New Maximiliania Head Count 2015

You can find this year's head count (plus the stats for all previous years) by clicking on the page "Lists and Stats" (to the right) or by following this link. 

I am surprised at the low number of births this year - it felt like many more babies! But possibly I have forgotten to put some names on the list. Anyway, the head count itself is correct, as I have a card for each playable Sim, and make a new one as soon as a baby is born.

Many names on the names list have already become extinct. Right now, the surname that is most widely spread in New Max is certainly Capp, followed probably by Ottomas and Greenman - I didn't count, but there certainly are quite a lot of them around :-)

Will be off in a few minutes to travel to some friends' place for New Year's Eve - should be back by Saturday (at the latest), and will probably have time to play some more over the weekend.

The Picaso Brothers: First Week Back

To (re-)read the brothers' last year at uni, click here.

Pablo is one of the four children Jessica Picaso has with her second husband, Gary Greenman (one of Rose Greenman's plantchildren). Jessica's first husband, Matthew Picaso, left her for Alexandra O'Mackey, his three-bolt-love. Matthew died many years ago.
Jessica is happy with Gary, although she will probably never quite get over losing her two firstborns, twins Pierre and Placido (their father was Matthew), in a fire at their dorm at uni.

Anyway, here is Pablo, freshly graduated Cum Laude in Physics and ready to tackle his lifetime want: He seems himself as the future head of SCIA.

With his modest funds, he bought this modest Maxis-made house. But why pay all the bills alone when one has a twin brother?

And so on this Monday, the first day of his return from uni and back in New Maximiliania, he invites his brother Prezioso to come and share the house with him.
Prezioso's final exam results were a tad better than those of his brother: he graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biology. I don't know how that will help him towards his LTW of becoming Prestidigitator, but we'll see.

They both look for jobs in their coveted careers but are not succesful. (Note the synthesizer - I decided to put it in Pablo's backpack since he had it in his dorm room all those "years", and I still can not recall how it got there in the first place.)

The welcome committee consists of Goneril Capp, Chaz Whippler and Cherry Capp.

The first meal at their new house is, surprisingly, a success - both brothers have only 1 cooking skill point each.

In the evening, Tina Traveller rings and invites the brothers on a group outing.

The taxi drops the group off at Games of Glory.

Sharla Ottomas, Gabrielle Newson and Tessa Ramirez are part of the group.

Tina's mother Trisha and Sharla's husband Mercutio came along, too.

While they were at uni, neither Pablo nor Prezioso found 3-bolt-loves. But they should marry, really, because their father dreams of marrying off six children. One reason why Prezioso accepted the invitation to this outing was that I was hoping for the boys to meet potential love interests. But it wasn't to be.

On Tuesday morning, Pablo is lucky and finds a job as Crime Scene Investigator. While he is at work, Prezioso takes care of everything around the house and in the yard.

Right on his first day, Pablo is promoted to Surveillance Operator.

Rick Contrary has been walking by and is invited in to share the brothers' evening meal. "I hear a holiday in the mountains is really good," he remarks. It is true - the twins were part of the group holiday their older sister Paola arranged for (nearly) the whole family some time ago.

On Wednesday, Prezioso wakes up feeling unwell. This persists all week. Good job then that he has not yet found a job. (So much for Pablo's plan to share the bills...!)

Pablo studies hard for his next promotion.

It pays off when he comes home the same nicht as Reconnaissance Communicator. Family friend Titania Summerdream has just arrived, too, and can join in the celebratory dinner.

The next morning, a magic lamp is left for the brothers.

Pablo would like to wish for a job in his dream career, but that is not something the genie can fulfill. He chooses the ability to cheat death instead.

Pablo is really climbing the career ladder fast: Today sees him as the latest Rookie Field Agent. Most of the family have been invited over: the brothers' parents, Gary and Jessica Greenman, and their younger sister Glenda, a teenager still living at home with Mom and Dad. Passers-by Christian Love is asked in, too.

Prezioso tells his little sister some gossip about Gesine Gavigan.

Maybe he should not have been saying nasty things behind someone's back! Small sins are punished instantly, is a German saying, and Prezioso's reward is a charred turkey.

He makes good for his misbehaviour the next day when he invites Gesine over. She has recently graduated, too. There are two bolts between them, but so far, they are just friends.

Pablo is now a Field Agent and comes home not only with his latest promotion, but also with colleague Beta Beaker.

Not even a steamy session in the newly acquired sauna (built and bought with Pablo's promotion bonus and to fulfill one of Prezioso's many buy-me-wishes) changes the friendship between Gesine and Prezioso to anything more.

But they do get along really well, and who knows, things might change once spring comes around.

Saturday is Family Day, since Pablo has the day off and Prezioso still hasn't found a job in the Entertainment career. This time, grandparents Rose and Jason Greenman are invited, too, as well as Uncle Gordon Greenman.

Paola comes over with Gareth Newson, her college sweetheart who obviously dreams of getting married.

It's a lively day, and everybody gets along really well in this large family.

By Sunday morning, Prezioso still has no job.

Seeing how he is so unlucky on the job front, I decide to help him along love-wise and let him call the Matchmaker.

The full 5.000 Simoleons he pays (courtesy of his brother's promotion bonus) show the desired result when Lilo Landgraab is summoned and turns out to be his first and only thre-bolt-lady!

The attraction is mutual, and by Sunday night, we have a couple I am determined to bring together for good once Lilo graduates from uni.

Will Prezioso find a job in his chosen career next week and start contributing to the household financially? Is Pablo also going to enlist the Matchmaker's help?

This was a fun week to play: I love starting a new house, especially since I have not yet used all the new objects, wallpapers and floors I got a few months ago. Most of the time, I waited for the brothers to spin up a wish for a certain object before buying it. This way, it was as if they had a say in the way the house looks now.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing my end-of-year head count of New Maximiliania; watch out for an update on the "Lists and Stats" page of this blog!
Around lunch time, I will be leaving to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends about 2 1/2 hours away by car. If all goes well, I shall be back late on New Year's Day. Until then, Happy New Year to all of you!

Jimmy Phoenix: Week 5

Most of the apartment lots in New Maximiliania are empty now; after I moved in many Sims freshly graduated from college and played them there for a while, I got fed up with the frequent bugs on those lots: Sims blocking each other's way in the stair case, neighbours and visitors not leaving, and so on.
But two of the apartments in this building are still occupied by playables, and we're going to spend a Sim-week in the one on the middle and top floor to the left.

One man and his dog live here: Jimmy Phoenix and Timmy. (Yes, I know - Jimmy and Timmy sounds ridiculous, and I am not even sure anymore how he got his dog - I believe someone else whose lifetime want it was to raise 20 puppies gave Timmy to him in order to have room for more puppies.)
Jimmy became General last round, but unlike other Perma-Platinum Sims in New Maximiliania, I still control him, because I do not want thim to neglect Timmy.
Monday morning starts with the (almost daily) bath for the dog.

Then the army helicopter arrives to take Jimmy to work.

When he returns, all his fellow tenants are meeting in front of the building. The ladies are NPCs Sandy Fairchild and Jill Fleig; I do not really take them into account. The man in swimming trunks is Jared Starchild, another former student like Jimmy.

At 6.00 pm on that Monday, Jimmy turns into an Elder.
Now, it it weren't for Timmy, I'd move him to the Senior Residence. But I have decided not to allow pets there, and so Jimmy stays put.

Uh-oh... you know what it means when I show a picture of a telescope at night, with no Sim looking through it...!
Yes, Jimmy decided on his own that he wanted to stargaze a bit before bed, and what did not happen all during his adult years happens now: He is "invited" aboard an Alien space ship.

It is Tuesday morning, and Jimmy has been (literally) dropped off home hours ago. He does not sleep very well and seems to be haunted by some rather unpleasant memories about his visit with the Aliens.
Of course he is too old to have returned with a souvenir in his belly.

Timmy is completely unaffected by what happened to his human friend.

When Jimmy is at work or otherwise busy, Timmy can always rely on one of the other tenants for social interaction.

Jimmy remembers to pay the bills only on Wednesday.

For the evening, he invites one of his friends over. Hal Riley is accompanied by Meike and Stephen.

Early on Thursday morning, a burglar sneaks up to the house.

She takes the expensive painting in the dining room first...

...then the one in the kitchen...

...and finally, the telescope. Jimmy is probably glad to be rid of it, but I suppose he would have liked to keep the paintings.

After work today, he invites over another friend, Shaun Singles (son of Nervous and Erin Singles). "I do feel lonely sometimes and wonder what life would have been like with a companion," he sighs. Jimmy really never showed any particular interest in anyone, not even at uni where usually sparks fly easily between students.

On Friday morning, he decides to make himself an omelette for breakfast.

He is very fond of Timmy and often plays with the dog on his own accord.

He does not have to work today, and so Timmy and Jimmy take a taxi to the Planetary Pet Park, a Maxis-made community lot where I rarely play.

Two old witches appear ;-)

Jimmy makes hot dogs for everyone and shares the table with Natasha Una and Beatrice Monty. Still no lady he finds particularly attractive.

On Saturday, Jimmy asks the Matchmaker for help and gives her the full 5.000 Simoleons to set up a blind date for him. Trisha Traveller is summoned. Could she be The One?

You can tell Jimmy is inexperienced when it comes to women... the first thing that comes to his mind to say to Trisha is that he has plenty of money! Now, we all know Trisha isn't averse to a man with a well-padded wallet, she does not wish to appear like a gold-digger. She has inherited Carlos Contender's house after his death anyway, and so does not need another rich man in her life.
The date does not end well, I'm afraid. There are two bolts between them; Jimmy does not have 3 bolts for anyone.

Later, Jimmy cleans Timmy's bed and muses about the value of best friends.

He invites some of his over: Hal Riley (formerly capp), Mercutio Ottomas (formerly Monty), Benvenuto Broke and (far back) Jules Cleveland (nee O'Mackey). It's a great party, and Jimmy is happy again.

Sunday starts with him mopping the floor after the landlord has finished repairing the broken tap on the sink.

Then Jimmy dons his Sunday suit and heads to church. [St. Simius, made by Twoyys4me.]

After the service, he mingles with some of the other attendants for coffee hour. Looks like the townie lady in the pink suit (Katy McGaw) is interested in him - but he not in her.

Back home, Jimmy spends Sunday afternoon making hotdogs on the patio and doing nothing in particular. The week ends as it began: One man and his dog.

Timmy is now 31 and probably won't live through another full week. Jimmy is 60. My plan is to move him to the Senior Residence once Timmy has played his last game of fetch. Of course if a playable lady finds him suitable during the rest of this round, Jimmy can move in with her.