Mistress Monologues - Nina's Known Universe Blog

2009 kicked off with a new digital camera for the Empress which she used to capture as much of the natural beauty around her Empire as she could. At the end of this yarn you will find a quick slide show sampling some of her favorite images from each month of the past year. Pictures are worth 1000 words, however this reflection is more about feelings than it is about visuals.

Over the past year we have traveled, laughed, loved and learned. We have taken great pleasure in the little things like; watching the dogs play, meteor showers, fireworks and walks down the creek. We have spent hours on Facebook, interacting with folks all across the globe, playing games, discussing politics and reconnecting with long lost friends and family.

We have learned how great it feels to give your daddy the best 80th birthday gift ever..."I am in love with my chair..." he stated with a sly grin and a lilt in his voice...and we learned that sand makes the fiberglass seats in a hot tub pitted, which leads to chaffing, which leads to pain, which also lead to a nice rub down with salve...

There was the family camp out at the creek, some amazing sunsets, adventures with equipment and appliances that choose the worst times to malfunction and lots of trips to the big city. Special days, birthdays, baby showers, holidays and holy days. In just about every fond moment there was at least one black dog and one Emperor. Without the efforts of The Emperor, 2009 would not have been as great as it was. Ever vigilant is the Emperor with keeping his Empress in smiles.

This past year could have been worse, and for some close to us it was. To them our hearts go out as they work through their loss. Never mourning the dead for they have gone on to a better place, instead mourning the empty place in our lives now filled only with their spirit and our memories. Still others suffered different losses, divorce, estranged family, and altered states of employment. For all of them we pray for and hope that their next year will be far better than this last.

Looking ahead to 2010, with many plans, dreams, hopes and aspirations, The Empire resolves only to build on the past, learning from it without living there. May you all have a Very Happy and SAFE New Years!! God Bless, Namaste, Blessed Be, Live Long and Prosper and May the Force Be With You!!

Thank You For Reading!! ~99

Be sure to watch for all 12 months

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Here at the Palace, we have much to be thankful for and so we take this opportunity to share that gratitude with our Universe. First, the Empress is thankful for dear friends and family who hopefully do not take her rantings as personal attacks or reflections of her feelings for any of them and that she realizes she is often stepping on their ideals and beliefs. It is because of them that she vents in this manner to make it less likely to spew into her personal conversations with the people she cares most about in this Universe.

Often strong opinions are taken as arrogance or even being pig-headed. At her heart she is an advocate for all peoples and their rights to do what they want to do as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. She just also believes there is a time and a place for all things and that not everything has to be everywhere. She feels that once the door to our personal freedoms have been breached, even in the name of God, it will only swing wider until all that we have now, is lost to fear, hate and short sightedness.

She is so very thankful to live in this great country where she can write such strong words, where she can swim in the venom of unspoken animosity, and where she can freely share her words with most of the free world without fear of being carted off in the night for treason or blasphemy. She is also thankful for those people who do not label her, for no group is completely Empress Approved. In fact, she feels that the groups are the problem. One of the problems.

The Empire is also thankful to all those who bother to read these articles, never knowing if it will be sweet, sour or sexy. Too many have been sour of late for which the Empress is deeply sorry. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It is not the things that people say that has The Empress fearing for all of our futures and being thankful for every day that it doesn't blow up in our faces...it is the things that they are not saying. Things like, "I see your point, I had not considered that before, let me think it over then we can discuss your thoughts further."

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! And Thank You For Reading!! ~99

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At first disappointing, after watching it for a 2nd time, I realized that they revealed a good deal more in the subtext than was apparent the first time through. Still, there was even more that they did not reveal or even get to, such as what prompted the Cylons to seek out Earth 1 before discovering the truth about the Final Five being from there.

We already knew from Sam Anders memory recovery prior to becoming The Galactica's own Hybrid, that the Cavil model was behind the genocide of humanity. What we did not know, however, was that even those cylons hiding in the fleet had been touched by humanity. So much so that 'The Plan' unraveled long before the attacks on the colonies ever took place.

For me, the most disappointing reveal was that of Shelley Godfrey. Besides the fact that I was wrong, had she been Angel Six in solid form instead of just another cylon, it would have helped explain part of Kara's storyline at the end. Athena had told Adama there were 8 other cylons known to have survived in the fleet at the time of the attacks, Shelley was among them.

