The Trenton Family

I am particularly fond of the Trenton family for a variety of reasons, but most of those reasons are that this is a family of a lot of "firsts."  I'll try to explain as this entry proceeds.

Danny Trenton moved into Old Town shortly after incorporation.  In fact, he was the first of the new residents to arrive.  He actually had a relative in town already: James Stone, who was living with his boyfriend and his former college roommate and HIS boyfriend.  After Danny purchased and built his home, the other four men moved in for a while: they had been living with one of James Stone's boyfriend Miles' friends and his wife.  Danny welcomed them into his home, and they lived together for a long time--enough for the Trenton family's bank account to rise to over 900,000 Simoleons: with (at the time) three Coaches and one Exorcist bringing in 4000 Simoleons a day and not spending much beyond bills (once they were more or less set, I stopped buying things for them), it really adds up quickly.  Since then, the soon-to-be Stone gentlemen have moved out and taken up residence elsewhere.  Danny remains behind.  He, by the way, was the original Exorcist (though his brother James and his boyfriend Miles have since become Exorcists as well).

During his brother's stay, Danny adopted two of the local Strays, Aristotle and Cali.  After a while, they mated and produced one kitten, who grew up to look just like Aristotle.  His name (I assume it's a "he") is Calistoga.  These, by the way, constitute two more firsts: the first pet(s) to be adopted, and the first pet to be bred.

At one point while his brother was living with him, Danny threw a party.  He really hit it off with one of the Townies who dropped in, Joseph, who was in the Journalism field.  After spending some time in the Heart-shaped Hot Tub (first one I bought for any of my families), the two started seeing each other (i.e., Danny invited him over quite often).  After a little while, Joseph moved in (becoming the first Townie to be moved in to my families...unfortunately, he only had two Townie friends...sigh).  After a little while, Joseph switched jobs to become an Exorcist like Danny.

For a little while Rachel Generic lived with them, before moving out to live with the Generics.  While she was with them, though, they moved house to a new lot.  After a bit of fussing and fudging, Danny and Joseph and the cats moved again, this time into the older neighborhood.  There they bought one of the original houses and remodeled it to suit their needs.

Around this time Joseph's sister Penny was looking for a place to stay, and Joseph invited her to move in.  Shortly after that, Penny's girlfriend Virginia moved in too.  Penny, like her brother, went into Paranormal work and became an Exorcist.  Virginia, on the other hand, remains unemployed and takes care of the cooking and the morning dishes.

A short while after Penny and Virginia moved in, Joseph and Danny--who had both returned from work at 3:00 p.m., were reaffirming their love for each other when the phone rang.  Danny, who answered it, was asked if he wanted to adopt.  He said yes, and in that way Nora entered their lives.  She has now become the particular pet of Calistoga, who runs to greet her every day when she returns from school.

So, any other firsts with this family?  Well, while Danny's brother and his friends were living with him, this was the first family to use the crystal ball to modify their personalities.  This was also the first family I experimented with making two independent buildings on one lot completely unconnected from each other except for a walkway--a private room with the Heart-shaped Hot Tub and the Love Bed.  Danny's family was also the first one to get a Servo--needed, really, because someone had to pick up all the dead mice the cats were leaving behind each night.  They also got the first transporters--and the last, because firstly the cats couldn't use them, making them unhappy, and secondly because I didn't know if the transporters could malfunction and kill the Sims.

Okay, as an addendum...Danny was originally created as skinny Sim, but has since bulked up and gotten into shape.  I sort of miss him in his original outfit--as I said, he was the first Sim I created after incorporation--but he looks okay in his new one, so I'm satisfied.

The Stone Family

I hesitated to post this one because this family is undergoing a bit of change and transformation.  But, the Stone family being one of the first I ever created (even if it wasn't as complete as it is now), it would be unfair to let only the "younger" families dominate.  So, here we go!

Jonathan and Steven Stone moved into Old Town prior to incorporation.  They had no family in town, they knew no one...they came to town simply to find someplace quiet to live.  However, as things turned out, their own families followed them...sort of.

