fahoo foray dahoo doray

[chestnutcurls]

Happy late birthday, chattyfingers and lifeofbrian and thetenthshadow!

Welcome, Christmas week. It feels too soon. I'm not ready for the holidays to be over. On the other hand, I feel a little like Charlie Brown. Why must we be so commercialized? Why couldn't I have just baked cookies for my friends and played Christmas carols on my flute or something? Instead I am scrambling to buy presents I'm not sure about with money I don't really have. On my lunch break I wrapped a large present in the backseat of my car, which is something I hope to never, ever have to do again. Don't ask.

My work friend Nina brought me a small pineapple cake, and I keep munching on it. It is as the waybread of the Elves to me.

So what did I do this weekend? On Friday night I took Evan to the airport. He didn't have room to take the gingerbread men I had made for him, which made both of us even more depressed. After our sad parting at the security check, I went home, and soon Em arrived to cheer me up. We and Kathy sat and talked and drank tea as in the KEBhouse of old. The next day, we went to the wedding of our friend Jessie. She was a beautiful bride. It was fun, but I missed Evan. When the reception was over, I went to see ROTK again with Myla because she hadn't been yet. It was still great, but I think I'm done for a while. One thing that bothered me this time was how detached Frodo was at the very end. Sam and Merry and Pippin were just grieving, and Frodo didn't seem to care. It was like he was only saying goodbye for their sakes. Like he didn't have enough left in him to care about it himself. Part of me was angry at him for it, and another part felt even worse for him. This started me thinking about the Grey Havens in general. I know it's a metaphor for death, but what happens to all of them when they get there? Is it like heaven? Will Bilbo and Frodo die there, or do they sort of "die" on the way and pass into immortality? These are probably dumb questions. Anyway. Oh, also when Frodo wakes up and Legolas appears in the doorway, Myla and I were like, "I'd like to see him when I wake up." LOL.

On Sunday I played both services again, and had lunch with Debs and her church friends. Then we wanted to rent How to Deal, but none of the local video stores had it. So we sat around watching figure skating. I came home intending to exercise and get a lot done, but then I discovered Titanic was on, so that was the end of my usefulness. Then I called Evan, made sure he wasn't boarding any ill-fated cruise liners, and went to bed early. The end.

Comments

[aftondays.livejournal.com]

I have the same questions about the Grey Havens. Perhaps someone better versed in Middle-earthly lore could provide answers.

[calypsobard.livejournal.com]

How loverly it would be to have both Legolas and Aragorn walk in when I wake up :) And for the Kingly music to be playing with ARagorn walks in....

I need to see that again....

[my-everafter.livejournal.com]

I've missed a lot- where is Evan going??
You are amazing for having watched RotK two times in one week. Steven is dying to see it and since I just saw it on Wednesday, I haven't gotten back to the point where I could watch it again yet. Suddenly I feel terribly selfish!
If you see How to Deal, tell me how it is, I've been curious about it. hehe- Titanic was the movie Steven and I saw on our very first date... six years ago tomorrow marks the anniversary of that date!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

I hope so! It's really nagging at me.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

He went to New Hampshire for Christmas and won't be home until next Monday. :(

Yeah, I didn't intend to go again that soon, but Myla needed someone to go with and I never get to hang out with her. It'll be a while before I see it again, though.

Ah, Titanic...the romantic memories... :)

[canticles.livejournal.com]

Awwww.... :( How sad that he couldn't take the gingerbread men!!!! :(

Well, I know what you mean about presents. I went a little crazy this year with all the money I don't have. *sigh* And today I ended up driving all over the Metroplex trying to get a last minute gift for Phillip that has been sold out for weeks. I got an email notification saying the item had arrived at a particular store, but no one put it on hold for me (even though I paid for it online)... so, they sent me to a store that was WAAAAAY out of the way, only to find out that they didn't have it either.

Thoroughly frustrated, I ended up buying makeup and fuzzy yarn for my latest project.

[chattyfingers.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was fabulous!

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

I want to see How to Deal, but I found out that my sister is getting it for Christmas so I'm just staying calm so no one rents it first. She's also getting Freaky Friday, so I'm very excited about my upcoming movie-watching experiences!

[tingilya.livejournal.com]

Hmm. No-cry Frodie. Well. He knew he'd be leaving, so maybe he was putting on a brave face for them. Maybe his lack of tears was so show both how strong he'd gotten through his ordeal, but also how numb he'd become.

Plus, Sam is just a big crying heap of raw emotion all the time, anyway, so it'd make sense for him to cry. And Merry and Pippin are the youngest, plus they didn't endure nearly what Frodo did, so maybe they just don't understand at all. It's a big whopper to be hit with, "Hey, you're be best friends and I love you and all, but now I'm going to get on this big ship and go to elf heaven and you'll never see me again since when you die you won't go there. Bye!"

