Pablo Picaso - Week 4

 Week 3 is here.

This small (but fully sufficient) house at the outskirts of the oldest part of New Max is home to...

...Pablo Picaso, brother of Prezioso (now Landgraab) and Paola. He is a Knowledge Sim who wants nothing more than be Head of SCIA one day. After he unfortunately lost his job last round due to a chance card, he was back in his former career soon enough and is currently working as Field Agent. Today, Monday, he has the day off.

It is a beautiful day in early autumn, and I observe a stray cat (Balin) and white wolf (Tramp) first greeting each other outside Pablo's house and then playing together.

By the time Nery Turner walks by and is asked in, the stray animals are gone.

Pablo wishes to influence someone to clean, and so Nery spends good part of the afternoon doing just that for his gracious host.

Pablo has his customary lone breakfast on Tuesday morning.

The repair service was called yesterday, because Pablo has enough money to have his broken computer repaired. Since Lee Lewis moved to the neighbourhood for good, someone else has taken his former job: Meet Berjes Bachman, our latest member of the repair team. Does he remind you of Gunnar Roque, too?

Pablo has rolled the wish to stay home from work. One day should not do his career too much harm, and so I consent; also, he has been struggling with a cold, and a day of rest is certainly good for his health.

On Wednesday morning, Pablo gets up, still a little bleary-eyed, but feeling much better.

Lightning hits the orange tree next to his house, but fortunately, it is still raining heavily, and so the flames are gone quickly.

At 9:00 pm, a happy Pablo returns from work with a promotion: He is now a Double Agent, but will need several skill points to bring his career to the next level.

The shower breaks again, and Berjes Bachman arrives just as Pablo looks after the orange tree, making sure yesterday's fire left no lasting damage.

Returning from work late that night, Pablo finds someone has kicked his dustbin over. I actually saw it happening and am very sure Pablo never gave that particular townie any reason for such an act.

The sun was already up by the time Pablo finally went to bed after a long stargazing session. Therefore, he has just about enough time on Friday to shower, dress and tend his orange tree before the carpool picks him up for work in the afternoon.

Good job then that he returns home much earlier than expected! He has been lucky with a chance card and is now an Elite Operative. Well done, Pablo! This means though that now he needs six more skill points for his next promotion.

Never mind skilling - this lucky promotion wants celebrating!

His big sister Paola is invited, as are a few of his closest friends. His brother Prezioso is not part of the party, out of caution; remember, he is severely bugged, and I don't dare bringing him to other lots for fear of causing more bugs.

Pablo has Saturday off and fully intends to make use of his free time to work on his skills. But you know what it's like - the best plans and all that... Rodney Scott, a recent addition to New Max, walks by and is of course greeted, as is the custom in this town.

Pablo still manages to acquire one mechanical skill point while his guest is using the sauna, but the two men also spend time talking.

Caught in the act! Another townie (not the same from earlier this week) is seen kicking the dustbin over. Pablo is still asleep.

He manages to study his way to another mechanical skill point, but once again, he does not remain on his own for long: Today, Ratna Walter pops in unexpectedly. Fortunately, Ratna does not mind his host sticking his nose into a book as long as he can browse the simternet for music.

The week was over quickly, what with Pablo being out for work or asleep much of the time. I made sure his social life did not suffer, but he needs to do better next round with skilling - at this rate, he won't live long enough to meet his lifetime want! I completely forgot to send him to a community lot this round. Oh well, there is always next week :-)

The Patel Family - Week 9

Week 8 is here.

The Patels have lived for what feels like forever in this house, but the members of the family have changed considerably since they started out in New Maximiliania.

Parvati Patel is the daughter of the original Patel couple,  Ana and Ramir. She had a brother and a sister, Padma and Param, who tragically died in a fire. Ramir was a Rock God and it is off all the money he made that the family still live today, years after both Ramir and Ana have moved on to the Great Community Lot in the sky.

Parvati always knew she wanted to have at least three kids who'd graduate from college, and she had help with her lifetime want from Cedric Stacks (formerly Cooke, the half-Alien son of Julien Cooke) who made two sets of twins with her - but never moved in or proposed marriage, as he was already in a relationship with Helena Stacks, eventually marrying her and having children with her as well.

The older two are Patrick and the only girl, Priya, who clearly shows the Alien heritage from her father's side.

The younger two are Paul and Param (not pictured). All four made into Private School last round, and the group look very smart in their school uniforms as they get on the school bus this Monday morning.

Last round, with the wish to get married very strong in her heart, Parvati repeatedly enlisted the help of the Matchmaker. But all her blind dates turned out to be either just two bolts, or alredy married. She is about to give the whole blind dating thing one more chance...

...and guess what - the Matchmaker finally comes up with a 3-bolt-man for Parvati!! Keith Fairchild is a Townie and would normally not be eligible as husband material, but seeing as Parvati really deserves to find love and happiness after raising four kids practically on her own, I give in and let her work on her relationship with him.

