My Sim Families Revamped

It's been a while since I last wrote about my Sims, and a lot has changed since then, so I've decided it's time to re-do the whole thing.  So, I'll be talking about the families I've already written about, but I'll try to incorporate as much as I'm able from all the updates and whatnot, as well as whatever new has happened in my families.

I'll try to keep the writing light and entertaining, and creative and imaginitive, of course, so I apologize if a lot of it sounds like it's coming from a soap opera.  But, if art represents life, why shouldn't Sim-life imitate art?

But gee, I have so many families in play now that it might take a while to get to all.  I originally tried to do one a day, but real life interfered and that idea went up in smoke.  So, for the time being, I'll focus on whatever family I happen to be focusing on the most.  Then, time (and inclination) permitting, I'll bring in one of the older families.

And so, without further ado, I'll get on with the first of the revamped blog entries, focusing on the family I'm currently working on.

The Charming Family

Claire Charming and her dog, Luna, lived a peaceful life in Old Town.  Sadly, she became lonely when all the friends she made started drifting away as they got married and started new jobs.  Though she had never intended to get married herself, seeing how happy her friends were encouraged her to go out and meet new people.  As a Medical Technician, she met very few people, but now she put out the effort to make friends outside of her profession.  She wasn't leaving the profession, by any means:  her goal was to become the Chief of Hospital Staff at Old Town Memorial Hospital.  Barring that--and all her colleagues told her it was a thankless job--she would settle for becoming a Medical Researcher instead.

Then she met Justin Charmer who was exactly what he was...a charmer.  It took only a few weeks for her to fall madly in love with him, and vice versa.  Shortly thereafter, they married and he moved in with her and Luna.  Luna was, for her part, not quite sure what to make of Justin, but he charmed her much the way he charmed Claire, and now they get along famously.  Justin, though, was finding it difficult to get work.  He had long held a desire to make a difference in the world and felt that politics was the way to go.  Unfortunately, there being no elections coming up, it was hard to get a job as a Campaign Worker.  However, when a fellow Old Town resident decided to step down from her seat as a Senator, it opened the door for Justin to begin working in politics, albeit working on someone else's campaign.

Around this time Claire's younger brother, Mark, returned from college and needed a place to crash until he figured out where to go and what to do.  Mark, who loves his older sister dearly, was very suspicious of Justin--his last name said it all--and put the poor fellow through all sorts of tests to make sure that Justin wasn't playing around with his sister's affections.  Finally satisfied that Justin was sincere, Mark let him off the hook and began focusing on his career:  Music.  Gifted with a lot of creativity and charisma, he quickly rose to become a Rock Star.  The late hours not withstanding, he's happy with his life right now.  To celebrate, and because Luna was becoming more and more miserable since she no longer had Claire to herself, Mark went into Old Town and came back with a lively, expressive dog whom he named Sol (Luna being moon, Sol being sun, it made sense to him).  Now Sol and Luna entertain each other and play with each other, keeping themselves happy and socialized even when their humans aren't free to play with them.

Needing a place to stay, Justin's younger sister Lori dropped in for a visit...and ended up falling deeply in love with Mark, who reciprocated.  Now it was Claire's turn to be suspicious.  However, with Justin running interference, it didn't take long for Mark and Lori to get married.  Lori, who was possessed of immense creativity, almost excessive charisma, and a body to die for, entered into the Fashion industry with every intention of becoming a designer of the highest quality and status.  She will, however, settle for talking about it all as a Fashion Columnist.

Part of Justin's running interference for his sister included getting Claire pregnant.  Shortly after Mark and Lori's marriage, Claire and Justin welcomed their daughter Rebecca into the world.  She was followed by Mark and Lori's daughter, Sherri.  The two girls room together and have taken over the responsibility of bathing the two dogs.

