FamilyTreeMaker allows you to list gender as "M", "F", or "?". It lets you show alternate parents for an individual, and a variety of relationships -- adopted, step, foster, unknown, and ISTR some others. Pairings between adults can be things other than married -- friends, partners, other, and again ISTR more. I can be more specific when I am back home in mid-Feb and can access the program. It also let's you enter multiple names for the same person.

I bought the new version of FTM when I upgraded to Win7 a year or so ago, didn't like it, and reverted back to FTM v9 (I think?).

I don't subscribe to Ancestry.com because I am to cheap. I post my file to Rootsweb.com so that mistakes can be spotted, and corrections and additions sent to me, and that has worked out pretty well. Rootsweb was bought up by Ancestry about ten years ago, so my file appears there too, but the updates are very slow (years, I think) to migrate over. Rootsweb is still available at no charge, I'm glad that Ancestry has honored that.

I still use PAF once in a while, just to stay familiar with it.

I bought the new version of FTM when I upgraded to Win7 a year or so ago, didn't like it, and reverted back to FTM v9

Hee. "Reverted back to FTM v9" makes me laugh because of what I usually associate the initials FTM with. Hee.

meara, I laughed too! I was all ...what?

Plei, thanks. I just need to spend the time to figure it out, and I'm overwhelmed right now with things I need to figure out.

If you don't want to pay for Ancestry, it's possible that your local archives or historical society might have access. I know that we have terminals with free access to Ancestry at work (but only to records searches...you don't get the trees). It was part of the deal to give them access to our vital statistics records. (Our vital stats are available for FREE at our website anyway.)

Wow, still talking about ancestors the next day.

Meanwhile - I had some excitement this morning already. First, I managed to oversleep my alarm and wake up with less then 30 minutes to get ready to go pick up the bus.

And as I am walking up my street to the bus stop, the RR crossing bars are down and people are turning their cars and heading back to avoid the train. I see a train on the east side of the crossing just stopped. Okay. Then as I get closer - the garbage truck that was waiting turns into the parking lot to get away from the crossing and I see the other half of the train on the west side of the crossing.

I'm waiting. . . waiting. . . then a guy comes up and starts taking pictures of the train. And I the driver in the car closest to the tracks is doing the same thing. Then he turns around and leaves: the train came uncoupled right at the crossing.

How the heck does that happen?

ION - an Israeli couple named their baby "Like" after the FB feature.

Seriously.

I want to have a huge foot-stomping, swearing, yelling hissyfit right now. Followed by flouncing out of work. We have been working on a project charter and business case for a project for SIX MONTHS (please boggle how long it takes to even plan to do anything) and as it's about to be signed and finalized, my two bosses are cockblocking it. They're not even willing to communicate with the people involved, I have be the one to email our contact and say they have concerns and can we set up a meeting.

I just unfollowed someone on Twitter for quoting Eat Pray Love. I may be in a mood.

Oy.

The parents have a fondness for innovative names. One of their daughters is named Pie — after the popular British food, while their other daughter is named Vash, which is honey in Hebrew.

"innovative" is the kind way to put that.