Open Source Software

Written by: Noteforself 

Photo Credit: custom-build-computers.com

I bought my newest computer over the summer at Costco.  It is an HP laptop that was on sale for $450. It has a 17 inch display at 1600×900 resolution, and it came with Windows 7. The first thing I did when I got home was to create the recovery disks.  That used up 4 DVDs. If I had a USB stick with at least 19 GB of space that would have worked too, but I didn't. For anyone who knows computers, 19 GB to reinstall your operating system is simply ridiculous; there is way too much bloatware that the hardware manufacturer is putting on your computer. That being said, making recovery disks is always a first priority when you get a new computer; you will need it in a year or three when your computer gets slow and you need to reformat it.

In my biased opinion, the software that comes preloaded on a computer is often bloated and slow.  Besides the operating system, I usually remove everything else and, instead, install open source software.  Open source software are software that have source code available, in case you want to modify or learn more about the software you are using.  The source code is the written text that makes up the software; the hardware, the physical computer, reads the text and runs the software.

Below are some open source software that I use.  I believe they are smaller and faster then the software that comes with your computer.

7-Zip 
If you ever download a file that is compressed into a 7z, BZip2, Gzip, Tar or other formats, you can use this program to uncompress it.  You can also use this file to archive your files.

ClamWin Free Antivirus 
This is my anti-virus program.  I use it when I want to check to see if my files and folders have anything dangerous in them.

TrueCrypt 
I use this to protect my sensitive documents.  It would create an encrypted file, and I would store all my important things in it.

Gimp
This is my image editor.  I do basic cropping and resizing of my images.  Since I am not a graphics artist, it fulfills my basic needs.  For 99% of computer users, this makes an excellent Adobe Photoshop replacement.

Sumatra PDF 
This replaces Adobe Reader; it's a simple PDF reader.

Notepad++ 
I use this instead of the Notepad that comes with Windows 7.

LibreOffice 
This replaces Microsoft Office.  Hands down, this is the best alternative to it, and it's completely free. However, you can still pay to show your appreciation by sending money to The Document Foundation so they can continue to work on this software.  LibreOffice used to be call OpenOffice. Anything Microsoft Office can do, LibreOffice can most likely also do.  It comes with Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation), Draw (build diagrams and sketches), Base (database) and Math (equation editor).  It can save in different formats and open many formats, including but not limited to past and present Microsoft document formats.  Additionally, you can save your documents in PDF format.
I highly recommend LibreOffice.  To me, it is on par with Microsoft Office.

VLC 

MPC-HC 
Both VLC and MPC-HC are multimedia players.  You can use them to watch most video formats.

ImgBurn 
This software is to burn CDs/DVDs.  It's simple and works well.

Firefox 
Chrome 
Please don't use Internet Explorer; it can be unsafe.  I would recommend either Firefox or Chrome.They are both good in terms of speed and security.  Additionally, they are updated often to keep pace with technological advances.

In brief, whenever I reformat my computer, I would install the above programs.  Using these programs would also ease you into Linux if you ever want to give Linux a try in the future, because these programs are also available on Linux.  Before using any of these software, please read the instructions; I don't want to be held responsible for bad experiences.

As you can see, I embrace open source.  First, it's free.  Second, I have access to the source code, which allows me to modify it.  (If I knew how.)  Third, the open source software that I use are faster and  smaller than the software they replace. Without open source, Google, Facebook, Amazon and other  technology companies would not be what they are today, and I feel that the world would be a grimmer place.

If you have any interesting open source software, please let me know.  I'm always curious.

Short Story: Starting Over Part 2

Barbara sat staring at the manila envelope on her laptop.  She had come home determined to finish what she had set her mind on, but it was easier said than done.  Could she really muster up the strength to do this?  Just throw all those memories away after all these years?

"Stop laughing!"

"It's funny though," Michael said, clicking on the mouse to zoom in closer to a picture of Barbara, so he could see her teeth clearly. "Look at those amazing set of rabbit teeth!"

"You know I feel insecure about them," Barbara pouted, folding her arms across her chest, "You're such a jerk."

Michael continued to smile, zooming in even closer, "Definitely Facebook worthy." 

He maneuvered the mouse over to the Explorer icon.

"No!" Barbara shrieked, pushing his hand off the mouse, "I won't talk to you anymore if you do that."