With money now coming in more steadily, the Charming family hopes to improve their home and their lot, making it a little more impressive.  Although she denies it, Claire really envies her friends whose homes are much more impressive--spell it "rich"--and luxurious.  Justin, however, happy with the minor renovations that were needed to house their growing family, is unwilling to invest too much more in home improvements.  While he won't object to some gardening and landscaping, he likes the coziness of their home.  Mark and Lori, similarly satisfied, are siding against Claire, but they do want to get a hot tub, something for them to relax in after a long evening at work.  They're willing to settle for a pool, though.  The girls just want a little more fun things around the house--painting, music, checkers, computers, television, reading...they've done it to death and want more variety.  Luna and Sol just want a bit of peace and quiet now and again...it's hard always jumping up to greet their humans when they've just settled themselves for a nap.

Updates and News

POLICE CHIEF ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Old Town police chief Warren Gold has announced his retirement from his office.  After protecting and serving our community faithfully, he has decided that he can better serve by moving beyond simply protecting to healing.

"It's not an outlandish change," Gold says.  "Before I enlisted in the military at my parents' insistence, I had almost completed my residency and actually interviewed at several hospitals."

Although plans were laid for Gold to work at several military hospitals after completing basic training, he left the military and entered the police academy, from which he graduated with distinction.  He then began his law enforcement career, culminating in his promotion to co-chief of Old Town at the mayor's request.

"He will be missed," says Gold's fellow police officer and co-chief, Vera Brown.  "I wish him well in his new endeavors.  If he devotes even half the time and energy that he did to his office, then Old Town's citizens will be well served...and healthier for it, too."

STONE FAMILY WELCOMES BABY GIRL

Mr. Percival "Percy" Stone and Ms. Cordelia Stone nee Dylans are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Brenda.

Mr. Stone is the younger brother of well-known Old Town exorcist Miles Stone.  He has one daughter, Sarah, from a previous marriage that ended in a mysterious divorce.  The first Mrs. Stone disappeared while on a hiking tour in Patagonia and was not heard from for nearly a year, then sent divorce papers that had been filed in Marseilles, France, through a parcel service in Venice, Italy.  Investigators were unsuccessful in locating her.  However, handwriting analysts determined that the signature on the papers--which included a document ceding custody of her daughter and the surrendering of all visitation rights--was definitely written by the absent Mrs. Stone, and Mr. Stone was granted full custody of his daughter.

Mrs. Stone is the younger sister of Old Town theorist Kyle Jones, husband of the sister-in-law of Dennis Jones, the famous Broadway star.  This is Mrs. Stone's first marriage and first child.

FORMER CHIEF DECLINES BECOMING CHIEF

Former police chief Warren Gold has declined the offer to become Chief of Hospital Staff at Old Town Memorial Hostpital.

Upon his retirement from the police force, Gold returned to the career he originally planned to follow, beginning as a medical technician rather than something higher, despite his prior qualifications.  "Because of how long I've been out of practice," he says, "I want to start at the beginning again, to learn about all the new equipment and techniques that have become the norm since my prior residency.  Not the Beginning-beginning, of course, not medical school again," he adds with a smile.

Gold came up for promotion following the discovery of a cure for a previously untreatable podiatric condition.

When asked by co-workers why he rejected his promotion, Gold answered that he didn't want to deal with "those issues" again.  "Personnel...board of directors...investors...it's all little different from being Police Chief where instead of a board you're dealing with the town council, and instead of investors you're also negotiating with the town council.  I'm happy to let someone else deal with that mess."

"He's good at what he does," fellow Medical Researcher Lucille Adonii comments.  "Maybe it's from being in the military and in law enforcement, but he doesn't look at the data the same way most of the rest of us do.  It lets him see and understand things that we miss simply because we aren't looking at it from the same perspective."

ANNOUNCING THE MARRIAGE

Of Mr. Henri Gold to Ms. Carolina Blake.

Mr. Gold is the youngest son of well-known exorcist and chairwoman of the Gold Group, Mrs. Jacqueline Gold.  He is also the nephew of famous exorcist and philanthropist Jacques Verde.  He is currently a nationally-published Fashion Columnist.