We now have confirmed those 8 fleet cylons to be, 1 Cavil, 1 Leoben, 1 Deanna, 1 Doral, 1 Simon, 2 Sixes (including Shelley), and Boomer. Since the Leoben seemed surprised about Boomer being in place - it is possible that Athena meant Gina Six on the Pegasus as the eighth skin to survive and be living among the humans.

By the time they airlocked the Cavil's 10 months into humanity's escape, the only cylons left unrevealed in the fleet (of these first 8 not counting the final five) were Deanna and Biker Six, both of whom were never exposed until the Occupation on New Caprica.

And of all those mentioned above, the only one who did not resurrect, according to Biker 6, was the Simon who had taken a human wife and adopted her daughter from a prior marriage. He could not bear to live without her. "You can't declare war on love" the Six told Cavil.

"Love outlasts Death." said Simon in his suicide letter to his wife, coincidentally the same comment was made by the Hybrid during the attack on the colonies.

Thus their PLAN was doomed from the get go. Their plan, was to eradicate humanity, show their parents how weak humanity was and then wait to be embraced, thanked, and at last appreciated the way the Cavil's believed they deserved.

The Cavils had obviously altered the memories of the others to cover up the true plan. The others seemed to think it was for the Centurions, even asking if they (the Centurions) realized what they (the skinjobs) were doing for them. Doral felt they were grateful in their own way, while an Eight suggested that she would be (grateful) as well.

Grateful that the Skins took revenge on humanity for attempting to enslave the Centurions 40 years prior.

As I said before, we already knew it was Cavil. This movie simply confirmed that he acted alone as far as the final five were concerned. That he took on a role of supreme leader to his fellow skin jobs; and that every single Cylon skin job who had interacted with humans in a positive way ended up not wanting to eradicate them.

Much like Harry Potter and Star Wars, just about every aspect of what transpired in the course of BSG was all about love. Love given, love desired, love lost.

Just look at the 2 Cavils featured. The one on Galactica kept to himself, stayed focused on finishing what they started. The one down on Caprica however, became a part of the team, interacting with Father Sam, gaining unique insight into the heart of his creator.

It was not until Sam told him that you don't stop loving someone just because they are dead, that Caprica Cavil realized their mistake. If it was all about getting the love and approval of the Final Five, destroying humanity was going to have the exact opposite affect.

The story line of Galactica Cavil and the little boy is also a bit telling. Though they make no claims to his existence one way or another, the fact that the boys name was John leads me to believe that child only existed in Cavils head. Like the remnant of humanity programmed into him by the Five, the same remnant Boomer claimed she lost when she shot Adama.

So his killing of the child was his subconscious killing his own humanity and compassion. Not to say he was not capable of killing a real child, on the contrary. It is just that the boy was only around other people that one time in the hall and even the Six didn't seem to notice him despite Cavil staring right at him. Plus, the boy was not an orphan, his parents just didn't want him. Much like Cavil felt his parents no longer wanted him.

The Doral model is probably the most useless. A middle management crap stirrer who finds manual labor demeaning. Suicide Bomber Doral did have a funny line though; "But his was burgundy, this is teal." In response to Cavil's issues with his jacket and face being that of tour guide Doral from the Ragnor Station.

It was also very apparent that while these other skin jobs seemed beholden to Cavil, perhaps something he tossed into their program to ensure they would see him as their leader, they all managed to 'frak up' their assignments. Even Doral the bomber could have pushed that button much sooner when he was surrounded by people instead of waiting until he was in an empty junction.

The Simon models were all doctors. Mad scientists if you will. It was only he who fell in love that changed. Had that Simon from Galactica resurrected, he most likely would have shared his love algorithms with the rest of the line thus adding another model to the future rebellion.

Did anyone else think of Saul and Ellen when Cavil and Biker Six were getting drunk and talking about all the failures of their comrades? The sixes definitely got their sex appeal from Ellen.

We also learned via the Hybrid's babbling that the colonies were comprised of 12 worlds and 3 stars. A meaningless fact in the grand scheme yet still one of those things fans want to know.

Other less than relevant things we can assume would be that Cavil took over the Cylon Colony Ship within a few years of all the models being 'born'. We can assume that the final five attempted to teach them to love humans and to aspire to be just like them, something the Cavils found insulting.

We could also assume that initially all the models were children, based on Cavils presumed hallucination of his child self, with all their copies aging at the same rate as they did out of the tub. And that there were only so many copies of each model made...though as Ellen told Saul, they had 'millions' of children.

