The Latte Lounge, version 2.0

[luthienelflover]

Hi, Elluminai! :D:D I promise we won't eat you; I don't care for hazelnut coffee (but don't be offended, I love hazelnuts on cake ).

I must say, though, I think I'm more of a pecan girl myself -- I hope that doesn't make us mortal enemies.

(We're all nuts of one sort or another here.... )

Anyway, welcome to TORC! I see that Sil has already pointed you toward our chat thread in Talk and the Terms of Service. If you have any other questions feel free to ask us here or in the chat thread!

I look forward to getting to know you and your nut army.

[Elluminai The Hazelnut]

hah, don't worry, pecan's are also allies.
Ally: Foe:
Hazelnut Peanut
Macadamia walnut
Pecan cashew
Almonds chestnut

That should help out. I'm still to new to actually explain what i'm talking about, though it is Tolkien based. I really ought to post in Talk, i Talk to much.
Nice to meet you too oh Guru of the coffee!

[luthienelflover]

Aw, c'mon, Elluminai, don't tell me you've abandoned us already!

[Elluminai The Hazelnut]

nah i didn't abandon anyone, i've got all the topics i joined on watch, it's just that no ones commented on anything yet.

[luthienelflover]

Okay, well, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself then? (If you want to -- don't feel pressured!) As for me -- I'm a college kid, just about done with my third year -- one more till my BA! I'm studying classics, or "unemployment" as we like to call it. :P

[Elluminai The Hazelnut]

Im just a kid, i'm out of school for now, waiting to get into a nursing course. I've been a lotr fan for a few years now and have been on my own "quest" to find people interested in lotr.

[luthienelflover]

You'll certainly find a lot of them here. Nursing, huh? That's wonderful! I know a few nurses -- really great people.

What got you into LotR?

[Lady Mithrellas]

*Steps up to the door, pulling on it, while nothing happens. Then she sees the sign that says push*

*face palm*

I've actually been known to do that. So, what kind of hazing do I need to go through in order to get adopted?

[luthienelflover]

*ponders fiendishly difficult tests*

How about...

dundundun

CHOOSE A NICKNAME!!!!!!!

I know, terrifying.

Hi Lady Mithrellas. Welcome to TORC! We're very happy to have you here. Tell us a little about yourself!

[Lady Mithrellas]

Welllll, I live in Erie, PA, USA. My dad retired up here some time ago and I love it. (: I'm in high school, so I can't say my age, but I will be able to in a year (which gives you an idea of my age.) I'm a dancer and I play the saxophone. Uhm... I'm a huge football fan (GO COWBOYS! Though they just cut TO which is highly dissapointing >,<). I love to hike and rock climb and I'm Catholic. I love LOTR and have since my dad introduced it to me in September of 2003. I only remember the date because he had to go overseas that October though December, and I wanted to wait until he got back to see RotK.

[Weaverofwiles]

Hello peoples of Arda! I am newly born as a Child of Manwë and I am wayward! Will any good mother or father adopt me?

[luthienelflover]

Hi Weaverofwiles! Of course we'll adopt you! Welcome to TORC, and to the Latte Lounge. People usually call me Luthy, but I guess you can call me whatever you like. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Or, if you feel like chatting, we have a thread in The Bird and the Baby (same name as the thread here, can't miss it) that's just for talking to one another -- I promise everyone there is really nice!

[Weaverofwiles]

Okay, great! You can call me whatever you like, I have no preference. I'm a twenty year old psychology student at Mcgill University in Montreal, and I have a passion for fantasy and comparative mythology. I'm writing my own book but I'm afraid it's a much larger task than I had originally envisioned but I'm not giving up. I think at some point I will paste what I have but I'm somewhat hesitant because perhaps my work will be stolen and plagiarized.

My favourite authors are Joseph Campbell and obviously Tolkien. I've read The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Book of Lost Tales 1 and 2, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings. So I suppose the next one on the list is the Lays of Beleriand seeing that I own the entire history of Middle-earth. :}

[eowynatheart]

I want to be adopted into this house!