Ms. Blake is the younger sister of Ms. Virginia Trenton, of the Trenton family, Old Town's richest family.  She is currently employed at the local circus with plans of becoming a Lion Tamer once she completes her training.

The Newbie Family

When Bob and Betty Newbie moved into town--before incorporation--they knew no one.  And, struggling as they were to make ends meet, it was difficult to find the time to meet their neighbors--what few there were.  Bob and Betty--who both appreciate good food--found themselves gaining weight rapidly as they coped with the stress of their new lives.  All along Betty wanted to have children, but she knew--and Bob agreed--that trying to raise a family on their budget wouldn't be fair for any children they might have.  So, they decided to stabilize their incomes first, then discuss raising a family again after that.

Both Bob and Betty entered into law enforcement, but a lack of skills meant they only managed to become Cadets.  The income wasn't great, but it was steady, and they could have a humble lifestyle, so long as they sacrificed some luxuries--like a color TV and comfortable chairs--to make way for their needs.  Unfortunately, Betty soon discovered that she couldn't have children.  This broke her heart, and Bob wasn't about to hurt her more by suggesting they adopt instead.  Besides, while they could have perhaps afforded to raise their own child, the adoption process would have strained their resources tremendously.

Around this time, Betty's younger brother Trevor came to town, looking for a place to stay.  He moved in with them, and soon established himself as a top-caliber scientist.  With the addition of Trevor's savings and income, Bob thought it might be the right time to suggest adopting.  However, before he could broach the subject, Betty shot it down from her side, saying that she wanted to focus on her career instead.  Bob, though he himself wanted a family, chose not to press the point and devoted himself to his career as well.  He decided to enlist in the military.  With his hefty build, however, it took a while before he could convert the fat to muscle.  He still looked overweight, but the military doctors all agreed that he was fit as a fiddle--despite looking more like a bass.

Betty left law enforcement as she took stock of her abilities and skills.  Her friend, Jason Silver, slipping her a little cash on the side, gradually drew her into a life of crime, taking her on as first an apprentice, then as an underling.

Around the time that Bob was preparing for Astronaut training and Betty was learning to operate a printing press, Amelia Stone (nee Farmer) left the Stone family, having fallen in love with Trevor.  The two were married, and Amelia moved into the Newbie house.  With the added income and an additional highly-skilled chef, Betty and Bob renewed their efforts to excelling in their professions, and in short order Bob was preparing for lift off and Betty was promoted from underling to partner in crime as a Smuggler in Jason's organization.

Shortly after the two reached their desired pay grades, Betty and Trevor's younger brother Zachary moved in.  He brought with him his girlfriend--and soon-to-be wife--Caitlyn.  Both were unemployed, but both were working diligently towards achieving their career goals, so Betty and Bob had no problem letting the two freeloaders watch the house while the rest of them worked.

Betty had resigned herself to having no children of her own, and was ready to think about adoption.  However, before that could be fully considered, Zachary and Caitlyn had a baby girl, Ruth.  A little while later Trevor and Amelia had a baby boy, Cedric.  Spending time with the two babies, Betty decided that she'd rather be the nice, doting aunt instead of the strict, stressed-out mother.

Once Ruth and Cedric were grown, Zachary and Caitlyn were free to finish their training for their careers.  Very quickly Zachary got picked up as a Dishwasher, and with his advanced skills moved swiftly through the restaurant industry to become a Celebrity Chef.  Caitlyn had to wait for an opening at the local circus--it was over crowded with Popcorn Vendors--until she could start, but once she got her foot in the door, her charisma and stamina got her promoted.  Fearless--but not foolhardy--she looks forward to the day she can step into the big top and have her big cats perform for the audience.

The Stone Family Addendum

Minor change to the Stone family.

As mentioned previously, Vivian moved out, and Gloria left with her.  They're now living with Gloria's cousin, Rowan, and her family.  That opened up space for two more family members at the Stone household.

