Mega Maxis Blog

Cycl0n3: Yeah, we think it’s cool too. That’s why we didn’t change it when we got married. He’s a bit fussy because he’s colicky. Little dude’s crying harshes my mellow.

Me: Ahem, I’m sure it does.

I’ll tell you who’s mellow isn’t harshed. Pablo has added another gigolo to the ranks.

And Connor has moved on from his tart ex-wife.

And speaking of Connor’s ex…

The Sw0rds spent a good part of the day skill-building. Cycl0n3 needs Logic to become a Chess Legend.

And Gwen serenades some townies having a picnic.

This is Honey Pisces and her ex-boyfriend, Andres Light. I don’t blame Honey for dumping Andres. He looks a bit like a stalker.

Cycl0n3 and Gwen come back together at the end of the day. Though they weren’t my first choice for each other, I have to admit they make a cute couple.

Wow, one of my Sims wants to get romantic with his own wife for a change!

Exhibit A: The Hickeys. I can’t remember if Galen is a Gigolo or a Casanova, but it doesn’t matter to his wife Anne. She wasn’t putting up with his extra curricular activities, so she divorced him and moved in with Madison and Maximus. Oh, and Anne, don’t think I didn’t notice how you made yourself playable by moving in with the Van Watsons.

Anyway, it’s birthday time for little Lukas. For some reason, Cycl0n3 finds this hilarious.

Cycl0n3: Little dude is growing up, tee-hee-hee.

Me: Looks like you’ve found your mellow again, Cycl0n3.

Awww, Lukas is cute, but I wish he had gotten red hair.

Both Gwen and Cycl0n3 are attentive parents. The Sw0rds kind of remind me of the Bachelors. They are a drama-free family where everyone genuinely gets along. I suppose every hood needs a couple of families like this.

OTHER SP UPDATES:

I was happy to see this because I was afraid Noemi was going to come between Talia and Torgo. However, my relief was short-lived.

WHAT?! When did Talia get together with Adam????

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I’m not kidding, I really did yell, “No!” when I saw this message pop up. There goes my dream of a Talia/Torgo pairing. Thanks, guys, you just harshed my mellow.

Round 1: Steel 1–Did You Forget You Were Married?

2011-11-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

We now come to the lot of Christopher and Tori (Kimura) Steel.

Tori immediately rolls a wish to change careers. I’m annoyed because she’s the Mayor of Sunset Valley, but Sim wishes rule.

Christopher Steel is supposed to be an Angler, but he decided he wanted to join the Fire Department instead. This is his first call.

It’s the home of Claire Ursine.

Now, I know Chris is a popular pick as a legacy founder’s spouse, but I’ve never really paid him that much attention. I must say he does look rather dashing in his uniform.

Watching him fight that fire is really endearing him to me.

He has another fire to fight back at the station.

Apparently, Chris is the only male firefighter in Sunset Valley. From left to right, this is Gena Close, Glenda Sellers, and Eliza England. Lucia Gillespie and Shasta Goodson round out the squad. My husband was watching me play and called it the “Politically Correct Fire Station.”

While Chris is at the station, Tori is hosting a lunch party to get to know her new boss and colleagues. This was supposed to be a dinner party, but I forgot to change the time in the party planning screen. Anyway, I can tell that Shelby Donner is really keeping the guests enthralled.

Well, at least one person is enthralled by Shelby. Too bad it’s one of Hank’s baby mamas. And speaking of Hank..

He’s moved on to yet another woman.

Shelby certainly isn’t enthralled by his ex-wife, Tamara. Tori invited both of them to the party to see if they could rekindle their relationship. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

Tori turns her thoughts to kindling something with Leighton. Um, don’t waste your time, Tori. Leighton is all about Monika right now. By the way, did you forget you were married?

Tori finally manages to get face time with her new boss, Maximus VanWatson.

And my, what face time it is! Look at the smoldering looks he’s giving her. We may have another office affair brewing. (I don’t care what Monika and Marty say, I know something’s going on.)

Hopefully, Maximus will remember that he’s family-oriented too.

Especially since he and his wife have a new baby!

OTHER SP UPDATES:

The Sekemotos moved to a more expensive house, but it is one bedroom short.

Tobias just happened to be the next name on my baby list, but it really works since his father’s name is Toby. We can think of them as Tobias, Sr. and Tobias, Jr.

I thought Galen was married to Anne (nee Song). Must be another Romantic Reputation break up.

Galen does have quite the reputation now that he’s joined the ranks of the Gigolo Squad.

Blair is getting serious with her beau. Hmm, Walter Wainwright doesn’t sound too bad.

Emma picked Hugh. I hope this one sticks! Though, personally, I couldn’t be with a man who has prettier hair than I do.

Their own house, you say?

LOL! Harry took a page right out of Hank Goddard’s book: woo the girl, move in with the girl, then dump the girl. I’m glad he skipped over the “knock up the girl” step.

Round 1: Sekemoto 1—He’s Just a Friend

2011-11-27T10:15:00.001-05:00

Oh, boy, the Sekemotos are up next, and how I have been waiting for this lot!

Monika: Leighton, I can’t believe you’re still giving me grief about Marty’s party.

Leighton: You spent more time with him at the party than you did with me, Monika. What am I supposed to think?

Leighton: It’s the muscles, isn’t it? I know he’s ripped. I can hit the gym more. I promise.

Monika: You’re being silly, Leighton.

Me: Yeah, there’s no way you can buff up that scrawny body.

Monika: You’re not helping.

Leighton: It’s the money, then? Team Captains pull a huge salary. The only way I could make that kind of money is to become captain of another team. But how could I play for anyone other than the Llamas?

Monika: It’s not the money.

Me: But a little extra Simoleons wouldn’t hurt.

Monika: I’m going to tell you this one time, and one time only, so you better listen up. Marty Keaton is my friend and my team captain, nothing more.

Monika: No matter what she wants to imply, I love you, Leighton Sekemoto. I love you. I love your son. I love our life together. And on most days, I even love your mother. You’re the only man for me.

Me: I guess you convinced Leighton that there’s nothing going on with you and The Mojo.

Monika: There is nothing going on, would you please stop it?

Me: *channeling Minnie from The Help*: Mmm-hmmm.

Me: So, did Monika put your mind at ease?

Leighton: Yes, she id. She was right, you know. I was being silly. I trust Monika completely. After all she picked me over all the other guys in town.

Me: Consider who her other options were. Is she going to pick Xander Clavell, player extraordinaire? Or Gobias Koffi, who would probably be more interested in you than her?

Leighton: Hey, Gobias is married with a child.

Me: So was Shelby Donner for a while. And Pablo Martinez was married, and Hank Goddard has kids running all over Sunset Valley. Let’s face it, Leighton, Christopher Steel had already gotten snapped up. You were her best remaining option.

Leighton: Gee, thanks for making me feel better.

Me: I’m just looking out for your best interests. My mama always taught me if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably best friends with a mouse and a tripped out dog.

Leighton: Huh?

Me: Never mind. just be careful. I don’t want to see you and Sam get hurt.

Leighton: I know, and I am grateful, but Monika and I are going to be ok.

Leighton: In fact, I think it’s time we had a child of our own.

Me: *facepalm*

SP UPDATES:

Pauline is at it again.

He may have a different face, but he is behaving like the Harry in my Lazlo save. As soon as Jennifer picked him, I knew he’d be trouble.

And another one of Jennifer’s suitors is off the market. Maybe Jennifer should get together with Stiles McGraw. That could work, couldn’t it? I don’t know why the girls won’t give Stiles a chance.

Wow, Emma. You must be doing something right to land these hotties.

Finally is right. They already had a baby and were living together.

And now for the shocker of the the day…

Are you kidding me? Not only are you guys old, but you’re breaking canon. Mortimer is supposed to be an only child.

Round 1: McIrish 1—She’ll Cut You

2011-11-26T16:51:00.001-05:00

So, um, yeah, it’s been awhile since I last posted to this blog. I really want to finish Round 1 of Sunset Valley before the end of this year. I’ve got ten houses left after this one, assuming no one splits up. I’m going to try.

And speaking of trying, Molly French is really trying to focus on training up her daughter, Sandi, but Molly has wooing on the brain.

As do Cassanova Shelby Donner and Tart Jamie Frio. I need to go back and read my previous entries because I don’t remember Jamie getting divorced from Connor. I bet the Romantic Reputation system is to blame.

Here she goes again. If this Harry Chesterman is anything like the Harry Chesterman in my Lazlo save, then this is not a good choice for Jennifer. Of course, when has Jennifer ever made a good choice where a man was concerned?

While Molly is training Sandi, River McIrish is entertaining her ex-stepdad, Zachariah and his friend, Berjes Anderson, with a ghost story. This is another gem from Generations that annoys me to no end.

I tell you, something else that annoys me to no end is Hank Goddard having babies with women other than Pauline Wan! I swear, I’m going to make another save and make them both family-oriented, nurturing, and hopeless romantics just so I can see them settle down.

Pauline is not helping things by finding a new boy toy.

The McIrish household was really boring, so I took some of them down to the park to see what drama I could find. What I found was Noemi Foley making eyes at her roommate’s boyfriend.

The boyfriend in question is Torgo Pendragon, and the roommate in question is none other than Talia Epperson. Noemi, are you crazy, girl??? Talia doesn’t play. She’ll cut you.

I also found the townie boys hanging out at a picnic. From left to right, Milton Tong, Dave Ramsey, Abraham Finkell, and Gage Briody. You’ll always see these guys to start in a fresh Sunset Valley save.This picture gives me déjà vu. Have I used this picture in a previous entry?

River has a crush on Lawrence Lum. It looks like she wants to invite him to a costume party.

She thinks about him a lot.

Unfortunately for her, he is thinking about someone else.

OTHER SP UPDATES:

Xander has found another victim. Nothing new there.

Blair has also found someone. Since Cycl0n3 Sw0rd is with Gwen Glover, I would like to see Blair get together with Stiles McGraw.

I just captured this because I thought the name Honey Pisces was cool.

Round 1: McGraw 1–Unwelcome Houseguest

2011-08-27T09:38:00.001-04:00

Stiles McGraw lives in a house with three available women, but somehow he is still single.

The reason is this man, Shelby (Waugh) Donner, the recently ex-husband of Stiles’ roommate, Tamara. Shelby is a gigolo-in-training, but he made the bonehead mistake of getting involved with roommate Emma Hatch. Tamara discovered Shelby’s infidelity and kicked him to the curb.

Emma is thrilled that Shelby is a free man, but Shelby is not interested in a long-term relationship with her.

Shelby prefers bubbly, flirty, outgoing ladies, and Emma is decidedly none of those things.

Emma hopes to impress Shelby with her maternal skills by taking care of his son, Samuel.

Shelby is oblivious to Emma’s efforts because he’s too busy trying to get back into Tamara’s graces.

Shelby is too late, though, because Tamara has already found a new love interest in Hank Goddard.

They have gotten quite cozy, so Tamara wants Shelby to move out.

Shelby is not keen on moving out and leaving his son behind.

Maybe if he can get something going with Tamara’s other roommate, Blair Wainwright, he’ll be able to stick around.

And, it looks like his plan might be working!

SP UPDATES:

Tamara’s on-again/off-again boyfriend, Xander Clavell has found a new love.

It’s a girl for the Langeraks! I really like the name “Mia.”

It wouldn’t be an update if someone wasn’t hating on Pauline.

Katrina really has no room to criticize Pauline. Katrina is the one who can’t stay away from the gigolos.

Molly, have you lost your mind trying to tangle with Talia? She don’t play that!

Wacky Weather

2011-08-26T08:14:00.001-04:00

So, we had an earthquake earlier this week and now Hurricane Irene will be pounding on us this weekend. I know Pets are coming in October, but I hope EAxis is working on a weather expansion pack next. If we don’t lose power, I plan to do some simmin’ and hopefully get a Mega Maxis post out this weekend. Stay tuned!

Round 1: Martinez 2–The Jaded Spouses Club

2011-06-12T08:55:00.000-04:00

Me: Ah, yes, and now the house I’ve been looking forward to…Pablo!

Me: Er,Pablo? What on Earth are you doing?

Pablo: Cooking breakfast. What does it look like?

Me: I can see that. I mean why aren’t you out doing Gigolo-y things?

Pablo: Shh.. not in front of the wife.