Which also lends to the idea that there are many more cylons still out there - perhaps exploring deep space. There were way more basestars involved in the first wave of attacks than were ever destroyed during the course of the show. Perhaps Caprica Cavil did not get boxed and instead took half the fleet away?

After the Cavils betrayed the five and brainwashed/reprogrammed the others, they then went about dropping the five at different times among the humans. Starting with Saul, then eventually the others at different times.

He used the same technique on Boomer planting a trigger in her mind that he could then bring her out of her 'cover' any time. That carved elephant looked like one that one of the five had been carving in a flashback, or someone else, but we have seen it before.

Leoben did not have his obsession with Kara until he first heard her voice on the wireless after the attacks. He envisioned that Mandala. He later touched her in the brig having a very detailed vision of their future...obviously mistaking Kara's 'dreams' for his role in her future. We all learned at the end that he was wrong.

Kara did have a destiny but Leoben misread his own visions along with the babblings of the Hybrid. When he was airlocked he took his vision to the others, explaining how Athena knew that Kara was special when they were fleeing Caprica together with Sam.

All of these revelations do little to the outcome of the story other than to suggest that Baltar, Caprica and Leoben were not the only ones being influenced by a higher being determined to prevent either side from wiping out the other. We even know that Deanna eventually felt the pull to know, ultimately discovering the truth about the Final Five.

It is the things they did not reveal that leaves me wanting. It is with high hopes that I wait for Caprica to premier this coming January 22, 2010. For it is possible that many details of the cylon past, the parts where Cavil takes over, have been reserved for that show's inherent future plot.

The one thing they did not get to, that would have been so simple, was to explain how the peace movement by Caprica 6 and Boomer 8 on Planet Caprica, that lead to the Cylons leaving the colonies, turned into the Occupation on New Caprica. Including Baltar giving Gina that bomb.

My assumption is that when the Cavils resurrected, Galactica Cavil had Caprica Cavil boxed before he could taint the others with the truth about the five. He then convinced the Deannas, Dorals and Simons that the only way to have peace with the humans was to oppress them, thus keeping them from taking revenge.

I suspect that Baltar didn't really give Gina that bomb...that it was Angel Baltar who gave it to the guy who gave it to Gina. Because God needed to stall humanity for a year so they would not miss the Nova. Or Angel Caprica told Baltar to do it. Either way...it suited Gods plan if no one elses.

In a deleted scene from the DVD The Plan, Caprica Cavil convinces several of Sam's people to surrender to the Cylons assuring him that while their would be forced labor, they would be fed and given medical care. The people are greeted by smiling missionaries, Caprica Six and Boomer Eight, arms wide, only to be executed by Centurions, who we can assume were ordered to do so by that Cavil. Caprica and Boomer are seen completely devastated falling to the ground in tears.

It is not clear if that scene was cut for time or if it was to be replaced by the aired scene where Cavil sneaks off to ask a six why the cease fire and is told they voted for peace even though his model was against it. I think it was cut for time. Because this scene indicates the mindset of those skins on New Caprica - at least the Sixes and Eights who always maintained they were just trying to help the humans. While the aired scene occurred later when Kara returned to rescue Sam.

The Cavil Plan was a bust out the door. Besides all the love involved in it's failure, another factor is that of God. In the new series Caprica, God plays heavily on the entire plot. The final five miraculously surviving this holocaust (thus not resurrecting as Cavil planned), the fleet of humans surviving to get away with The Galactica, the effect of humanity on those Cylons who became emotionally involved and the eventual birth of Hera were all apart of God's plan.

A plan not put into place until after the Cylons betrayed humanity. The Final Five were saved from Earth 1 by God to prevent these events from happening, but they were too late and failed; ultimately causing the future holocaust by giving the Centurions Res Tech and by letting Cavil get the better of them.

Kara's role was that of predestination. Like a sleeper agent of God, she was only called to duty because she was needed. Had the Cylons never attacked, it is likely her destiny would never have come to pass. Or would have but with different intentions and outcome. Just like Boomer's mission was altered as needed by Cavil - so Kara's would have been altered as needed by God.

If you figure Adama had known Saul for at least all of Kara's young life, you could also assume that she was created by God - chosen - as a result of Cavils betrayal and the events he set into motion so many years ago.

