BEING VIOLATED!

I'm hoping that none of you readers have ever been raped...nor have I physically, but something that happened to me this week certainly felt that way.

Last Sunday night someone happened to ask me for my website address (www.drmimiscott.com). I gave it to him and he immediately punched it in and told me it wasn't there. I thought he was completely mistaken and went to my computer to find he was right! All it said was inmerge.my (a default site). I was of course beside myself, but told myself I would call the outfit---Pumkinfish--in the morning and get it resolved. I did so first thing in the morning and found that the number for the contact person, Chris Wilson, was disconnected. I then emailed him and the email was immediately returned. Next I went to the Pumkinfish website and found that they had the same message and 'default site' as was on my website. Later I found that they had left the office in the building in which it was housed in Ft. Lauderdale. Still later I found that a home address inhabited by some sister in law, claimed those involved had been gone since May to nowhere she knew. Obviously---somebody(s) had to 'get outta town fast"!!

My week of course was spent with people who knew about websites trying to help me recover what I could. You have probably figured out by now, that this Ph.D had not had the smarts to make sure she had a copy when she spent a small fortune having this website designed and maintained, and I must say (and all of you who had viewed it certainly said) it was a fabulous website. But it was more than that---it was truly my history and could be seen as a legacy. Indeed one of my granddaughters who just started BU, as mentioned last week, gathered some new friends in her room and wanted to show them the site...how upset she was that it wasn't there! I cannot express how terrible I felt when she called in amazement.

To me it was as though I had been violated. As though someone had broken into my home and stolen my most precious possession.!! By week's end we have hopes to recover the domain name, but the vendor claims that these people, Pumkinfish, defaulted in June and two weeks later all their files were deleted! However I viewed it in early August, as did someone who found employment for me as a result, and I cannot understand how a file deleted in June was still there in August! Any help with this would be appreciated.

My point in blogging about all this is two fold. If you put your heart and soul into any project anywhere make absolutely certain you have copied and backed up every part of it. Also be very very careful about whom you choose to deal with. And if you are buying a long term service (such as insurance) continually check to see that they are alive and well. These fellows seemed like lovely young men and they had been recommended to me very highly. I have been advised to go after them, but before I pay for a PI to find them and try to sue, I have to evaluate if it is worth spending the money in order to retrieve nothing. All I really want is my beautiful website.

Of course I'll be working on this recovery for a while, and I am beginning to look at the materials I have in order to rebuild another site. But for now all I am actually doing is trying to move on from this disaster and prepare myself for something much greater.

Next week I have my first booking at a major JCC here in South Florida of FROM BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD...My life in Song. This is an act I have prepared with the intention of bringing joy to older people (of which we have a surplus here), but which is turning into something that may bring pleasure to all ages while bringing some financial gain to me. I won't be writing again until after this first gig, as next week I'll be up north for the memorial of my son in law's father. So 'hang in there' and I'll give you my review in two weeks. Meantime enjoy the summer's end and the newness of the Fall.

Thanks for reading.

Dr. Mimi Scott
8917 846-2449