I should stop. The English major is rearing her ugly head again.

[thetenthshadow.livejournal.com]

I saw it twice in one week too, going again on my birthday with my brother (It cames to us on our birthday!) As for the grey havens, my friend (HUGE LotR buff) says that it's basically a deathless immortality. I told her that I wouldn't want that if I was Bilbo's age!!! He looked like the crypt keeper from behind, when he was being led to the boat.
As for Frodo, he went through more torment and grief and agony and despair than all the other Fellowship put together. I'm not surprised that it permanently changed him. He definitely needed to escape.

[thetenthshadow.livejournal.com]

BTW, thanks for the birthday wish! :)

[imaginarylove.livejournal.com]

"Oh, also when Frodo wakes up and Legolas appears in the doorway, Myla and I were like, 'I'd like to see him when I wake up.' LOL."

Total! :)

[dakoda.livejournal.com]

One of the many reasons I dislliked the Frodo part of the ending. It was like he didn't even care about his friends anymore, and my goodness, hadn't he slapped Sam in the face enough with a total disregard for his loyalty and their friendship? He just leaves him in the end? I just hate that, it did not sit well with me.

When Gandalf talked to Pippin about the Grey Havens, he spoke of it as though they were still "alive", and so I very much believe that this was Tolkien's way of fitting heaven into the story (or at least getting across a message to readers that there is life after death, and that death is only the beginning).

[eleutheria.livejournal.com]

Gray as in "silver" it is not a metaphor for death, but a metaphor for Heaven (i'm sure that's what you mean). The elves are suggestive not of "angels" or such, but of "saints." They can enter heaven directly (no need for Purgation as in everyone else). Frodo's destination is the best place one could possibly go to, and he is deemed a Saint as much as the Elves (the grace of the Elves was passed on to him in fellowship as it was for Bilbo-- all very Catholic in theology).

Frodo cannot be sad about this, all his pain will go away, and he is *suffering* with Sam and the others, who find so much happiness at the Shire. The movie doesn't make it clear, but it represents this accurately.

Frodo in the book is equally detached. Tolkien describes the beautiful experience Frodo is having by going away, and then repeatedly writes "but Sam." Think about it, if you were dying, and knew you'd be in the Halls of Heaven the next time you awake... would you be sad? But everyone else would be for you.

I LOVED that entire scene. It was SO true to the book....

[eleutheria.livejournal.com]

No, i'm confused because the movie does it this way... it is not in Fellowship that Frodo's chance to go is gotten, the Elf grace is passed on to him in Return of the King, when Arwen explains to him that he can go to heal himself there (or experience no more pain) instead of her. Can't remember where it is. In the first movie, she pras "may whatever grace is given me be passed on to him" to a similar effect, and that confused me. Although a prerequisite of such grace is the being elf-friend, as Frodo becomes early in Fellowship (and Bilbo does in his earlier adventure). I think Tolkien all says in the Appendix that those that have tasted the Ring can only be cured in the Grey Havens (that's why Sam eventually goes also).

[eleutheria.livejournal.com]

I might add, the grey Havens are a passage point to the high havens or something (where Iluvatar and the Ainur are? God and the High Angels). Middle Earth is a middle point, and obviously there is a lower point. The Grey Havens is where Gandalf first appears, and the main elf of that place (like Elrond and Galadriel of their respective realms) gives him his Ring of power (this is from the Silmarillion the chapter i'm thinking of is the last).

[nikichick4.livejournal.com]

Oh! I got your Christmas card! Thank you! And you have such pretty handwriting!!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Yes, makeup and fuzzy yarn heal all wounds. :) I hope you get things worked out with that present!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

:) I'm glad!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Ooo fun!

Yeah, Debs and I decided to try to get How to Deal on Christmas Eve instead. :)

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

No, this is the kind of commentary I wanted! I was hoping you'd come through for me. :) That makes sense. Someone has to hold it together emotionally.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he did look pretty scary, didn't he? I can't remember who, but someone on LJ said he looked almost orclike.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

:) Thanks for the support! LOL.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree! I was just wondering about the logistics. :)

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Good points. I was also sort of thinking in terms of someone who's dying at the end of a long illness. They're at peace about it because their pain will be over, but their friends are still sad for them to go. I guess it's the same thing.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

In the first movie, she pras "may whatever grace is given me be passed on to him" to a similar effect

Hey, yeah! I had forgotten about that!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

:) You're welcome! Thanks for yours, too! I think your card was the first one I got.

[nikichick4.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I started like right on December 1st or something..haha