In the end the most important lesson we can take from Battlestar Galactica the Reimangined Series, including those lessons learned by the Cylons in this movie 'The Plan', is that when you pit God against Cavil...God wins. At least on TV.

Thank You For Reading!! ~99

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It doesn't seem fair in some respects. When you weigh the emotional, possibly physical or financial pain caused by another against their words of apology, a clearly unbalanced scale presents itself. Then again, if you add to their apology years of friendship or love iced with any deeds they surely did on your behalf, the scale begins to level out. Unfortunately not all requests for forgiveness come from first time offenders.

So where do we draw the line in dealing with what amounts to an emotional vampire? Be it an old friend or relative who has repeatedly hurt you despite your best efforts to never hurt them, or the partner who never seems to put your feelings above their own, in many ways they are slaves to their own issues. They don't know how to take responsibility for their own actions.

They are not insincere. Perhaps more people are bipolar than ever get diagnosed. Perhaps they are just emotionally immature and selfish. If someone wrongs you, assuming you have never wronged them, you may be better off not accepting their apologies. If there is nothing about your time with that person worth reminiscing over, then by all means, cut the cord. Just be sure.

I guess in the end it boils down to ones tolerance. Personally, I believe that in 'most' friendships, there is plenty of room for forgiveness and letting go of the past for the sake of the future. Simply because it really does not effect my day to day to let another off the hook for some past hurt. I may not jump at the chance to let them back into my heart or ever depend on them, but we really need all the friends we can get. The more the merrier.

Everyone has something to offer that we can all learn from. So where is the harm in being civil, even friendly to someone, even if they have hurt us in the past? Assuming they want to be friends that is. Any one sided relationship is not a relationship...it's stalking. If you are seeking forgiveness from someone who is not interested, don't demean yourself by begging and absolutely don't turn their lack of forgiveness into some sort of personal attack against you. If you truly want their forgiveness, earn it by respecting their right to not give it.

Couples are another story. It's not to say we shouldn't be forgiving to our spouses or significant others depending on what they have done. Simply that there is no other relationship so doomed to fail from the start as two humans attempting to share an existence together and thus requires a tad more effort to maintain...by both parties. However, if your spouse refuses to be there for you...if your relationship is so off balance that you feel as if being alone would be less traumatic, the first thing you should do is sit them down and tell them that.

Spelling it out before you bail often leads to reconciliation. Only if both parties truly do not want it to end of course. Quite often is it a lack of speaking up that is the problem. Bring in a third party to help you see each others points of view. Focus on what was great about your relationship, use it to make compromise over the bad stuff worth the effort. Be honest. At this point you have nothing to lose by clearing the air.

Then, after you have weighed in your years together, your memories and your achievements as a couple, you have to then decide if your issues are really worth the price. Our lives are not infinite. Time invested in a relationship has value that must be considered before liquidating. Just because the performance is down now, doesn't mean there is no way to re-stimulate growth.

Even if ultimately you decide to make a break, be careful how you go. Somethings are unforgivable to some people. Whether a friendship or a relationship, which should first be a friendship anyway, think long and hard before you burn all your bridges, make sure you really have no intention of every going back. Lastly and most importantly, in the immortally profound words of Abe Lincoln {from the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure}:

"Be Excellent to Each Other...And Party On Dudes!!"

What was I thinking? True, it was always supposed to just be emotional ravings to release pressure and stress, and yet, as always, I had hopes that I would say the right thing or make the right point, causing light bulbs to go off all across the country.

That is never going to happen. People will agree or disagree as they always have. No one will ever change their point of view for that implies they were once wrong...or misguided. And yet I persevere.

Reality is a cruel Mistress. She stands back laughing while well meaning citizens cheer that the Government wants to provide 'free' healthcare...excuse me, 'affordable' healthcare for all while ignoring the fact that the Government is not a self-sustaining entity. It isn't even the care they are providing, it is insurance to pay for care that may or may not be needed.

Americans who work pay taxes. Tax dollars fund all of these programs as well as the salaries of all the politicians who push for them...programs largely utilized by Americans who don't work or are not working right now or who lack the education or motivation for a better paying job.

If our Government wants us to be charitable, let us pick the charity and make all donations to the benefit of another fully deductible on our tax return. This includes supporting family members, our pets and the funds we pay to support school programs.

Reality also rolls on the floor when rural Conservatives cry for the good old days, forgetting that until 911 they all thought Bush Jr was an idiot that only got elected because of his daddy; always pointing out that he was no George Sr.