Rather than wait for the guys to get a call about adopting, I've instead moved in Miles' younger brother Percy and his daughter Sarah.  Percy met and married Cordelia and moved in, bringing Sarah along.  Now they stay in the room that was once Miles and James' room.  The two guys have instead moved into the room Gloria and Vivian shared, and Amelia--since Cordelia now shares a bed with Percy--now has a room all to herself.

Cordelia, who became stressed out by her job as a Lion Tamer (the constant need to be watchful was wearing on her), left that career and became a Rock Star by using Amelia's connections in the industry.  Amelia had herself grown tired with the prime-time hours and went into business, becoming a CEO.  She wished Cordelia well, but warned her that it could be difficult.

After marrying Percy, Cordelia suddenly found that she didn't really like being in the spotlight.  At least with her old job she was too busy watching the big cats to worry about the audience too much.  One night, she decided she just couldn't continue, and gave up her job.  Instead, she decided to go into the fashion industry.  At least there she wouldn't be the main focus of anything.  Well, clothes and such while she was a model, but her job was to make the clothes look good...she wouldn't be what everyone would be looking at (or at least she shouldn't be, and that was enough to give her the courage to go out on stage).

In the meantime, Percy decided that he could handle the spotlight, and after working hard to get in shape and work on his performance skills, he entered into the music industry.  He rose faster in the industry than either Amelia or Cordelia had, and now he's a Rock Star of exceptional fame.

Sarah is a well-adjusted young lady.  She's accepted that her mother won't be back (she ran off with another man), and has accepted Cordelia as her step-mother, and Amelia as an aunt.  She's a little confused by her uncle having a husband instead of a wife, but since she and James get along well, she just shrugs it off.  She is a little lonely, though, being the only child.

Amelia, knowing how Sarah feels, has begun thinking about moving out.  She herself is interested in finding love for herself, and wonders if Mr. Right is out there somewhere.

Steven, for his part, has given up being a coach.  Instead, he has taken to the stage as an entertainer.  Now a Broadway Star, he gets home later, but he also leaves home later, so there isn't as much of a rush to go as there was before.

Jonathan, on the other hand, has decided to enter into the work force.  Though he works hard at home, he wasn't inclined to take an all-day job, nor give up his mornings to chat with friends and neighbors.  Instead, he opted to become a Personal Tour Guide.  Now, though he often handles breakfast duty, someone else does dinner, which leaves him relieved and less stressed.  Being at work also reduces how desperate he is for society at home (outgoing as he is, he needed to meet with at least two people to remain in good spirits and still not be fully satisfied; now he can get by on just one per day).

The Stone house has itself undergone some changes.  The balconies are gone, walled up and over to make space for more bathrooms--the three the house had before just wasn't cutting it for eight people.  Now Miles and James have a bathroom for themselves, and so do Jonathan and Steven.  Amelia, Cordelia, and Percy share one or two bathrooms between them, but since Amelia's gone during the day and Cordelia and Percy are gone at night, it works out all right.  Sarah shares with them, but there's a bathtub with a shower curtain in one of the upstairs bathrooms, to avoid the spillage that always seems to occur whenever she uses the showers.

Whether or not Amelia stays and if Sarah gets a sibling remains to be seen.

Family Updates 2

Another round of updates, if only because things have been gradually changing here and there.

Chief among the changes is that, after thinking long and hard about it, I decided to cut away some friendships and realign others.  One of the main reasons for this is that it was becoming a bit difficult to maintain the friendships of a family that had over 40 of them.  Part of it was because the hours that the Sims were available for visiting neighbors didn't match up.  If I had a prime-timer (someone who works evenings) being friends with a dayshift Sims (someone who works from at earliest 8a and ends at latest 6p), trying to match hours would necessitate one Sim not going to work, or having to get up early enough to call the other Sim before that Sim left for work him/herself.