"Hah! You say that, but you'll be calling me as soon as you leave here.  You're too weak." Michael said, flashing her his devilish grin again as he closed up the picture and turned off the computer.  He then got up from his chair and pulled Barbara in his arms, "But I don't like to try my luck with you being so stubborn sometimes."

Stubborn.  That's what Barbara was.   Yet, Michael put up with her because he had cared about her.

"Do you love me?"

"You know the answer, so why do you have to ask?"

"I just like to check sometimes, just in case you don't love me anymore," Barbara said puling the car into the parking lot at Harold's, the local grocery store.

Michael sighed.

Insecure.  Barbara was that too.  She tried not to be, but after being cheated on by her last boyfriend, she had never been the same since.  He had broken her heart and she felt as though she could never love again until she met Michael.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Michael tapped his fingers on his chin for a few seconds and looked up from where he was sitting at the dining table, "Oh, I remember that day.  Man, you were pissed with me!"

"Well, besides that part where you offended me by saying I had an old lady's name," Barbara said as she swatted him  with her left hand, "Do you remember anything else?  I remember you wore a blue dress shirt with stripes and you had a black backpack on.  You wore glasses that day, those old big black round ones...you looked so cute then."

Michael's face cringed up, "I hated those glasses! They were so big and bulky. I can't believe I used to leave the house with those on.  And you found them attractive? Hah! I'm surprise you remember what I even wore then since you didn't seem to like me at all."

"Oh," Barbara responded, "Don't get me wrong, you annoyed the heck out of me.  I noticed you coming from afar though, before you opened that mouth of yours!"

Michael laughed as he moved his eyebrows up and down, in a twitching motion, "So was it love at first sight?"

Barbara never admitted it to him, but it was.  There was something that drew her to Michael the moment she saw him.  Something she could never explain.  Glancing once again at the manila envelope, Barbara took a deep breath and moved it away from her laptop.   Might as well look this up on the computer and get it over with, she thought. The local post office in her area had closed due to budget cuts and she needed to find the next closest one to her.  If Barbara was going to send this envelope, then she might as well have it sent there as fast as possible...before she changed her mind.

Book: The Last Girls of Pompeii

I've been mulling over how I should review The Last Girls of Pompeii, a youth historical fiction novel by Kathryn Lasky.  It's not a great book, nor is it awfully terrible to the point where I could not finish it.  Would I recommend this to my friends? No.  Would I recommend this to preteens who like history and a little romance? I think I might, though I would recommend other books before this one.  This is because The Last Girls of Pompeii is one of those so-so reads, a book I only read because my professor was giving away free books and I'm not the kind to say no to that!

Basically,  The Last Girls of Pompeii is a story that takes place during A.D. 79 in Pompeii (As some of you may already know, this is the Roman town-city that was destroyed by volcanic ashes when Mount Vesuvius erupted.).  It is about 12-year-old Julia who is born with a withered arm and Sura, Julia's slave and confidant.  The narrative piggybacks between the perspectives of these two main female characters, giving each a voice of their own.  Both girls are very different from one another, from their background (rich vs. poor) to how they physically look (ordinary vs. beautiful). However, despite this, their lives are connected to one another, as Julia's politically wealthy family has secret plans to send each of them away following Cornelia's (Julia's sister) wedding.  There's also an even larger problem brewing, which no one but a sibyl who lives at the mouth of Sarnus seems to know about.

What I like:

• Julia has a handicap, so she has to deal with people who are judgmental and discriminatory towards her.  I like it when the main characters are different than others and has personal struggles they have to overcome. 
• Strong female characters.  Definitely more of a book for girls than boys.  Julia and Sura both are confident and they are willing to take risks.  
• Historical context.  There's a lot of little tidbits of historical detail scattered throughout this book on simple things, such as what people ate, their superstitions, etc. that assists readers in understanding the period better.

What I didn't like:

• The dialogue and some parts of the writing were a little bit too modern for my taste.  I felt as though the characters in this reading could have been from today's world.  Perhaps, this made it easier for young adult readers, but it just felt out of place to me.
• Pacing.  There were no really draggy parts, things moved along well, but I think because of this it was a little too fast paced and, as a result, the characters in the book were not as well developed.  Sura's gladiator brother and Julia's cousin, Marcus are interesting characters, but you don't care enough for them because the plot does not devote enough time to help the readers relate or connect to the characters.
• Cliche plot/plot twists. I don't want to give anything away, but you'll know when you read it. 