Katrina: Oh, please, Pablo, spare me. Unlike your previous wives, I have no expectations about your fidelity.

Pablo: Really? Score!

Me: *facepalm^

Me: Wow, Katrina, I have to say you’re pretty open-minded.

Katrina: I’ve gotten what I wanted from Pablo. All of his little floozies are going to put my William through boarding school.

Me: Jaded much?

Given the green light, Pablo went creeping at the gym. No sooner as he started to work out, Zelda Mae came running in screaming at him.

Me: Hello? Haven’t I been telling you girls this from the beginning?

Incidentally, this was my first experience with Generation’s Reputation System.

Pablo: Look, Zelda, calm down. I’m sorry if I led you on to believe there was more to our relationship than what it was. It was never my intention to hurt you. Let me make it up to you. I’ll take you out tonight and show you a good time.

Zelda: Eww, no. I’m happily married now, Pablo. I plan to stay that way. I just want all these unsuspecting women to know what a player you are. *storms off*

Pablo: These women drive me crazy. Do they not understand the simple concept of a business transaction? They give me a few Simoleons, and I show them a good time. But, no, they have to go psycho on me!

Pablo: Say, who is that hot redhead over there?

Me: Back off. That’s Gwen Glover, and she’s in a committed relationship with Cycl0n3 Sw0rd.

Pablo: Well, who is that vision? I haven’t seen her before.

Me: She’s a tourist from France.

Pablo: Err, never mind.

ROFL! She changed her outfit and gained fifty pounds! Silly EAxis!

The gym is quite busy today. I don’t think I have ever seen it this crowded. Still, no one is using the pool.

Me: Have a good day at work, Pablo. How about trying to score on the field for once?

Side note: I totally forgot Illiana was pregnant again. Later that night, she gave birth to a little girl named Mia. She’s gotten the best baby names so far: Lachlan and Mia. Mia is also the last girl name on the Australian list, so we’re moving on to the Austrian list.

Speaking of birthdays, little William is ready to age up to toddler, so Katrina threw him a party.

And here’s the little guy.

Me: Hey, wait a minute…are you…?

Me: You are! EWWWW! That’s your mother’s skirt! Like father, like son, I suppose.

William’s creeping me out isn’t even the real story of this party.

Me: Oh, snap!

I don’t care if it’s 2011, I did say “Oh, snap!” out loud when I saw this. This was autonomous action! I told y’all something was going on between Marty “Mojo” Keaton and Monika Sekemoto. I knew it! I knew it!

Check out the smoldering looks. And you see Mojo’s wife Justine in the background? They don’t care!

Just a thought, if Marty and Monika do get together, I’m going to call them “Momo”, which is the name of one of my favorite sushi restaurants.

Poor Leighton, clueless as usual.

These two are shameless! Dancing with each other with both of their spouses in the room.

Leighton’s finally paying attention. I think Katrina clued him in. She’s probably recruiting for the Jaded Spouses Club

I was surprised that the flowers didn’t trigger jealousy. I’m not sure if EA neglected to code in jealousy or if one of my mods is suppressing it. I don’t have Twallan’s Woohooer installed yet which I know overrides the EA jealousy system.

So I was disappointed that Justine and Leighton didn’t seem to care that their significant others were disrespecting them in public. I know if my husband gave another woman who wasn’t related to him a bouquet of flowers, there would be some jealousy up in here! *singing* “I bust your windows out your car…”

At least Coby Frederick has enough sense to dance with his own wife Narcissa at the party.

Me: Oh, don’t even go there, Pablo. Monika already has one suitor too many.

Pablo: Huh? I wasn’t going to do anything.

Looks like Justine is putting the pieces together now.

What’s this? Are the scorned lovers going to turn the tables on the cheaters? The Sekemotos will be coming up soon. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

SP Updates:

The Steels were living with the Sekemotos, but they decided to get their own place on Pinochle Point. I think they were worried Justine was going to come torch the place!

Another conquest for Hank.

Aw, poor Stiles. It took him forever to get hooked up with someone and then it doesn’t last long. His lot is up next. Stay tuned!

Round 1: Martinez 1–Back in the Saddle

2011-06-05T12:41:00.001-04:00

Me: Hey, Jennifer.

Jennifer: Well, it’s about time. I’ve been waiting for you for ages. Where have you been?

Me: Long story. Anyway, it’s for your own good that I have been away because I have a bone to pick with you, girl.

Jennifer: *wincing* Is this about Pablo?

Me: It’s not just about Pablo. It’s about your poor choice in men in general. I was happy for you that you broke free from Pablo, but since then you have been flitting from man to man. I think you have some issues, Jen.

Jennifer: I don’t have issues.

Me: Really? You’re involved with three men right now, none who have a good track record in terms of fidelty. And you’re still giving your Gigolo ex-husband the time of day.

Jennifer: Can we discuss this later? I’m going on a job interview today.

Me: Admitting you have a problem is the first step, Jen.

While Jennifer was working, I panned the camera around town. The first thing I saw was a traffic jam at the school. I have so many kids and teenagers in this hood now that by the time they all get inside, the school day is almost over. And, it takes hours for them all to come home at night. Some of the teens are late to work because they can’t get out of the school building on time. I may need to add another school building to the hood.

I spotted townie Coby Frederick at the park, but he should have been at the hospital.

I spotted townie Galen Hickey in the park. A reader had asked what he looked like, so here he is. He has aged to Mature Adult now, but he was a pretty hunk Young Adult.

Clark Sauer was sitting outside the bookstore.

Make that, Clark Baker. Clark seems like a nice guy, but I was hoping Becky would hook up with that firefighter.

And more townies find love.

So Jared’s daughters are named Emily and Charlotte. I swear I’m not doing a Bronte theme with them. It’s a coincidence.

Congrats on getting the job, Jen. Sorry you have to work for Gus Hart.

Jennifer: *giggling* Sure, tonight at seven sounds great.

Me: Um, who was that?

Jennifer: It was Chuck Colbert, and he just asked me out.

Me: *sigh*

Jennifer: Oh, don’t even start. Chuck is a good guy. They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to get to the prince.

Me: Pucker up, baby.

Jennifer: Look, I don’t need your negativity. I’m going out with him and that’s final.

Jennifer and Chuck went to The Grind, and the joint was jumping. I wished the game was smarter and made sure spouses danced with each other.

I love this shot. I imagine Thornton is looking across the room at Morgana and really seeing her for the first time. In my head, Thornton married Morgana because she was the “appropriate” choice rather than because he loved her. Beautiful, traditional, educated girl from a good family. The perfect wife for a future Fortune 500 CEO.

Jennifer: Um, I thought you were telling me story. The Wolffs will have their turn.

Me: Sorry.

I gave Chuck a makeover because I couldn’t stand his original look. I think he’s really cute now. Suddenly, I hope things work out between him and Jennifer. Unfortunately, at the end of the night Chuck said he had a horrible time. (I missed getting the screen cap).

Me: So, I guess you and Chuck are not a match?

Jennifer: *dejectedly* No, and I really thought he had potential. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.

Me: At least you got yourself out there again. Just be patient. The right guy will turn up. And for Will’s sake, stay away from Pablo!

Sorry that this entry was all over the place. Jennifer really didn’t give me much to work with. Anyway, I played this back in February, so I’m now caught up to my playing. The next entry will come out after Twallan has fixed SP. It will run with Generations, but he has not yet added Generation features to the mod. It does not work well with the new adjustable lifespans and other users are reporting issues with boarding schools and teen parties. I want to see those issues resolved before I play with the mod.

100 Baby Challenge

2011-06-04T16:29:00.001-04:00

While I’m waiting for Twallan to work out the kinks in his mods, I decided to work on a 100 Baby Challenge. Please check out the intro post. I hope to have the first chapter up tomorrow.

Mom Update

2011-02-26T09:54:00.001-05:00

Hello, all. I just wanted to put up a quick post to let you know that I may not get any updates out this weekend. This week has been rough, and I haven’t had much time to play. I’ve had a sinus infection that has had me down for a couple of days, but the major thing is my mom. If you remember, back in October, she had another stroke that affected her ability to swallow. She was in the hospital for about a week and then in a nursing home up until about three weeks ago when she came home.

She was doing fine up until last Friday when suddenly she was not able to swallow food again. My dad and I took her back to the hospital and after many tests, the doctors discovered that her throat had begun to close up. On Thursday, they performed a surgery to open her throat back up, but they said it will take six weeks to heal. In the meantime, they have inserted a feeding tube so that she can continue to get nourishment. I was with her at the hospital last night and she was looking good, so I’m hoping for a speedy recovery. Your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

If I don’t get an update out this weekend, I hope to get one out sometime during next week. Take care and stay tuned!

Round 1: Lum 1–Dumbfounded

2011-02-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

This entry is going to be 99% Story Progression updates because the Lums did nothing. They are the most boring family to date. They are so boring they barely rolled any wishes. So, I have a few pictures from their day and then a boat load of SP notices.

Lily had a Medical career Opportunity that required her to hunt down Eugene Hunter and convince him to support her on some issue regarding labs. Eugene is the police officer that came to investigate the Bakers’ burglary. I have no idea why she would need to convince a police officer about a hospital issue.

Anyway, Lily caught up with Eugene at Barney’s Salon and Tattoo where Sabrina and Rhett Funke were getting makeovers. I like Sabrina’s new outfit.

Rhett…no so much. Taking fashion advice from Buster Clavell? What’s wrong with you, man?

Lawrence had a Romantic Interest in Bebe Hart, so I had him invite her over. She tried to flirt with him, but he wasn’t very responsive. He also rolled no wants for her, so I’m not expecting this relationship to go anywhere. Lawrence Dislikes Children anyway, so I don’t care if he settles down or not when he’s older.

And that is it for the Lums. On to the good stuff…

First up, the baby boom continued:

Samuel and William are the last two names on the “Popular Boy Names in Australia” list. The next ten boy names will be coming from the “Popular Boys Names in Austria” list.

And the first name goes to Gwen and Cycl0n3’s son. Welcome Lukas Glover-Sw0rd. I was getting nervous about Gwen’s pregnancy because couples that had gotten pregnant after her were already having their babies. I thought I was going to have to pop into their house early to see what was going on.

A girl was also born this round.

We are still on the Australian list for the girls. Grace is a pretty name. I would use that if a friend’s daughter didn’t already have that name.

Tamara’s new baby wasn’t enough to keep her marriage together.

Tamara isn’t the only newly single woman. Gee, Fiona, two Gigolos, two divorces. Do you see a pattern here?

If Talia and Torgo get married, I’m going to have to make them playable. Talia is my favorite townie, and who couldn’t play a family named Pendragon?

And that brings us to Hank. Hank, Hank, Hank… what on Earth were you doing this round? Keep in mind that the following updates all happened within a five minute timespan in real time.

I am a Hank and Pauline shipper. What would their couple name be? Pank? Hauline? Anyway, I am always disappointed when I see them hooking up with someone else. I like to think that what Hank did this round was caused by his insane jealousy.

Araceli? Who is this biznatch, and why did Hank leave Pauline to move in with her?

Oh, that’s why. *sigh* Baby mama #2 for Hank. He and Pauline are fertile, just not with each other.

I swear, this notice came less than a minute after the previous notice. He moves in with her, knocks her up, and breaks up with her! But he’s not done yet, ladies and gentlemen.

What in the-? Why on Earth did he move in with Jamie? She’s still married to Connor! Can you say “awkward?” I’m just dumbfounded by this, and that’s what I’m going to call this chapter.

Round 1: Langerak 1–Something to Prove

2011-02-20T15:21:00.000-05:00

Me: Whoa, Illiana! Where’s the fire?

Illiana: I’m late for work. Nancy is on the war path, so I don’t want to give her any more ammunition against me.

Me: I’m sorry about your demotion. For what it’s worth, I think she was a little hard on you.

Illiana: Thanks, but I understand that she did what she had to do. The Amin account was a big one and I screwed up. I need to redeem myself.

Me: Well done. Illiana. It looks like your on the way to earning Nancy’s respect again.

Illiana: Yes, she was very pleased with the proposal but I’ve got a ways to go before I can be Vice President again. I just hope Illiana doesn’t fire me when she hears my news.

Me: What news?

Illiana: I’m expecting again.

Me: Wow! Congrats. Nancy can’t fire you for that. It’s against the law.