[GwenElf]

Hello, Eowynatheart!! Welcome to the thread, and to TORC! We'd love to adopt you! Pull up a beanbag chair and help yourself to a latte/tea/coffee/hot chocolate/etc--drinks are on us! (Sometimes literally, when we're having clumsy days...)

*Hands Eowynatheart a microphone* Tell us a little bit about yourself! Or, if you're feeling microphone-happy, we like karaoke, too.

Oh, also, do you have a nickname you'd like to go by? Everyone calls me Sil, but I also answer to Gwen, or Gwenny, or GwenElf, or "Hey, you with the big ears!"

[jerriwillmore]

Would like some coffee, thanks

[ArwenElrondiel]

*slipping off cloak and draping it over the back of a chair while trying to decide what to order*

So many possibilities. Let's see now, I'll have an iced mocha cappuccino with a shot of espresso. Leave me an inch of space at the top and fill that space with whipped cream, please, if you have it. Thanks.

I've never seen a coffeehouse with such an offering before, glad I happened across it. I'm Arwen Elrondiel, but all my friends just call me ArwenCat.

[rwhen]

Welcome to TORC ArwenCat! I like your choice of name.

I see you are finding your way around a bit. If there is anything I can do to assist in making your start here more comfortable or easy, please just let me know.

*passes over an iced cup of mocha cappuccino with a shot of expresso topped with whipped cream*

Enjoy.

Cheers,
rwhen

PS, I don't normally audit this particular thread, but didn't want you to feel that your were neglected. If Sil or Luthy pop on in, I am sure they will boot me but good.

Still feel free to ask any thing you like.

[GwenElf]

Boot you? HA! *Ties rwhen to a chair* Now you can never leave!! BWAAAAHAHAHAHAAaa... *catches sight of ArwenCat staring* Erm. That is..


Welcome to the Latte Lounge, and to TORC, ArwenCat! I see that rwhen's gotten you your coffee, but if you have any questions, let us know! I go by Sil around here despite the fact that it looks and sounds nothing like any part of GwenElf.

And please tell us about yourself! I'll see if I can find the microphone... it's around here somewhere.. eh, forget it, it's not a very big cafe anyway.

[rwhen]

*looks at self tied in chair*

Um, what is it going to take to get an early release?

[GwenElf]

Hhmmmmmm.... Let me think about that for a few... months.

Just kidding. *Unties rwhen*. Coffee?

[rwhen]

Do you serve anything stronger?

*takes the coffee like a good TORCer*

Have a grand weekend.

ArwenCat? Come on back, we promise not to tie you up. And your iced coffee is getting all watery.

[ArwenElrondiel]

*comes back to reality from somewhere far off* Sorry, just taking a mental stroll down memory lane. It's been a long time since I had a good cappuccino, and this is good.

So, since I'm new to these parts, what's there to do around here, besides sitting here living off of coffee for the foreseeable future?

[rwhen]

Welcome back again. I see that you are nosing into the Talk forum, that is a good place to find people with similar interests, like cooking. Also there is a photo blog going on right now if you are interested in pictures. TORC 365 Photo Project, in Talk.

Sports threads and just some chat threads too, just to keep up with friends and others that have got together at different gatherings. You are always welcome to any that I have started, like the HELLLLOOO thread in Talk or the TVM also in Talk by Tooks.

If you go down to Alliances and Guilds, you will find threads for religion, crafting, cats and more. There are also regional threads, not sure if you are in the US or outside, but you could check those out too.

Then of course there are the book and movie related Tolkien threads that anyone can pop on into.

The important thing is to remember that no one really "owns" threads, you are welcome to jump into the middle of a conversation or start a new topic of your own. You will generally find that there are a number of people who think like you do or like the same things you like.

Would you feel comfortable sharing a bit more about yourself, that doesn't go against TOS (age and location restrictions). I am in the Pacific Northwest of the US, WA state to be exact. I work with family and look to retire here at some point. I came to Tolkien very early in life...late teens and that would be a VERY long time ago. I found this site ten years ago looking for information about the movies and fell in love with it here.

Very glad to see a new face and I do hope that you stick around.

