The Powers Household - Week 11

(Week 10 is here.)

This house was not always light blue, but I really like it that way. Maybe you remember it as the place originally assigned by Maxis to the Grunt family, General Tank and his sons. They have long since moved on - literally and metaphorically - and the house was then owned by Jonah Powers, his partner Roxie Sharpe and her brother Edwin. Jonah gave birth to Perseida after a visit with the Aliens. One after the other, Jonah, Roxie and Edwin died peacefully of old age, leaving Perseida on her own.

Here she is, just getting up and writing in her diary.
Perseida never had to work in her life; the joint household account boasts an impressive 335,000 Simoleons. She could afford working on her lifetime want all the time and managed to have 20 best friends while still at uni.
There is currently no romantic interest among her relationships, and she knows several 2-bolt-men but no 3-bolter.

It is Tuesday when I enter the household, as I left off here last time with the death of Edwin Sharpe. In spite of the snow, Perseida does some gardening on her own accord just as the mail carrier delivers today's bills.
Other than paying the bills, greeting passing neighbours and talking to her friends on the phone I am not going to direct Perseida much.

Johnson Fleig, former head of the Aspirational Laboratories and recently moved to New Max permanently, walks by and spends the rest of the afternoon and evening as Perseida's guest.

Perseida seems not to be much interested in cooking. Whenever she gets too hungry, she grabs herself a drink or a bag of crisps or cookies, just like she does here on Wednesday morning for breakfast.

Today, Carmelo Capp walks by...

...followed some time later by Kennedy Smith.

Perseida has an odd sleeping pattern: She will lay in one of the three beds in the house, sleep a little, but get up again long before she is fully rested.
As she is on Permanent Platinum, I do not do much about her or her wishes, but when she rolls the want to buy an orchard tree and a garden plot, I decide it is a good idea and let her have both.

Perseida's disinterest in cooking and healthy eating becomes more and more apparent. On Thursday, she eats about 4 or 5 bags of crisps and cookies altogether, dotted throughout the day. Of course, none of it is really filling.

No wonder then that she keeps reminding ME (!) of how hungry she is - when all she needs to do is go to her well-stocked fridge and make herself a salad or sandwich, a plate of spaghetti or anything else that is possible with two cooking points.
I seriously begin to worry that I may lose Perseida to starvation, brought on entirely by herself.

Two wolves play with each other while Perseida has one of her many naps, usually interrupted by another snack in the shape of cookies or crisps.

When Camryn Lee walks by and I have Perseida greet her, my hope is that she will serve a meal for her guest - sometimes a Sim will do that, if not for their own sake, then at least for their guests. But what does Perseida do? She goes to bed, leaving Camryn to her own devices.

On Friday, I want to see what Perseida does when she has more than just one casual guest, and have her throw a party for a bunch of her friends (I am sure you recognise some of them). The guests arrive, and what does their hostess do? She goes to bed and sleeps through the entire party, which, by the way, still turns out a success!

Apart from her less than healthy diet and irregular sleeping pattern, Perseida is quite capable of looking after herself, her house and garden. She begins Saturday morning with a nice hot bath.

Later that day, I have her invite Cooper Seifert over. He is a firm candidate for permanent residency in New Max, what with his surname being one of a real-life colleague of mine.
The two of them get along very well, but in spite of it being spring, neither of them starts any romantic interaction. It might have something to do with the one chemistry bolt between them.

Sunday sees Perseida doing more gardening; she has been clipping her rose bushes and pulling weeds almost every day this week.

She is unwell and almost everything she does interrupted by coughing fits. With her living on cookies and crisps, it is no wonder that her body can not fend off colds and other diseases.

Half-brother and good friend Sirius Swain comes visiting, and then - you guessed it - it is time for bed again.

Monday morning is the beginning of summer, and I have Perseida change into different clothes found in the household wardrobe.

I also realise that it is her last day of the week (which began on Tuesday for her), and she has not yet been to a community lot. I make her drive over to Hunter's Park, certainly an attractive spot in the summer.

At first, not many other Sims are there.

But by the time Perseida has autonomously grilled hotdogs, Camryn Lee, Isabella Indie and a few other New Maximilianians have appeared. Perseida joins one of her many half-siblings, Lilo Landgraab, at the table.

Back home, she takes care of a few household chores.

Then, she invites Cooper Seifert over and asks him to join her here as a permanent resident of New Maximiliania. Cooper accepts, adding exactly 1 Simoleon to the bank account! Never mind, Perseida has more money than she'll ever be able to spend.

Cooper is a Knowledge Sim and has the lifetime want of becoming City Planner. He is lucky and finds a job in the architectural career right away.

His skill profile is interesting: Full charisma - and nothing else! His inventory is empty.

In the evening, I find Perseida gardening again. And just as I am thinking, 'nobody has been playing with the model railway set all week'...