Illiana: I know that, but that won’t stop her from making my life miserable. I’ve got more news to deliver.

Illiana: It’s time for my sister to get her own place!

SP UPDATES:

The Sims in the Culinary Track are also jostling for position. I don’t think Emma really cares because she seems more interested in her love life.

I swear, Hank and Pauline aren’t going to have a single working appliance in their house!

Hank has a new girlfriend. I have completely lost count, so I don’t know how many more he needs to complete his LTW.

Hank’s baby mama moved in with her new beau.

And a new townie moved in to her old home.

Meanwhile, two teen couples are getting closer.

Um, Twallan, isn’t exchanging pins a little outdated?

Galen Hickey has joined the Gigolo Posse. The funny thing about this picture, though, is that the woman is Katrina Martinez, Pablo’s new wife.

This is funny too. Zachariah wants to be part of the Gigolo Posse, and he’s Fiona’s husband. Fiona was briefly married to Pablo. It’s so funny that the same women are attracted to the Gigolos.

If Jennifer is interested in Brice, look for him to be joining the Gigolo Posse soon! This last set of updates is the reason I almost titled this chapter “Birds of a Feather.”

Round 1: Landgraab 1–Tough Love

2011-02-19T09:23:00.001-05:00

Nancy: Illiana, I just got off the phone with Mr. Amin, and he is very unhappy with our promotion campaign for his new resort. Tell me something, did you proofread the brochures before you mailed them?…You did? Then explain to me why we had a huge typographical error on the cover of the brochures. Do you know what the difference is between the Simharian word for Indulge and word for Woohoo?… It’s one letter, Illiana! Guess which letter we left off the brochure? Our brochures certainly don’t say “Go Indulge Yourself!”

Illiana, I won’t tolerate shoddy work by anyone on my staff….don’t get me that excuse about being tired because of your new baby. I have two new babies, Illiana, and I always bring my A game. I expect nothing less from my team. This little mistake has cost us greatly. Do you know how hard it is for a Simerican company to get a foot in the door in Al Simhara, let alone a company run by a woman? Mr. Amin was very forward thinking and took a chance on us. We let him down. You let me down. I’m sorry, Illiana, but you’ve left me with no choice.

I am re-instating Thornton as Vice-President. You are hereby demoted to Division Manager. Straighten up, Illiana. or your next move will be to the employment office.

Me: Harsh, much?

Nancy: *sigh* Mistakes like that cost us millions of Simoleons.

Me: I think I hear one of your daughters crying.

Nancy: Chloe, you will cease and desist this instant. You are a Landgraab woman. Landgraab women don’t let a silly thing like a wet diaper get them down.

Me: Geez, Nancy, they’re only babies.

Nancy: The sooner they learn, the better.

Meanwhile, Malcolm and Geoffrey both got opportunities to make new friends.

Geoffrey: Nancy, I need to entertain a city official to get funding for the hospital’s new neo-natal wing. I thought we could throw the girls a birthday party and invite him.

Nancy: A party tonight, Geoffrey? That won’t work. I need to work on my Simharian because I’m going to have to go grovel to Mr. Amin in person if I want to save this account.

Geoffrey: ENOUGH, NANCY! I’m tired of you putting your job ahead of your family. More importantly, you put your job ahead of your own health. Look at you, Nancy, you’re tired. I don’t even know how you’re remaining upright at this point. Go to bed, Nancy. I’ll take care of the girls and the party. You can worry about Mr. Amin in the morning.

Nancy : But, Geoff-

Geoffrey: GO TO BED, NANCY!

Me: *snickering* He sure told you!

Both of the Wolffs were invited to the party since Thornton works with Nancy and Morgana works with Geoffrey. Theodore Lum, however, didn’t show up.

Morgana, you know your husband dislikes children. Put the baby down and step away from the crib slowly.

When it was time for the girls to grow up, Jamie brought Sophie to the cake. I’ve never seen a guest bring the baby to the cake.

You will also notice that Nancy got out of bed. She had to because Geoffrey got called back to the hospital for an emergency. That dude worked a lot in this 24-hour period. When I switched to the family at 6 AM, he was already at the hospital. He came home around 7 AM and had to go right back at 9 AM for his regular shift and then he got called back around 10 PM.

Anyway, here’s Sophie. She looks like Malcolm.

And here’s Chloe. She takes after Geoffrey.

Here’s a bonus pic of the girls. Chloe looks like she’s going to nab Sophie’s bottle. She may be more like her mother, after all.

SP UPDATES:

Hank is still working on that Heartbreaker LTW.

Meanwhile, his baby mama is getting serious with someone else.

Poor Gunther. I think he hoped he had a shot at the Vice President job too, but it went to the Thornton.

Round 1: Koffi 1–More Birthdays

2011-02-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

Me: Whoa, Gobias, I still have to get used to seeing you with a baby…and with a wife for that matter.

Gobias: I know everyone in town thought I would remain a lone wolf on the prowl.

Me: Um…

Gobias: But Sylvia captured my heart and tamed me.

Gobias: It’s cliché, I know, but I met her at a club, The Grind. She was the mixologist.

Me: That’s right, she was the mixologist. I had forgotten about that. Say, Gobias, why don’t we throw a birthday party for Ryan and put Silvia’s mixology skills to use?

Since the Koffis have three swimming pools, they decided to throw a pool party. Pablo showed up ready to mingle. Pablo, are you really checking out a woman who married Gobias Koffi?

Pablo came to his senses and focused his attention on Talia, Noemi, and Madison.

It’s time to blow out the candles, but Beau is hogging the baby. I wish visitors would leave the babies alone. In TS2, I always locked the door to the nursery to keep them out.

Wow, some of the guests actually paid attention to the birthday boy. Even Pablo glanced over for a second.

And here is Ryan Koffi. It’s hard to see in this picture but he has really deep blue eyes. He must get those from Gobias because Silvia’s eyes are a light aquamarine, nearly the same shade as her shirt.

SP UPDATES:

Ok, stupid me didn’t have FRAPS running while playing the game, so I didn’t get any SP screen caps.

These are the notices I remembered:

Madison VanWatson married Maximus Howe and they moved to 2350 Pinochle Point. Since Maximus is a townie, they took Madison’s last name. I will add a VanWatson 1 household to the play list.

Townie Anne Song married townie Galen Hickey. I’m sad that Galen didn’t marry a playable because he’s really cute.

Kristine Sanford gave birth to Hank Goddard’s son, Patrick Goddard. I was hoping that Hank would have a daughter because I thought it would be cute if she ended up getting together with Pauline’s son.

Ayesha and Jared Frio are expecting a baby. I guess Jared really is going to have to work on his parenting skills now.

Nancy and Geoffrey Landgraab are the proud parents of twin girls: Sophie and Chloe! These are the first twins to be born in the Mega Maxis Sims 3 blog. The Landgraabs are up next so we will meet the twins soon!

Round 1: Keaton 1–It’s All About the Mojo

2011-02-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

Me: Good morning, Marty!

Marty: Oh, my Will! JUSTINE! YOU BROKE THE SINK! How could she break the sink?

Me: I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose, Marty.

Marty: Why did she have to break it on today of all days? I’ve got to spend the morning fixing this when I need to be working out. I’ve got the practice of my life today, and I have to fix this sink. This is bad mojo, I tell you.

Me: Bad mojo?

Marty: It’s a curse I tell you.

Me: It’s just a broken sink, man. You know, you could call a repair man.

Marty: No, this is negative energy. I’ve got to get this negative energy out of my house.

Me: Gee, Justine, I didn’t know your husband was so superstitious.

Justine: Of course, he’s superstitious. He’s an athlete. He doesn’t credit his success to his abilities. He thinks it’s all good luck.

Me: Well, that works in the reverse too.

Justine: How do you mean?

Me: Well, if you lose the game you can blame it on bad luck and not your own mistakes.

Me: I hope you’re pacing yourself there, Marty. You don’t want to overdo it before practice.

Marty: There’s no such thing as overdoing it. Besides, I’ve still got to counteract that broken sink.

Me: Knock yourself out, then.

Marty: I’m serious here. I need to get some positive energy around me.

Me: Why is today’s practice so important?

Marty: The coach is going to pick the Team Captain sometime before tomorrow’s game. Being Team Captain means more money and more exposure.

Marty: I know what will get the good mojo flowing. I’ll throw a birthday party for Jack. Good friends, good food, good times. Lots of positive energy.

Me: If you say so. Who’s on the guest list?

Marty: I’ll invite the other athletes in town and their spouses, and I’m sure Justine will want to invite a couple of her friends from the squad.

Me: Hey, Pablo Martinez is an athlete, isn’t he?

Marty: Yeah.

Me: Please, please, please, Marty! You have to invite Jennifer.

Marty: His ex-wife? Didn’t I say I wanted positive energy?

Me: I think I hear your carpool.

While Marty was at work, Justine set up for the party.

The Keatons were the first house I played after installing Outdoor Living Stuff, so they get to show off some of the new objects. I like that OLS has a wrought iron theme. That is a motif I use in my own home.

All of the items here (except the cake) come with OLS. Check out the cute lemonade clutter. It’s just decoration; your Sims can’t drink it. Though I like the items, I don’t feel there are enough items to justify the $20 price. Honestly, I think this could have easily been a set from the Sims 3 store instead.

Me: Congrats on the promotion, Marty!

Marty: Thanks! See I told you. it’s all about the mojo, baby.

Me: Did you just call me baby? I have Twallan’s Master Controller mod. You do realize I could Totally Annihilate you?

Marty: But you won’t. It’s the mojo.

Me: Speaking of mojo, is Pablo here yet?

Pablo was there all right, and he was putting the moves on Blair Wainwright. To my great disappointment, Jennifer never showed up.

Holden Wonzy did crash the party and spent a good deal of time in the Keatons’ new hot tub.

Justine brought Jack to the cake for his big moment.

But Marty was the only one interested in the celebration. Gotta give EAxis credit where credit is due. They got that one right; a one-year-old’s birthday party is for the parents, not the kid. (Doesn’t mean I still won’t throw one when I have a one-year old!)

And here is Master Jack Keaton. I think he’s a cutie.

Can’t give EAxis too much credit. Jack didn’t eat any cake.This does raise a question. I hardly ever use the high chair because it’s easier to feed the kids on the floor. I remember in TS2 that if you put the toddler in the high chair, they could be fed a serving from the family meal. Does it work like that in TS3, too? Can a toddler really eat cake?

Anyway, I noticed something at the party.

Marty and Monika seem to be really good friends, such good friends that Gwen is even commenting on it to Cycl0n3 in the background there.

Um, Marty, she’s already at your house.

Didn’t I tell you Gwen was on to them? Justine might start piecing things together too.

Leighton should get wise to the fact that his wife wasn’t ready to go home when he was.

In fact, Monika was the very last guest to leave. Uh-huh. Mojo, my butt. I’m going to be watching you two! Story Progression doesn’t lie!

A little note on the mojo thing: Marty is a neurotic Sim, so I thought a good way to show his neuroticism would be to make him very superstitious.

SP UPDATES:

It looks like Kristofer has finally moved on from Pauline.

Pauline is not going to have a working appliance in the house.

Fiona, please, why don’t you get back to polishing that glass house of yours?

Nothing gets Pauline down. She’s got a new man.

Hank is moving on too.

Ok, first Becky Baker was with Eugene Hunter and Talia was with Clark Sauer. Now Becky is with Clark and Taliia is with Eugene. You crazy Sims!

Um, I think this message has a bug. Shouldn’t it be “noted Shelby?” Shelby is the Casanova, not Tamara. The triangle between these three still confuses me.

Off-Topic: Tips for the Young Blogger

2011-02-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

Someone asked me if Blogger was safe for kids. I would consider Blogger and my blog particularly to be PG-13. I think this is consistent with Google’s Terms of Service which state that you must be thirteen years old to author a blog. I feel like I dance on the edge a little bit with the Story Progression personalities, but what I can promise you is that this blog will never have nudity or strong language. Also, some blog authors do mark their blogs as mature content. Kids, if you see one of those, please stay away.

If you are young and you want to start a blog, here are a few tips:

1) Don’t reveal too much personal information about yourself. This is a good tip no matter what your age is. There are crazy people out there who may want to hurt you. I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just telling you the truth. Some bad people often pose as children, so please do not provide contact information to someone you do not know.