That same evening, the younger twins turn into teenagers . This is Param; I have somehow forgotten to take a picture of Paul. We will learn their lifetime wants tomorrow.

Tomorrow is here, and on this Tuesday morning we learn that Paul (left) dreams of celebrating his Golden Anniversary one day, while Param (right) is an aspiring Professional Party Guest.

When her four are off to school, Parvati does those things she can not leave to her household help: looking after the orange tree in front of the house, for instance, or paying the bills.

In the afternoon, she is busy with her guests: Her children's headmaster Vince Walter has been invited. Because of his surname, he is eligible for becoming a proper New Maximilianian, and Parvati wants to befriend with that goal in mind.

Her other guest is Keith. Even though the two of them met only yesterday, their relationship is already at 100, and they have a crush on each other. It will take a bit more time to build up the long-term relationship, but with a 3-bolt-couple it is always easier.

Wednesday morning shows that Keith has spent the night with Parvati; they are not yet best friends and so the red-hearts stage (which enables them to woohoo) has not yet been reached - meaning that nothing more than a cuddle has happened in this bed.

But once the four teenagers are at school, Keith and Parvati spend a few more hours interacting with each other, and indeed part as best friends just as the school bus drops them off again.

Nothing really remarkable happens for the rest of the day; homework is done, and then I leave the kids pretty much to their own devices, fulfilling the occasional wish such as when Param here wants to juggle bottles.

It is Thursday morning, and the two younger boys have just spent their first night in their new beds - gone are the "racing car" beds they loved when they were kids but now find rather childish.

Once all four are at school, Parvati invites Keith over again. He arrives just as Calendula Capp walks by, and so the elderly lady is also asked in.

Maybe Parvati was distracted by Keith being around; anyway, the special dinner she wants to offer today - stuffed rainbow trout - is just a little overdone.

Never mind - her 3-bolt-man only has eyes for her anyway, and now the two are in love true and proper! Paul is not sure what he finds more disgusting - his Mom and her new "beau" flirting, or the burnt food!

To my surprise, as soon as Keith accepts Parvati's inviation to move in, he age-transitions - obviously he was a student and is now an adult. His lifetime bar shows that he is 29 days from elderhood, whereas Parvati is 10 "years" older.

Keith is a Knowledge Sim and wants to become Hall of Famer. He holds no job at the moment but carries a university diploma in his backpack. Also, he adds 18,000 Simoleons to the household account.

Unimpressed by all this, the four siblings spend the summer afternoon having a waterballoon fight - something they were all wishing for.

Friday morning begins with Keith repairing the broken tap in one of the two bathrooms. He wants to prove that it was a good decision having him join the family, and as long as he does not yet have a job, he pulls his weight by contributing to the house work.

Part of this strategy is also to dismiss the maid - her services are simply not needed anymore, what with two adults not working and four teenagers very capable of doing their bit.

Of the four, Paul is so far the only one who rolls the want to be friends with Keith. A game of kicky-bag later, his wish is fulfilled.

No school on Saturday means that the entire family can have breakfast together.

Keith then suggests a trip to Hunter's Park on this first day of beautiful golden autumn sunshine.

He and Parvati enjoy hotdogs...

...while Priya talks to Hannah Hart, one of her many relatives living in New Max (sharing the same Alien grandfather).

Sunday morning is a smiliar picture with everyone having breakfast together.

The rest of the day goes by unremarkably. The kids (Paul here) do various things around the house and garden, but are mainly left to their own devices. Parvati and Keith spend time together. 

It was good that unlike last round, this week Parvati aged normally like everybody else - and the best thing was for her to finally find a 3-bolt-man who was not taken! 

Her whirlwind romance resulted in another new citizen for New Maximiliania who normally would not be eligible. Now Keith needs to find a job in the athletic career and start working towards his lifetime want. 

Parvati has not yet rolled again the wish to get married, but I imagine this will happen sooner or later.

None of the kids has gone to college yet, as even the older two have only just reached the second half of their teenage years. Also, they have not seen their Dad this week; Parvati did not want to ask Cedric over with Keith still being so new in her life and her home.

The Goth-Ottomas Family - Week 3

Click here for the previous week at this house.

We have already spent a week at the Goth villa earlier this round. Now we are back because the letter "O" is next on my list, and there are two Sims left in New Max who carry the Ottomas surname; both live here.

As you may remember, it is the home of Giselle Goth, who was left an orphan in her teens. She married Orlando Ottomas, who is now also a Goth by name.

Together, they look after four boys - two sets of twins. The older two are Orlando's half-Alien sons Gunther (left) and Otto (right) - they are the ones who still carry the Ottomas surname, as their Dad had not yet married Giselle when they were born.

Gunther is a Romance Sim with the lifetime want of having 20 loves, while his brother's aspiration is Popularity. Just like his Dad and his step-mom (who is actually his half-sister, since Giselle's Alien father is the same), he dreams of having six grandchildren one day in the far future.