The other part was because it was becoming difficult to juggle who calls on what day, and if there are other Sims making calls, who gets precedence and what happens if kid Sims come with their adult family members.  With some of my families having two kids and two adults coming home at 3p, that would be four people needing to make calls.  So, naturally, I'd maybe have them take turns on alternate days, right?  Well, good, but if I called one kid, and one parent, and that parent comes with another kid, who also happens to be friends with the kid who called his/her friend...so I have to be careful.  By dropping certain friends and realigning others, I could usually arrange for a kid to call the friend whose family member the adult is calling.  For example, I might have Johnny Burb call Gregory Farmer (both kids) while Ian Burb (who arrives home at 3p also) calls Chad Farmer (who also arrives at 3p).  Although Gregory does have a cousin who's also a kid and may arrive with Chad, because Johnny's not her friend, I could have Ash Burb greet and talk to her instead, while Ian talks to Chad and Johnny talks to Gregory.  Confusing?  Yes, it is.

Another reason it was becoming hard was because I had multiple friendships in families.  I have been steadily avoiding having one Sim be friends with two (or more) members of another Sim family because it wouldn't help the family's friend count.  However, With all my families more or less in place, I decided it would be best to cut some of the multiple friendships.  This way only one adult per family would be friends with an adult in any other family.  For example, Mortimer Goth might be friends with Diane Pleasant, but not with Jeff.  Cassandra Goth might be friends with Jennifer Pleasant, but none of the other Pleasants.  It reduces the overall number of friends somewhat, or at least gets it back to manageable levels:  with eight people in the family, I feel that 32 friends--4 per family member--is quite sufficient; doing more risks going crazy (me, not the Sims).

So, I am working on cutting out extra friendships based upon who has more friends, how strong or weak the existing friendships are, etc.  I am also working on realigning friendships based upon the work hours and options available.  For example, I have restricted all my National News Anchors (who work from 11a to 8p) and my Venture Capitalists (same hours) to be friends with each other and only each other.  It still makes it difficult to get them to meet simply because the hours are so late, but it's easier than trying to match any of the up with, say, a Veterinarian who leaves at 7a and gets back at 3p.  In that sense, it is a lot easier for the 3 p-mers (Coaches, Smugglers, Astronauts, etc.) to be friends with each other because there are a lot of professions that end at that time.  I also have a lot of Theorists in play, so that is fine too.  The prime-timers can call each other in the morning and still make it to work in the afternoon.

And the kids...well, I only allow them to be friends with kids now.  If a kid calls an adult Sim, there are a lot of options, but if the adult calls the kid, it's much more limiting.  However, because most kids get along, it's easy to get them to be friends, even during their first meeting.  I just have them Talk About Interests, then Entertain Perform Trick.  If the kid is in a good mood, then I can use Talk Jabber then Entertain Perform Trick again.  Next is Talk Whisper then Entertain Joke.  Then I can use Tickle.  if Play Rock, Paper, Scissors shows up, that would be next.  Otherwise, I have them Say Goodbye.  If everything went well, then I have a new family friend and my kid Sim ends up with a green Social Gauge.

Now the family updates.

1. Willow Burb's sister, Rowan, moved into town with her family.  They'll get their own story later.  The point here is that Vivian Stone, who happens to be Rowan's husband's cousin, has left the Stone house and moved with her girlfriend Gloria into her cousin's place.  This leaves space in the Stone household for the guys to adopt a couple of kids...which would make friendships a little easier for the aforementioned reasons.

2. Delia Venii left the fashion industry and went into Business.  Now, as a CEO, she doesn't have to work the long nights, just long days.  She is happier, though.  Her husband, Emil, is preparing to get a job as a Slacker.  He intends to settle into the swing shift from 2p to 7p as a Personal Tour Guide.

3. Also in the Venii househould, Raoul Venii has completed his rise to become a Fashion Columnist.  I've also redesigned the Venii house.  The story for it is that it was originally a convent (or nunnery) with imposing stone walls and a fountain where nuns could reflect on...well, whatever nuns reflect on (sorry, don't want to offend anyone).  Now, however, the fountain has been renovated into a swimming pool.