2) Do use comment moderation. You don’t want random people posting ugly stuff on your blog. Not only can you moderate your comments, you can set your blog so that only registered Blogger users can post. I would take that option. That way bad people can’t hide behind the Anonymous label.

3) Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mother, your father, your teacher, your grandma, your pastor/priest/rabbi/imam or your dog to read. Again, I think this is a good tip for anyone regardless of age.

4) Do check your spelling. (Ok, ok, ok, I know I violate this one sometimes).

5) Don’t take credit for someone else’s work. If you’re going to write a Sims blog, it’s a good idea to give credit to the makers of custom content that you use. If you are quoting someone, make sure you indicate where the quote came from. If you borrow an idea from another Sims blogger, make a note of that too. The Sims blogging community is a great one, and people are more than willing to share ideas with you. Just be polite.

6) Do reply to your commenters. Again, I haven’t always been the best at keeping up with the comments. It’s good manners to acknowledge the people that take the time to read your blog. These people chose to spend precious minutes of their day on your blog. The least you can do is thank them for reading. Who knows? You might make a friend, too. (But remember rule #1)

7) Do have fun! Blogging can take up a good deal time. Make the time enjoyable.

ETA:

8) Do use Windows Live Writer. It’s a lot less painless than Blogger’s native editor. Also you won’t make the mistake of accidentally erasing your whole post because of Blogger’s autosave feature.

Round 1: Hart 1–Of Cemeteries and Park Benches

2011-02-06T15:34:00.001-05:00

When I switched to the Hart Household, I found Dorie and Bebe hanging out in the cemetery. I don’t know why I was surprised, they are the town loons.

Me: Um, hi, Dorie and Bebe. I didn’t expect to find you two here.

Dorie: We’re enjoying the scenery. This is a great spot to watch the sun rise.

Me: You’re right, the view is very pretty. It’s kind of a shame to waste it on the dead.

Dorie and Bebe: *crickets*

Me: Ok, my bad, even for me, that was too snarky.

Dorie: I like to come here and meditate. It’s peaceful.

Me: It gives all those voices in your head less competition.

Gus is more outgoing than Dorie, so he wanted to hang at the park and mingle with his neighbors.

Me: Gus, spontaneously choking yourself is not good for PR.

Me: Since both you and Dorie want to enter the Political scene, you’re going to need to learn to control your impulses.

While Gus was at the park, I spotted Katrina Martinez, Pablo’s new wife. I tried to use Tallinn's Master Controller Mod to change her outfit, but I couldn’t because Katrina is pregnant! (I guess I missed that notification too.)

Marriage and babies hasn’t stopped either Pablo or Jamie from offering their services to everyone in Sunset Valley.

Score! I caught Pablo in the act of working his magic on Emma Hatch. Don’t waste your time Pablo, Emma is already part of a love triangle.

I’m confused here. Remember an entry or so ago Emma was creeping around with Tamara’s husband Shelby? Which one do you want, Emma? I want you Sims to be juicy, but a “Big Love” style household is too much for me.

After watching the sun come up, Dorie relocated herself to a bench outside of the theater. I’m surprised Dorie doesn’t have the Couch Potato trait because just about every time I switched to her, she was sitting on a bench. Then, she would stand up, walk over to another bench, and sit down. Her bio says that she “lacks direction,” but she sure has a built in GPS for park benches!

Me: Homework troubles, Bebe?

Bebe: I’m struggling with trigonometry. I’m having a hard time remembering all of the functions.

Me: Don’t beat yourself up. It will come to you.

Bebe: *sobs* No, it won’t. I want to go to college really bad, but I know I’m going to end up like my parents.

Me: Bebe, first of all there is no University expansion pack for TS3, but if there were crazy people can still go to college. I went to an Ivy-League college and met some of the craziest people there. Weird thing was they were all in the same major.

Bebe: I want to major in Math. Please don’t tell me it was Math.

Me: Ok… I won’t tell you it was Math.

It was Math!

By the way, if you’re wondering what college I graduated from, I have two words for you: John Nash.

Bebe: Thanks. I have to go now, or I’ll be late for work.

Me: You work in the cemetery? Lisa, VJ, and Holly work there too?

Bebe: It pays as well as all the other jobs and has the least hassles.

Me: I guess that’s true. It’s not like your customers are going to complain.

Bebe: At least not before midnight.

Me: Ok, see you next round.

Other SP Updates:

I guess things didn’t work out with the police officer, so Becky moved on to the repair man.

I need to read back through my older entries because I didn’t remember that Talia and Hank were dating.

Pauline already kicked Kristofer to the curb? Wow, she works fast!

Assuming Fiona was married to River’s dad, this is husband number three. She and Pablo are even.

I don’t know anything about Maximus Howe, but I wish Madison the best. She’s the only one of her roomies who hasn’t settled down yet.

Round 1: Funke 1–Paternity Leave

2011-02-05T19:23:00.001-05:00

Me: Good morning, Rhett.

Rhett: It is indeed a good morning. In fact, it may be the most beautiful morning ever.

Me: Why is that?

Rhett: Because I’m quitting my job. I am so happy that I will never have to clean another bed pan in my life that I would come through this screen and hug you if I could.

Me: Don’t thank me. You’re the one with the wish to join Law Enforcement. Since your Lifetime Wish is to be Super Popular, it doesn’t matter which career you’re in. So get out of those PJs and get down to the station.

Rhett: Well, I was thinking that I would join the force after Carol starts school. That way we’d save money on a baby-sitter.

Me: Oh, I see. Well ,I guess it is a good idea to save the money you aren’t making.

Rhett: You know it’s important that she learn all of her toddler skills so that she grows up well.

Me: Yes, I know. Well, I better get going, Rhett.

Rhett: Leaving so soon?

Me: Yeah, I don’t want to be around when you tell the mother of your three young children that she’s going to be the sole income for awhile.

So, yeah, another boring family. I thought I had taken a capture of Rhett’s wish to join Law Enforcement, but I couldn’t find it in my Screenshots folder. I’m glad he wants to join the Law Enforcement career, because there are only four Sims in that career right now, and one of them is a townie.

Anyway, on to the good stuff….

The updates this time seemed to fall into one of three categories. First, the baby boom continued.

Real smart to have a baby with the Town Casanova, Tamara.

Wow, I wasn’t expecting this one. Good for you, Iqbal!

It’s another boy for the Bunches. I’m still going through the Popular Australian Names list, so it is just a coincidence that the baby is named John. The name fits though since his father’s name is Jack, and Jack is often a nickname for John.

Yay, Connor got his girl! Funny enough, the only two girls born in Sunset Valley so far are first cousins.

I call the next category of updates “Ladies Rule.”

Illiana got promoted to Vice President,

And she did so by unseating Thornton. So, the top two people at Goth Industries are women: Nancy Landgraab (CEO) and Illiana.

Meanwhile, Vita Alto rules the political scene. She was promoted to Mayor and holds the highest office of the Political Sims.

Strangely enough, she didn’t get her husband’s vote!

The final batch of updates all center around my girl Pauline.

Hate to break it you you, Susan, but breaking Pauline’s tub is no big deal when she’s woohooing the repair guy anyway

Unlike Susan, Tori Steel has a legitimate reason for being miffed with Pauline. For shame, Christopher, I expected better from you.

Honestly, Kristofer, you’re as bad as Jennifer Martinez. I guess it is true to life. Sadly some people keep going back to bad relationships.

And speaking of “Martinez”, I missed getting a screen cap, but Pablo Martinez got married to a townie named Katrina Wiles. I’ve only been playing this hood for about two Sim weeks, and this man is on his third marriage, people!

Round 1: Frio 2–The Experiment

2011-02-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

Warning: I never thought I would need to put a warning on a blog entry, but I feel I should in this case. While there are no NSFW pictures in this entry, the themes are mature. If you are under 18, I would prefer that you skip this entry.

Jamie Frio is pregnant, so that means a trip to the Day Spa. I learned too late about the benefits of those Spa moodlets. Some of the Spa Packages give the Sims a positive mood boost for days. Since I started sending my pregnant ladies to the spa, I am almost always able to pick at least one of the baby’s traits without having to read a pregnancy book or a fulfill a craving.

After Jamie’s Relaxing Swedish Massage, she bumped into her friend, Pauline Wan.

Pauline: Wow, Jamie, you have such a cute baby bump!

Jamie: Thanks, but I’m ready for this little one to come out. My back can’t take it anymore.

Pauline: The backaches are the worse! I made Hank massage me every night until Joshua was born.

Jamie: You look great, Pauline. I would have never guessed that you just had a baby.

Pauline: Woohoo is the best exercise, Jamie! I’ve been seeing this handyman named Clark. Let me tell you, he really does know how to use his tool.

Me: Oh no she didn’t!

Poor Talia. First she loses Isaac to Zelda Mae, and now she loses Clark to Pauline.

Jamie: I swear, Pauline, I don’t know how you have time to keep up with your men and take care of a newborn.

Pauline: Yeah, about that…I’ve been meaning to talk to you.

Jamie: What’s wrong?

Pauline: Well, don’t get me wrong, Joshua is great and all that, but I never planned on being a mother.

Jamie: Are you thinking about putting Joshua up for adoption?

Pauline: No, of course not. I just want to make sure I don’t get pregnant again. You’re a doctor. Surely, you have something you could give me.

Jamie: It’s called birth control, Pauline.

Me: It’s called keeping your legs closed, Pauline.

Pauline: Um, hello, I was on birth control. I got pregnant anyway. I must be very fertile. I was wondering if you had anything stronger.

Jamie: It’s interesting that you should ask. I have been working on something in the lab. I have a sample if you’d like to try.

Me: Run, Pauline, run.

Pauline: This is an awfully big pill.

Jamie: Sorry for the size. I’m still trying to find a way to make it smaller without having to reduce the number of nanobots.

Pauline: Nano-what?

Jamie: Nanobots. They are microscopic machines that will surround the ovum, preventing it from being fertilized.

Pauline: You’re going to put tiny little robots inside of me? What if I decide I want to get pregnant later?

Jamie: I’ll give you another pill that will dissolve the nanobots and they’ll pass through your system like any other waste.

Me: Are you for real?

Pauline: How do you know this is safe?

Jamie: I’ve run thousands of clinical trials.

Pauline: In humans?

Jamie: Um, only five of them were human, but I haven’t lost a single subject.

Me: Yet.

Pauline: What the heck? Here goes. *gulps*

Jamie: I’d like you to come home with me, Pauline.

Pauline: What for?

Jamie: There’s nothing to be alarmed about. I just want to observe you for a few hours to make sure there are no averse side effects.

Pauline: Side effects? You didn’t say anything about side effects.

Me: Nice knowing you, Pauline.

While Jamie was drugging up Pauline, her husband Connor was at the library studying how to be a good father.

Me: Connor, it’s refreshing to see a Frio man who wants to be a father.

Connor: I can’t wait for the baby to be born, especially if it’s a girl.

Me: I’m hoping for a girl too. The current baby population is very unbalanced. When you’re done, pass that baby book to Gwen.

Kudos to Cycl0n3 for stepping up to the plate!

Pauline: I’m tired of Judy Bunch and her puritanical crowd giving me the dirty eye all over town. Who died and made them the moral police? Not everybody wants to get married and have kids. I like to woohoo. Big deal. What goes on in my bedroom is none of their business.

Jamie: Pauline, I understand where you’re coming from. I used to think the same way, but then I fell for Connor. I’m head over heels. I hope you find that someday too.

Pauline: Where is your oh-so-fabulous husband, anyway?

Jamie: He’s at the library working on his latest book. Say, after we’re done eating, let’s play a game of chess. I want to see if your logic and reasoning skills were affected by the medicine. But before that, why don’t you clean the dishes?

Pauline: For what?

Jamie: So I can see if your motor skills have been affected. You could also dust the living room while you’re at it.

Me: Well played, Jamie. Okay, ladies, I have to be moving on,. I’ll see you next round.

Other SP Updates:

If Gunther is not careful, he’s going to get busted all the way down to Coffee Courier.

Good news for Tamara: She just got married!

Bad news for Tamara: She just got married to the new Town Casanova. And seriously, Shelby, Emma is your wife’s roommate and friend.That’s low, man.

Round 1: Frio 1–Dereliction of Duty

2011-01-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Me: Hello, Jared. It looks like you’re learning a new recipe.

