So here I am ready to spread my particular brand of *Enlightenment*.

StarGate has now begun and so far we have seen three episodes of each show. I know you are all wondering "WHAT DOES TAME THINK?" ......... ok maybe not but I am allowed my own delusions.

Actually, so far StarGate has made me fairly happy. I like that each episode so far has involved all of the Team Members, Vala has been toned down "just a bit" and Mitchell seems to be being written a bit more stable and not like a man with a multiple-personality disorder. I hope this trend continues and I will be on my couch every Friday at 9 PM .

I am intrigued with the addition of "Adria" since I have never been too impressed with these Ori dudes. I mean seriously, how big and bad is a guy with a Zombie complexion, a pitchfork scar on his chin and glowy walking stick. Not too scary in my book, just a guy who really really needs a better skin-care regimen OR a consult with Mary Kay. So this hybrid Ori/Human looks to be very interesting and hopefully it won't be a joke to the writers but instead a REAL villian with some real conflicts.

StarGate Atlantis - So far I have no complaints in particular. I have never been a HUGE fan of the show overall, more a fan a select characters. I completely love Rodney and Weir. After listening to Paul in an interview with Darren and David, I am fast becoming a Beckett fan. I liked Beckett but I need to respect the actor behind the character as well and while I like all of the actors on both shows, I know little about most of them. So the more I learn, the more I gravitate towards their character and pay attention to what they are doing. I guess the more I understand the Actor's reasoning and motivation the more I can understand how they approach the character, then the more I like or even dislike the character. However, if the actor can't be bothered to explain things to me, the fan, then I can't be bothered to pay attention to what they are doing with their character.

I did enjoy the SGA Season opener alot. I was a bit let down by the 2nd episode though. There were so many possiblities that could have come from the Wraith/Human hybrid issue and Conner was just brilliant as Michael. By creating an almost new race of hybrids, there was an opportunity to have some very interesting sideline arcs and TPTB once again showed how they can be short-sighted IMHO and just nuked a good possible conflicted allie. But who knows no one really ever dies in Sci-Fi.

Lately there is some penchant from the fan perspective to try and apply *Real Life Social COmmentary* to SG1 and SGA. Sadly, I just can't get behind that idea. StarGate has never been and never will be, in my opinion, a show that really is able to be a voice of social conscious. The PTB, the writers have never spoken to me or for me when it comes to my value system nor have I ever expected them to. SG1 & SGA are Sci-Fi shows that use real life as a base and then go off into left field with "What If" and then make up stuff that could maybe happen in the realm of make believe in space and the galaxy surrounding us. TPTB have always bordered on humor and humanity but I have never expected them to make some kind of statement in any way regarding the "State of the World".

In fact if SG1 or SGA try to go that way, I will probably turn my TV channel at that point. Why?? Well I live real life, I don't need to pay for cable to watch it as well. I also should be making my life's decisions based on my own value's and belief system, not what some guy decided to write for a TV show. I watch TV, go to movies and rent DVDs for the express purpose of being ENTERTAINED. Once that stops and I am supposed to be learning life's lessons from tv, movies and rented DVDs, then it is time for me to walk away from that media altogether.

Life is supposed to be lived. Life's lessons are supposed to be learned from your parents first, then you, hopefully, are equipped as a young adult to begin learning for yourself from your experiences in day to day living. If you are expecting TV, movies and the media to teach you or your children then I pity you. Because that ain't livin'. That's being lazy. Expecting a TV show that is meant to entertain you OR that TPTB have purposely written to envoke your ire (as in the case of BSG) to take responsibilty for ANY social voice is ridiculous. Its MAKE BELIEVE! Sadly all to often fans forget that all of this comes from someone's mind and of course they want to make $$ and they really really hope you like what comes out of their brain. But thats really it in the end. They just want you to be entertained and pay for it.

So three shows into SG1 and SGA I can honestly say, I am entertained and yes I am paying for it, that cable bill comes EVERY STINKIN' MONTH!!

I can't ask for anymore, well I could but unless any of you are willing to send me $5.00 a day to shut me up (wink) I guess I won't LOL

So have some fun Gaterites, life AND fantasy really are only what YOU make it......so make it as fun as you possibly can and I will see you on the flip side

I read a Blog called Waiterrant.net (disclaimer - the Waiter at times uses graphic language please do not read if you are under the age of 18 or not allowed to read anything with cursing in it) and sometimes it has got to be the funniest part of my day ...ok well maybe NOT THAT funny.... but it really is sometimes pretty funny.

On other days the Waiter (as he is called) writes something especially heart-touching and makes you realize just how really small some of your nit-picks and issues are.

I am really uplifted by his blog pretty much everytime I read it. Why, you ask?? Because he tries to find the positive in all of the muck and guck of everyday life and I can really get behind that :-)

I used to work in the *Retail* side of life before heading into an office and I was one of the lucky ones. I became the Manager of my first place at age 17 and was never lower than the Manager since. When I left the *retail* side of life, I left after a 4 year stint of being a Regional Manager. I had 129 stores under me and I had a lot of personalities to deal with. I was bowled over by the tears and the heart felt goodbyes from my employees. I was especially touched when they all signed a card (actually sent it around to all my stores) and said if ever I was *The Boss* again they would work for me in a heart beat. What higher praise could anyone ask for?? I was very blessed to be surrounded by very good people. I even won an *Oscar*. Now How Cool Is that!!!???

I like to think that all my years in the customer service industry has helped me be who I am today. I try to be positive and helpful and see the Bright Side of things. I think being in the positions I was, I learned how to be diplomatic and step back and keep a cool head with most things.

I also learned that in order for everyone to do their jobs WELL...I needed to LET THEM and not micro-manage them and I needed to trust them. :-) If they screwed up ...well we would knw soon enough and I would have to deal with it. BUT if I let them learn all they could, find THEIR way of doing things (as opposed to just my way) and allowed some of their personality to come through. Well I can tell you when all of it clicked...we would have one heck of a crew in that shop.

There are so many skills that I have as a Supervisor that actually come in very handy as a Moderator. So I am glad that I had some real world things to shape and mold my perspectives before I decided I THOUGHT I knew it all (grin). I so do NOT know it all and I find out every day how much I still have to learn in this life and now time will be my enemy.

My nephew put a sign up on my refrigerator when all of the kids turned 16. It said "Hire a Teenager, While They still know Everything"... I loved that!!!

When you are young, you have the luxury of *thinking* you know it all because you know about the things that are of *Today's World* and you get to lord over those that don't have the same skill sets or the same knowledge of today's technology. But you know what? You are going to age and you will have kids and hopefully some time after that...you will get smart. THAT is when you figure out that you really don't know diddly squat and now you wish you would have just shut up and listened a bit more and maybe were a bit nicer and possibly just because you are being honest...doesn't equal being a jackass.

But its alot easier to look backwards in your life and see where the road has brought you than it is to look forward and see where the road is taking you.

So take heart Gaterites, both young and old, we really can learn alot from each from each other ...... if we just stop and listen once in a while and LET people be who they are ....... and that Gaters is *Enlightment Tame Style*

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