Jonathan is unemployed and quite happy about it.  With his family's growth, their combined income is more than enough to let him stay at home and do nothing.  Well, not exactly nothing...he's the one in charge of cooking meals and cleaning dishes, of watering the flowers (and there are a LOT of flowers--they live in the big house on the hill, the one with the island in the middle of the pool from Neighborhood 1), all the home duties.  He does everything he can to make life easier for his housemates--all seven of them.  Of course, only one of them--Steven--is his significant other.  Jonathan's sister is Rachel Generic, the Exorcist living in the house with six other women, a man, and his daughter.

Steven Stone is Jonathan's most beloved.  A Coach, he can often be found swimming in the pool, when he isn't putting his athletic prowess to better use elsewhere in the house.  He and Jonathan have been a couple for a long, long time.  His sister is Alicia Green, wife of Theo Green.

Shortly after settling down with Steven, Jonathan's college roommate, James Trenton, moved into town with his boyfriend, Miles.  Needing a place to stay, the two men moved in with Steven and Jonathan, and haven't left since.  Both men are Exorcists, though they both started out as Coaches like Steven.  Actually, James moved in with Miles after he caught his then boyfriend, Kyle Jones (previously Dylans) cheating on him--or trying to--with Bella Goth.  That broke their relationship--though it had always been a one-sided platonic relationship anyway--and James let himself be courted by Miles.  James has one brother, also living in town.  Miles has no relatives living nearby.

Due to a series of moving and resettling, the Stones' bank account isn't as flush as it could have been.  Indeed, most of their money stayed with James' brother when they were living with him--we're talking like almost 1,000,000 Simoleons here.  And moving into that big house on the hill killed the rest of their budget.  So, the Stones opened their house to boarders...and as a result they're tied to more houses in the neighborhood than simply marriage or siblings.

Cordelia Dylans is Kyle Jones' younger sister.  After losing her job, she visited Kyle for advice, and wound up staying with the Stones.  After a little relaxing and retraining, she was ready to begin a new career...and opted, surprisingly, for the Circus.  She's quite fearless as a Lion Tamer.  However, with her own passions leaning towards performance and music, she's ready for a career change.

Gloria moved in after returning from Europe to find her father remarried and living with her brother and his son, all of them living with Ginia Kat, her father's new wife.  Satisfied at least that her father was happy, she settled into her career as a Fashion Columnist and watches out for her family from afar (or a-near, as the case may be).  Her girlfriend, Vivian also moved in at that time.  Vivian sometimes handles the cooking in place of Jonathan...as a Celebrity Chef, she's as skilled as he is in the kitchen.

Amelia Farmer is Monty Farmer's younger half-sister.  Seeing as how she's only a couple of years older than her niece Lisa and her nephew Chad, she doesn't really relate well to her older sibling.  With the Stones, however, no one really notices her age (they're all more or less the same age anyway).  Although she had a career as a Rock Star, the late hours took their toll on her.  Now she's happy working on a daytime schedule, working in the Business field.  The hours aren't spectacular, but at least she's not working 9 hours a night anymore--just 7 during the day.  So she's happy.

And the rest of the household is happy too.  So that's all that matters, right?

The Green Family

The Greens are not original residents of Old Town, nor are they one of the older families.  They would have been one of the wealthiest, except that they had moved out of their old house and into the Old District, where land was more valuable.  Building a new home from scratch drained their financial resources, but with everyone working hard, they are steadily replenishing their bank account.

Davis and Angelica Green moved to Old Town shortly after their marriage.  Davis, who had always been good at knowing where things were located--even after they had been deliberately hidden--had learned more about his paranormal gifts and had found employment in the neighborhood as an Exorcist.  He still gets a lot of calls to find missing things, though.

Angelica Green (who happens to be Hector Miller's older sister, and who had encouraged him to move to Old Town after his divorce from Misty Talbot) met Davis in college, where she was studying the theater arts.  After their marriage she took a job as a waitress to help make ends meet, but she was soon "discovered" and worked her way into bit parts and supporting roles, and finally made into musicals as a Broadway Star.

They have one daughter, Bethany.

Shortly thereafter, Davis' twin sister Collette married into the Rutherford family.  This was a plus because not only were the twins--who had always been close--living near to one another, their children would always have playmates nearby.