Jared: Yes, Fruit Parfait.

Me; Good. You’re in the Culinary track, so you need to improve your cooking skill for promotions. And you could really use a promotion right now.

Jared: You’re telling me. Connor moved out, so it’s just me and Ayesha left to pay the mortgage.

Me: *snorts* Figures.

Jared: What’s that supposed to mean?

Judy: It means you should be more concerned about paying child support to poor Claire who you knocked up and abandoned.

Judy: Pool girl. I heard she’s running around town, collecting bugs to help with her bills.

Not only do you abandon her to have her baby, you go and marry another woman on practically the same day. What kind of man does that?

Jared: Are you going to let her talk to me like that?

Me: I can’t say I disagree with anything she’s said so far.

Jared: Look, man, you need to put a muzzle on that wife of yours. Where does she get off talking to me like that? She doesn’t know me. Your wife needs to come out of the Victorian Age. These days, just because you get a girl pregnant doesn’t mean you have to marry her.

Jack: Frio, you’ve got about ten seconds to walk away before my foot finds it way up your as-

Me: As I was saying, Jared, I still haven’t heard the Bunches say anything I disagree with yet.

Jared: Why are you letting everyone be mean to me?

Me: Jared, I’m going to give it to you straight. When it comes to you, I’m not a fan. In fact, I’m gonna just go now. I’ll see what your wife is up to. Later, man.

Me: Hey, Ayesha. I see you’re working on the Perfect Mind part of your lifetime wish.

Ayesha: Yeah, I’ve been keeping a low profile until things blow over with Jared and Claire, but it’s been lonely. I need to get out of this house, so I’m going to visit my old roommates.

Madison: Ayesha, I’m so glad you came over. I’ve got some prime gossip to dish.

Madison: Illiana has been messing around with Pablo Martinez behind Dustin’s back.

Madison: Meanwhile, Chuck Colbert is messing around with Pablo’s ex-wife Jennifer behind the back of Pablo’s other ex-wife Fiona.

Madison: And I heard the real reason Hank dumped Kristine is because he’s totally smitten with Jamie.

Ayesha: Jamie? You mean Jamie Frio, as in my brother-in-law’s wife?

Madison: *blushing* Oops. I forgot y’all were related.

Ayesha: I think I’d rather talk to Tori right now.

Ayesha: Tori, you know you have my support for Mayor, but be careful around Vita Alto. She fights dirty.

Tori: Thanks for the warning, but it’s not necessary. I know what Vita is capable of. Say, Ayesha, could you do me a big favor?

Ayesha: Anything, Tori.

Tori: I know you and Nick are in the same line of work. I need you to keep your eyes and ears on him. I have the feeling he’s pulling strings to help Vita get where she is.

Ayesha: I’d do anything for you but that. I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the Altos.

Tori: At least think about it.

Ayesha: Look, a bunch of us are getting together at Marley’s before work tonight. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll give you a call.

Tori: Thanks.

Ayesha: Thanks for inviting me, Marley.

Marley: Of course, Ayesha. Obviously, in our line of work, there are trust issues. I thought if I could get the gang together outside of the warehouse, I could help build those trust bridges. I’m so pleased that everyone came.

Marley: Xander walked in just before you did.

Marley: Nick is here. (I’m really surprised he showed up.)

Marley: And your boss, Claire, is upstairs showing off her guitar skills. I didn’t know she was such a Virtuoso.

Ayesha: Did you say Claire was here?

Me: Oh, snap. I forgot you worked for your husband’s baby mama.

Ayesha: Wow, Claire, your playing was wonderful.

Claire: Ayesha, there’s no need to kiss up to me.

Ayesha: I’m not kissing up. Look, Claire, our situation sucks.

Me: I would say more for her than for you.

Ayesha: The point is, I don’t care what you may have heard from the gossip mongers around town.

Me: You mean like your good friend Madison?

Ayesha: I had nothing to do with you and Jared breaking up. We got together after your relationship ended. I love Jared, and I’m going to be in his life. That means I’m going to be in Emily’s life, too. But you are her mother, and I respect that. I would never do anything to hurt her, and I would never do anything to prevent Jared from being a part of her life.

Me: *singing* Why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we be friends?

Claire: Ayesha, does your conscience feel better now? Is your ego thoroughly stroked now that you’ve taken the high road?

Ayesha: Claire, what the-?

Claire: Spare me, Ayesha. And do yourself a favor. Stop feeling guilty that Jared doesn’t spend time with his daughter, because he sure as heck doesn’t feel guilty.

Ayesha: I’m sorry.

Claire: Don’t be. You’ve done me the biggest favor. Thanks to you, I won’t waste one more minute hoping Jared will come back to me. Thanks to you, Emily and I can move on and find someone who really wants to be with us. I just hope for your sake that Jared has changed. Good luck to you, Ayesha. I’ll see you around the office.

Jared: *muttering to self* What am I doing here?

Me: A noble gesture, but you’re wasting your time. Claire is at work.

Jared: Look, I’m not a bad guy.

Me: You expect me to believe that? I know your traits, remember?

Jared: I panicked, okay? Claire told me she was pregnant, and I freaked. She was looking at me with all that hope and expectation. I didn’t know what to do besides run.

Me: I’d have a little more sympathy for you if you didn’t up and marry Ayesha.

Jared: Ayesha is different. Claire expected me to be her hero. Ayesha is smart enough to know that I’m no hero, and she loves me anyway.

Me: You bought a crib?

Jared: I know you think I’m an a-hole, but I really do care about my daughter. I just need time.

Me: Okay, I’ll give you time, Jared. But don’t wait forever. Before you know it, Emily won’t need that crib anymore. See you next round.

Other SP Updates:

Oooh, Tamara’s got a man. They might be serious because Shelby moved in with her.

I enabled romance with Service Sims, so Talia is getting serious with the repair guy. I predict wedding bells soon.

I thought Zachariah was seeing Talia’s roommate, Noemi.

Ian Bowler is one of the eleven original Sunset Valley townies. I’m not sure how, but they got deleted from my hood, so I harvested them from a fresh copy of Sunset Valley. I used Twallan’s Master Controller mod to Edit them in CAS. From the CAS screen, I saved them to the Sim bin. Then I created two households (one for the guys and one for the girls) and saved them to my Family Bin. Then I came back to this hood, and moved them in via the Edit Town option.

I know I said I wasn’t going to show stories that only involved townies, but I’m getting attached to them. Since Markus and Lori are both townies, they won’t become playable (unless they move in with a playable family), but they could have a child someday who might marry a playable Sim.

Round 1: Crumplebottom 1–Mean Girls

2011-01-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am going to admit up front that this entry is more about two townies than about Agnes Crumplebottom. She spent the majority of the day working, and then her wishes only revolved around skilling.

Me: Hi, Agnes. It is a beautiful morning for a run on the beach.

Agnes: Everyday is a beautiful morning here.

Me: True. I can only hope that EAxis releases weathers in the next expansion pack.

Agnes: I’m actually here to collect bugs. This is a light beetle. It is uncommon and should net me a good sum.

Me: Oh, you frugal Sim, you.

This is a random shot of the hot air balloon.

After Agnes got off work, I sent her to the Consignment Store to put her bugs up for sale. For some reason, I couldn’t consign them, but I saw she had other bugs already on consignment.

Also note that the Consignment Specialist is Dustin Langerak. I think that is part of Twallan’s mod that playables can fill some of the service positions.

Agnes herself caught Fiona and Chuck out on the town. Chuck looks very young. Fiona, you cougar!

Agnes also spied Cora Francisco. She starts out the game as the paper girl. While the playables don’t age when not being played, the NPCs still do.

Agnes was reading a recipe book outside the bookstore when I heard someone get slapped. I moved the camera and saw Talia Epperson and Victoria Andrews going at it. I don’t know what started the fight. I didn’t even know they knew each other. Maybe Talia works for the Fashion Police and was slapping Vicki with a citation for that hideous dress.

I can’t decide which one has the meanest stare.

After the fight, Talia sat down and chatted with her roommate, Noemi Foley.

This made me chuckle. Talia and Noemi were sitting outside the theater when Becky Baker got off of work. She gave them both a look that said, “Don’t even think of messing with me.”

Both girls have new men in their lives, so maybe they will be more pleasant to be around soon.

Other SP Updates:

Congrats, Erin and Iqbal. Erin moved in with the Alvis.

Emily Ursine-Frio is going to have her pick of men because she’s still the only girl to be born into Sunset Valley. Twallan’s mod tries to balance the male to female ratio. In the young adult category, the women outnumber the men nearly 3 to 1, so I think that’s why mostly boys are being born.

Even though she’s married, the Town Tart is still doing her thing.

I actually hope Pablo and Tamara get together. Tamara is Flirty and a Mooch. If any woman can give Pablo his comeuppance, it will be Tamara.

Round 1: Clavell 1–A New Leaf

2011-01-28T17:25:00.001-05:00

Me: Good morning, Clavells. Xander, is that you?

Xander: Of course, it’s me.

Me: It’s just, well you know, you’re…

Xander: Reading? I know how to read. I graduated high school.

Me: I know. I just would have never pegged you for a bookworm.

Buster: He’s hooked on these mystery novels by some “co-worker” of his.

Xander: Marley, Pops. Marley Williams, he’s self-published. He’s writing this series about a private eye. He let me read his first one and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

Buster: Whatever, the books keep him out of trouble.

Xander: Marley’s books have really inspired me. I think I’ve found my purpose in life.

Me: And what’s that, Xander?

Xander: I’m going to be a private eye. Let’s face it, I’ve got too much of a record to join the police force. I’m not smart enough to be doctor or scientist, but I’ve got street smarts. I can put them to good use.

Me: I’m proud of you, Xander, for getting out of the Criminal career. You’re turning over a new leaf. Good for you. Maybe you’ll meet a nice girl and settle down.

Xander: Let’s not get crazy.

Me: Have you got a case, yet?

Xander: I’m not exactly sure what it is, but Vita Alto needs my computer skills. She’s a Congresswoman, so it’s got to be big.

Unbeknowst to Xander, Vita was part of the crowd watching his mother play guitar outside the bookstore. She was enjoying the music until her nemesis, Nancy Landgraab, showed up. I thought there was going to be a cat fight, but all they did was size each other up.

I think this is the real reason Nancy restrained herself.

But while we’re on the subject of cat fights…

Issac evidently didn’t break it off with Talia Epperson before marrying Zelda.

Talia was distraught at seeing the newlyweds being affectionate with each other, but poor Talia isn’t the only one nursing a broken heart in Sunset Valley.

That would be ex-boyfriend #2 for Pauline and ex-wife #2 for Pablo.

Since Pablo moved out of Fiona’s house, I changed her name back to McIrish. Her household is once again McIrish 1, and Pablo is now Martinez 2.

Jennifer! I’m too through with you, girl. You’re a hopeless cause.

Xander finally tracked Vita down at the gym.

Vita: Ah, yes, Mr. Clavell, good of you to contact me. I need your assistance.

Xander: What can I do for you. Mrs. Alto?

Vita: I’m running for Mayor. As I pursue these higher offices, I know I’m going to be scrutinized heavily. Now, in the past, when Nick and I were just starting out, we had a little bit of credit trouble.

Xander: What does that have to do with me?

Vita: I can’t risk any of that information coming to light. Who would trust me to manage a city budget if I can’t manage my own finances? Xander, I need you to hack into the Credit Bureau’s database and erase my records.

Xander: Mrs. A., that’s really risky. I could do serious time if I’m caught.

Vita: So don’t get caught, Xander. Do this for me, and I will see to it that you are compensated handsomely. You’re just starting out your firm. I’m sure you could use some start-up cash for equipment.

Xander: That would be a big help.

Vita: Then consider me your angel investor, Xander.

Xander: Okay, Mrs. A. you’ve got a deal.

Me: Xander, I thought you were turning over a new leaf, but you hopped right in bed with the devil.

Xander: This is my last con, I promise. She’s right. I need money to establish myself. I’ll do this and then I’ll walk the straight and narrow.

Me: I don’t have a good feeling about this…

Xander: All done, Mrs. A., your record is clear.

Vita: Thank you, Xander. I’ll wire the funds to your account first thing in the morning.

Xander: It’s a pleasure doing business with you, ma’am.

