Whether you are attending a party or just raising a glass on your own, you can announce it here.

3rd January.

I am not having a party for Tolkien, I live in a little town away from everyone. But for the past four years I have had my own little celebration for Tolkien. Every year on his birthday I watch all three extended editons back to back, including the cartoon version of The Hobbit. All together it is about thirteen hours. Ofcourse in a couple of years I will need to make it a two day affair- The Hobbit movies. I also intend to watch Born of Hope when it comes out that day aswell.

So, is there a certain time when we can all do it together, or do we just do it whenever? I think we should all video ourselves making the toast, then upload them to YouTube. Then, someone should take all the vids, and put them all together, so we can see the all at once, like we're all having the toast together. That would be cool. But I'm going to video mine, anyways. Too bad I can't have a real toast yet I guess I'll have to have sparkling cider or something.

I will be there in spirit as I do not have the capability to video and upload. Cheers to Tolkien.

Gandalfs Beard

Happy Birthday and 3 cheers for JRRTolkien!!! Hip Hip Hurrah, Toast to the Master and may his works live forever.

Gandalfs Beard

Ok, so I didn't have any sparkling cider, but I did have some leftover mulled cider from New Years. Also, don't worry about watching the whole thing. I would perfectly understand if you skipped to the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPayN9LhFLI

To The Professor!!!

Uh!! That was AWESOME!! Thank you! So nice to see the real you, Beren. And I was picturing a great hero with thigh-high leather boots and clothing tied up with leather criss-cross laces and sleeves that are all loose, lots of weapons strapped on with leather weapon-strappers, and a general Aragorn-on-steroids vibe...only in high school...still learning the skills, pre-Luthien viewage. Well, it is only a matter of time. We have a digital camcorder... This is motivation to learn how to use it. I don't know how you started reading and then kept the sound and then put up images and then went back to you reading...(roosters and all!! "and then, far away, a cock crowed; and then horns! horns! horns!" ). Seems to be a mysterious technique--like you edited it in later--but I bet if I tried that I would throw my laptop out of the window. If I got techno savvy I could show you Otto! Gotta up my techno frustration tolerance first. Otto is worth it, though.

I am doing a low tech toast to The Professor by reading The Hobbit veeery slowly and paying attention to the awesomeness of it...especially reading it after reading most of The Silmarillion and having a better idea of the larger world and the history and the terms on which the larger world is made. The Hobbit is such a fairy-story! In the sense of taking you out of this world and into another, and in getting you to feel like you yourself are on an exciting trip, and your experience of reading is just about on par with going to a real place that's new, the feeling of being curious, being more fully awake to sensations, observing keenly the new cultures and landscapes.

Oh crumbs. Must go for now, but would LIKE to type out especially delightful and tickle-making passages from just the first two chapters.

haha, that was actually an experiment. I'd never done it before. It was a bit confusing getting all the fade-in/fade-out/zoom in effects, and still having it be on time when it went back to me reading.
Those roosters were actually my neighbor's...I didn't realize how loud they were until I watched it on my comp.



I was thinking about putting my "medieval" costume on, but I didn't have time. I would have, though. In fact, I wore it when I went to see Prince Caspian in the theater (ahh, the wonderful stares I got ). But no thigh-high leather boots, sorry. All it is is a fake-leather jerkin over a silky, loose shirt, a leather belt (with the extra hanging down like Aragorn ), and black pants. But I intend to get a really good costume for the release of The Hobbit. I'm going all out. And maybe I'll wear it for Voyage of the Dawn Treader too, if it ever gets made.

That was Bloody Brilliant Beren. You will probably hate me for saying this (but I mean it as a compliment), you remind me a lot of Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliffe. I have been celebrating by cross-referencing from Book of Lost Tales Pt1, with Paul Fords companion to Narnia, and with the Deathly Hallows. There is so much cross-fertilization, and yet these 3 Masters have given us 3 Unique ways of reading Fantasy. Tolkien was the inspiration for Lewis and Rowling.

VotDT is certain to get made. We are currently awaiting Walden to conclude negotiations with a new distributor. From all reports, Fox is the likely candidate. I can't wait to see you in full regalia Beren. Another toast to Professor Tolkien.

Gandalfs Beard

Once again, Beren, you are doing things I can't get my own kids to do. I made a beautiful "Arwen" dress for my oldest daughter several years ago. Earthy velvety green looking. I think it fits my younger daughter now. Uh! They do not appreciate what's here!! And now I think they probably steer clear of Tolkien and Harry Potter and C. S. Lewis because they know I like them all so much. Here I thought I'd be this great mom, exposing them to this great stuff and then they'd grow up and be literary geniuses, having grown up in all this rich soil, but noooooo! They have to be their OWN PEOPLE.

Yeah, the roosters are fabulous. We went to Hawaii last Christmas, and learned that there are lots of "feral" chickens on those islands, and they have real noise problems with roosters. Whooda thunk that would be a characteristic of Hawaii.