Overall, The Last Girls of Pompeii is a short and easy read.  It took me two days on the train to finish it.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed the author's note at the end of the book more than the actual story.  It's well written and it was interesting to learn about how the author was able use her research and trip to Pompeii to assist her in writing the story.  

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Please note: Even though this book is suppose to be suitable for kids in late elementary through middle school, some references made in the book regarding sexual behavior is not, which includes a passage on genitals at a public bath, men trying to touch Sura's rear end, slave prostitution, among other things.  If you're really picky, Cornelia uses a profane word once at Julia.  In addition to this, the writing style is suitable for younger kids, but some of the context seems more appropriate for older kids.

Short Story: Starting Over Part 1

Photo Credit: galutah

"So what are your future plans?"

Such a simple question, yet somehow it hurt Barbara to hear it.  What was she going to do next?  All these years she had thought she had known what she would do every step of the way. Everything in her life was planned accordingly.  What college she would attend, when she would graduate, what kind of job she would have, and even when she would get married. All was going as planned until now.  Now everything was different and she found herself caught off guard.  She didn't even have a backup plan.  What could she possibly do?

Barbara let out a sigh, her head feeling a little light from the previous weeks ordeal.  She looked up at Emily, her friend of twenty odd something years, someone she had known since ten years old.

"I don't know," Barbara admitted, "I haven't thought that far."

As though feeling her despair, Emily placed her hand over Barbara's and then slightly squeezed it, "Well you better start now.  You can't change anything by ignoring it.  What's happened has happened.  You need to start fresh and move on."

Barbara didn't want to move on.  She wanted to go back, back to when things were normal and perfect. Back to before this had all happened. If only she hadn't been so curious...

"You know what you need?" Emily said, interrupting Barbara's thoughts, "You need a nice cup of hot tea and  lucky for you, I always carry about a special package in my purse for those you-never-know kind of days.  Come on, get up and I'll make you some.  Then we'll go out for a nice walk...it's such a beautiful day!"

Before Barbara could say anything, Emily jumped up from off the sofa and headed into the kitchen.  Barbara didn't want to drink tea or go for a walk.  She just wanted to go to her room and cry because she was still hurting inside and she just wanted to be alone.  But Emily was right, she needed to leave her apartment so that she could free her mind.

                                                     __________

"Do you remember when we used to play at this park as kids, how we would compete to see who could swing the highest?"

Barbara gently glided her hand over the rusted chains that held the swing together.  "Yeah, I remember that, it feels like so long ago."

Emily sat on one of the swings and smiled, "Because it has been!  I remember how we used to make big plans as kids and talk about moving to Florida so we could go tan at the beach every day, pick up hot guys..."

"But somehow we stayed put and we didn't even move that far.  We stayed close to our old memories, " Barbara interrupted, pushing the empty swing next to her.  She could hear the squeaks of the swing with each push, the chain rattling with every touch.

Brushing her right hand through her brown locks of hair, Emily let out a little sigh, "I guess going to the park was a bad idea then."

Barbara looked at Emily, "No, I'm thankful that you asked me to go out.  I think I know what I have to do now.  I don't want to be like this swing, staying in one spot year after year rotting away until someone decides that I'm no longer good enough...I don't want to be replaced."

Barbara stopped the swing then, grabbing it tightly in her hand until it no longer moved.  She knew what she had to do.  She had to go home and finish what she had started.

Short Story: Starting Over Part 2

Ordering A Cake At Jewel-Osco

Written by: Noteforself

 Photo Credit: farm4.staticflickr.com

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes, do you have a Michael Jackson cake?"

"No. If you bring in a picture that you own the copyright to, we can

scan and print it on an edible wafer. We can then place it on top of

the cake."

"Oh."

"We also have cake designs in that book over there."

Customer then looks at book.

"Please let us know if you have any questions or if you're ready to order a cake."

Many customers come in wanting to order a cake but not sure how the process works. I would be too if I didn't work there. But having worked at Jewel-Osco for some time, ordering a cake, to me, is a piece of cake. (Not that I'm particularly fond of extremely sweet mildly nutritious desserts.)

When taking a special order I usually have a piece of paper I have to fill out and a set of questions I usually ask the customer. Below are basic cake ordering information that would be useful for first timers.