Later, Davis' older brother Theo, his wife Alicia, and their son Isaac came to town.  Returned from living abroad and needing a place to stay, the younger brother invited the older to move in with them.  Accepting the offer, Theo and Alicia make their contribution to the household finances, though neither make as much as Davis and Angelica.

Theo, who had been an executive in another company, now used his severance pay (wishing to return stateside, he'd had no choice but to quit his job) to start his own company.  Now he is a CEO, making more than he was making at his old job.

Alicia, who had also been working with her husband at that other comany, used her severance pay to go back to school and study to her heart's content.  Now, having received her degrees in science, she works as a Theorist.

A few months after Theo and his family moved in, Davis and Theo's parents arrived.  Having been forced to vacate their old home (to make way for a new residential community of tract housing), they moved in with their sons--thus forcing the move into a bigger home.

Susan has always been a housewife, and she always will be.  She loves being near her grandchildren and is more than happy to take over the household duties of meal preparation, etc.  That is, after all, what she knows.  Nathaniel, on the other hand, became restless in his retirement.  He first thought to go back to school and teach--he had been a science teacher before his retirement--but changed his career after being frustrated at the lack of fashions for older people.  Now working in the fashion industry, he's determined to change the way of the world...by promoting his idea of "Gorgeous Gray, Sexy Silver" to the everyone.  He has aspirations to become a Fashion Columnist, thus gaining a wider audience, and plans to start his own clothing line.

The Cooper Family

Once upon a time a man met a woman.  They fell in love, got married, and celebrated a new addition to the family...eight times.  Then, one day after the oldest child left home to serve in the military, the man and the woman died in a tragic accident.  While returning home from visiting friends, they were caught in a thunderstorm.  The rain weakened a hillside, and the resultant landslide knocked their car from the road, tumbling it down into a ravine where they were buried under the muddy earth.  By the time anyone realized anything was wrong, it was too late.

Their firstborn child, a son, could do nothing, stationed as he was overseas and on a top-secret mission for military intelligence.  So, care for her younger siblings fell to the oldest daughter, Louisa Cooper.  Having recently graduated from high school, she gave up her scholarship to university to enter the workforce and support her family.  One by one, as each Cooper kid graduated from high school, they also entered the workforce.  However, because of Louisa's sacrifice, they were also able to attend university.

Around the time that the third child, Paul, graduated from high school, the oldest son finally learned what had happened and tried to send his pay home to help support the family.  Louisa, however, sent the money back, insisting that they were fine.  Besides, she told him, he was living alone and would need to support himself as well, while all of them were contributing to their bank account.  Though this initially caused bad feelings between the two oldest, they both finally agreed to disagree about the money and left it at that.

After the youngest sibling graduated from high school, Louisa made the decision to sell the house and relocate the family to Old Town, where the money from the house sale along with all their savings was enough to buy a new house and make the renovations needed to comfortable fit them all.  With the little money left over, Louisa was able to return to school part time.  Eventually, she put the skills she had developed raising her siblings to practical use and went into the culinary industry.  Even though she opened her own restaurant and now has a nice income as a Celebrity Chef, she never did get her college diploma.

About the time she opened her restaurant, her next younger sister went on a trip to Europe, fell in love, and never returned.

A strange gift had long run through the family, though it was stronger in some than in others.  Paul, the next brother Werner, and the third sister Tabitha, were strongest of all, and they put their paranormal abilities to good use.  All three rose quickly to become Exorcists, and their daily salary was a welcome influx to their dwindling savings.

The youngest daughter, Jasmine, though she shared her siblings' abilities, was more interested in finding out how they worked than in actually using them.  In order to do so, she went into the sciences, eventually becoming a Theorist.  She still hasn't quite figured out how their powers work, but it hasn't been from lack of trying--the older three are tired of being her guinea pigs.

The youngest of the family, Kurt, had done some modeling while in high school and decided to pursue a career in fashion full-time.  Capitalizing on his handsome good looks and his youthful innocence, he was the spokesmodel for numerous advertising campaigns.  Knowing, however, that the his youth wouldn't last forever, he began looking beyond just being a pretty face.  In short order he became a Fashion Columnist, though he does do a bit of modeling on the side now and again.

Just before Kurt's career took off, the family received word that their oldest brother had fallen in love with a nurse at a military hospital...a nurse who just happened to have family in Old Town.  Then they found out that their brother had married the nurse and now had a son.  Then, shortly after Kurt became a Fashion Columnist, they received word that their brother, his wife, and his mother-in-law had died in a car accident.  After the funeral, they learned that their previously unknown nephew, Hayden, would be moving in with his mother's family, the Rutherfords, in Old Town.  Happy that this last connection to their brother would be nearby, the Coopers met with the Rutherfords--previously unknown to them--and became good friends.

Shortly thereafter, their missing sister, Kimberly, showed up on their doorstep with her son Ethan in tow.  She said only that they needed a place to live.  Louisa accepted her back into the household, though it did require a bit of shuffling to manage the sleeping arrangements.  Kimberly said nothing about her sudden reappearance, and no one asked.  However, Paul and Werner were able to divine out a few things from what little Kimberly did say about Ethan's father--that he was a violent, possessive, obsessive drunkard who had been nice at first but showed his true nature shortly after Ethan's birth.  She had fled upon learning that their marriage was invalid since he had apparently been married to another woman--a woman who had left him and whom he was always trying to track down, which was why Kimberly had been able to slip away before Ethan's first birthday.  They had been running ever since.  As to the name of her husband, Kimberly muttered something like "shameful" and "nasty," but her brothers were able to determine that his real name was Shamus Nast.

Although Kimberly feared being discovered by Nast--she had learned that now he was searching for her as well as his wife--she was determined to make a living for herself.  Supported by family and friends--some of whom belonged to the wealthiest and most powerful of families in Old Town--she has begun pursuing a career in Medicine, with hopes of becoming a Medical Researcher some time in the near future.

Ethan doesn't remember anything about his father except that he didn't like him at all.  He much prefers having three uncles who treat him nicely like a human being, not an insect to be stepped on.

Family updates

I'm having trouble deciding which family to talk about next, so I'll wait a little before picking one.  In the meantime, here is some new data about the families previously introduced:

1. The Verde family actually has a daughter, born between Pierre and Jean-Claude (the one who married Gertrude Silver).  Her name is Sophie, and she's married into a family that has been mentioned but not formally introduced--the Steele family, the same one Grant Silver married into after divorcing Gertrude.  Sophie intends to be a Rock Star, but whether or not she does depends on whether or not Fashion calls her first.

2. As mentioned previously, Monty Farmer has a sister--specifically a half-sister--living in town.  She is currently changing professions, so her family may not be introduced soon.  Although...

3. Rachel Generic's brother is part of the same family as Monty Farmer's half-sister, and...

4. Kyle Jones has a younger sister who is also in that particular family.

5. I've decided to give a name (at least a family name) to the young father who was killed in an accident with his Rutherford wife and mother-in-law, leaving Samuel Rutherford a widower and Hayden an orphan.  I'll mention him when I introduce his family, but that family has also undergone a sort of change, so it might take a little while.

6. Melissa, Chris Generic's (nee Roomies) step-sister, might be the next family I introduce.  It should have dead-ended nicely, with no other outside connections to other families, but in doing research prior to beginning The Sims 2, I found out that it will have a connection to the Goth family.  Actually, I don't need to go along with that particular connection if I don't want to, but I'm fine with it.  It just means a little more thinking before I follow the connections from the Generics to that other family, because it will lead me into the Goths.  I will, though, eventually.

Stay tuned!

The Generic Family

What a tangled web I weave!  Somehow I've managed to ensnare nearly all the families in my Sims 1 neighborhood into less than six degrees of separation.  The Silver family reached out to the Verde, the Gold, the Talbot, and the Smith families, but the Verdes are already connected to the Golds (who are connected to the Adonii and Venii families), and the Talbots are connected to the Smiths.  From there, the Talbots connect to the Millers, who connect to the Farmers, with whom the Smiths also share a connection.  The Smiths then connect to the Rutherfords, and then the Millers reached out to ensnare the Jones family.  The Rutherfords and the Jones have other families connected to them as well, but here it's time to backtrack to the Millers and follow one of their other connections into the Generic family.

The Generics (I pretend to pronounce it "je-ne-reek") started with Aaron Miller, the oldest of the four siblings, and his three half-sisters, who are themselves half-sisters to each other.  Just as the three Miller brothers and their sister Lorna Farmer had different mothers, Aaron and his sisters all have different fathers.  Aaron's father, who was more athletic, passed along his physique and physical abilities to his son.  Similarly, the Generic sisters' fathers gave their daughters parts of themselves as well.

Janine Generic is the oldest of the three sisters.  Tall, with a kind of handsomeness that approaches--but doesn't quite reach--beauty, she is still quite attractive.  In fact, she had been in a casual relationship with Luther Smith until he got married; they're still good friends, though, in part because they work together.  From her father Janine inherited a scientific curiousity and academic drive that serves her well as a Theorist.

Kara Generic, the middle sister, inherited her good looks not only from her mother, who was quite beautiful herself, but also from her father, who was very handsome and worked as a high fashion model.  Small wonder then that she followed his path into the fashion industry, rising to become a Fashion Columnist.  She still models, her good looks always in demand, but she did get tired of being ogled by cameramen.  She once thought about giving it all up for Studio Town, but she prefers her "behind-the-scenes" work as an outside observer than being in front of the camera all the time.

Nadia Generic, the youngest sister, has a devil-may-care attitude and takes amazing risks for the thrill of it.  Given that her father was a studio stuntman as well as an adrenaline junkie, it's small wonder that she took a job in the Xtreme career path, now racing each day as a Grand Prix Driver.  Her older sisters worry that she'll get hurt, but while she got her father's wildness, she also inherited her mother's meticulousness for detail, and she never goes out on the race track without triple-checking her car and all the safety equipment...just in case.

Chris Roomies, who had moved into town with her step-sister, Melissa, lost her income when Melissa married and moved out of the small home they'd rented.  Somewhat lazy and not-at-all interested in working, she moved into the Generic home when they advertised for a live-in housekeeper.  Actually, they didn't want a housekeeper so much as someone to watch the house while they were at work--which was good, because Chris is a mediocre housekeeper at best.  So now Chris has a home to live in, free of charge, without having to work.  She does cook the meals for the family, though, so she is earning her keep in a way.

Rachel Stone grew up as an outcast because her paranormal abilities manifested early and scared off all the other children.  Now, as an adult, she works as an Exorcist.  Although she does have a brother living in town, Rachel took up lodging with the Generics instead...as something of a loner, she found living with her brother's family a stressful inconvenience.  With the Generics, she can be alone when she needs to be without anyone getting too concerned about her.

Blaze, who had been working and living Downtown, wanted to get back to a more relaxed, peaceful life.  After meeting the Generics in town, she accepted their offer to move into their house.  Now working as an Exorcist, she rooms with Rachel, their abilities serving to reinforce and protect each other--and the other residents of the house--from wandering spirits that may drop in.

One day, Chris met a man named Emmanuel and his daughter Harmonia.  She fell in love with him, he fell in love with her, and in short order Emmanuel and Harmonia moved into the Generic house.  As the only male in the house, Emmanuel could be either intimidated or doted on, but he's neither.  He's determined to earn his spot in the house...even if he hasn't decided on a career yet.  Harmonia's just glad that her step-mother is a nice woman--she didn't want a step-mother like Cinderella's or Snow White's.

The Jones Family

The Jones family aren't one of the founding families, but they are one of the few families living in the original neighborhood before incorporation, giving them a bit of status in Old Town.  In fact, Katrina Jones is one of the two women who serve as chief welcomers to new residents.

Unlike his brother Eric, Dennis Jones didn't go prematurely gray, and so he didn't have to fall back on other talents and skills because he was no longer as photogenic as before.  As a result, Dennis was able to make the most of his charisma and creativity to make it big as a Broadway Star.  However, as his wife's fine cooking began to take a toll on his waistline, Dennis realized he needed to get back into shape before he became just a supporting actor again.  So, with a bit of exercise [not to mention SimWardrobe], Dennis got fit, and became a total babe magnet...somewhat to his wife's chagrin, though she likes his sexier clothes.

Katrina has chosen the life of the unemployed housewife and is instead active in the community, welcoming each new neighbor into Old Town.  Though she and Dennis wanted children, they were never so lucky.  However, having seen what her sister and sister-in-law had to go through, Katrina is now relieved that she didn't have to deal with morning sickness, extra weight gain, etc.  She's happy just taking care of her nephews without being responsible for them as a mother.

Monica, Katrina's younger sister, married a young man named Kyle Dylans.  However, with her struggling with sporting mishaps and him working long hours as an inventor, their home life began to suffer.  Finally, Monica took her sister up on her offer and moved in with her and Dennis.  Kyle naturally followed along.  Now, with fewer worries about money, Monica was able to work through her athletic career, finally retiring from playing to take on the better paying jobs of assistant coach, and finally Coach.

Kyle, no longer under pressure to bring in a minimal paycheck for long hours, was able to work through his own difficulties and finally settled into his Theorist profession.  Although the limited hours are better, the long hours of his early career have taken their toll, and he's almost always in bed by 8 o'clock, 9 at the latest.  Unless, of course, he drinks lots and lots of coffee or espresso, in which case he can almost always go all night.

Kyle and Monica have one son, Franklin.  Franklin is playful and friendly, but also very energetic and exuberant.  Few of his classmates can keep up with him, and so he often gets chosen for teams because of his speed and athleticism.

Katrina and Monica's younger brother, R.J., had left home before their marriages, and was getting by as an internet entrepreneur.  However, he was surviving by staying with various friends.  Katrina dragged him home with her and forced him to move in.  With a stable home for the first time in several years, R.J. was finally able to develop a social life and find a girlfriend.  Tired of the long hours, he decided also to take a pay cut and begin working as an Exorcist.

Olivia is the young woman whom R.J. met in the Old Town commericial area.  She had just moved into town, and he was exorcising a spirit that had wandered too far from its tombstone.  The two hit it off, and after a few weeks, got married.  Olivia found a niche for a new business, and she soon became a CEO.

R.J. and Olivia also have one son, named Benjamin.  Unlike his cousin, Benjamin is more inclined towards fantasy and magic.  Still, he's the only one able to keep up with his cousin.

The Jones family moved out of the old neighborhood and into a much larger house.  It took a bit of doing, but now their home is much more homey.  Still, Dennis and Katrina still remember their first home fondly.

The Rutherford Family

The Rutherford family didn't move into Old Town until after incorporation, but they bought a property in the older neighborhood, giving them a bit of status above the other newcomers.

Lance Rutherford, who heads the family, worked hard to get where he is in the world today.  However, much of his success is owed to his wife, Nancy, who supported his dream to become a Rock Star.  He had the talent and the skill to achieve his dream, but it would have been impossible if Nancy hadn't been there to bring in a steadier paycheck while he worked on getting ahead in the music industry.

Actually, it would have been impossible if his younger brother Jeremiah and his wife Collette hadn't moved in shortly thereafter to help out with the income and take care of his and Nancy's son.  But because they were there, Nancy was able to add her talents and skills to her husband's.  Together they found greater success as a Rock Star duo than Lance was achieving as a solo act.

Jeremiah and Collette are raising two children--their own daughter Roseanna and his brother's son, Clay--while they find fulfillment in their own occupations as Veterinarians.  As the only two vets in town, Jeremiah and Collette find themselves taking care of not just the pet dogs and cats, but also the strays, the animals at the Pet Adoption Center, and all the birds, fish, lizards, turtles, and everything else scattered around town, and even the exotic fish in the tanks at Studio Town.

The two kids, despite their parents' high profile jobs and the famous people who call on them for help with pets, are well-grounded.  They could care less about the rock stars and big names in fashion who sometimes call on their parents.  Besides, they're more amazed by their aunt, Natalie Smith, who has seen and done more (and is a better cook) as a Celebrity Chef and an Exorcist.

