The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

 

Back in 1937, on September 21, a man named John Ronald Reuel Tolkien published a "Fairy Tale" novel titled The Hobbit. 75 years later, I wonder if he ever thought the book would garner so very much success. Translated into nearly fifty languages and selling over 100 million copies, this whimsical and inventive tale continues to delight readers of all ages. Personally, I’ve been a fan of the book for years now. I still remember purchasing a copy in a used-books store that I frequently visit. I read the whole thing in nearly a single sitting, and was forever a captive of Tolkien’s spell from then on. His descriptive writing would be my very favorite literature and both his stand alone novel (The Hobbit) and his fantasy trilogy (The Lord of the Rings) still remain my favorite pieces of literary work, only preceded by the Holy Scriptures, to this very day.

In honor of the book’s 75^th anniversary, a second trailer for An Unexpected Journey was released to the public earlier this week. After watching it several times, I am again considerably stoked for the distant, but upcoming release of the first installment of the trilogy of films that will be based on this literary work by Tolkien. It really will be so great.

I thought it might be appropriate to post the first trailer, too. For those who might have missed it somehow. They’re both great.

 

Also – I’d recommend checking out TheHobbit.com. There, you can choose five alternate endings to the new trailer, all of which have about 20 seconds of differing alternate ending footage. There are also some other neat goodies over on that website, so if you’re into that sort of thing, you should go check it all out.

Remember, tomorrow is Hobbit day. (Lord of the Rings fans will recognize it as both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins’ birthdays, thus the date’s significance.) So be sure to let your curly hair out and embrace the hair on your feet. I’ll be attempting to satisfy my enormous, Hobbit-like appetite and shall be going about barefoot whenever possible. I’m just that nerdy.

 

 

Voting...

 

Ah… voting. It’s something that is considered important by some, trivial by others, and entirely disregarded by those who I do not quite understand. Still – it is a very real part of American life for those who have lived long enough to be regarded as significant. (IE: Those who are able to be taxed.) That last statement is meant to be read with the firmest use of irony, with a pinch of snarky distaste thrown in for good measure. Those who live in dear old ‘merica, and plan to exercise their right and ‘duty’ to vote, are more than likely contemplating the slowly nearing presidential elections and all that they imply. These citizens might be all gung-ho for a particular candidate, or still unsure as to who will receive their final vote. Actually, I was in this second party until only just recently.

You see… I’m not entirely loyal to any one party. Some might call me a dirty, low-down traitor because of that. But the simple fact is I’m not radical enough to be a libertarian, I’m too freedom-loving to be a republican, and I’m just not enough of a pansy to be a democrat. Take all that as you will, because it’s absolutely how I feel. (And the only reason I din't say anything distasteful about any of the other parties, is because I simply don't know a whole lot about them...) The more research I do, the more disgusted I am by the two-party system, with all its fault and fraud. I find that the more I look into either the red or the blue, instead of white… I find black, power-hungry greed. And if ever I mention that I have no intention of voting for either of the main, two presidential candidates my words are often met with heated replies that sound something like “Well, then. You do know your vote isn’t going to really count?” or “You might as well vote for the guy you don’t want to get elected, ‘cause that’s who’s gonna’ get your vote in the long run!” and sometimes even, “You might as well not vote at all!” Perhaps you too feel neither of the main runners up have our best interest at heart, and would rather not put their names on your ballot come this voting season? If that is the case, I’d highly encourage you to disregard what those people have to say. Not because the words that they speak are untrue, but because it shouldn’t matter.

For however long a time our liberty remains, we can vote for whom we believe is fit for the position. And whether you believe that that individual is a power-hungry clown intent on the complete destruction of this nation; or a gutless, flip-flopper who doesn’t know ‘yes’ from ‘no’ is your choice, so vote for that person no matter what your neighbor may tell you. Vote as your conscience calls you to vote, not as you feel you are being pushed by mankind and his fraudulent faults. That’s what I’ll be doing. I believe it is not only our duty, as American citizens, to vote… but to vote as we are morally inclined. If I feel strongly to vote for a particular candidate, be he the greatest of underdogs, or the landslide of popularity, I’ll put my vote where I feel I should, not where that nameless yahoo says it should be placed. So I’ll let my conscience choose my candidate, and allow God to do with my ballot as He will.

For goodness sake – I’ve already trusted Him with my life and soul, can I not trust Him with the fate of my vote? Or is He not big enough to alter the tide of the elections in an incredible way?

My opinion is that He, most certainly, can.

In closing… I can’t help but to think on these words that I heard once. “A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned.” How terrifying that this quote rings so true. Here’s praying that the next fellow who takes up residence in the White House can again bring us assurance that those who govern us have our best interest at heart, not their own power-gaining agendas.