There are 3 kinds of cakes that you can special order at Jewel-Osco: chocolate, yellow and marble. Yellow, I'm assuming, is vanilla cake. Why we don't call it vanilla I am not sure. Chocolate is self explanatory; marble is a combination of yellow and chocolate together, mostly yellow with some chocolate in it.

There are different cakes sizes. A 1/8 sheet cake feeds about 6 to 10 people, depending on how you slice it.  A 1/4 sheet cake feeds 15 to 20; A 1/2 sheet cake feeds 30 to 40. Our biggest cake, the full sheet, is two 1/2 sheets put together and it feeds 72 to 80 people. (As usual, depending on how you slice it.) Besides the sheet cakes, we also have an 8 inch round cake, which can be either single or double layer, which feeds from 8 to 12 people. Lastly, we have the 5 inch round cake, also known as a baby cake, which some people get so their baby can play with, and it feeds about 3 to 5 people.

There are two main icings, whip cream and butter-cream. If you have a party and the cake is going to sit out, I would recommend a butter-cream iced cake because whip cream needs to be refrigerated. Additionally, we also have better-cream icing, but I usually don't bring that up because not a lot of people are aware of it, and, unless people want it, I assume they are content with the two main choices.

Once I get the above information, I would ask if you want a filling in the cake, something to put in the middle of it. If you don't that's fine, but if you are interested then the fillings are, in no particular order: fresh strawberries, fresh bananas, custard (Bavarian creme), German chocolate, fudge, chocolate, whip cream, butter-cream, lemon filling, raspberry preserves, pineapple preserves, cherry preserves, and strawberry preserves. The fresh strawberries and bananas we would get from the produce department; they are the same fruits you can get on the sales floor. The only difference is that we cut them up and put them in your cake. We would add a layer of butter-cream or whip cream, depending on your icing, before putting the fruits in. For the fresh strawberries, we would also mix it with strawberry glaze, to keep it fresh and jelly.

Once the food part of your cake is determined, I would ask you how you would like it decorated. You can either point to a picture or design in the cake design book or you can describe how you would like your cake to look. If it's a design from the book, I would jot the number associated with the design down, and then ask you what you would like written on your cake. After that, I would quote you a price and we would be almost done, unless you would like your cake modified to your desire. Modifications include, but not limited to: border colors, additional balloons or roses, primary or pastel confetti’s, ribbons along the border, exclusion of certain features of the design from the design book, etc. Now, if you don't want the cake looking like a design from the cake design book, you usually have two choices. You can bring in a picture that we can scan, print out on an edible wafer, and then placed on the cake, or you can explain to us how you would want the cake to look. If it's mainly roses and balloons and something simple, I can most likely do it. If not, I would tell you I can't and then look for the main cake decorator, who is also my crew chief, and see if she can do it.

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This is just a quick look at ordering a cake at my particular Jewel-Osco. It is my opinion and does not represent the company. There are more details that I probably missed and might address in the future.

Homeless

Photo Credit: Ryan Remiorz, AP Photo

I sometimes don't really know what I think about the homeless.  At times, when I see them, I feel like I should be happy to have the life that I do.  Other times, I become negative and wish they would try to find a job rather than panhandling outside on the streets.  What is it about the homeless that brings about such mixed emotions inside of me?

• When I used to work in a public library, the homeless would come in every Tuesday of the week after making their routine stop at the local food pantry.  I wouldn't had known they were homeless until my coworker told me, as they were dressed just like any other patron.  Some sat off to the side reading a magazine or book and others just found a seat to simply sit and relax, away from the heat outside.  One lady in particular sat in one of the sofas in the children's reading area, so a library employee had to ask her to find a seat elsewhere, for fear she would scare the little kids I presume.  The homeless here were harmless and simply wanted a place to rest.

• Most recently on my way home from work, I noticed a homeless lady standing outside near the train station. She had the typical homeless cardboard sign that said she needed help and that any change would be much appreciated in black marker.  The only thing out of the ordinary was that she was holding a cellphone.  It was no ordinary flip phone either (such as another homeless lady I've seen have), but a smartphone.  So how does she manage to pay for her phone bill? And why is she asking for money when apparently she does have the money to pay for other things?

• Now there's also homeless people who just stand there asking for change and there's those who try to provide some form of entertainment so you'll give them something.  I view this almost as though they have a job because in a way, they are performing a service and you are paying for it.  One old man I can think of in particular jams on pans and buckets.  He does a fairly good job at it too and provides commentary on the side to boot!