4. In the Adonii household, Marie has finally started her career in Fashion.  Now, she is a Fashion Columnist like her husband, Kenny.  The Adonii have also gotten a pool.  I thought about putting the pool indoors (you know, I read that you couldn't do that--you had to make the pool first, then enclose the room) but after doing that, and seeing the room score after a Sim dove in, I took it out and put it outside instead.  Much nicer.

That's about it for now.  I still have more work to do on Willow Burb's sister's family before I can present them...they have a long way to go.  And I also have several other families to introduce.  And I'm also thinking about whether or not I should try to post pictures of the Sims and their houses or not.  I know it's an option...I just don't know if I want to do it.  I might describe them and their houses, though.  Maybe.

The Burb Family - Addendum

Just an update on what's happened with the Burb family.

It's a struggle, what with trying to juggle Tiffany's fashion career with the odd hours, especially when it comes to building up skills to the highest degree:  it takes forever, and there's only so much time in each day for Tiffany to work on her Charisma.  True, she could skip work once or twice--and has--but given that even at not quite where she wants to be, she still brings in a sizeable paycheck, she can't miss work too often...the family needs the funds.

Of course, now that Ian has made it up to being an Exorcist, bringing in 1000 Simoleons a day, the pressure's off Tiffany.  On the other hand, the pressure was on everyone for a time, because while all this was going on, Ian and his wife Willow...well, they decided they were ready to expand the family, and had a baby boy.  The whold family was in an uprorar as they tried to juggle sleep with missing work, not missing work, and maintaining the relationships needed to get everyone to where they need to be.  Long story short, the newest Burb--Ash--wound up being sort of Neat, very Outgoing, not especially Active, exceptionally Playful, and very Nice as well.  He's bonded quite well with Dottie, the Dalmatian the Burbs adopted.

Willow decided to go the Business route.  Really, her starting skills were high enough that she could go into any number of professions, but since she was a little greedy, she went for the money--950 Simoleons a day.  Now, if Tiffany could just get up to being a Fashion Columnist, the family would bring in 3000 Simoleons total each day, more than enough to build up the family coffers, especially since they haven't gone out of their way to buy a whole lot.  On the other hand, they all really need to update their wardrobes a bit.  They went shopping in Old Town the same day they adopted Dottie, and Johnny had a new swimsuit and new PJs, but everyone else is still in their same old clothes.  Well, not really...Ash, after getting comfortable in a stained gray shirt and blue jeans, decided to drop that in favor of a green long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans (courtesy of the TSR Archive).

In order to accommodate all the new additions, the Burbs had to expand their original house.  They enlarged the foyer so that there were fewer traffic jams going in and out--especially with Tucker and Dottie always racing to meet people at the door and getting underfoot.  They put in another bathroom upstairs, and expanded the rooms upstairs as well.  Downstairs, they relocated the washroom and installed a shower.  They also built a separate room just for the dogs--Tucker's old doghouse got moved inside (though it's now usually Dottie in there), and the dogs' bath is also located inside.  The garden shrank--as mentioned before--so Brad could do it all on his own--but the stress is wearing on him--between working in the getting up early to make breakfast for everyone, working in the garden, and trying to keep up his relationships, it's no wonder the poor man hits the espresso machine fix or six times a day.

The Burbs are thinking of taking a vacation sometime soon...maybe after Tiffany gets promoted again...but they may forget that entirely, since their Creativity skills are thus far only as high as they need them to be.  Besides, they just planted a hedge wall all around the inside of their fence, and planted hawthorne and juniper bushes on the outside of the fence.  It cost a bit, so the vacation may have to wait until they're more safely solvent again.  Of course, they need a few more items in the home too, and a pool in the backyard would also be welcome.

The Burb Family

It's been hard deciding which family to write about, mostly because I would prefer to wait until the family is more or less complete--that is, eight members, all established or nearly established in their careers.  However, I've decided to just go ahead and introduce them and provide updates here and there as new things come up.  So, without further ado, the next family:  the Burbs!

