I tend to spend my time reading or writing, but I am well-known in my family to start a sewing or crochet project out of nowhere. I enjoy cooking and baking for my family, taking care of animals (the hairier and bigger, the better, though you wouldn't know this from the rat-dog that lives in my house), and annoying the good folks of the sometimes-interesting often-irreverent Barliman's chat. I also have a ridiculous love affair with Australia, though I haven't been there yet but would just die of excitement if I could visit.
First Lord of the Rings reading experience:
I was in 6th grade and the first film was about to be released. My uncle bought me a Tolkien Bestiary and instructed me to have it read by the time he took me to see the movie. I fell absolutely in love with the characters and races and ended up reading all of the books before good old Uncle Loren took me to see FotR.
Favorite Tolkien character:
Fantastic query. Unfortunately there is no clear answer except for the fact that it is NOT FRODO (augh...). I'd say Sam, Grima, and Faramir are my top three, simply because of what they stand for: Sam, of course, for his strength of will and the sheer power of his love for his home and master; Faramir because of the heroic attempt he made to earn his father's love; Grima is here because of how different his life could have been if he had only chosen to give himself fully over to the cause of good instead of letting his soul be eaten alive by greed and lust. His story is one of lost redemption and false hopes.