Back in the spring, the old Boston Bulletin Board that I was a moderator on was operating with the knowledge that the server contract where we were hosted was not going to be renewed in the fall and would either have to find a new home, or disappear altogether while living on only in our memories from the friends we made and the community we built and shared through the years. In the interest of wanting that sense of community to continue on, a search was started to find someone interested in hosting the board anew and carrying that mantle on for the community to continue.
We eventually had an offer that sounded promising. Someone that did website work for a living and had some pretty good resources at his disposal to carry it off and keep the board going. Some general information was exchanged and the new board was created and ready to go. I transfered to the new board as a moderator again to try to allow some semblance of continuity with the new board. As time went on, it was evident that the new administrator had a different vision for his version of the board then had existed previously. That was fine, as it was his board to run as he sees fit to do. Eventually, I felt I couldnt continue there in good faith and left to team up with a few folks from the old board to start just a general bulletin board where the spirit of the old online community we enjoyed so much can live on. After designing and exchanging ideas, we went "live" in late June and have never looked back.
While all of that was going on, back in the real world, my wife and I were preparing for her daughter's visit for the summer. The court mandated phone calls always seem to get shorter and shorter with her daughter as summer approaches. Usually, they are filled with screaming and statements of "I'm not coming out there!" and "I want to stay with my stuff!" It's also amazing how a 12 year old has such a keen grasp and understanding of what went on between her parent's before and during the divorce. It's a shame that much of it, is being preached to her on a consistent basis only telling one side of the story.
We paid for her plane ticket for the summer and send a copy of the information via email, regular mail and registered mail. We thought that at least one of those 3 ways would get through. As the time for her trip got closer there would conveniently be no answer at all for the weekly calls to verify if the information was received. The day came when she was due and we drove from Pittsburgh to Cleveland to pick her up at the airport. She wasn't on the flight. Of course, my wife was quite upset. She only gets to see her daughter for a total of two months out of the year. When she finally managed to get through to her daughter much later to find out what happened, she was told that they never received any information about plane tickets and she wasnt coming out. If she wanted her there for the summer, she would have to come and pick her up.
The following week, on my birthday which we were supposed to attend a concert on, we started the 11 hour drive from Pittsburgh to southwest Illinois shortly after 2am. We arrived that morning and took a short nap before talking with her local attorney about the obvious alienation of affection that is going on there and being fed by the child's father. Afterwards, we got a bite to eat and went back to get some sleep before getting her early the next morning. The following morning, we went to the county police with the court order in hand and waited while they went to the house to get her daughter. The police returned roughly 20 minutes later with the child in tears and no clothes packed at all. This makes two out of three years that she has been sent with nothing except what was on her back at the time. Her father, instead of making sure she had clothes packed, ranted and ran off to see his lawyer about what was going on. We started our long drive back home listening to arguments about how she was going to be missing her birthday party that weekend. Hmmm a birthday party that her dad scheduled almost two weeks after she was supposed to be with her mother. What's wrong with that picture?
After she got in and settled down after a few days, there was comments from her father along the lines of, "Remember you have to tell her all of the time that you dont want to be there." and statements to my wife of "I hope you and that prick you married have money because you're going to need it." I'm assuming he means because he's now going to try to get child support from my wife. Interesting how someone who claims disability and is unable to work is able to shower his kid there with not one, but FOUR 4 wheeler ATV's, a pc, stereo, tv, trampoline and any other assorted material item she wants. Could it be because he has so many liens leveled against him that the moment he has any job where he is paid above the table that his pays would be garnished to no end? He works...just under the table and as he is at times a local informant for the cops, they tend to look the other way for much of the things he does that they consider to be minor because he is of more use to them out rather then let them worry about what is fair as far as justice. People wonder where this is less and less faith in the justice system we have every day.
The rest of the summer wasnt too bad. We went away a few times, up to Lake Erie for a day. Up the mountains for a few days and the local water park for a day. It was hard to put together any real long stretches of time off together with our work schedules, but we did the best we good.
She went back roughly a month ago and now that my kids are also back in school and the bulletin board is up and running, hopefully I can get back to this at least a bit more frequently then one entry every 5 months!!