The OTHER blog
I did it. It took me a few days to finally get it up and running, but I did it.
A professional blog. A serious blog. A blog where I’ll have important things to say. Ha. Sure. Something like that.
Only a few people will get it’s name, Deliberate creation. But it makes me happy. I am deliberately creating my future, after all. And I’ve had a few questions about the domain, aradnalis.com and my business, Aradnalis Productions. Think Oprah and Harpo Productions.
So. That’s the new blog update.
In Duncan news, he’s 4 months old today. He polished off almost a whole jar of organic applesauce and sweet potatoes at dinner. He’s actually enjoying tummy time now. He remains a wonderful, sweet and intelligent baby boy. And I feel so blessed to have him. We stared at each other for quite a while during his bath tonight. It was a wonderful moment or two of connecting with him.
I managed to rearrange the dining room a bit today, as well as finish up another MPI lesson. Four more to go and I’m done with that part. Then there’s some essay writing and testing and other stuff to do, but at least no more lessons.
And now I’m going to bed.
Milestones
Today is two things.
Duncan is 2 months old. 
(Does that mean we get to eat cake? Yes, yes, I still have 13 preggo pounds to go…no cake for me)
I moved to the United States 14 years ago.
(Well, it was either Sept. 20 or 21. I get a little fuzzy about the exact day, but I’m pretty sure it was the 20th.)
As synchornicity would have it, yesterday I applied for U.S. Citizenship. And finally changed the name on my driver’s license after being married for 2 years already. I’d been meaning to do both for a while, but somehow having a child brings things into a new perspective.
Duncan and I have different last names as I chose to hyphenate (and thus drive the DMV tellers crazy as my name does not fit on my license. I am now Last-Name, S, J. They can’t get my first name on there — or any part of it longer than the initial — or even both of my middle initials. Crappy. Oh well). So I thought I should get that hyphenated bit on there so we have some name connection.
And I thought that since Duncan and Kevin are both Americans, and I have been here 14 years, I should become one too.
It practically took all day (had to go back to the DMV as their computers were down and they couldn’t process the license application and the photos for the U.S. Citizenship application took a while, too), but it’s done. Now I guess I wait and see what I do next.
Oh, eat cake to celebrate Duncan’s 2-month birthday, that’s right. 
Can I be the Best of Rochester?
So every year, City Newspaper, does a Best of Rochester poll.
This year, they have a best blog category. Hmm…who in Rochester that you know has a blog…
Yes. Me. So vote for me.
Here’s a link to the poll. The deadline is Oct. 5 and you have to vote in at least 15 categories for your response to be included. So if you’re not from Rochester, just do your best. If you’ve ever visited here, there’s got to be at least 15 things/places/things to do that stand out in your mind, even if it was a trip to the mega Wegmans in Pittsford Plaza (yes, I take everyone from out of town there).
So, go on. Vote.
A note from the Universe
Today’s note from the Universe says:
What if funky, confusing, gray, lonely days were just part of a “system” that, in turn, created bright, rich, happy, friendly days?
What if they were just meant to give deeper elements of your creativity a rest?
What if they were deliberately crafted holidays, of a sort, devised by your inner psyche to relieve you from the pressure of artificial expectations?
Would you still bemoan them, wonder what was wrong with you, or fear that they’ll never end? Or, Silandara, would they kind of tickle you pink?
You party animal, you -
The Universe
Today is a rainy, gray day. The kind that most people do bemoan and complain about. But I was thinking as I was driving to work this morning how much I love the rain. It saturates the colors of everything around. Its sound soothes me. It lets me take a break and have some reflection on those sunny days. Seems like me and the universe think alike sometimes.
General rambling update
Yes, yes, I’ve been meaning to blog. And to call and write and say hello and get back to a million people lately. And there’s no reason I shouldn’t have except that I’ve been terribly distracted by the little growing human inside my belly.
I have lots of preggy pics that I still haven’t posted. I finished painting the bathroom and we assembled the crib in its newly-purple room – and no, I haven’t shared those pics either.
Part of it is that sometimes I just feel like complaining about stuff – my allergies suck, my legs hurt, my belly is growing and it pulls on my back, he moves SO MUCH after lunch that it’s really hard to get any work done.
And while I may want to post about my baby showers, I also really don’t want to offend anyone if I happen to say something about a gift they may have gotten us that we’re really not into. Or go on a rant about how many stuffed toys we’re collecting that are going to be completely useless to little D until he’s 5 and by then they’ll be so covered in dust that… I guess that’s why there are Christmas toy drives.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful. Or pissy. Or whiny. And for the most part I’ve been feeling pretty good and getting stuff done. Just not good enough to have energy left over to post about it.
Oh, and I haven’t been writing about American Haldol/Idol because I decided I really don’t want to rip on Scott Savol and his Band of Trolls in Support of Domestic Violence every week. I will say, though, that I came up with the conspiracy theory a good day or two before there was an article about it in USA Today (which I can no longer find or I’d link to). Anyway, he’s out so I can keep watching the show. See, I didn’t want to get mean. Oh well.
So that’s the general, rambling update. Hope it was enlightening, at least on some small level.