Last week, the repair service was called almost every day, and the pattern seems to be repeated this week. On top of a clogged toilet, today the repair man also has to tune the grand piano.

The boys return from school with half-brother Chan Cho in tow.

But that's not all they bring home: Alexander...

...and Mortimer both have their first A+ report!

Giselle always makes a point of greeting every neighbour walking by, unless she is asleep or in the bath. Today, Ariel Capp walks by.

When Giselle lost her entire family in a fire, the whole neighbourhood rallied round, making sure she was not getting too lonely and able to remain in the house where she was born. She has never forgotten all that kindness and shows it in turn to her fellow Maximilianians.

Giselle loves her husband's sons (and her half-brothers) as much as her own boys, but somehow she has not gotten round to making friends with Gunther yet. On Tuesday morning, she sits with him for breakfast and brings up the subject of college.

Tuesday means bills day, and now that she is not rushed off her feet with caring for toddlers anymore, Giselle pays them straight away.

The younger boys bring another half-brother home from school today: Nero Newson, whose family we have visited not long ago.

It can be a bit of a challenge when the kids come home from school to watch where they put their homework - there are only two desks in the house, and sometimes one of the boys leaves their homework near the front door or even out in the grass.

Yesterday, I did not find Alexander's homework, and so he has to do it early on Wednesday morning after I spotted it in a corner on the front porch.

Winter is here, but the heavy snow fall does not stop the loyal gardener from turning up and doing her work. She gets an extra large tip for her effort.

While their boys are still at school, Giselle and Orlando build a snowman together.

Otto chooses to do his homework with his back to the fire. Warmer clothes might also be helpful, but he hasn't got any.

His twin brother is usually the one who gets to do his homework at the desk in his room.

Later, Otto surprises me by making dinner for everyone.

Husband and wife consider themselves very lucky - not only have they found each other, firm 3-bolters, but they also have great kids who all do well at school and get along with each other.

"Morning Alex!" - "Morning Morty!" It is Thursday, and an important day for the two younger boys.

While they are at school, the maid helps Orlando deal with a bug infestation caused by someone (I never saw who) kicking over the dustbin.

It is not easy to get a family of six to all have a meal together, but today I manage!

Not long afterwards, first Alexander...

...and then Mortimer grow up to teenagers.

Alex rolls the Pleasure aspiration and Morty is a Romance Sim.

I will learn their lifetime wants the next day, but I already know one thing: They will each have to have kids, in order to fulfill their parents' lifetime want of having six grandchildren.

On Friday morning, Giselle makes the round with all four boys and gives them a gift each. The younger two get cellphones, while the older two get an MP3 player and a handheld game. 

(She had these items in her inventory, and since the boys rolled wants for such devices as soon as they were teenagers, I thought it fitting that these were their presents. Unfortunately, the wishes to BUY these things don't go away when they are obtained as gifts.)

After school, the boys need to increase their fun, and they still love their music as much as when they were younger.

By the way, Mortimer's lifetime want is to become Hall of Famer, while his brother dreams of 50 1st dates.

Otto and Gunther play chess until it is time for a plate of spaghetti and then bed.

The younger twins' old nursery remains unchanged for now. But what has changed is that they are now old enough to light the fire in their fireplace on this chilly Saturday morning.

The wardrobe of all male family members is rather inconsistent with the season, and there has not been time yet this week for a visit to a community lot. But it's now the weekend, and so I send the Goths to H&M.

While Orlando buys what feels like half the store (I choose outfits for all four boys and for their Dad), the others meet a few fellow New Maximilianians.

Back home, everyone changes into a new, warmer outfit. Mortimer especially seems to think he looks really, really good now!

"Morning Alex!" - "Morning Morty!" It is Sunday, the last day of our week with the Goth-Ottomas family.

Giselle has a watchful eye on her husband as he is making omelettes for breakfast. Or is it just that she always wants to be near her 3-bolt-man?

The entire family have breakfast together. Alex is already talking about making it to the Dean's List - he is still years away from going to uni, if at all!

In the afternoon, Demi Love walks by and is invited in.

And Orlando makes a new acquisition for New Max in the shape of Zack Turner! He has been cultivating his friendship with the Townie all week, and today, Zack is ready to move in.

He is a Family Sim with the typical want of having his Golden Anniversary. Currently working as an Obituary Writer, he has 16,000 Simoleons to his name, and a few items worth that amount are packed into his inventory before he moves out to find his own place.

The evening ends with Giselle once more seeking Orlando's company, even as he is having a bath before it is time for bed.

You know I love this house, and the family was fun to play, although it was not always easy to make sure all four boys did their homework and were ready for the school bus in time.

And we have a new member of the ever-growing Turner clan!

Early next round, Giselle and Orlando are going to be Elders. Will they still be 3-bolters? And is Mortimer going to make a start on his lifetime want of 50 1st dates? Will the older two boys go to uni?