Welcome everyone once again to our Member Spotlight. Well they say that great things come in pairs, well perhaps not that set of Noah’s Ark steaknifes… Nevermind that, I have two interviews for the price of one! I get paid for this right? … No? … Well anyway, I present before you in backlight glorious splendor, Oloriel and Lilymilos!
First lets get to know them a bit…
Oloriel: My name is Jessica, and I am 30 years old. I live with one husband and two cats in one of the greatest cities in the world: Pittsburgh. I am unemployed for the moment and can therefore engage in all of my favorite hobbies: knitting, writing, reading, petting cats, and eating cookies. Although, I did give sugar up for Lent so it’s going to be another 30+ days before the cookies come out…. ::whimper::
Lily: My name is Lily and I’m 26 years old. I live in Colorado with my husband, who is a big-time geek, which works because I’m a big-time geek. For example, when I was eleven and starting at a new school, I wrote down my favorite Star Wars quotes on a slip of paper so I could pull it out if I needed cheering up! I like to watch a lot of movies, read books, cook, and hike.
The Chad: Cookies and Star Wars, I hear the Sith have cookies… tempting… How did you hear about My Middle Earth?
Oloriel: I had found The Tolkien Professor on iTunes and ended up following him on Twitter, which is where he posted one day about My Middle Earth. It actually took me awhile to join…I didn’t want another social site to visit, and I was skeptical because I have kind of a difficult time cultivating online friendships. But in the end I just wanted to talk about Faerie with people who understood.
Lily: About a year ago, my husband walked in on me watching The Hobbit press conference for the third time in a row. He got me started with a blog, so I could write about the production of the films. I think he hoped that if I shared my obsession with other people, he wouldn’t have to hear about it all the time!
The Chad: I am shy and obsessed, *inner monologue: “It’s not about me”* Why are you still here amongst the Foundlings?
Oloriel: I keep having to write news articles….I kid. Everyone I’ve met here has been kind, and I find it’s a decent outlet for that dorky part of me that I don’t show to others that often. I don’t have many other friends who would understand the humor in my recent status update: ’When I squeeze too much moisturizer on my hands, I like to press my hand to my face and say “Orcs bearing the white hand…of Saruman!” True story.’ But I knew you all would get it.
Lily: Like Jessica said, I have to keep logging in to write those pesky news articles! But seriously, I just love the sense of camaraderie and community that the site creates. It’s fun to see people’s artwork, stories, recipes, comments, and nerdy status updates!
The Chad: What other aspects of Middle-Earth Network do you enjoy?
Oloriel: The live podcasts are fun – the chat room is always full of funny, supportive people, which I think is a compliment to the founders, who have drawn such a community about them by being accessible and friendly. I have blast working on the news team and doing the Warriors of the Westfold with Lily and Arwen. Oh, and I’m really excited to start up a blog here, too! I’ve been blogging since 2007 about anything and everything to do with fantasy aesthetics, but I’ve found I can use sites like Tumblr and Pinterest just as effectively to say ”Look, pretty!” I’ve long had a more involved blog in mind, and I knew when My Middle-earth offered blog space that it was time to start putting it together.
Lily: I love listening to the radio and podcasts and joining the chatroom. Of course, the absolute best podcast on MEnet right now is the Warriors of the Westfold, am I right?? 
We’ve only had a few episodes so far, but it’s been super kicky cool awesome just talking with Arwen and Jessica about the week’s news. I love the energy in the chatroom, too; they give us a lot of ideas and sometimes make us giggle on-air.
The Chad: I had a feeling a shamless plug was on its way, I do need to remember to listen though… Alright, this is running long, lets wrap this up. Anything else we need to know?
Oloriel: I do not play LOTRO, or indeed any video games. In fact I’m one of those awful people who fantasizes about throwing her husband’s Xbox out the window. No offense to LOTRO people, but it is just not my scene. My favorite fictional character – how could I possibly figure this out? I love them all, from Sally J. Freedman to Tom Bombadil, from Arthur Dent to Matilda. They are stitched to my soul. So let’s see, since The Hobbit is coming out, I will take the easy route and say that Bilbo is so lovable in the book. That little everyman, or everyhobbit, with his longing for home and his growing sense of himself as an adventurer, is perfectly pleasing.
Lily: I don’t play LOTRO, but I do enjoy other video games. I’m more of an RTS and RPG kind of girl…with the occasional first-person shooter thrown in! I don’t know that I could pick a favorite fictional character. I’m not sure I could even pick a favorite Lord of the Rings character. It changes depending on how I’m feeling; sometimes it’s Eowyn, sometimes it’s Aragorn, sometimes Sam, and often Gollum!
The Chad: Until next time…
