What's an "Impera Magna"?

My online "name" is a bit of a story so I'll try to keep it short without leaving out the funny stuff.

When my son (now 37!) was about 5 or 6, he liked to argue with me about anything and everything... what time he should go to bed, brushing his teeth, taking a bath... he'd even argue with me if I said the grass was green.   Any surprise he grew up to be an attorney?

Anyhoo.... one day he was arguing with me about something…I can't remember what it was to save my life…  and I reverted to my standard answer as to why he couldn’t to do what he wanted: "Because I'm the mommy... that's why!"

He was put out and stated that when he grew up he'd be the boss of me!

"Oh no," I replied. "You can be 100 years old and I'll always be the boss of you."

Hmmmm... he thought about that for a minute before coming back with: "Well, when I grow up, I'll be the king of the world and you will have to do what I say!"

*lol* Gotta love him!

My response… "Well, you can be the king of the world but I'm the empress of the universe and you'll always have to do what I say."

That stumped him... and also derailed him because he didn't know what an empress was or what the universe was... and, by the time I got out the encyclopedias and the National Geographic book on the universe and explained both to his satisfaction... he had forgotten all about whatever it was he wanted to do.

Fast forward to the late ‘90s when I was in graduate school.   I shared this story with a few friends who found it amusing... and one... who'd had Latin in school... dubbed me "Impera Magna"... which he claimed meant "empress of the universe"...

I liked it and adopted it as my nom de internet... as simple as that.