Recently Lance and Jeremiah's father, Samuel, moved in with them, bringing along his grandson--their nephew--Hayden.  Samuel's wife, his other daughter (Lance, Jeremiah, and Natalie's baby sister) and son-in-law had died in a car accident.  Incidentally, this was the same accident that claimed the life of Crystal Talbot's husband (which he had actually caused because he was drunk) and made her into a widow.  Samuel has taken over the cooking duties from his sons, getting up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for first Jeremiah and Collette (who leave at 7:00 A.M.), then for the three kids and himself.  Then, after doing those dishes, he prepares a late breakfast or early lunch for Lance and Nancy, who sleep in late because they get in so early in the morning.  Then he may make a phone call or two to meet with friends, but then prepares dinner shortly after four--usually right after Lance and Nancy leave for work.  After dinner it's time for a bath and bed--all by about 6:00 or 7:00 P.M. because he gets up so early.

The three grandkids love their grandfather, even if they spemd so little time with him each day.  Hayden misses his parents, but with the entire family working to include him and make him feel loved, the pain is gradually lessening.

Dare I say it...?

Do I dare say it and risk jinxing the whole thing?

<whisper> Success!

I managed to put my new computer together last night.  After working through the setup and updating the pre-installed programs, I tried installing The Sims: Complete Collection.  The game installed--much faster than when I installed it on my old computer.  I didn't play just then, though...another issue came up called dinner.  And after that, another issue--although I got another printer (it was part of a package at Best Buy), it's an inkjet rather than a laser printer, and since the family prefers to use the laser because it is marginally more efficient, they wanted to install that onto the computer.  However, it uses a parallel port versus a USB port, and the new computer only had parallel ports, so now I need to go looking for an adapter.  Which brought up another issue:  we needed the CD to install the printer and we couldn't find it.  So that resulted in a 30-45 minute search.  Finally we found it.  We still need the adapter, but if we didn't have the CD, we wouldn't be able to install the printer, so we wouldn't have needed the adapter at all.  But now that we found it, I have to get the adapter.  And a USB hub too because now we're talking about four USB ports going to be in use--the keyboard and mouse use one port each, and between the laser printer and the inkjet printer, that's four, and that's all the computer has on the back (the ones on the front would be used for thumb drives, of course) so because we also have a scanner...AAAAH!

Sorry.

So, after the mad search for the CD (which we found), it was time for a TV break (NCIS and NCIS:LA, recorded on DVR).  Then, after that, I went through the process of copying my Sims files from the old computer onto thumb drive, then transferring them over to the new computer.

I tried playing one game--just start, to see if it would work--and it worked.  However, with a widescreen monitor, the aspect is slightly distracting.  I don't think the top and bottom got cut off, necessarily, which I heard might happen, because the menus on the bottom were visible, as were the queue items in the top right.  But what I'm thinking is this: on my old monitor there is a black border around the entire playing area, but on the widescreen monitor the top and bottom are cut off and go right to the border of the screen (or just about) while the sides are wider than before.  It will take a little getting used to, but I'm sure it will work out in the end.

So, tonight, I need to finish transferring just a few more files--I had made some paintings and stuff that are in some of the houses which I will now need to transfer so that the homes will open without problems.  Then, I can play!

Oh, wait.  Criminal Minds and CSI: NY are on tonight...were they new episodes?  I think they were...oh, well...I'll play after that for a little.

Well, back to work!

Wish me luck!

Well, I bought my new computer today.  I haven't started putting it together yet--too late in my time zone--but I have a day off and the weekend coming up to work on it, so that sounds like a plan.

Or it did, until the malware scanner picked up something again.  So, the new plan is to work on it tomorrow after I come home from work.

I really hope that The Sims: Complete Collection will install on Windows 7...I really don't want to lose all the time and effort I invested in creating my Sims.

On the other hand, I'll probably also install The Sims 2 onto the new computer.  I have some of the games--EA started selling them in bundles, so I don't have to go searching for all the expansion and stuff packs--so I can get started.

I also have a laptop running Windows XP, so I can probably install The Sims onto that if I really have to.  I just hope there's enough free memory to work with, and that the touchpad doesn't screw me up.  I'll probably use an external mouse for the laptop because I think the laptop also has a virus, albeit a less harmful and just really annoying one: the cursor works fine for a little bit, then it scrolls off to a corner and keeps going there no matter how hard I try to get it going in another direction.

So here's hoping that everything works well tomorrow!