Call Off the Search Party – I AM Alive ;-)

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APT, Blogging, cats, critical infrastructure, cybe warfare, cyber security, dog, dog and child in bed, guest posts, kid, Pets, product placement, sponsored posts, telecom

Where did the time go and where the heck have I been?!?!?

With my little ones on winter vacation I took some time off  – and my blogging, which I normally do during at night, got interrupted by this debacle:

Every. Single. Night!!!

Now add one more dog at my feet….

and another one on the velvet sofa at the end of the bed, because obviously the floor is beneath him 😉 And…two cats creating havoc in my room. Oh, did I fail to mention that I adopted two kitties for my girls from the Humane Society? Because clearly, we do not have enough animals in our household 😉

However, I did not mean to take so much time off between posts! I feel like I have been throwing eggs up in the air, trying to juggle them, but someone keeps adding, no – throwing – more eggs at me! Where to start. There’s a dying family member (never easy), a family issue (not so easy), firing our maid for stealing (sucks, but caught her ruse early…she would hide items, like the Coach purses I bought for my girls’ teachers for Christmas to see if I noticed. Ummm, yes, I noticed!!), the girls’ school work (I get novels for emails, school projects, tests, etc.), their extra curricular activities, like two swim teams, Brownies and selling Girl Scout cookies (easy) and an onslaught of work projects, some easier than others.

Caveat: the following paragraph may be boring to most 😉 But, I probably could have kept up with my blog had I not had to map out the global supply chain of the digital information/communication infrastructure and target cyber security weak points, which are *everywhere* considering:

1. The architecture was driven more by interoperability, speed and efficiency, rather than by security.
2. They are largely owned (approx. 80-90%) and operated by the private sector. It really is crucial for every company and government agency to address cyber security as it underpins almost every facet of our society. It provides critical support for our economy, civil infrastructure, public safety and national security.

Cyber security is one of the most serious challenges we face. Approximately 90% of companies are breached once a year and hundreds of attempts are made weekly by adversaries that are advanced, covert, organized and persistent. Although I still have other projects, I have nothing as all-encompassing or pressing as that one was…and now that I am finished, I hope to resume my normal posting schedule!

I find it very hard to toggle between my right and left brain. I’ve thought often of my blog and topics…but haven’t found something worthy/interesting enough to write about because my head is filled with too many analytical things and some family drama for good measure! Oh, and the cat/dog adjustment has not gone off without its hitches 😉 One dog is just a little too curious and one cat a little too scared, which translates to “scratchy” to whomever is holding the cat. It just takes once to learn that lesson!

But what I LOVE about blogging – just LOVE – is that I was actually missed! I loved getting your emails and messages, and my blog friends very quickly noticed that I was missing!! I really, really appreciate that! Thank you so much for your notes!! Blogging has been my creative outlet. a guilty pleasure where it’s “my time”. When I started, I never expected to find people along the way as well, but it has been my driving force many, many times. And many times, the comments you all have made have turned a bad or a mediocre day into one that has made me smile.

It is because I value you so much, that I agonize over posts and don’t post lightly. I want to make sure that I don’t waste your time with superfluous, insipid or trite ideas. I received hundreds of emails a week for sponsored posts, hotlinks embedded in guest posts, etc, but producing compelling content has always been the point, and I’m not willing to compromise – as it would be a compromise to you all, which is unacceptable 🙂

Sorry for the ramble… Just wanted to let you all know 🙂

Now, I guess I need to come up with some ideas!!!