• The wheelchair bound homeless.  There are some that cannot walk and so they must use the wheelchair.  There are also others who pretend that they cannot walk and use the wheelchair as way to gain sympathy, which means more money for them.  I remember being a kid when my dad gave a dollar to a man sitting in a wheelchair who told us he was a war vet.  Hours later, on our ride home at night, I saw the same man getting off his wheelchair and rolling it down the streets.  I pointed it out to my dad and he just shook his head.

• The homeless that do drugs while sitting on the ground asking for money.  I've actually seen some homeless people rolling up some weed and using it as I passed on by.  They usually hold what they're using in one hand and the cardboard sign in the other.

• The homeless who have their kids with them.  Sometimes it's just one baby in the carriage, other times it's the whole family.  I've seen this while on vacation too in another country. There was a young girl, who looked as though she was eight-years-old going around with her siblings (including her baby sister) asking for money.  It's sad to see such young faces having to deal with being on the streets.Where's the naive childhood life?  I think every person should at least have this experience.  It's just not fair.

• The demanding homeless. The one that actually follows you and keeps pestering you for money even after you ignore or tell them no.  My boyfriend told me once of one lady who was being harassed by a big homeless man.  A good pedestrian saw this and asked a security guard nearby to help her. When the guard came outside, the homeless man fled.

• The homeless person that wants more money. I've had this happen twice in the past. It usually occurs when I am feeling sorry for someone or am randomly surprised by someone who seems to be just giving me a kind greeting. They'll ask me for money and I'll give them the change I have in my pocket. Upon giving them the money, they'll ask for more or complain that I had not given them enough.  Apparently, there's a certain amount that some like to be given and I obviously didn't meet the quota. 

• The well-dressed homeless person.  This really confuses me sometimes. There are homeless people who look the part, dressed in worn or torn clothes that look like they need a good wash or need to be thrown out.  However, there are the homeless who wear dress shoes with a vest and dress shirt. If they were shopping at a store or walking down the street, they would look similar to you and I. 

• Finally, there are homeless people who ask for handouts and those who do not.  A particular interesting case is an older gentleman I used to see every few days.  Can I describe him as being homeless with class? :)  I like him, so I might be bias.  Every few days in the morning I see him at the bus stop near my workplace.  He always has on a beret and is dressed in a simple shirt and cargo pants.  He sometimes has his luggage with him, along with a grocery bag filled with things I can't recall.  95% of the time, he's reading a book when I pass by.  Always a novel of some sort and when he reads, he zones out completely, seemingly forgetting where he is.  When he's not reading, I've managed to make eye contact and he greets me with a good morning and a smile.  Other times, he sleeps at the bus stop bench, arms folded across his body.  Lately though, I have not seen him and I wonder where he is and what he is doing.  I think about who he is or if he has any family.  There's something different about him...I almost feel as though he's too smart to be homeless.  Yet, who am I to judge; the homeless can be anybody right?

Book: The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

"The 9/11 Commission believes the 9/11 attacks revealed four kinds of failure: in imagination, in policy, in capabilities, and in management."

- The 9/11 Report, pg 107

I remember watching 9/11 happen on the school TV screen in my U.S. history class. It was something that was so surreal to me at the time.  I even remember my favorite teacher just standing there, silent, as he and all of the students sat starring at the small TV screen in the corner of the room. Years later while in college, I found myself in a U.S. government class where I was assigned to read The 9/11 Commission Report. The book was huge...about 586 pages of information.  Luckily, the professor only assigned various chapters in the book for essay assignments.  The read itself was not as terrible as I had thought it would be.  In fact, I remember feeling sad and fascinated by all the new information I was exposed to.

Photo Credit: Fleeing the Fire, by Jose Jimenez, Primera Hora/Getty Images 

Some years later, I won a poster contest in class and received The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon as one of my prizes.  Up until that point, I had never really paid attention to graphic novels, unless it was anything related to Batman or reading a compilation comic book, such as Calvin and Hobbes.  I remember reading a few pages of The 9/11 Report and then putting it on my bookshelf, telling myself I would read it later.  There it sat until recently when I made it a goal of mine to finish all the books I had, but had not bothered to finish.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaption is basically a short and simplified version of the actual The 9/11 Commission Report, complimented with pictures.  It reviews events that led up to 9/11 and it examines problems or miscalls by government agencies that could have led to the prevention of the incident.  The graphic novel then ends with recommendations made by the 9/11 commission to prevent similar disasters such as this one from happening again.