Short term memory loss is typical in politics. Whomever is in command today is to blame for it all. They also forget that while Bush cut taxes to amazing lows, he followed up by spending billions on a war that would normally be funded by tax dollars. Those tax cuts should have been reversed once the war began but he didn't want to upset his party.

Ironically many of these die hard right wingers now bitching about Obama's spending are currently enjoying benefits that the Democrats pushed into existence. Benefits they need because the company they worked for was Republican so naturally they laid everyone off so the managers could still get their summer bonuses.

All the while neither side takes any blame for anything always blaming the other guy. Bailout money for corrupt financial institutions was put into effect at the tail end of Bush's term, subsidies for healthcare this year is Obama's baby. SSDD.

Don't cry to me about this party or that one. Don't cry to me about this president or that one. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME. If you funded their election you will get your way at the expense of everyone else. No matter who is in power – someone is going to get screwed. Hello? Is this on?

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. If you talk down this admin you will have 1000 conservatives singing your praises ignoring their own parties contribution to the problem. If you talk down the last admin you will have 1000 liberals cheering you on, also denying that their party is doing anything adverse currently.

Sure, helping big business helps the economy in theory. The theory being that they will use their extra money to make more jobs...only they don't...they buy cars and go on vacations that you and I will never afford. If it was really their money it would be fine.

But don't use my tax dollars to bail them out thinking they will reimburse all those drained IRA's (which is not the taxpayers responsibility either) when the reality is that they need that bailout money to pay bonuses already earned by their employees.

After 6 years working for an investment adviser, I can tell you that no one ever read their contracts or prospectuses, and no matter how many times we told them, INVESTMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED, they would still whine at every dip in the market. Investing in any financial product not guaranteed by the FDIC comes with RISK.

Not only that, but an investment with 1 million shares that was worth $1 million dollars but is now only worth $500k still has 1 million shares. If investors sit on those shares, eventually the value will come back – assuming it was a mutual fund and they are willing to wait at least 5 years maybe 10. It's called speculation for a reason.

And in theory, those who have been blessed with success should want to help those less fortunate, but who wants to be forced to do that? Especially when those being forced to help are feeling like the charity should be coming their way not the other way around.

Like the time I didn't have the extra money for some charity I had donated to the year before. The callers attitude that I was some how beholden to donate again annoyed me. I gently informed them that due to my financial situation I should be on their list of needy and to feel free to send us a food basket in lieu of the funds we donated the year before which we now needed back.

They never called me again.

Additionally, I have recently read the US Constitution in full, it isn't as long as you might think. And while it does have a lot of vague language about powers of Government that can easily be 'interpreted' to allow them to do anything they want with congressional support, it does not say that healthcare, insurance, or even having a retirement fund is a guaranteed right to us citizens.

In fact it is so vague in regard to the specifics of the Commerce Clause, the one that allows them to require we have car insurance, that the mandate attached to the new healthcare bill will likely be over ruled at the state level as being outside the scope of our Federal Governments powers. So why bother?

What it comes down to is this; The Federal Government is supposed handle the Military which protects our country from outside influence along with Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Trade, etc. They are supposed to regulate the industries that have the potential to cheat all of us, but they are not supposed to manage those industries.

Federal Tax Dollars should not be spent on any program that is not directly related to the good of this nation as an entity. State funds are for the management of non private services, like Fire, Police, Teachers, EMS, Roads and other items which benefit the whole state thus being worthy of tax dollar investment.

Mandatory insurance will not guarantee any one will be healthier or that they will not spread disease, unlike car insurance, where reckless driving with out insurance is actually a threat to another life and livelihood.

No...if they really want to guarantee a healthy country the solution is so simple and far less expensive than the $894 billion dollars this new healthcare bill is going to cost us. Instead of this stupid plan, take a tiny bit of that money and use it to vaccinate the entire country from birth for FREE along with all the annual flu shots.

Inoculations are supposed to be the best prevention after all. If they truly want anyone to believe it is for the good of the entire country, that they want to prevent a pandemic, then they shouldn't charge for the cure.

As for everyone else, I am sorry, but America is, in fact, a Capitalist nation. While I personally would love to live in an Utopian Society based on brotherhood, pitching in, neighbors caring for neighbors, and doctors healing just for the pleasure of saving lives, that is not going to happen any time soon.