...she puts aside her gardening shears and plays with the railway! I love it how the little streetlghts light up at night, and even the train windows.

Cooper has changed out of his rather overdressed outfit into something more comfortable and more summerly.

The two new housemates end the evening in the dining room. Now that Cooper is here, fully directed by me, Perseida will get proper meals whenever she decides to join in.

So far, there is nothing romantic going on between the two. Are they going to remain "just friends"? Is Cooper going to advance in his career and stay here at Perseida's?

The Picaso-Newson Household: Week 6

Paola and Garrett Picaso are now both 60. They married at the end of their previous week, when they were both already seniors, after having lived together all their adult lives.

While Garrett has reached his lifetime want of becoming Game Designer already a long time ago (23 days from Elderhood), his wife is still working on hers. She wants to be Education Minister and is currently working as a College Senior Professor.

Garrett's half-Alien son Ned started school last round. He and his Dad have kept their favourite ritual from his toddler days: Every morning, Garrett reads to Ned.

Later that day, Garrett recycles yesterday's newspaper on his own accord.

Paola would actually need four friends for her next promotion, but she returns from work as College Dean of Students anyway - thanks to a chance card.
Now she needs six friends and three skill points. Hard work!

Last round, Ned announced that he intended to bring home his first A+ report pretty soon, and today he makes true on his promise.

He then greets Chris Capp, but sits down to do his homework instead of playing with her. Disappointed, Chris leaves before dinner time.

It is already Tuesday morning when I realise that I have not startet this chapter with a picture of the house. Well, it looked almost the same on Monday, with the exception of the vegetable beds - they were empty and have now been planted with new seeds.
We're still in early spring, and although all snow has gone, the pond is still frozen.

Ned brings home from school one of his many half-siblings, related to him through their Alien father: Mary Riley. The children become friends, and Paola makes a friend, too: the nanny.

Garrett begins Wednesday morning with the beloved family tradition of a bit of father-son time, reading to Ned before school. Not much longer and Ned will be a teenager - unable to be read to.

When Ned is at school and Garrett at work, Paola uses her day off to work on her skills and making friends.

A smiling Ned returns from school with half-brother Paul Patel in tow.

At bedtime, Garrett looks wistfully at his son - those wonderful years of Ned's childhood are almost over, and he won't be able anymore to tuck his boy in at night.

Thursday morning sees Garrett and Ned perform another child-and-parent activity for the last time.

Back from school today with Ned is Param Patel, Paul's brother (and thus another half-brother for Ned).

Ned finds out that he can increase his fun level after school by taking care of his Mum's vegetable garden.

Just as he wants to sit down and do his home work, he grows up to a teenager, and I must admit I am a little sorry that I did not let him have a birthday party. Nobody rolled the wish, and nobody really had time, but it would have been nice.
My dice is rolled, and Ned's aspiration turns out to be Romance.

It is almost summer now, and on this Friday morning, the vegetable patch in one corner of the garden requires Paola's attention.

With both is parents still at work, Ned is the first one home at 1:00 pm. He pays the bills that arrived yesterday, talks to friends on the phone and finally sits down to do his homework.

Paola comes home from work with Nellie Newson, her colleague and her husband's niece.

Saturday means no school and no work. Garrett and Ned spend some valuable father-son time fishing.

Aunt Ginger, his Dad's big sister, comes visiting on her own accord and is greeted by Ned.

Ned is a diligent boy and can often be seen cleaning or doing other house work. He also made the lunchmeat sandwiches the family are eating here.

He feels unwell on Sunday morning (nothing to do with yesterday's sandwiches!).

Fresh air is helpful, and after a spot of gardening he feels up to jumping rope until he has reached full body skill points - a bug that I have not seen in my game in a while, but which will come in useful towards Ned's lifetime want of becoming Hall of Famer.

Paola goes to work, and so it is just father and son at the breakfast table. "Last week you said we could go on a holiday," Ned remarks. Garrett has to admit he has forgotten all about it, what with the excitement of Ned growing up, he and Paola working and everything else.

One of Ned's wishes is to buy new clothes, and since his Dad does not want to disappoint him even more, they take the car - Ned is driving - to...

...H&M, where they have not only the opportunity to buy new outfits, but also to meet other New Maximilianians.

Ned makes his choice (money is not an issue) while Garrett talks to a few neighbours.

Back home, he invites some of his younger siblings and their partners over. Candice Walter, recently moved to New Max (the red-haired lady next to the tree), is just walking by and is asked to join the lively group of Newsons who mainly gather around the pond.

It is a beautiful summery Sunday, and when Paola returns from work, she is happy to have so many visitors, as she is always on the lookout for more friends.

The week ends with the elderly couple retreating to bed while the younger folks are still around, now chatting in the kitchen over plates of sandwich.

Will Paola manage to acquire enough friends for her next promotion? Is Ned going to move to college next round? Are they ever going on that promised holiday?