Vita: Likewise, and Xander, I’m sure it goes without saying that this will stay between us. I’d hate for your parents to miss out on the joy of grandchildren.

Xander: *gulp* You’re right, Mrs. A., it goes without saying.

Me: Xander, Xander, Xander.

Xander: Please don’t say anything else.

Me: I won’t. I need to be moving on to Agnes Crumplebottom anyway. I’ll see you next round…I hope.

Other SP Updates:

I don’t get why Judy and Tori are always hatin’ on Pauline. She hasn’t gone anywhere near either of their men.

I think Iqbal and Erin are going to settle down. I approve of this match.

I really approve of this match. I know he’s supposed to be the bad boy and she’s the bad girl, but I think they are both just misunderstood.

My other teens aren’t matching up as I would have hoped.

If I had it my way, River would be with Michael Bachelor, and Bebe would be with Ethan. I guess that would leave Holly with either Parker or Lawrence, but I don’t see her with either one of those guys. If only Malcolm Landgraab were a few years older. Imagine Nancy and Vita planning a wedding together!

Round 1: Bunch 1–You’re Looking Good

2011-01-26T21:02:00.001-05:00

We now come to the Bunch household, and I have to say that I have been looking forward to playing them. They are probably my favorite family in Sunset Valley.

Me: Good morning…Judy?!?

Judy: *gasping* One moment. I just finished a five mile run. Let me check my heart rate.

Me: Wow, Judy, you look great! Seriously, good for you. You have obviously been working out.

Judy: Yes. I’ve been moving more and eating less. I’ve dropped fifty pounds.

Me: Congrats.

Judy: Jack has always been into fitness. He’s been trying to get me to exercise for years. He’s constantly going on and on about the adrenaline rush. I have to say he’s right. I do mostly cardio activities, but Jack is really into the strength building.

Hank: Mr. Bunch, I gotta tell you, your pecs are sick! I gotta know your secret. I want to enter a body building competition in Bridgeport next summer. Would you train me?

Judy: Our two youngest like to play outside so they get plenty of exercise, but our two oldest are at that age where they only want to stay inside and play video games.

Lisa: Ethan, I heard Mom and Dad are going out tonight for their anniversary. We should totally throw a party.

Ethan: I don’t know, Lisa. I need to study. I have a big chem exam on Monday. Besides, Arlo and Darlene will still be here.

Lisa: Don’t be such a wuss, Ethan. If we let them each invite over a friend, they’ll be cool. Come on, don’t let an opportunity like this pass.

Ethan: What’s his name, Lisa?

Lisa: What?

Ethan: Is it VJ? You know Mom doesn’t like him.

Lisa: It’s not VJ. VJ is just a friend.

For Lisa’s sake, I hope she means that.

Me: Looking good, Mrs. B.

Judy: Thanks. I feel so nervous.

Me: Why are you nervous?

Judy; I have to ask Jack something, and I don’t know how he’ll respond.

Me: What do you want to ask him?

Me: Oh, um, good luck with that.

Me; Well, look at you two! You clean up very nice.

Judy: Jack, honey--

Jack: Judy, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Another baby at our age? Judy, do you realize we’re ten days away from being elders? We should be thinking about grandchildren now, not children of our own.

Judy: Jack, you know I’ve always wanted five.

Jack: Judy, do you really want to start over? All of our kids are in school. Do you really want to deal with diapers and baby-sitters and colic and formula? Besides, you lost all that weight.

Judy: Jack, I lost the weight so that I would be healthy enough to carry another baby.

Jack: Would having another baby really make you happy?

Judy: Yes, it would.

Jack: *sigh* Fine.

Judy: You mean it?

Jack: I promised you on our wedding day that I would never deny you anything that would make you happy.

Judy: Oooh, Jack, I love you.

Me: Excuse me for butting in, but I have to ask you one question, Jack.

Jack: Yes?

Judy: How did you know what she was going to ask you? All she said was “Honey.”

Jack: Because I have known this woman since I was fifteen years old, and in that time that I have known her, she has called me “Honey” exactly four times.

Me: Whoa. Some of the newlyweds in town could learn a lot from you guys.

Meanwhile back at the Bunch house…

Parker: Come on, Lisa. Are you going to make me beg? When are you going to give me your digits?

Lisa: Parker, you’re so cute.

Me: Cute, but not too bright. Why does he need your digits? He’s standing in your living room!

Lisa: For texting, duh!

Me: When I was your age, we actually used phones for verbal communication.

Me: Ethan, it’s good to see you loosening up and dancing.

Ethan: Bebe’s a great dancer. *whispering* And she’s really pretty too.

Me: Get her, tiger.

Me: Uh-oh. Looks like Parker is interested in getting someone else’s digits.

Lisa: VJ, just look at Holly throw herself at Parker. I can’t believe she’s putting the moves on my man at my own party.

VJ: Lisa, you and Parker aren’t dating.

Lisa: That is so not the point, VJ. And how come Bebe is dancing with my goofy brother instead of you?

VJ: She can dance with whomever she wants. We’re not exclusive.

Lisa: Oh my Will, did you just say whomever?

Me: Yes, he did, and he was grammatically correct. Parker or VJ? I think the choice is clear, Lisa.

Well, I have to be going, and you guys need to get these people out of your house before your parents get home. See you next round!

Other SP Updates:

Xander, a good catch? Think again, Madison. His household is up next, by the way.

Remember analogies from the SAT and GRE?

Iqbal : brunette :: Gobias : blonde

Round 1: Baker 1–Full Nest Syndrome

2011-01-23T19:56:00.001-05:00

Now we come to the first of the Bin families, the Bakers. Svetlana and Heathcliff Baker were looking forward to an empty nest, but their daughter Becky has turned up with a toddler in tow.

Me: Morning, Svetlana. I see you’re helping your grandson Topher with his potty training. I bet you never expected to be teaching toddler skills again.

Svetlana: Oh, I’m just helping out while Becky gets dressed.

Svetlana: Of course, when Becky moved back in, Heathcliff and I worried that Becky would dump Topher on us, but she is a good mother. She is very devoted to him and is determined that he will learn all of his toddler skills. Becky tries not to bother us too much, so Heathcliff and I still have time to engage in our hobbies.

Heathcliff: I second what my wife says. I thought my fishing days were over, but Becky takes care of Topher herself when she’s not working. I’m proud to say that I haven’t seen her sneaking any men in and out of my house either. I thought something was going on with that Tobias Funke character, but Becky says they are just friends.

Svetlana: The only indulgence Becky has allowed herself is to quit her job at the restaurant and work herself into the Music business. Becky has always loved music.

Heathcliff: *beaming proudly* She gets that from me. I’m employed in the music career too.

Svetlana: Becky is passing her love of music down to Topher, too. She bought him a xylophone for his birthday.

Me: Wow. I’m glad to hear Becky and Topher are doing so well.

Svetlana: Yes, she’s doing so well working and taking care of Topher, but I know my daughter. She is a Hopeless Romantic and longs to find that special someone.

Heathcliff: But she won’t let herself get close to another man because she doesn’t want to make the same mistake she made with Topher’s dad.

Svetlana: But she is a vivacious, beautiful young woman. She should be out meeting people. Heatcliff and I begged her to go to that new club “The Grind” tonight. We wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Becky: I’m only here because my parents made me come. Between you and me, I think they want me and Topher out of the house to relive their newlywed years. And speaking of newlyweds, one of the first people I met was a woman named Ayesha Frio. She had just gotten married and couldn’t help staring at her ring every five minutes.

Becky: She was there with her single brother-in-law, Connor. He works in the Journalism field and was relaxing between articles. Ayesha suggested I go up and introduce myself.

Becky: To be honest, I’m more used to being approached than doing the approaching, but I thought “Why the heck not?” I learned he was a Pisces. We chatted for a while, but I could tell there were no sparks.

Becky: This cutie caught my eye. I did some asking around and found out his name is Holden. The girl dancing behind him is roommate Gwen. They appear to be just friends. Oh my, Will, did you see the abs on her??/ I used to have abs like that before I got pregnant.

Anyway, I tried to get Holden’s attention, but he was really into the dancing. Oh, well, his loss. It was getting late, and I wanted to get back home to tuck Topher in anyway.

Becky: Can you believe some moron tried to rob us tonight? The officer making the arrest was quite dreamy, though.

Becky: His name is Eugene Hunter, and I think he might be into me.

Becky: He needed to get back to the station to process the burglar, but Mom urged me to chat him up. We exchanged numbers, so we’ll see what comes of it.

SP Updates:

Another female townie moves in. The single women outnumber the single men nearly two to one now.

And Monika is staking her claim on Leighton. I think Leighton, Holden Wonzy, Stiles McGraw, and Cycl0n3 Sw0rd are the best options available.

Why is Issac moving in with the Langeraks?

Oh, that’s why. Notice that Issac took Zelda’s last name. I’m trying to keep the original pre-made names in play for as long as possible, so when a playable marries a NPC, they will take the playable’s last name. Anyway, welcome to the playable ranks, Issac.

*sigh* Jennifer, didn’t you learn anything from being married to Pablo? (In case you didn’t know, Xander is an Inappropriate, Hot-Headed, Party Animal Mooch with Commitment Issues.)

Round 1: Bachelor 1–Perfect Family

2011-01-23T14:39:00.001-05:00

After two households of feuding family members, we get a break with the Bachelor family. The Bachelors genuinely like each other and get along splendidly. You could almost say they are the perfect family.

Almost. Jocasta still hasn’t mastered the art of cooking.

Her family doesn’t complain, though. They just grab a jelly sandwich out of the fridge instead.

Unlike the other busy families in town, the Bachelors make sure breakfast is a family affair.

Whille Simis is at work and Michael and Bella are at school, Jocasta works on her large garden.

Even the Bachelor garden must be perfect.

Michael’s grades are perfect.

Will he soon have the perfect girlfriend?

Bella is the perfect child, desiring to spend quality time with each member of her family.

Come on, Bachelors, you have to have some skeletons in your closet. I won’t give up until I find them!

And because none of the SP notices fit in with all the perfection, here they are separately:

Finally, a new male has moved to town!

And another female has moved in. She’s not blonde, so don’t look for Gobias in the welcome wagon.

In fact, blonde ladies of Sunset Valley, Gobais Koffi is off the market. He and former townie Silvia Heath had a shotgun wedding. Silvia now joins the playable ranks.

While we’re on the subject of babies….

“Lachlan” is the third most popular name in Australia. I think Lachlan Langerak has a nice ring. The fourth most popular name is “Benjamin”, and that name was given to Beau and Victoria’s son. If you’re keeping score, there have been four boys born and only one girl.

I guess Jared is serious about Ayesha. He married her and she moved in with him and his brother Connor. From the Working Friends household, the only single ladies left are Monika and Madison. Neither is dating anyone at the moment.

Judy really hates Pauline Wan, and she’s looking for like-minded individuals. The old saying is true: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Pauline gave me the biggest shock this play session. I missed the initial notice, but every ten minutes, Story Progression pops up a summary of events:

If you look at the second and third lines, you’ll see that Pauline Wan is expecting a child with Kristofer Doe. By the way, she still lives with Hank! Even if the Bachelors are boring, we can count on Pauline to provide some drama. I wish I didn’t have to wait until the end of the round to get to her house!

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

Sorry, this entry wasn’t that exciting. The Bachelors didn’t do anything beside go to work, school, and skill. Despite them being a bit boring, I do really like their family.

Round 1: Andrews 1–A Many Splintered Thing

2011-01-22T18:19:00.001-05:00

Next up ony my playlist is the Andews family. I found them in the park early Wednesday, enjoying the morning sunshine….

…and disturbing the peace.

Me:What’s going on, guys? I just left one fighting family and now I come upon another?

Beau: I’m tired of this woman emasculating me.She nags me for ages to get my butt up off the couch and get a job. When I finally do, she criticizes me over the job I take.

Victoria: He’s a Teacher’s Aide. The man is forty years old, and he’s a Teacher’s Aide.

Beau: I’m going to be Gym Teacher. I have to start somewhere, Victoria.

Victoria: When I met you, you were going places. You were going to be the Quarterback of the best time in the SimFL. You were going to be somebody, Beau. Now look at you. You let yourself go, and all you want to be is a gym teacher.

Me: Way to offend all the readers who might be gym teachers, Vicki.

