news

Much has happened since I last posted: first, I turned 29 and am feeling good about it, my identity and online resources, including my e-mail account and my blog, have been compromised (see below for a little bit of advice from Washington Post columnist Rob Pegoraro), and I made my first visit home to Connecticut in over a year so that I could celebrate Mother’s Day with my two moms and introduce Levi to his extended family. But first, here’s a bit of advice that could’ve helped me protect my online identity and security:

“Never use the same passwords for any accounts that offer a route into your personal or financial data. You may think that saves time and brain cells, but if somebody can guess or otherwise obtain your password at one site, they can use that exploit to roll up your other accounts, locking you out of each one in succession. (We’d all like to think we’re too smart to fall for some cheap phishing scam, but even experienced users can make a mistake during a distracted moment.) Instead, use different passwords for your important accounts. This doesn’t have to be difficult; you can use words related to the same theme, and you don’t have to make them impossibly long. Even a seven-character password can be far harder to crack than a six-character password, especially if you mix in numbers and uppercase letters. The one exception I’ll allow to this no-reuse rule: passwords that only protect preferences at a site, such as custom stations created at a Web-radio service.”

– Rob Pegoraro, Consumer Technology Columnist

Meanwhile, I have exciting news on the postpartum depression front; today I met with the founder of Postpartum Support Virginia and we’ve organized a local meeting in western Virginia where I live. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be a part of this much needed group. I will have to rethink my other activities and volunteering so that I can give Postpartum Virginia my all, but I know this is a worthwhile cause that I feel called to answer. As soon as dates are affirmed, I will share the date, time and place of the postpartum support group I am leading so that folks who live nearby may attend. I only hope that I may help other families the way that Postpartum Virginia helped mine . . .
And because my family is awesome and lets me photograph them as much I like, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite photos from our visit:

Visit with Eugene and Mom at Mom’s House

Annabelle and Bubbles, the Nanna Slide, and Levi Claps His Hands

God Bless Uncle Joe

Mother’s Day Morning with My Babes

Girls Only at the Beauty Salon

Family Portraits with the Montes

Phew! I made it! If you made it this far, thank you!

How was your weekend? And, have any of you had any scary online experiences? If so, I’d love to hear about them. Amber at Strocel just wrote this post that I think gives even more insight into how to post personal information in a secure way. Thoughts?