Next on my alphabetical list of Sims is Natasha Una. We don't need to go far to visit her, since she also lives in Desiderata Valley, at No. 1080 West Leisure Lane.
The first one from her set of premade pictures shows her painting at her easel, what is clearly going to be an abstract Grilled Cheese, a duplicate of the framed picture on the wall behind her. Her Maxis-written household bio says: "Natasha loves grilled cheese - I mean really loves grilled cheese. Will she find someone who shares her dreams or is there more of a mystery out there for her?"
Next, we see her with her elderly cousin Luis Aspir (their mothers were sisters) and John Mole, another resident of The Valley.
According to Natasha's personal bio, she "... is beginning to realize that there is more to life than crafting and the delightful aroma of grilled cheese. Even though her cousin, Luis, doesn't approve, could her mysterious neighbor, Mr. Mole, help her find what she is missing?" Why Luis doesn't approve is unclear, but he certainly looks disapproving enough here.
Maybe he pretends to read the paper only so that Natasha is not alone with John.
The next-to-last Maxis-made picture shows Natasha in her teens with Katerina, her mother, trying her hands at pottery.
Painting, pottery and sewing - there doesn't seem to be a craft Natasha has not tried. Since her lifetime want is to eat 200 grilled cheese (matching her Grilled Cheese aspiration, of course), maybe selling her hand-crafted products will be her means of making a living. For now, she has a bit over 4,100 Simoleons in her bank account and no immediate financial worries, but of course that won't last forever.
This was the last premade picture.
It is Monday, 3:24 am when I enter the lot, which explains the darkness. Lights are on in the house, however, meaning Natasha must still (or already) be up.
It is a nice house, with a front and back porch, an open-plan hallway/kitchen with a breakfast bar and a piano. In the lower right corner is a cosy lounge with fireplace and sewing machine. Natasha's bedroom is next, followed by a nicely furnished and decorated bathroom. Across the hallway is the studio where all the painting and pottery making happens.
Around lunch time, Trisha Traveller and Jimmy Phoenix appear as the Welcome Duo. Trisha must be hungry, since she immediately starts to talk about food. "Eggs on toast, one of my favourite meals," she explains. Natasha thinks that this lady has probably never tasted Grilled Cheese - but that's about to change!
While Trisha tells Jimmy about all the parts of the world she and her family have been to before settling in The Valley, Natasha is happy to see her guests eat Grilled Cheese with her.
Of course, she also wants to talk about Grilled Cheese, but only Jimmy is willing to discuss this fascinating subject. By the time her best friend John Mole calls and invites her downtown, Natasha is way too tired to go anywhere but to bed.
With the onset of autumn, on Tuesday Natasha feels the need to stock up her wardrobe (she isn't good enough to make her own outfits) and visits The Frippery Frock, the go-to place for the sartorial needs for all residents of The Valley. She meets several neighbours there but doesn't stay longer than to say hello; she can't make Grilled Cheese here as the public grill in one corner will only produce hot dogs or hamburgers.
Back home, she puts one of her new outfits to good use while doing a spot of garden work. The rest of the afternoon goes by with a nap and a phone call to her family (the Aspirs), then she spends the evening at the easel - and of course has Grilled Cheese for dinner.
Much of Wednesday is dedicated to learning to sew. Also, the painting on the wall here (which personally I have never liked, and which does not fit the rest of this room's decor at all) is sold - for a whopping 5,500 Simoleons! The over 8,400 Simoleons she now has in the bank will last Natasha quite a while.
On Thursday, the morning air is still mild enough for Natasha to do the crossword on the front porch. "Dish with cheese, beginning with G... hmm... what could that be?"
Toby Scott wanders past the house this afternoon, and of course he is asked in to join Natasha for a plate of Grilled Cheese.
Later, she remembers the pottery lessons she had as a teenager from her Mum, and starts to work on a plate (just like with sewing, she has no talent badge for this hobby yet).
Natasha needs a nap some time between around lunch and mid-afternoon every day, and Friday is no exception.
She meets and greets Sam Thomas, who moved to The Valley recently after graduating from uni, and much her delight finds that she is not averse to talking about Grilled Cheese.
Saturday is chilly, but the golden atumn sun makes lunch on the porch possible.
Later, Natasha dons a nice dress and invites some of her friends over for a - you guessed - it - Grilled Cheese Party. Cyd Roseland, Trisha Traveller, Nawwaf Lewis and John Mole have been invited.
And while neither Trisha nor Nawwaf want to talk about Grilled Cheese, both Cyd and John are happy to share their hostess' favourite topic of conversation.
The temperatures drop some more by Sunday morning - time for Natasha to wear her recently bought woolly dress.
The first snowflakes fall just as her family, the Aspirs, arrive to spend the day together.
Luis is so far the only one who will start to talk about Grilled Cheese with his cousin on his own accord, something she appreciates very much.
The fire crackles in the fireplace, Natasha sits on one of her comfy settees with her great-cousin (or something like that), and Elizabeth and Pauline play in front of the fire - it can't get much cosier than this on a wintry Sunday afternoon, can it!
When her family have left, Natasha spends the rest of the evening putting the finishing touches on her latest Grilled Cheese still life.
This was a nice week with Natasha. It wasn't hard to keep her happy, and with no job she had all the time she needed to pursue her interest. When she wished to make pottery, she made pottery; when she wished to sew, she sewed, when she wanted to make or eat Grilled Cheese, she did that. There wasn't much housework to do with one single Sim, and she socialised over the phone and with friends visiting.
So far, no romantic wished appeared, but that could of course change with spring. Regarding her LTW of eating 200 grilled cheese, she managed about 15 this week - she'll have to do better next round, I suppose, or she will have to live much longer than the average Sim's life span in order to achieve that!
