Nefertiti

The beautiful one has come. Indeed.




Nefertiti's real face found?

Even after 3300 years we can't leave her alone. She's one of the great beauties of history, and her sculpted head exerts a power over modern man that few can rival. Sadly I've never gotten to Berlin to see her, but even in photo form she is beautiful to behold. No wonder her titles include "Heiress, Great of Favours, Possessed of Charm, Exuding Happiness, Mistress of Sweetness, beloved one, soothing the king's heart in his house, soft-spoken in all, Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt, Great King's Wife, whom he loves, Lady of the Two Lands, Nefertiti'". Yeah, any wonder why Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) is considered the author of many of the Bible's songs of love and wonder in the Old Testament? What man on the planet would describe his wife in such a way in this day and age?

Anyhoo, the folks in Berlin believe they may have found Nefertiti's 'real' face on the limestone bust. It's a very interesting though that in ancient Egypt you never died as long as someone remembered you. Considering the millions that know her face and name today, millenia after her disappearance from Egyptian history, one would be inclined to say the ancients had it right.

¡Recuerde Goliad!

Today is yet another infamy of Mexican aggression at the instigation of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. 400+ unarmed men many of which were wounded, men promised the protection of their captors, men told they were being marched to safe quarters as prisoners of war, were gunned and bayoneted on the roads leading out of Goliad, Texas. To disgrace themselves even more, the human monsters did it on Easter Sunday in 1836.

Yet another mass murder - a brutal Massacre - puts more Texican blood on Mexican hands. The battle for Independence is coming to an end ...


¡Recuerdo Goliad! Do you?

I don't need no stinking title

Actually, I can't think of one so here we go.

Had fun at my Hafla last night. I'm very sad to see my friend go, even though I'm terribly excited for her and wish her a wonderful life in all her future adventures. At least I know I'll have someone to stay with if we ever go to the west coast.

Sometimes it seems my good friends PCS as soon as we get here, and then I get new ones right before we leave. All the rest of the time I'm stuck with back-stabbing bitches who are passive-aggressive. Eh, one of the not fun parts of the military life.

I'm waiting for June 1st. On that day, I get to tell certain people to kiss my bright white ass. I am greatly looking forward to it.

Updated the recipe blog with recipes (several of which are reposts, but many more are shiny and new!) I've even set up recurring posts so you'll get a new recipe every week - on Monday. Yay me!

Off to make chalk with the heathens. I hope your weekend has been relaxing and recharging. I know mine has.

Suckity, suck, suck, suck

I hate putting up with adults that behave more like spoilt brats than adults. Seriously, there may be problems but backstabbing and only bitching instead of helping won't get any of us anywhere. It will serve to piss many of us that buckle down and get it done off though.


Do NOT volunteer, and get elected for an office and then whine constantly that you work "so hard and no one notices". When I can tell you how many meetings you've skipped, how many days you haven't helped out, and how many people you've pissed off with your whining you're not doing yourself any favors.


If someone volunteers to chair something, it is NOT a democracy. Anyone under that chair answers to the chairperson. If you don't like it, suck it the FUCK up! Your lazy ass didn't want the job, so stick your over-critical shit back up your ass and save us all having to listen to it.


Certain people can play with STUPID better than I can. I do not tolerate, or attempt to work with STUPID. I feel sorry for those of you who can deal with it, but I will go nuclear if this crap doesn't stop and soon!


I won't be taking part in the upcoming belly dance show. 1000E estimates to fix my truck kill my savings. Have I said lately I HATE ITALY? I really, really do!


I will not be anyone's charity case, or in debt if I can help it. If I can't buy it or do it myself, it doesn't need buying or doing. As honestly nice as I believe the offer way, I will not accept it for any reason. I was raised with a moralistic code that if you can't/won't do it yourself, you have no need/right to expect someone else to do it for you, or give it to you.


You may call me "hard", "hard ass", "bitch" or any variety of those and I will not disagree with you. I am who I am, and I make no apologies for it, nor will I attempt to change who I am to make you happy.

A sad day

In Texas history. Edward Clark usurped the rightful place of Sam Houston as Governor of the great State of Texas. Sam wouldn't swear allegiance to the Confederacy, so he was shat upon by the democrats of his day. One would say their party isn't much changed from the days of illegal removal from office those that stood up for the good of the people.

I'm sorry they treated you like that Mr. Houston. You deserved better. Texas deserved better.

The Runaway Scrape

Sam Houston abandoned Gonzales, and fled from the advance of brutal dictator and mass murderer Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. It would be two days until Houston learned of the Fall of the Alamo from Mrs. Dickinson, then all out panic would spur the Texicans to flee.

Gonzales was burned to the ground to prevent it falling into Mexican hands. Many more towns, villages, and farms were burned in a scorched earth campaign to deny the Mexican army food, and pillage.

While even now debate rages as to if Houston was trying to lead Santa Anna into a trap on the Louisiana border, it is clear Santa Anna had a well earned reputation as a man that would mass murder, mutilate, and massacre those who opposed him. As the Texian army fled, it left settlements unprotected, so the settlers were smart enough to run to save their skins.

The Texas War of Independence is picking up speed. Soon it will come to a head, but there are dark deeds yet to be seen before Texas will be free of Mexican aggression.

Princess Farhana

One of the best professional dancers in the states that I've found. Watch the woman's abs, very carefully. I so wish I had that kind of muscle control. One day, I will, but for now I bow to a much more skilled performer.



Her "Mother Of Pearl" dance. Captures her personality so well. She does great dvds too! Again, pay close attention to her stomach region ...

March 6, 1836

A hallowed and bloody day in Texas history. Today, shorting after 6am Texas time, Mission San Antonio de Valero had fallen to the Mexican Army. Brave men fought and bled to free Texas from the yoke of Mexican dictatorial aggression. They weren't perfect, some were downright scoundrels, but in the act of giving their lives for a cause of liberty, and in the defense of a nation they are forever remembered as heroes.

Many died in the open air of the mission grounds. Many died stinking, horrible, hot deaths in the long barracks and the chapel. They freeze in the winter and boil in the summer. God alone could stand the stench of gunpowder, blood, sweat, and death in those rooms 173 years ago.

There are arguments even now as to what happened to some of the more famous defenders. If they survived, wounded, they didn't live long. Santa Anna records that he had them executed after the battle. That just means the grave injustice of Santa Anna was compounded by a massacre of injured, unarmed men.

He had the indignity of a mass body burn added to their brutal deaths. The story goes that the ashes are in San Fernando Cathedral. I'd think they weren't, Santa Anna had control of San Antonio for too long for them to have been safely salvaged and given a respectful burial. It isn't outside the realms of the possible, but I'm dubious.

The mission lays silent now, though she'll soon see more tour groups, school groups, and tourists. But once, many years ago she played an integral part in the history of the birthing of a Republic. She is a powerful symbol, the Shrine of Texas Liberty. She's served us well for many years, from the time the Spaniards were trying to convert the Indians, to war, and to peace and prosperity. So today, on a sacred day in Texas history, I wish you all freedom, liberty, and justice.

Some pet peeves, and some stupid things that make me happy

Yeah, I got a menagerie - and I'm not talking a bad Tennessee Williams play.

If it's rainy and you can't drive 30 kph (about 18.5mph), you don't need to be on the road. You do not take a ridiculously low speed limit, divide it by 2 and then find it's square root to get the speed you drive. 30 really does mean 30! Ugh.


If you ever submit recipes to one of the fundraiser style cookbooks - PROOFREAD the recipe! Then do it again, before you submit it. Please! Those of us who type the recipes in will appreciate it.


Weather gods, northern Italy has plenty of rain. Really, go share some with Texas. She's parched!


I do NOT want to live with civilians in base housing. Call me a snob, I don't give a rat's patoouti. If you've privatized the base housing, do NOT advertise to civilians in an attempt to get unsafe, unchecked people on base. Let alone among the families of military members. That is not a great way to do business, or to guard the safety of the military when they're at one of their most vulnerable times. Really, how hard is it to grasp that "I'm not in the military, WTF do I feel entitled to live on a military base". Those houses aren't the greatest, but they're a benefit of telling Unky Sam you'll let people try to kill you for crap pay for 20+ years to get to retire.





Hehe, I love the sewing store over in Sacile. My Italian is absolute crap, sorry Spanish is more important to keep than to learn Italian to me. They sell the best stuff, and at rock bottom prices! I needed a new clasp for me cloak and our base craft center doesn't carry squat it seems. However, the lovely ladies at the sewing store sell really cool stuff. As such, I got almost 2 yards of pinkish-purple pleather (don't ask me why) for E9. That's about $11.50. Hot damn! That's good! I think I might make the oldest some pants with it - she's weird like me.

So, now in addition to my new clasp for my cloak (here comes the Sith Lord as some of the kiddos call me - I'm 'cool', I know StarWars!), I have some material to make some pants of.


Our craft store on base did have, did I bought most of it, material remnants for 25 cents each. What sewer/crafter do you know of that can pass up 25 cent a piece material? Especially when they need to make beanbags for the upcoming school carnival? Uh huh, that also allows the oldest heathen to practice on her little sewing machine, and make some Barbie clothes in the patter she'd like. Our craft store doesn't rock often, but when it does - IT DOES!



I love, love, LOVE, Amira Mor and her bellydance workout dvds. Bellydancing rocks out too! In 4 months of 2 times a week (Bellyrobics on Monday, Bellydance on Wed) I've toned 13 inches (yea, I said 13 inches) off my waist. No weight change, but screw the scale! Of course my pants don't fit properly, but what the hell, that's part of the fun, no?




Now, off to type more recipes. Again I say, PROOFREAD any you send someone else! For the love of all that is holy, please proofread them!

New Vehicle

Well, the pre-PCS gods have smiled upon us. Hubby yesterday got inspected, registered, and road tax paid on the new 'truck'. A Toyota Rav 4, but British! Left-hand shift which made the gentleman we bought it from sell it cheaper (seems most Americans won't bother to learn left shifting). Yay! Hubby has another vehicle to get him to and from, it will fit us all (a bit cramped but still), gets great gas mileage and was cheap by used car standards. We even have some people who've expressed interest in buying it when we PCS.

The truck is running slightly better. It seems running it totally dry (totally not on purpose) may have put air back in the fuel line and the gas mileage has gone up again. Not loads, but some. We're still awaiting parts (grrr Autozone!), but when they get here hopefully it improves that much more until we can get the truck to a Dodge dealer in Texas come June/July. We've got new spark plugs, 02 sensor, and gas cap on order. Yes, if the vacuum seal on the truck's gas line isn't correct it will cause a "check engine" light and throw a vacuum seal error to the computer. We've already had to replace it twice in it's lifetime so hopefully that is a major part of the issues.

But, we're back to a two car family! Yay!

Long live the REPUBLIC!

173 years ago today, at Washington-on-the-Brazos, the Republic of Texas was born! Long live the Republic, LONG LIVE TEXAS!

Today's festivities are tempered with the knowledge that we lost 15 men, 6 captured, 6 escaped (5 later to die at the Goliad Massacre) at the Battle of Aqua Dulce.