CoE Member of the Month: an interview with k

1. So, you have been chosen by the wizards to answer their own particular brand of questions this month. Does this make you proud? Why do you think the wizards have chosen you?
LOL, I dread to think…

2. Let’s start with something easy. A simple choice. Which do you prefer and why?
– Middle-earth or our world?
Our world… soppy answer time… we are surrounded by incredible people doing small, but incredible things – the courage and kindness that family, friends and complete strangers show every day beats all the heroic events of Middle-earth… Tolkien’s world is a reflection of our own, one can use it to show us what’s bad in our world, but also what’s great… and, of course, if our world didn’t exist, we never would have heard of Middle-earth to start with!

– A steward’s son or a son as steward?
Dude, have you seen Chmiel’s pictures of Boromir and Faramir?? Steward’s son for sure, I couldn’t stand to have my own child looking that good!

– Arwen as hope or Arwen as reward?
Um… I guess this is some reference to book versus movie Arwen… Probably as hope then, the idea of a woman being a reward for some heroic manly type deed is just not quite right.

– The addition of chocolate into Middle-earth or the addition of lembas into our world?
LOL, you know what? Hobbits are bad enough when it comes to mushrooms – if they had chocolate too, you never would have persuaded them to leave the Shire!! So it has to be lembas into our world.

– Which pairing do you prefer: Arwen/Aragorn; Éowyn/Aragorn; Éowyn/Arwen, Aragorn/Boromir or Boromir/Figwit?
LOL, now how would the blue wizard know about Figgy’s Boromir obsession, eh? Mmm, Éowyn/ Arwen… and Aragorn/Boromir… very PC, but probably not very realistic. I have to go with Boromir/Figwit… there’s real passion there, I’m sure.

3. You wake up with a gentle wind on your face and birds singing in the trees. The sun is rising over a nearby wood. Where are you?
New Zealand!!

4. You wake up with something seemingly like a tornado whirling around you. No birds are singing, in trees or otherwise. The sun is in the sky, but often hidden by flying debris, trees, cows etc. Where are you?
Um… Kansas… or perhaps I’m in Oz now?!

5. What 5 things would you take to Middle-earth with you and why?
Ack!

– Copy of The Lord of the Rings… After all, it contains maps, language and dialect tips, a who’s who of Middle-earth, information on local customs and a handy guide of where to avoid!!
– Bottle of Vinegar… enough said, really.
– Laptop with wireless internet for posts and journals… well, it wouldn’t be worth going if I couldn’t make everyone on CoE jealous, would it?!
– Camera… a picture of me and Gríma frolicking in the fields of Rohan… it just has to be done!!
– Shampoo!

6.Which is your favourite season, and where in Middle-earth would you like to spend it?
Autumn in the Shire… I should imagine it’s perfection!

7. Give us 5 words that explain your love of Tolkien and his works.
Magical, inspiring, ummm, now I’m stuck…

8. Which characters would you be in the following books: Winnie the Pooh, Lost, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter?
And now I shall show my ignorance… I don’t know much about Winnie the Pooh or the Chronicles of Narnia, and I have only watched a couple of episodes of Lost (we’re well behind here in the UK), but Harry Potter… well, I would like to be Charlie Weasley, but I suspect I’m more like the worst bits of Hermione and Ron combined!!

9. And on to our favourite website … Which forums have you never posted in on CoE? Which forum do you post in most?
Well, I’ve been a member here for years now, so I’ve posted just about everywhere… I post least in Role Play, Languages, and the Realms. I used to post a lot in the Prancing Pony, Palantír, books and illustrations posts in the Book Club… alas, I don’t have time to post much at all any more.

9. Which completely unnecessary section does CoE really need?
Hmm, can I say an Illustrations section? Though, of course, I don’t consider it unnecessary. Everyone needs to see other people’s visions of Middle-earth.

10. As a future doctor, does ‘The Lord of the Rings’ inspire you in any way in your job?
LOL, wow, I haven’t really thought about it. I guess it must do – LotR and CoE have taken up quite a portion of my life in the last few years – the people I have met here, the stories I have heard and some of the situations I have dealt with have carried over into my real life… so, indirectly, I guess it has. Directly though… well, it’s an inspiring story that makes you feel good about the world around you and the idea of people triumphing in adversity. I guess it can inspire you to see those qualities in the people you work with and treat.

11. Tell us about New Zealand! Tell! Tell! Tell!
Wow, how long do you have!!! It’s stunning… beautiful… incredible!! It’s just so Lord of the Rings as well.

The people are amazing – really chilled and laid back, and it’s kinda weird. The population is small (the entire country has a smaller population than London!) and almost everyone knows someone who worked on the film in some way. In fact, the New Zealand government employed the army to build roads and stuff to make the filming easier and most of the army played orcs and various other parts – I mean, can you imagine anywhere else in the world allowing their army to be at the disposal of a film director!

I went on a few tours out in New Zealand, some of which showed where parts of the film were done. It was so strange to stand on the very spot where the Golden Hall of Rohan was, and to see Middle-earth all around you!

I also got to ski on Mount Doom, dance around the party tree, and dip my toes in the Anduin!!

12. So, what’s so grand about caves?
LOL, do you really have to ask? Ok, how about this – you absail 30 meters into a cavern with only the faint beams from the sun lighting your way. You are then attached to a zip glide and plunge into complete blackness, but not for long. As you emerge from the tunnel, you have entered a starry night. You stand in a large cavern, a river flowing below you and millions of glow worms covering the ceilings and walls. You jump into the water and float for a time in a corridor of light, till you emerge into a smaller cavern – this one has large stalagmites and stalactites, pillars of all colours, curtains and flow stones. And among them, the most delicate and beautiful straws. All formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, but seeming like they were made just for you to appreciate.

LOL, I’m starting to sound like Gimli, aren’t I!?!? Enough of that.

And that’s that! Thank you for your time and your thoughts!
No problem.

K kindly shared with us some pictures taken in New Zealand. Thank you, k!