There are too many folks taking advantage and too many that just don't care either way.

Medicine is a business. Yes, the prices are too high for basic care as far as I am concerned. $700 for a band aid without stitches in the ER is outrageous, and I never would have bothered had I known the cost up front.

That is issue one, non disclosure of prices until the bill comes. Non itemized bills. General ER my ass. But business is business. Supply and Demand.

Not to mention the fact that hospitals and doctors already offer financial aide to the uninsured (which also explains the $700 bandaid) for which they are compensated for by the Federal Government in the way of tax write offs.

And don't forget the millions if not billions of dollars that are collected in the way of tobacco tax and alcohol tax, funds supposedly dedicated to paying for tobacco and alcohol related illnesses. How do this dollars factor into this new plan? Will universal health care eliminate those taxes? NOT

The next step, after the vaccines are done, is that we need to allow Americans to order medicines online from any source they choose. Let the individual decide if FDA approval is worth the extra $400 on an Rx. This will never happen mind you...there is way too much cash to be made by big pharmeceutical companies to ever allow that.

Beyond all these things, people simply have to stop wanting it both ways. We want to have the best doctors, the best research, the best drugs and the best service but dammit we don't want to pay for it...yet we do via our taxes every single day with more cost yet to come.

We want to have a home business and make lots of money on our own services, crying that we have to pay any taxes on that income, but that doctor who spent 12 years in school so he could carve the cancer out of your body without nicking a lung is not worth his fee.

If our Government, both Federal and State, truly wanted to save this country money, wanted to trim the fat and wanted to put tax dollars back in the pockets of working Americans, they would eliminate 50% of their personnel. All those committees being paid to find ways to save money or to implement the money already spent.

Lastly – I imagine a Government ultimately ran by volunteers. Someone not getting paid for their effort has nothing to gain by screwing us. Imagine all those politicians having day jobs? No time for lobbying, no time for deal making, they work, pay taxes, and feel the sting of coupon day at the local market...just like the rest of us.

Our military would be comprised of those volunteer citizens in favor of fighting, they can even bring their own guns and ammo. Think of the savings! Remember volunteer means unpaid.

Meanwhile those in favor of giving more than receiving can take to the streets as good neighbors, painting, sweeping, beautifying, serving, caring etc. They can bring their own supplies and their own gloves, goggles and masks...and of course their very own hard earned dollars. Think of that savings!!

Like the old saying goes...”If you want something done right...or at all...you should probably get off your ass and do it yourself.”

As summer heat makes way for autumn rain, a blanket of baby greenery emerges from the once dusty pasture. Festive hearts prepare for All Hallows Eve while cooler nocternal temperatures inflame majestic Wapiti with a burning lust. The wind carries their scent to mighty hunters in search of glory...and meat.

Time to enjoy the final weeks of feeding in slippers, watering in pajamas. Soon partly cloudy will become partly sunny and then ultimately...rain. Rain, rain and more rain. Wind. Mud. Stack the pantry with can goods. Load the freezer with meat, bread and packaged food. Fill the porch with firewood and invest in a good 5000 watt or greater home generator. It is better to have a thing and not need that thing, than to need that thing and not have it.

Out here in BoonieVille USA there are lots of power lines crossing large regions of mainly timber land...trees that grow and grow until they are harvested. When the wind blows real hard or really wet snow comes down a foot at a time, these gangly untrimmed trees like to snap off and take power lines with them.

Other signs of fall include high school football games, new shows on prime time television, setting our clocks back an hour and mud. Oh I said that already. Well it bears mentioning again.

Envision the sight of your Beloved Empress, trogging across the soggy pasture, rubber boots slurping and slopping along, dressed like the Michelin Man in her over-sized black snow mobile suit. No, we don't have snow mobiles. We used to ski, and I just like to be warm. This thing is like a -10 degree sleeping bag that has arms, legs and a hood.

Autumn also prepares us for winter by gradually adjusting ambient temperatures, much cooler at night but still with the periodic sunny 75 degree day. Slowly our bodies adjust. Finding it difficult to warm the house "just a little" with only the wood stove for heat; we usually wait until its good and cold before torching off the burn box. Much to the dismay of two very spoiled, very cold blooded dogs who shiver below 80. Of course the giant water dog chooses to go outside when we warm up the house...poor baby can't stand the heat.