Victoria: Even if you do get certified to teach P.E., what kind of example are you setting? You couldn’t run one lap around the track even if your new TV and recliner were waiting for you at the finish line.

Beau: Woman, I know you are hormonal, but you are about to say words you can’t take back.

Victoria: Fool, did you just call me hormonal?!

Beau: Baby, baby, you know I’m just playing. I can see you’re upset. I hear the bell ringing so I need to go. Why don’t you sit down at one of the tables here and work on your book? Writing always make you feel better.

Victoria: *grumbling* Got the nerve to call me hormonal. I’ll show him hormonal.

,Me: Victoria, you are under a lot of stress. Let’s face it. you’re the main income and now you’re expecting a child. It’s normal for you to be concerned. Don’t throw away what you have with Beau, though. He means well, he really does. You could be doing worse. You could be the wife of Pablo Martinez.

Me: *headdesk* Fiona, you didn’t!

She did. Pablo moved in with her, so the McIrish 1 house is now the Martinez 2 house.

It turned out to be quite busy in the park.

Emma Hatch and Stiles McGraw were having a picnic. They aren’t dating, just roommates. Gotta love the EAxis animation fail too with Emma’s outfit.

Zelda Mae played on the swings.

A random townie interrupted Justine and Marty Keaton’s romantic lunch.

And Gobias Koffi thought it would be funny to sneak up on Vita Alto and scare her.

Is it possible to scare someone into labor?

Gobias doesn’t care. He’s still busy macking on the blondes.Seriously, I think this dude sees more action than Pablo.

And while we’re on the subject of macking…

Judy, are you for real, girlfriend? Even Pauline doesn’t want your man.

When Beau got off work, he rolled up the wish to hang out with Bessie, so he invited her over.

Beau: Nothing I do is good enough for her, Miss Bessie. Since turning pro didn’t work out, I think she’s hoping I’ll be a surgeon or something. I can’t do that. I faint at the sight of my own blood.

Bessie: There, there, dear. She’ll come around.

I don’t think Bessie cheered Beau up as much as he was hoping. So he turned to his new found love…

…his TV

I am not mad at you, Beau. I’ve been getting the Pristine Picture moodlet myself now that I have this High-Def computer monitor. See you guys, next round.

Other SP Updates:

I’d approve of this match if she weren’t the town tart.

“Doe” is an appropriate name because that’s what Pauline is going to leave you looking like: a doe caught in the headlights.

Welcome to the world, Emily Ursine-Frio!

Hey, Ayesha, why don’t you ask Claire how committed Jared is?

Twallan has Moved

2011-01-20T00:22:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in Twallan's mods, please visit his new site: http://www.the-isz.com/nraas/.

Round 1: Alvi 1–In the Toilet

2011-01-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

At the end of the last entry, I got a note from Story Progression that said Gobias Koffi had broken Iqbal Alvi’s toilet. So, upon arriving at the Alvi house, the first thing I did was look for the bathroom.

Yep, it’s broken. I love you, Twallan!

Me: You’ve got a mess there, Miraj.

Miraj: Last night, some crazy man came over here screaming at my dad. I think he doesn’t want my dad to be friends with Aunt Jamie.

Me: Yeah, I heard something about that. I’m sorry you got stuck cleaning it up.

Miraj: I don’t mind.

Miraj: I like cleaning.

Gotta love those neat Sims!

Me: Well, hurry up, or you’ll be late for school.

I don’t know what it is, but most of the student body is late today.

Irene Funke decided to skip school altogether.

Me: Enjoying your cartoons, Iqbal?

Iqbal: I’d like to buy the boys a game console, but our funds are limited right now. I also heard the Altos were nearly robbed last night. In their part of town, can you believe that? If I buy a game console, then I can’t afford a burglar alarm.

Me: Why don’t you start with getting a nicer TV? I’m sure your sons would appreciate that.

Iqbal: I guess I don’t have any choice now. Why did this have to happen on today of all days? After I took a pay cut.

Me: A pay cut?

Iqbal: I’m not cut out for the Business Career. I’m not cutthroat enough. So I got a job at the Landgraab Science Facility as a Test Subject.

Me: VJ got a job today at the Cemetery. Maybe his pay will make up the difference from your old job.

Iqbal: It might, but I don’t expect VJ to contribute to the bills.It’s his money, and he can do whatever he wants with it. It’s been a rough day. Maybe I should give Jamie a call. Talking to her always makes me feel better.

Me: Uh, now might not be the best time, Iqbal.

Iqbal: Do you think she’s out with Koffi? That weasel…

Iqbal: I mean, I don’t understand what she sees in him. Is it his money?

Me: Well…

Iqbal: What does he have that I haven’t got?

Me: Apparently, he’s got every single blonde in Sunset Valley.

Me: Buck up. Iqbal. There are plenty of fish in the sea. New (brunette) women are moving to Sunset Valley everyday.

Seriously, when are some male townies going to move in?

In case you were wondering, Sun Song Avenue is the street that Pauline, Hank, Claire, and Frio brothers live on.

Me: Iqbal, I’ll see you later. I’m going to check on Miraj and VJ.

Mortimer invited Miraj to come home with him after school.

Cornelia seems to have an unusual interest in her son’s friends. She pounced on Miraj the minute the boys got home. I didn’t put this on her stats page because I only want to show age-appropriate relationships, but she’s best friends with Bella.

Oddly enough, VJ is the Alvi brother who wants to be friends with Cornelia. It’s very strange. VJ rolled that wish as soon as Miraj started talking to Cornelia.

VJ should be spending time trying to impress Judy Bunch, since she’s the mother of his closet friend, Lisa.

Me: Criticizing her son is not going to get you on Judy’s good side, VJ.

VJ: I’m not trying to get on her good side.

Me: You should. I think you and Lisa would make a cute couple.

Anyway, back to the Goths…

Nick’s quitting the Business career must have cleared the way for Nancy to become CEO. Twallan’s Story Progression Mod has an option to restrict some career levels to a single Sim. So if Nancy’s the CEO, what does that mean for Gunther?

The Goth name may have gotten him the job, but it didn’t keep the job.

Nick is moving up the Criminal Career ladder. He’s up to Level 2.

While Miraj was at the Goth’s, Malcolm Landgraab dropped in for a visit.

Malcolm: Mortimer, you should talk your parents out of supporting Vita Alto. She’s an evil woman. She will run this town into the ground. We’ll be poorer than Twinbrook!

Me: Um, Mal, didn’t your parents give Vita money too?

Miraj excused himself to go home and have dinner with his father and brother.

VJ: So, Pops, I heard you got a job at Landgraab Industries. Are you going to make a test tube baby with Jamie Jolina?

Miraj: Come on, VJ…

Iqbal: It is all right, Miraj. VJ, you know back home in Al Simhara, a father would not tolerate his son behaving the way you do. I understand that you are angry with me, VJ. I don’t blame you for your anger, but I ask that you show me the respect I deserve as your father.

VJ: Respect? You think you deserve my respect? You let my mother walk out on you, and you prance around town with a woman that is only interested in the size of a man’s wallet. And since yours is small, I don’t even know why she bothers with you. You tell me what the men of Al Simhara would think of your behavior, Father!

Me: Whoa! It’s um, getting a little heated in here. I think I’ll let you finish this discussion in private. I’m off to see the Andrews.

***

Okay, so obviously, I fabricated that last bit there; however, VJ’s bio does suggest he is angry at his father over his mother leaving.

Here are the SP updates that didn’t fit into the flow of the post:

Seriously, Fiona, you should just know better.

As if Pauline was hurting for a date…

Watch it, Pablo. Svetlana is on to you!

Oh, it’s something all right, but it isn’t love. I keep checking to see if Hank has been named the Town Casanova, but the role still hasn’t been assigned to anyone.

Round 1: Alto 1–Like a Bandit

2011-01-17T17:12:00.001-05:00

It’s Monday morning in the Alto household, and daughter Holly is making breakfast.

Her father Nick has opted for a liquid breakfast.

Me: It’s a little early in the morning for that, Nick, don’t you think?

Nick: It gets me through the day. Don’t judge me.

Me: That’s kinda the point of this blog. And by the way, that gorgeous view of the waterfall makes me hate you.

Nick. This is a celebratory drink because today I’m going to start pursuing my dream.

Me: You’re going to enter the Criminal career? But, why? yYu’re a (kinda) respectable business man.

Nick: How can I consider myself respectable when I’m the peon of Gunther Goth? Goth Industries succeeded because of my work, and do I get promoted to CEO? No. A hippie freak who shares the founder’s last name gets put in charge. I’m done taking orders.

Me: So why don’t you start your own legitimate company?

Nick: And have the IRS breathing down my neck? No, thank you.

Me: Checking for wrinkles, Vita? I would think being pregnant would make you feel young.

Vita: Wrinkles? Heavens, no.

Vita: I’m like a fine wine, darling. I was touching up my makeup for my photo shoot.

Me: What photo shoot?

Vita: For my campaign posters. I’m running for mayor.

Me: If you win, you’ll have at least two new residents to govern.

Silvia moved into the lot right next to the waterfall. Imagine waking up to that everyday! Glenda is the first person to move into Pinochle Point. Pinochle Point is that street to the northeast of the Goths that has a bunch of empty lots. I filled the street up EAxis-made houses from the Lots bin.

Me: You’ll need more than posters to win, Vita. To get into these higher office positions, you need to have funding.

Vita: As usual, darling, I’m a step ahead of you. I’m throwing a fundraiser tonight.

Me: I see you have the Landgraabs on your guest list.

Vita: Nancy Landgraab is the most powerful person in Sunset Valley. With her endorsement, there is no way I can lose. Don’t you worry about Nick. He’ll behave. Now if you’ll excuse me, darling, I have some business to attend to down at City Hall.

Check out this townie. She’s none other than Talia Epperson, the woman who paid for the services of one Pablo Martinez in the last entry.

Jennifer, you go, girl! Drop that zero and get yourself a hero.

While one marriage ends, another one begins. Christopher moved in with Tori and her roommates, so the Kimura 1 household is now the Steel 1 household.

Aww… isn’t Holly a sweetheart?

Pauline is on the prowl. She doesn’t even care that he knocked up Claire Ursine.

Pauline’s ex has moved on as well. Blair don’t start picking out china. Hank has issues.

What’s with all of these near-elder couples having babies?

Me: Congrats, Nick. I see you’ve made your career change.

Nick: And I thought having Gunther Goth for a boss was bad, but Xander Clavell is an utter oaf.

Me: Hey, Vita, it looks like it’s party time.

Vita: Yes, the food is ready…

Vita: and I’ve found some music to set the ambience.

Me: The ambience of convincing people to part with their hard-earned money for promises you may or may not keep?

Surprisingly, Nancy is the first guest to arrive. It’s cool that enemies will turn up at a party.

Me: Uh-oh, Vita. You need damage control, pronto!

Me: What happened, Nick?

Nick: Vita suggested I work on the plan for my business.

Me; *chuckling* She banished you from the party!

Me: Pulling out all the stops, huh, Vita?

Me: I thought you were above playing the expecting mother card.

Vita: Cornelia is a dear friend of mine. I’m simply sharing my good news.

Me: I have to say you’re taking this pregnancy well. It seems inconvenient with you running for office.

Vita: Are you implying I can’t handle it, darling?

Me: I’m not stupid enough to imply anything around you, Vita.

I have to give Vita credit. You can’t tell that she hates Geoffrey’s guts. It must be the Schmoozer in her. Unlike Nick, she hasn’t rolled up any wishes to fight with Geoff or Nancy.

I love seeing couples dance together at parties.

Vita made out like a bandit! Nearly 40,000 Simoleons. Her biggest contributors were the Goths with a combined donation of nearly 15,000 Simoleons. The Landgraabs combined contribution was just under 5000 Simoleons. I think relationship is a factor in how much a Sim contributes. Vita is good friends with the Goths and enemies with the Landgraabs.

Speaking of making out like a bandit…

Burglar! I thought burglars didn’t rob the homes of people in the Criminal career. I guess there really is no honor among thieves.

Me: Take that you stupid crook. I’ve been playing this game since TS1, baby. I know the “put the alarm on the outside of the house” trick. It’s not aesthetically pleasing, but it’s effective.

Me: Come on, Tia Rose, you can take this dude!

Luckily she does prevail and the Altos don’t lose anything…

---except a good night’s sleep.

