Yes, as he wraps up his final season of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, Stephen Colbert managed to land an interview with the big guy.
By the way, did you know Colbert himself had a cameo in the Hobbit?
SO much looking forward to the final film. DWARVES.
-Geoff
I had to go to our branch office in Bedford, New Hampshire on Friday, which gave me a chance to have dinner with my sister Liz and her family in Lee. It also allowed me to make a trip to Mt. Washington the next day to do some hiking for the Longest Day with coworker Jason Lynch and his team. I had never been to Mt. Washington before, but I have wanted to climb it for years. So I finally had my chance.
Continue reading “Quick trip to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire”
A recording of J. R. R. Tolkien made at a “Hobbit Dinner” in the Netherlands in 1958 is going to be remastered and released later this year.
Wow. Just… wow.
I love the idea of Tolkien himself attending a feast inspired by his own writings. Makes me think of how Sariann and Chelsea did something similar with GRRM when he came to Boston for his book tour. I also love that Tolkien was apparently delighted by the whole thing and really enjoyed himself (as did GRRM). As a huge fan of Tolkien and GRRM and of creating food inspired by fantasy books, I can hardly wait to hear the whole recording.
It also makes me a little sad that I never had the opportunity to meet Tolkien, this warm, brilliant, remarkable man, before he passed away. I was only a toddler when he died. But I am hopeful for the opportunity that perhaps one day I will have the chance to meet George R.R. Martin. Maybe on his book tour for The Winds of Winter.
-Geoff
Remember that post I did a while back when I talked all about Old World/New World foods? I mentioned that I added potatoes to some of my favorite Westerosi dishes, like Roast Aurochs with Leeks, because in GRRM’s writings there are already a lot of other New World foods in Westeros. After all, beans, squash, pumpkins, pecans, and corn are all post-Columbus (and thus unknown in Medieval Europe) but make an appearance in Westeros.
Well, it turns out that at least on HBO’s Game of Thrones, potatoes do in fact exist in Westeros.
Continue reading “So maybe there are potatoes in Westeros after all”
We’re back from our hiatus. We’ve had our battle with Mass Health and we came out victorious. So, it’s time to catch all of you up on what we’ve been reading and doing other than preparing to fight for our right to health care.
So far today we have tied the record for the warmest March 8. I am wearing shorts today. In some ways I don’t mind, after all it’s a nice day outside. But I am concerned about the general weather trends, and the predictions that spring this year is going to be warmer than normal for us. In light of the fact that we had so little snow this year, and thus there is not much snowpack to melt this spring, a warmer spring could spell trouble for gardeners and farmers. We could have droughts to worry about. And it could mean increased risk of fires.
ETA: We broke the record after all. The old record for March 8th was 67 and it reached 68 degrees. Records have been kept since 1872. Right now here in Cambridge it is 66 degrees, with the wind clocking in at 20 mph from the south south-east.
I was hoping to plant some herbs this spring, if I can manage it. I do have a love for things that grow. Just like hobbits. Fresh herbs are so nice for cooking. Maybe I will try making some flavored vinegars or olive oils.
-Geoff
This December, the first of the two new Peter Jackson films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit will be released. It will be called The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey and needless to say I can hardly wait to see it. I have been a fan of Tolkien since I was in middle school, WAY back when. I remember (and used to own) the animated versions that were put out when I was a kid. So yeah, I am totally a geek about Tolkien. And of course Kelly likes him too, else we would not have included a little Tolkien in our actual wedding ceremony. No, we did not have anyone dressed up in costume or anything*, but we did use the Song of the Entwives instead of a traditional psalm.
The Books are Taking Over... 