a zipped hoodie, and end in basketball shorts and a cami. The ones that start chilly, grey, somewhat bleak, and perfectly characteristic of a blustery Pooh Bear day and melt into the dry scent of changing seasons on warm air. Ooh, awesome.

Good music and poptarts and a night of homework that doesn't seem like homework; Beowulf; James Joyce's Dubliners; Crime and Punishment; a few short essays and quick synopses of both; The Tao of Pooh. Amazing.

[Lhunardawen]

Black forest cake, and how it moves lab instructors to postpone deadlines.

[Kath]

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - with all the hype I thought it might not be that great, but it was very funny.

The smell of enchiladas cooking, mmm.

[Farael]

Feeling moderately content after two months of being rather down on oneself. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and knowing that things might just turn out well after all

Edit: Woot!! And also making my one-thousandth post on an assignment to the Shire! That's a good omen (I don't keep a close count on my posts, so it wasn't intentional at all)

[the guy who be short]

I assign second hand bookshops!

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by the guy who be short

I assign second hand bookshops!

Seconded.

[littlemanpoet]

Not anywhere near his eleventy-first year, but it's good to see the old man kickin' around at the age of 83 with high spirits and a bum knee but still vigorous and laughing. Folks have been up this week. THAT belongs in the Shire.

[Lhunardawen]

The words "very good." When you're not having the best day of your life, even those simple words mean a lot.

[Kath]

Making friends! Having someone to talk to while you're sitting through some health and safety lecture is absolutely vital if you need to be awake.

Also, being used as an example of what not to do in said health and safety lecture. The picture of our house came up and we all fell about laughing, poor talking man was so confused.

[Lalwendë]

Oxford Botanical Gardens. Very nice indeed, not just for a gardening freak like me, either. They're very different to the Sheffield ones - which are about four times as big and lanscaped with extensive woodlands and a bear pit - and have lots of 'educational' plant displays such as rows of big savoy cabbages and a display of sunflower varieties, some of which were enormous. Then of course there is 'Tolkien's Tree'. Now it might not seem like much to look at, going somewhere just to look at one tree, but its worth it. The tree is huge, very unusual, and seriously impressive. It puts Tolkien's feelings about trees into perspective - he loved them just as Trees, immense, towering organic presences.

But in the Botanical Gardens you now get the added bonus of finding Lyra's 'bench' from the end of The Amber Spyglass. Pullman describes it exactly and its easy to find, and a nice place to sit for a quiet hour smoking and chatting. Take the chance now, as I'm sure once the films have been out you'd have to fight to get a chance to sit there. Oh, and you can also laugh at people struggling to punt on the river behind you.

I'm also sending hunting for conkers to The Shire. We walked round Deadman's Walk at the back of Merton College (very nice path overlooking the rugby fields) and decided to get conkers off a Chestnut tree that was said to have been a favourite with Tolkien. Projecting umbrellas are pretty good for this, and provide more accuracy than a mere stick thrown up into the branches. Just make sure to run away fast when you realise that there are CCTV systems watching you...

I'll also assign sneaking into the private Fellow's Garden at Exeter when someone had left the gate leading into Brasenose Lane open by mistake.

[Taralphiel]

The first signs of Spring

The Liquid Ambar's that my Dad and I planted during winter are coming to life. That's got me really chuffed. And the various bulbs I planted and forgot about!

And taking lunch breaks in the warm weather. Makes the daily grind closer to bearable

- Tara

[Laitoste]

Professors who manage to make topics you are committedly apathetic about fascinating.

Being able to properly enjoy a dreary, grey, September day.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Amazing people who make your bad day better by distracting you from your grumpy self-inflicted caffeine withdrawal with a shared rant about education systems.

[Laitoste]

Getting email. Granted, I received about 6-7 from myself (emails I had sent to email lists I'm on), but it's always exciting to open the inbox and see 5 new emails from friends saying that they will, in fact, come to my hobbit party on Friday. In other words, they don't think I'm dumb!

[Kath]

Learning and then playing poker until 2 in the morning, using Cheerios as betting chips, with a bunch of people you've only just met and having a great time.

Also, Cheerios! Who knew they were so nice?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Caller ID! Parents calling? What? "No visitors, well-wishers, and/or close relations."

[Lhunardawen]

Getting a high score in a supposedly killer exam given by a supposed terror prof. For Biology. Which makes me feel, sort of, that I'm really in the right course. Somehow, hearing my classmates tell me that they hate me didn't sound so bad.

Being surprised at the end of an ordinary day by something, something that made me smile for the rest of the night a smile so wide it hurt.

[Farael]

Rockapella. Those guys are pretty good... or at least the songs my sister's got from them. Kinda make me smile after a stressful day.

Having one of the kids you were volunteering with stop you on the street to say hi. And most importantly, one kid that you wondered at times if he liked you or not. I might have done a better job over there than what I thought after all!!