I must admit that similar to The 9/11 Commission Report, the graphic novel has a somber feel to it.  It was like reliving through parts of 9/11 again and connecting it to what I remember happening in real life.  The worst part was that I couldn't just close the book and dismiss it as simply a work of fiction, there to entertain me.  It was reality and the people represented in there were those people who had lost their lives thanks to the heinous act of a few people.  The 9/11 Report  is a great way to expose younger readers to 9/11, yet it's also a good read for those who don't like to read or are frightened by the sheer size of the thicker commission report.  The forward written by the chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission provides even more credibility to the graphic novel and the pictures give a realistic view of the events. I particularly liked how the authors created separate timelines of the planes (flight 11, 175, 77, and 93) taking off and how they placed these timelines next to each other, helping readers to compare them side by side.  It was a great way of allowing readers to see the whole picture, rather than just parts of it at a time. Overall,  The 9/11 Report is well-paced and simply presents information, rather than pushing any agenda.  A good read, which I wished I had read sooner.

Photo Credit: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

*************

Extra info: AvaxNews has a small, yet moving collection of 9/11 pictures, some which I have not seen previously myself.  Check it out if you're interested. 

Poem: Hating You

I don't know why you had to be like that
You know what I'm talking about

You used your deceiving looks to play it well
This character you had taken on, this role you played
Is it because you hated me or is it because I hated you?

Remember when you took her with you
Hand in hand to see those things you never let me see?
I was at home that night
Crying myself to sleep
And hating you as though I've never hated anyone before

Remember when you asked me if it was okay for you to be with her again another day?
How you felt you owed her?
Oh, how I fell for that pathetically sad puppy face you gave me
And I smiled and let you go
Even though my heart ached and bleed
I really hated you then, as much as I do now

Remember when you used to wait for me all those lonely nights?
You told me it wasn't safe to be walking out all alone

Just like the wolf in the night
You hovered over my shadow
Baiting and taking your time

Oh, those tales you used to tell through those sharp pearly white teeth

You lied to me, you know
Lied straight to my face
I was merely a pawn in your game

Remember when you said you weren't sure?
Weren't sure about you and me?
Or the things we stood for?
How I smiled and hugged you
Telling you I would wait?
Wait for you to decide on my fate,
My life hanging on your every word

Remember that day when you came back?
You wanted me, not her?
How I first wept with joy as you brought me to the riverwalk
How about how we sat there for hours not talking because my heart ached
Ached in the pain you caused me that just wouldn't go away

I wanted to forgive and forget, but I couldn't
I felt her hand as I touched yours
I felt the warmth of her lips as I kissed you
Your skin reeked of her perfume
And your hair still had the streaks from her fingers

You were not mine
You never were
And I hated you then


                                                                *************
I always think love brings about a variety of feelings.  You can be happy one minute and angry the next.  And sometimes, in those angry moments of sadness, it's best to just leave behind what you believe is love so that you can move on and find true happiness. 

Happy 80th Grandma!

Photo Credit: myshtetl.co.za

Today, half way around the world, my grandma is celebrating her 80th birthday.  All the kids, grandkids, and even great grandkids came to celebrate except my side, which is swamped with work.  I guess that's what happens when you live in America.

Since I couldn't be there, I made a gift for my grandma.  I bought a "I love Nana" frame from JCPenney and I did the artwork that went inside of it, which included all us siblings and even a picture of us with her from years ago.

I was hoping it would be a surprise, but when my dad called back home to talk to another one of my aunts, he mentioned to her what I was making for my grandma. Immediately, everyone in the house started shushing my dad. What's worse is that he goes on talking to my aunt and telling her everyone is shushing him because it's suppose to be a secret!  This made me recall a time when my family had planned a surprise birthday for my mom years ago and how my dad just went up to her and say, "Happy Birthday!"...two days before the event.  Another year, when I had to buy the birthday cake, he said he wanted to talk to me (while my mom was standing next to me of course) and said, "Did you get it?" My mom then told me that if we were to ever plan anymore surprises that we should just keep my dad out of it until the last minute.  I'm starting to think she is right.  Dad loves to talk way too much!

But of course, in the end, as long as grandma likes it, it's all that matters right?