Halloween GUA style

Dressed up for the GUA Halloween costume contest. I tied for second place.

Vampire and tavern wench.

My supervisor (dough boy) and her daughter (NCIS chick).

Carol, our switchboard operator.

The contest winner.

Kim. Please note - she is NOT fat in real life.

My Mom - the crazy spider lady.

Spider cupcakes that I baked for the event.

Contest participants.

Some old pictures that have not been posted yet.

Buford Dam picnic - down at the river


Goose wading in the Chattahoochee

Picnicking

David standing in a fire truck at "Play at the Park."

The therapy of plane watching

It is surprising how much difference thirty minutes makes. It’s the difference between clogged interstates and a hassle free ride. It’s the difference between darkened windows and the warm glow of home lights. On my early weeks, I have to leave the house at 6:30 am, and the world is mostly dark and still. Traffic gradually increases as time passes and as I work my way farther into Gwinnett county. By the time I reach Peachtree Industrial around 7:00, darkness scatters in the presence of countless racing lights. While sitting at this chaotic intersection on Monday, I glanced into the vast sky and spotted the steady blink of four airplanes. I wondered how many more I could see if all of the light pollution were removed for a few seconds. I used to watch the planes while staring out across Mary Alice Park and have counted as many as eight at once. Eight planes in that one, small space of sky. Watching the criss-cross of paths is therapeutic. I feel instant calm and a contented sense of insignificance.

It's punkin time!

So. Last night, I carved a punkin!

Bat courtesy of Meghan.

Cat, moon, and star courtesy of myself.

The Atlanta Zoo

Family fun at the Atlanta Zoo!

Napping en route. It's the best picture I got of David over the course of the day. After this point, he wasn't still long enough for a decent shot.

I said, "Hey kids, go stand by the sign and let Mommy take your picture!" ...and this is what they did... :-)

Look! Elephants!

Johnathan watching the elephants.

Taking a break.

Beautiful birds in the "tree house."

Playground at the zoo.

Itchy nose.

Family photo.

Hungry panda. I followed this fellow with my camera for ages. When he finally plopped down and faced the crowd, I snapped this shot.

Kangaroo.

Petting zoo.

Fascinated by the hand dryer.

Emily's first ride on a carousel. David preferred to sit on a seat with Daddy, and Emily preferred to ride high. She grinned the whole time.

If you ask David what he did at the zoo, he'll tell you that he rode a train. This was definitely the only part of the day that mattered in his opinion.

On the train.

If Only...

The mornings are so dark whenever my alarm goes off. The sunrise used to stare me in the face when I walked out my door, but I am now halfway to work before its beams creep over the horizon. As a result, I seem to be sleeping harder (and sometimes through) my morning wake up call. The past two days have been a sleepy fog, and I am counting down the hours until I can crash into my comfortable bed.

It’s a wonderful fall day. Sharp colors and warm sunshine are beckoning through an open doorway, and I wish that I could skip through unnoticed. College students will be sprawling on the lush green lawns of their respective campuses. Individuals with time to kill might sit placidly on the banks of a river or lounge under a shade tree. Personally, I would love to kick back in a porch swing and settle into a good book.

Pictars

Like this!

Nap time with Grandma

Nap time with Aunt Meghan

Puzzles with Aunt Meghan

Double rainbow at the end of a day.

The road that will take me home.

I am le tired...

Let's go to the fair!

Watching the steam engine at the saw mill.

I know it's in there somewhere!

Article

I spotted an article pertaining to Nepal's newest diety while surfing MSN this morning. It was so very different from anything we observe in our own nation, and I was intrigued...if not a bit appalled. After digging a bit deeper into this tradition, I decided to write my own summarization.

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Nepal’s new Maoist government has allowed the continuation of an ancient Hindu-Buddhist tradition. A three-year-old girl from the goldsmith caste has become Nepal’s newest living goddess. This “kumari” is viewed as a source of supreme power and is selected through astrological consultation and a series of religious ceremonies. She must meet thirty-two attributes of perfection, including black eyes, clear skin, black hair, forty teeth, and a crystal voice. Once passing the first screening process, girls are subjected to further rituals, which include being encircled by freshly severed goat heads. The true goddess will remain calm through terrifying situations.

Once a girl is chosen, the Taleju spirit enters her body and she assumes the title of Kumari Devi. From there, she will leave her family and live in virtual isolation in a Kathmandu palace. A kumari’s feet will never touch the ground unless a red carpet is placed beneath her, and she will only leave the palace a few times out of the year. Her most important outing is the festival of thanks to the rain god. In Nepal’s prior government, this festival would have included a blessing for the king.

The term as goddess ends at the onset of puberty. From that point, the girl resumes human form and is returned to her family. She is expected to resume a “normal” life, but what is normalcy after life as a goddess? This question is a cause of concern for many child rights activists around the world. The former kumari will receive a small governmental allowance as a “thank you” for her protection and will probably be shunned as a bride. Afer all, superstition states that the husband of a former kumari is destined to die young.

In recent years, Nepal’s Supreme Court has stepped in to provide a bit of modernization. Kumaris are now educated, though instruction must take place within the palace walls. Girls are also allowed exposure to entertainment and news programs and can receive visits from family members at any time.

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I place my faith in one supreme God and do not put stock in Hindu gods and goddesses, which certainly complicates my ability to understand this ancient tradition.

I genuinely feel for the girls who are chosen for this position. Many of them begin their term before they are old enough to understand the circumstances that brought them to this point. Most will grow up without fully knowing family members and will probably retain that detatchment for the rest of their lives. It seems incredibly unfair to banish a girl from the only life she has known due to a circumstance beyond her control.