Nothing is ever all bad. This time of year, as the days grow darker earlier and earlier, lovers find they have more time for cuddling by a warm fire, with a boring DVD playing and their favorite drinks in hand. Boring DVD? Hmmm...whatever shall they do to amuse themselves?

Thank You For Reading!! ~99

There were many factors which contributed to my original success, primarily; the basic dietary principals of the Glycemic Index, regular strenuous exercise and participation on a forum that coupled support with camaraderie and accountability.

My personal mantra became: Moderation Not Deprivation.

Meanwhile, the main cause of regaining the weight has simply been lack of exercise. My diet hasn't been as good as it should be either and exercise would have at least kept both the calories and the cravings in check.

Imagine if your car absorbed the extra gas or oil you put in it when you didn't drive it for a while. Your trunk would get huge.

It should not shock anyone that exercise is the key to weight loss. Burning more than you take in and creating a balance when you finally reach your goals.

Proper balanced diet makes it so much easier. Just as your car won't run without gas...don't starve your self. And you have to treat yourself as well, why bother otherwise?

It doesn't matter why I stopped exercising. I am not here to make excuses and I am not looking for sympathy because we have all been there and done that.

What matters is that I am ready to retake control again. That is all any of us can do. No matter how many times we step back we must keep pressing forward.

I know how to do it, I have already done all the research, experienced the results first hand and will help anyone who asks. Helping others will also motivate me to practice what I preach.

To learn exactly what I did and didn't do to lose all that weight, please join me in my quest to take back control, to be healthy and happy while still basically eating like a 'normal person'.

Most importantly, you must want to lose weight for your health even more than for your body shape. If you feel fine at whatever size you are then be happy!

Sexy is an attitude not a reflection. No one should feel obligated to trim up if they are comfortable as they are. Clothes come in all sizes for a reason. Find something flattering and work it baby!

If it were not for the bad knees, the sore back, the heartburn and the winded feeling I get going up a hill, I would be more than happy to hold here, its a bit heavier than I like but I have clothes that fit well enough to get my groove on.

No, I am doing this because I felt so awesome then, I cannot even describe the level of self-esteem I felt. Not just from my reflection, though that was a very nice bonus, the real benefit was that I was at last fit!

I hoisted my own butt up on a horse with my very own strength for the very first time ever in my chubby life because I no longer weighed more than I could oomph! It was as if I were weightless, like some unseen force lifted me gracefully upon the fair steed.

As I mentioned, the first time around I joined a forum for people trying to lose weight and that was very helpful. Posting my triumphs, my goals and even my set-backs was very liberating.

The accountability kept me on track and focused. I would like to do that again but this time with my own forum to pass on what I have learned and to help others feel as good as I plan to feel again.

Who's with me?

Thank You For Reading!! ~99

File Not Found: manners.exe

A funny thing happened to the Empress on her way to The Blog. She was forced to chastise several 4 yr olds name calling in the court yard over some silly sporting event. by 4 yr olds we mean supposed human beings from planet earth getting personal over which pro baseball team is the bomb and which one sucks the most or least. First of all, the news was for the fans and haters should learn manners as well as sportsmanship by letting the fans have their moment of glory. Second of all, not one of these people were exhibiting anything close to 'good-natured' ribbing. All you read was one 4 yr old after another chanting 'I know you are but what am I?' all while sticking out their fat little cyber tongues.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

A few days ago the folks over at Nobel thought it would be fun to give President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. There reasons for doing so were pretty thin considering the veritable swarm of alternates. Even though the Republicans are obsessed with making one issue about another, they were correct in wishing the President had declined the award for a candidate who had actually accomplished something rather than just intending to. Perhaps his advisors convinced him that it would inspire his followers or that declining would offend the committee. Democrats should have asked him not to accept it either but since this country functions in cycles of power, it is the Democrats turn to run the country and the Republicans turn to suck it up. Just as it was for the Dems during the Bush Administration.

The Missing Link Found?

Scientists recently released their findings on the discovery of the oldest fossil skeleton of an ancestor human. Discovered in 1992 and 1994, researchers needed this time to confirm their findings. Scientists speculate that Ardi, as the skeleton has come to be called being short for Ardipithecus, exchanged sexual loyalty to the male who could provide her with the most food. Well that is a revelation isn't it? 4 million years ago women were using their wiles to snag themselves a bread winner. Glad it took them 15 years to realize something any married couple could have told them in under 15 minutes.