It's been a while since I started/played one of the pre-made families, but the Burbs are an okay kind of family.  In keeping with the family's details, here's what I came up with so far.

Brad Burb, tired of the hustle and bustle--and never-ending noise--of the city, quit his job and moved his family into Old Town.  The house they bought with his severance pay came with twelve plots of ready-to-plant crop-growing land.  He had in mind the idea of becoming a sort of gentleman farmer, but realizing that he wasn't really cut out for it, decided to cut the twelve back to six...a much more manageable number.  The condition for their moving out of the city, however, was that he would take care of the household while Tiffany worked, so Brad is currently working on building up his cooking skills so they can all enjoy healthy meals.

Tiffany, a little disgruntled at having left the city behind, is adjusting well.  The commute's a pain, but the fresh air and the open space has been doing wonders for her health.  She's not the trendy ideal of beautiful, but she has the classic (and classy) beauty of one born to it and possessed of a certain kind of self-love--the kind that focuses on maintaining one's health and well-being through eating right and exercising regularly.  She's determined to make it to the top of the fashion world...or at least close to it.

Johnny was a little upset about leaving behind his friends in the city.  However, he's making the adjustment.  He's met a lot of kids his own age, and now that they have a house with a real yard, he and his dog Tucker can run around and play freely.  His mother has bought him a turtle that he plays with each morning and feeds each night, and he's getting used to the quiet.  His father's cooking, on the other hand...that's going to take some time and much more skill on Brad's part.

Shortly after moving out of the city and into Old Town, the Burbs ran into Tiffany's nephew, Ian, in the Downtown area.  Estranged from his parents (Tiffany's sister and brother-in-law), Ian left home and was surviving as a Paparazzi, living at the newspaper he took pictures for.  Tiffany promptly took him by the ear, dragged him into a cab, and brought him home.  Now eating regularly and with a much more comfortable place to sleep, Ian has now decided to follow in his father's footsteps--estranged they may be, but Ian inherited a certain set of skills that he can't deny--into the Paranormal field.

Although there are a lot of cats and dogs in the neighborhood, Tucker gets lonely during the day while Johnny's at school, so a couple of months after Ian moved in, the Burbs headed into Old Town, where Tiffany bought a female Dalmatian.  She promptly named her Dottie (Tiffany, for all her imagination with colors and fabrics, couldn't think of a better name).  Now Tucker and Dottie can entertain each other while Johnny's at school...although their wrestling matches seem less play and more like struggles for dominance.

Ian, though happy to have a place to call home, was a little lonely.  However, he was fortunate enough to meet a young woman named Willow while visiting the park in the Downtown area.  After a whirlwind courtship--she was sort of aggressive, and he was definitely interested--he asked her to marry her, and she agreed.  Willow is ready to take the Business world by storm...or the Xtreme circuit...whichever calls to her the loudest.

The Burbs are happy now...but Ian and Willow are waiting for their own bundle of happiness until they're both settled and established in their careers.  But if they're not careful, Tucker and Dottie may decide to pre-empt them with a bundle of their own!

The Baker Family

Among my oldest families--predating incorporation--is the Baker Family.  Originally it was only a method of getting Melissa Roomies to move out so I could get someone else in with Chris Roomies.  However, they later became one of my more established families.

Peter Baker moved into town and lived with James, Miles, Jonathan, and Steven Stone (then Trenton, from James' family name).  Originally he intended to go into law enforcement, but the hours were problematic at best, and he was unhappy with them.  However, it was on one of his patrols that he met another town residen, Melissa Roomies.  The two met, fell in love, and Melissa left behind her roommate Chris (who I have identified as her step-sister, though that's probably not accurate) to move in with Peter and his housemates.

While living with Peter, Melissa entered into the science field.  Along the way, however, they decided to have two children, Pamela and Patrick.  Pamela is not as nice as Patrick is, but she is extremely playful.  Patrick is much more outgoing and nice, and has no problem keeping his sister out of trouble.  During the times when the children were infants, having James and the others around made raising them a lot easier.