[ArwenElrondiel]

I found the NC/SC alliance, I'm in NC, and cooking, and walk to Rivendell. I'm a disable Navy vet. Right now I have 2 writing projects in the works, one is a cookbook and the other a novel.

[GwenElf]

Glad you like your cappuccino, ArwenCat! I've been a coffee snob ever since I studied abroad in Rome and had Italian coffee. No going back now!

Sports threads and just some chat threads too, just to keep up with friends and others that have got together at different gatherings. You are always welcome to any that I have started, like the HELLLLOOO thread in Talk or the TVM also in Talk by Tooks.

We also had a Latte Lounge chat thread for folks to come in and get coffee; it's rather dead at the moment, but I have just revived it for all the poor, decaffeinated TORCers out there. Link is here.

If you're into writing, we also have a forum for people to post their works, both fanfiction and original, as well as two RP forms--one for Middle-earth RP, and one for fantasy-based.



Edit: Cross-posted with you! In that case, if you want any feedback on the novel, you should check the Writing forum.

Also, Navy, cool! My brother is in the process of trying to join the Navy's nuclear engineering program and has hit a road block because of his vision. We're waiting for the FDA to approve a new type of surgery so he can get "uber cool Lasik" and reapply.

[ArwenElrondiel]

Glad you like your cappuccino, ArwenCat! I've been a coffee snob ever since I studied abroad in Rome and had Italian coffee. No going back now!

I'm picky about my coffee, got spoiled in London with a Starbucks one block down the street and another a block and a half behind me. Both were far better than anything I've had here in the States.

If I'm brewing at home, I mix equal parts turkish-grind espresso and bakers cocoa. It enriches the flavor making it bolder without tasting like chocolate sludge. And the best thing about it is that the cocoa neutralizes the acids in the coffee so that I don't get tummy troubles.

We also had a Latte Lounge chat thread for folks to come in and get coffee; it's rather dead at the moment, but I have just revived it for all the poor, decaffeinated TORCers out there. Link is here.

Perhaps the problem is the decaf.

If you're into writing, we also have a forum for people to post their works, both fanfiction and original, as well as two RP forms--one for Middle-earth RP, and one for fantasy-based.

The novel is still in the research stage. It's an espionage thriller. I have written fanfic in the past, but it's Star Wars, not Tolkien style fantasy.

Edit: Cross-posted with you! In that case, if you want any feedback on the novel, you should check the Writing forum.

Also, Navy, cool! My brother is in the process of trying to join the Navy's nuclear engineering program and has hit a road block because of his vision. We're waiting for the FDA to approve a new type of surgery so he can get "uber cool Lasik" and reapply.

I almost went into the nuke program. I was literally taking the exam for it when Three Mile Island raised it's ugly head and said "Hello World". I missed getting into the program by 6 points, but considering what all was going on nuke wise, I'm kind of glad I didn't get in. I wouldn't have gotten to go to Diego Garcia (coral reef in the Indian Ocean) for 13 months if I'd been a nuke.


Waiting for the FDA to approve something then waiting for a doctor to get enough experience to be good at it will take years. He'd do better to go to the UK, France, or Germany now to get it done. And probably less expensive, too. Remember, what's new here is old hat in Europe. If your brother is still a student, he can get a student work Visa and in the UK that means he's on their med system and has little or no cost for all things medical.

[GwenElf]

He could get it done in Canada, but wasn't sure that going out of the country to get a non-FDA-approved surgery in order to join the US military would be entirely kosher with the US government and all.. I don't know; you've probably got a better idea as to whether they'd frown on that.

Sadly, he's not a student any more, either, but I think I'm going to get something good out of grad school and try this idea out! European Lasik, wheee!

[ArwenElrondiel]

In order to get a student work visa you have to either be a student or a recent graduate (late 6 months). I think Grad school counts.

In the UK you can work for up to 6 months, in Ireland it's only 4. Most of Europe is 6 months, I think.

Check out http://www.bunac.org

As for getting the surgery done on foreign soil, doesn't matter, they won't ask where he had it done since he's still a civilian.

[ArwenElrondiel]

Where did everyone go? Sil, did you tie up everyone?