Vita: Right, is that one of your colleagues there, Nick?

Nick: Not for long, sweetness, not for long.

Me: I wouldn’t want to be that guy!

Vita: He’s not the only thing keeping us up. Isn’t it time for you to move on, darling?

Me: Okay, I’m going. Just let me get out a few neighborhood updates first.

This is a match I approve of. I think these two belong together.

The fact that Jamie Jolina gave either one of these guys the time of day is stupefying. Iqbal is up next on the playlist, so let’s see how his toilet is doing!

Round 1: Goth 1–Telescopes are Bad

2011-01-16T20:47:00.001-05:00

Me: Hello, there, Mortimer!

Mortimer: I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.

Me: We’re not strangers. We’ve known each other for over ten years.

Mortimer: But I’m only 9.

Me: Er, well, I’ve known your future self for over ten years.

Mortimer: Huh?

Me: I know it’s confusing, but trust me, Mortimer. We’re old friends.I'm just here to observe and report.

Mortimer: Observe and report what?

Me: The goings on in Sunset Valley. In the past, I mean in your future, I was able to give you Sims absolute guidance in your choices. I picked your jobs, found you mates, and kept you alive.

Mortimer: Really?

Me: Yes, really. You guys were confined. It was almost as if the neighborhood around you didn’t exist. But you have evolved. You all now realize you’re part of a dynamic community. You don’t need me anymore to decide what job to take and who to marry.

Mortimer: Marry? I’m never getting married.

Me: *chuckles* Oh, so young and innocent, Mortimer. There is a greater power at work here.

Mortimer: You mean Will Wright?

Me: No, Mortimer, not Will. I mean Story Progression.

Mortimer: Story Progression? What’s that?

Me: Story Progression (and its angel, Twallan) is the new force that guides you. So now, I don’t have to hunt all over the Sim Universe to find someone who’s name starts with M for you to marry. Your wishes and/or Story Progression will bring you and your mate together. I’m just here to tell the story of what happens.

Mortimer: I still don’t understand.

Me: Don’t worry. You will when you’re older. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go check in with your parents.

Me: And it looks like Story Progression is doing its job already. Pauline Wan has just been designated the Town Bike.

Mortimer: What's the Town Bike?

Me: Trust me, you’ll understand that when you’re older too.

Me: And it looks like Pablo is the town gigolo. I’ve never played the Martinez family before, but I know Twallan assigns these personalities based on the Sim’s traits. Pablo must be Flirty and maybe a Mooch. What’s nice is that Twallan broke these personalities out into separate modules from the main mod. If you don’t want to play with them, then simply don’t install the modules.

Me: I’ve only installed the “Lovers” module which includes four personalities: The Town Bike, The Town Casanova, The Town Tart, and the Town Gigolo. I haven’t seen SP assign anyone to the Casanova role yet. I thought for sure Hank Goddard had that one in the bag, especially since Pauline is the Bike.

I will go into detail about how I use the Mod in the future. Let’s get back to the Goths…

Me Going somewhere, Cornelia?

Cornelia: I need to go to the grocery score.

Cornelia: I’ll be an elder soon, and I haven’t even started my garden.

Me: Ah, I see. Yeah, you better get to the grocery store, and the bookstore to buy a Gardening Skill book. You don’t have a moment to lose.

Me: Gunther, you don’t have time to be gabbing with Boyd Wainwright.

Me: You’re almost an elder, too, and you’re nowhere near maxing a single skill.

Gunther: I can start with a cooking class.

Me: Good idea. Cooking is easy to develop since you have to eat anyway. And you can help Cornelia out in the garden. And Fishing goes hand in hand with Cooking and Gardening. So you focus on those three skills.

Gunther: I thought Mortimer said you were here to only observe and report.

Me: Right…old habits die hard.

Me: Cornelia, I see you’ve run into Mortimer’s best friend, Bella Bachelor.

Cornelia: That Bella is a sweet girl. I think she is good for my son.

Me: I do too.

Me: Mortimer, I didn’t know you were into art.I always thought you were a man of science.

Mortimer: I like art a lot.

Me: Then you should go to the Gallery. And why don’t you invite Bella?

Mortimer: *shrugs* Ok

Mortimer: Father, may I got to the Art Gallery with Bella.

Gunther: Certainly, Mortimer. You and your girlfriend have a good time.

Mortimer: Dad, she’s not my girlfriend!

Me: Not yet.

Mortimer: Hey, Bella. do you want to hang out at the Art Gallery and look at the paintings and stuff…? You do? Great.

Me: Ah, your first date.

Mortimer: Date? I’m too young to date.

Me: Cornelia, I see you’re starting your garden…wait a minute! Hey, Cornelia, you’re planting that tomato right on top of a grave.

Cornelia: I know. My ancestors believed in giving back to earth, so their essence will fertilize these vegetables.

Me: Eww…remind me never to eat at your house.

Me: Prudence Crumplebottom? Who is that?

Cornelia: My mother. She loved tomatoes

Me: Oh, yeah, that’s right, you are a Crumplebottom.

Cornelia: There’s only my sister and I left. Poor Agnes. She’s been through so much. Losing her husband in the same week she married him. She loved Erik dearly. I hope this doesn’t sour her on love forever. She simply must open her heart again.

Me: Yeah, don’t hold your breath, Corny.

Me: Big surprise there, what with her being the Town Bike and all. I don’t know how they got together in the first place. They both have Commitment Issues. Ironically, they are one of my favorite couples. Go figure…

Mortimer: Thanks for coming with me to the Gallery, Bella. Mother and Father think museums are boring.

Mortimer: I don’t. When I grow up, I want to be famous painter or photographer.

Bella: I always thought you’d be a geeky scientist when you grow up.

Mortimer: Mother would love for me to be a scientist. She thinks I should be a brilliant astronomer. She thinks I’ll discover a new star or planet. Well, I’m not going anywhere near a telescope. And you shouldn’t either, Bella. TELESCOPES ARE BAD!

Bella: Er, okay, Mortimer. Telescopes are bad.

Me: Mortimer, ix-nay on the elescopes-tay.

Mortimer: I’m sorry, Bella. I don’t know why I acted like that.

Bella: Do you need a hug or something, Mortimer?

Me: *sniffs* Aww, so cute!

Me: Are you kidding me? Your daughter is practically a young adult!

Me: Gobias, how on SimEarth did you pull that one off?

Me: The problem with that, Talia, is that Pablo is married!

Talia is a non-playable townie by the way. The townies will only become playable if they move in with a pre-made. And I’ll only show stories related to them if there is a pre-made involved.

Me: I will, however, make note of when a new townie moves in.

Me: Christopher and Tori are both single and apparently serious about each other. Not really a match I would have made. I see Christopher more with Jamie and Tori with Stiles McGraw.

Me: Gwen, NO! Don’t get me wrong. I like Cycl0n3, but Gwen should be with her roommate Holden. I think they are a cute couple.

Me: Marty and Justine’s last name is Keaton, so I so wanted to name this boy Alex P. I had thought about doing a different naming scheme for each household, but decided against it. Instead, I’m using The Complete Book of Baby Names. It has tons of lists of names to use if you want to name your kids according to a theme.For example, it has a list of Disney Names, and a list of Shakespearian names, as well as more practical ones like Popular Names in Spain and Most Popular Names of 2005. I’m going to work my way through each list.The first list is “Popular Names in Australia”, and “Jack” was number #1 for the boys.

Me: Good night, sweet Mortimer. There are so many families to get through that I am only visiting each for one day at a time. Don’t worry. I’m using Twallan’s TS2-Style Aging option on the SP mod, so you will still be a child when I return. Sweet dreams.

Mega Reboot

2011-01-16T20:43:00.001-05:00

I’m back. I’ve finally got my game stabilized to the point that I can do a Mega Maxis version of the Sims 3. There are currently five pre-made neighborhoods: Sunset Valley, Riverview, Twinbrook, Barnacle Bay, and Bridgeport. And yes, I’m crazy enough to attempt to blog through each one.

I’ve been working on a couple of legacy blogs since Sims 3 has been out, but Legacy-style play gets boring to me. The thing I like most about the Sims is seeing the neighborhood grow over time and see how the families interact with each other. But let’s face it, EAxis’s story progression sucks. They throw random babies into random houses, give a Sim a boss who ranks lower on the totem pole, and assign Sims to careers that have nothing to do with their Lifetime Wish.

Enter Twallan's Story Progression Mod. I could not play this game without his mod. One of the best features is that it allows TS2 Style Aging, so my Sims won’t age while I’m playing other houses. That is a big win for me. The mod is also highly customizable. You can have it manage everything or very little. In the future, I’ll go into detail about the Mod’s options. Right now, I’m just too eager to get the first post out to you.

But before I do, I want to explain my play style and blogging style. If you read my TS2 Mega Maxis blog, you know about the Alphabet Twist. My sims weren’t allowed to marry someone unless their first names started with the same letter. This time around there is no alphabet twist. The big twist is that I’m going to play as hands off as possible. That means the Sims wishes and Story Progression will dictate who hooks up and who gets what jobs. I won’t issue a command unless it’s something in the Sims want panel (or unless it’s something that will keep them from dying). Other than that, your guess is as good as mine as to what will happen next.

I’m going back to my commentary banter style that I used with the TS2 Version of the blog. I’m trying to blog the thoughts I’m having while I’m playing the game. So, imagine yourself sitting over my shoulder as I play, Each entry will cover one Sim day with one family. I decided on one day because I want to keep the entries short and hopefully be able to publish more frequently. I’m not going to set a posting schedule.I’ll post as often as I can. If you’ve followed my blog you know my mother is dealing with serious health issues and I’m managing a big project at work, so my play time is at a premium.

Though I have other blogs too, the Mega Maxis one has always been my first love, so look to see this one updated more often than the others. And keep your fingers crosses that EAxis doesn’t release a patch that borks up my neighborhoods!

Stay tuned..the first post is coming up now!

Vita Alto

2011-01-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

Age: Adult

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Traits: Evil, Charismatic, Snob, Schmoozer, Ambitious

Favorite Music: French

Favorite Food: Grilled Salmon

Favorite Color: Red

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Lifetime Wish: Leader of the Free World

Career: Local Representative (Political – 6)

Family: Husband– Nick Alto; Daughter – Holly Alto

Friends: Good Friend – Cornelia Goth; Friend – Gunther Goth

Flings: Husband – Nick Alto

Fellows: Boss – Tori Steel; Co-Worker – Tamara Donner, Theodore Lum, June Dixon

Foes: Enemy – Nancy Landgraab, Geoffrey Landgraab;

Nick Alto

2011-01-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Age: Adult

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Traits: Workaholic, Family-Oriented, Hydrophobic, Ambitious, Mean-Spirited

Favorite Music: Classical

Favorite Food: Ratatouille

Favorite Color: Red

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Lifetime Wish: The Emperor of Evil

Career: Decoy (Criminal –1)

Family: Wife– Vita Alto; Daughter – Holly Alto

Friends:

Flings: Wife – Vita Alto

Fellows: Boss – Xander Clavell; Co-Worker: Ayesha Ansari, Marley Williams, Aimee Williams, Claire Ursine

Foes: Enemy – Nancy Landgraab, Geoffrey Landgraab; Disliked – Agnes Crumplebottom

Holly Alto

2011-01-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

Age: Teen

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Traits: Good, Vegetarian, Artistic, Easily Impressed

Favorite Music: Pop

Favorite Food: Cobbler

Favorite Color: Irish Green

Astrological Sign: Sagittarius

Lifetime Wish: International Super Spy

Career:

Family: Mother – Vita Alto; Father – Nick Alto

Friends: Good Friend – Bebe Hart;

Flings:

Fellows:

Foes:

Victoria Andrews

2011-01-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

Age: Adult

Hometown: Sunset Valley

Traits: Bookworm, Good, Hopeless Romantic, Artistic, Ambitious

Favorite Music: Classical

Favorite Food: Autumn Salad

Favorite Color: Violet

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Lifetime Wish: Star News Anchor

Career: Professional Blogger (Journalism – 4)

Family: Husband – Beau Andrews

Friends: Friend – Gus Hart, Dorie Hart, Bessie Clavell

Flings: Husband – Beau Andrews

Fellows: Boss – Fiona Martinez; Co-Worker – Connor Frio, Simis Bachelor, Cycl0n3 Sw0rd

Foes: