Back and Forth i did...

Last morning I got an email alert: Your Grandfather turns 78 today, Wish him”, with 3 colorful balloons dangling alongside his pic.

That was cute. The cuteness was not in the reminder, but in the way it appeared on my Gmail, with his photograph and balloons. I would love to get such reminders, even if I remember their bdays.

That reminds me of how silly I had been 2.5 months back.

Last year I started exploring My Heritage. A comprehensive website that allows you to plot generations under 1 Family Tree. My initial europhia died as I began to encounter glitches in the tree designing.
Firstly, it did not permit me to show certain links in relationships. As a result, I found myself duplicating people. Secondly, the website did not recognize when the same name was added twice. That meant a wrong tally on the total number of family members. As the magnitude of same problems multiplied, it irritated me more. To the extent, I left it half done.

Instead switched over to my own custom made format. Plotted 4 Generations on workbooks of Microsoft Excel. It consumed substantial time and enormous energy. But worked better. There was no duplication as hyperlinks served the purpose. Adding data was easier. Not being at the mercy of broadband connection gave a new sense of freedom. Managed to add, even the distant relations well within the traceable radar. This is 2.5 months back.

Recently there have been some new additions in the family. With the idea of adding them in the tree I opened my workbook. To my own surprise, the whole format didn’t excite me. Excel’s style was Black and White, now I felt, I preferred something more pictorgraphical. The appeal factor mattered. I also realized My Heritage allows storage of contacts, Birth Dates and Anniversaries, something that my excel sheets missed. Best part, are the Email Alerts that remind you of upcoming events, like the one I got last morning.

Thankfully, I had not deleted my Heritage Account. And now I am back to completing my half done work. Back to adding pictures, special events, and dates. The minor glitches still remain, but no complaints, the broader picture still looks perfect.