Shortly after James and the others moved out to live with James' brother Danny Trenton, Peter got a new job in the paranormal field.  It took some doing, but he soon rose to become an Exorcist.  Melissa, in the mean time, made it through the tangles of academic life to become a Theorist.

Also before incorporation, Donna, Peter's older sister, moved into town.  Not knowing anyone, she was a bit of a loner, focused solely on work.  However, when Peter and Melissa decided to move their family in with her, she found her circle of relationships forcibly opened.  Now, she is one of the first to greet new residents in town.  She has since risen to become CEO of her own company.

Michael Bachelor--whom I understand to actually be Bella Goth's older brother (per Sims 2 and 3)--moved into town a little while after Peter and his family moved in with Donna.  He enlisted shortly after arrival in town, and it as as a soldier that he met Donna--who, by the way, is several years older than he is (but the difference isn't as great as between Gertrude and Jean-Claude Silver).  Despite the age difference, they fell in love, and Michael moved into the Baker Household.  After rising all the way to become an Astronaut, an incident arose that disillusioned him, and he opted out of reenlisting, setting his sights instead on work as a Theorist.  That too, however, became frustrating for him, so he now purses a career as a Pro Athlete.

Around this time the Bakers decided to renovate and rebuild their house.  While the renovations were going on, Donna and Peter's parents arrived in town.  Newly retired, Rex and Trixie (short for Beatrice) Baker were happy to accept Donna's invitation to move in with them.  Rex, after a lifetime of hard work, is happy to enjoy his retirement.  Trixie, however, finds being stuck at home all day too much trouble and has since gone back to work part-time as a Personal Tour Guide--she thought about becoming a professional party guest, but decided she doesn't have the stamina for it.

Thank you for your support

Thank you to the three individuals who bookmarked me as an artist, even though I'm not one.  I appreciate your support and wish I knew who you were so I could thank you personally (as opposed to impersonally, through the blog).

As I finish writing about the families in my neighborhood--and I am running out of families, though I still have a few more--I'm not sure what direction I'll take.  I still have to start The Sims 2 (no, I've never played it yet, but I have the Double Deluxe, University Life Collection, Best of Business Collection, and Fun with Pets Collection waiting to be installed).  I also have the pre-made families to go into--yes, I created some stories for them to tie them into my families, but haven't worked with four of them yet (Burbs, Hicks, Goth Sr., and Charming).  I also had planned to go into the other neighborhoods and work on them with different ideas--one neighborhood (except for the pre-made families) with non-human male faces, one completely immersed in magic.

I also still need to fully utilize Magic Town and Studio Town.  I also need to get a couple of Sims into a couple of other careers: right now I have at least one male and one female Sim in every career (Business, Entertainment, Law Enforcement, Criminal, Medical, Military, Science, Sports, Xtreme, Politics, Music, Slacker, Paranormal, Journalism Hacker, Fashion, Animal Care, Culinary, Circus) except Education, and I still need to try someone out in the Fame career track.  Fortunately, in my current neighborhood, I still have space for two more houses to be built, plus one of the original lots that I've been using for adding new Sims into my families, and another where I plan to import the Mashugas to (eventually).  Plus the Newbies still have space to grow.  So, I can still work on Education and Fame, plus I'm guessing I have space in Magic Town for this neighborhood to move in three more families (I think that's right) but we'll see.

I was also thinking of making a neighborhood consisting primarily of families with animal names or varients, like Wolfe, Hawke, Deere, etc.  Or maybe colors (I'd be reusing Green and Brown and White--I haven't introduced them yet--or Black), though that might get a little weird:  families named Cerulean or Lavendar, or some other less-than-common color names.  Maybe vegetable names, too, though that would get weird also...Olive, Carrot, Asparagus, and of course all sorts of problems pronouncing one family either "To-May-To" or "To-Mah-To".  But we'll see.

Anyway, please continue to read my blog entries.  I'd appreciate it if you'd maybe comment now and again, but as long as you keep visiting and reading, I'm happy.  Thanks again!