In my game, I have associated Bluewater Village with Pleasantview, and it is here that we're going to spend a week now. Meet the Ramirez family!
According to Maxis, "Checo and Lisa Ramirez have worked hard to get their furniture store off the ground. Though salesmanship has always come easy to Checo, running a business has its own challenges. Now that their daughter Tessa is in school, they can concentrate fully on making their business the best."
Well... I don't think so. But more about that later. The picture above is Maxis-made and obviously is supposed to show Lisa and Checo at their furniture shop, with Florence Delarosa as their customer.
The next picture shows the entire family, with Tessa as a toddler on her Mum's arm.
"Checo has always been a stellar salesman, but will running the furniture store burn out this bright star, or will the store's profits reach astronomical proportions?" - This question is asked by Maxis, and answered by me: "No, the running of the store will not burn out his star. He's going to sell it first chance he gets, since what he really dreams of is being a Business Tycoon, a suitable lifetime want for a Fortune Sim."
"Now that Tessa has started school, Lisa finally feels free to take her own road. Will she go back to helping Checoleín at the furniture store, or will she pursue her own personal path…?" Another Maxis-posed question, and my answer is: "Yes, she will, and that personal path is hopefully going to lead her to the top of the Medical career - she wants to be Chief of Staff, not unusual for a Knowledge Sim."
This Maxis-made picture shows them all at the store, and Tessa grown to school kid age, as we find her when the game begins. Have I ever had them keep the store? I honestly can not remember.
Anyway, here's the last of the pre-made pictures, showing Tessa selling lemonade to her Dad, which suits her biography: "An excellent student and upcoming entrepreneur, Tessa can already sell a drink to a drowning Sim. She's following in her dad's footsteps, but will Tessa grow up to take over the family business, or start one of her own?" Of course she has not yet developed a lifetime want, so it remains to be seen what she'll want to do eventually.
The family's home at No. 146 Pebble Drive is not far from Florence Delarosa's shop and next to an old windmill. It's actually a shame that the mill is simply neighbourhood decor and can not be visited, but it looks nice. A garden wraps around the house.
From the front door, one enters a smallish hallway from which a staircase leads upstairs. In the lower left corner is a toilet. Most of the ground floor is taken up by a generous sitting room with a TV, comfortable settees, and a piano. A door from there leads into the garden. Adjacent is the kitchen with a table and chairs, but there is also a formal dining room.
The stairs lead to the top floor and a landing from which doors open to a small study in the corner, a bathroom and Tessa's room. On the left side of the stairs are the master bedroom with an en-suite. There is a balance of 6,750 Simoleons in the family's bank account.
On this Monday, the first thing Lisa does is to check for a job in the Medical career. There is none, and there isn't one in the Business career, either, so Checo doesn't have to look.
Neither of the couple have a single skill point, which I find both disappointing and unrealistic (but then our Sims were never about realism, were they). Therefore, I have them sit down in front of the cooking channel so they will at least be able to prepare a nutritious meal for their daughter when she returns from school. Tessa, by the way, has four or five body points already.
The welcome committee consists of one single person - Katerina Kim, who has only just moved to this part of Pleasantview herself.
Of course she stays for a round of sandwiches to get acquainted with her neighbours.
Tessa cheerfully skips off the school bus, brandishing her A+ report.
Once she's finished her homework, she sorely needs fun, and what better way than to learn something at the same time? She discovers that she really, really likes music!
The family end their evening with a meal of (slightly burnt) spaghetti, pepared by Checo. I am not sure what Katerina's problem is here, but she leaves soon afterwards.
Tessa's bed was the cheapest available, and there was absolutely no reason for that - the family have enough money, and aren't they supposed to run a furniture business? Anyway, tonight Tessa goes to sleep in a much better and more beautiful bed. Night, night, Tess!
Lisa finds herself alone for breakfast on Tuesday morning - her daughter is of course off to school, and her husband has found a position as Mailroom Technician. Not the most prestigious job, but with a practically non-existent skill profile, he hasn't got much choice, and she wishes him all the best for his first day.
She spends some time out on the front porch doing the crossword and then, once all the housework is done, decides to take advantage of her unemployed time to work on her skills. Certainly a wise decision, and helped along by it being autumn.
Checo and Tessa return from work and school at the same time - she with another A+, he without a promotion due to his lack of skills.
Beau Broke is Tessa's class mate. He got off the school bus with her and joins the family for a meal of spaghetti. (Not burnt this time!)
After her homework is done, Tessa plays chess with her Mum until bedtime.
(The chess table is new - I know that both Lisa and Checo will need logic for their careers. I have also changed the bedroom a little and bought a new kitchen stove, as per Checo's wish.)
The dejected look says it all - Checo has lost his job, before his career could advance any further. "Thanks" to a chance card, of course. Hopefully, he will soon be reinstated.
Beau has come home from school with Tessa again, and the two become friends over a game of chess.
Checo has stayed up until midnight so that he can check the Simternet for jobs first thing on Thursday. He does not find anything in either Business or Medical (for Lisa) and goes to bed, still considering himself a lucky man with a wonderful woman like Lisa by his side. (Actually, I took this picture mainly to show what I have done with the bedroom; the furniture is still the same.)
The next morning, he rolls a wish to buy and sell lemonade, and since he has nothing better to do, I give in - his first and only customer being his wife :-D
Then, Checo greets Mary-Sue Pleasant. If I remember correctly, she works in the Business career. Maybe she can help him to get back in, too?
Meanwhile, he can make himself useful by trimming the bushes around the house.
Later, Lisa and Mary-Sue have sandwiches in the dining room...
...while Tessa prefers to have hers in the kitchen, talking to her Dad. (Their choice, not mine.)
There are no jobs for the Ramirez' on Friday morning, either. Lisa encourages her husband to use his time increasing his charisma skill, as she has been doing all week with various skills.
In the early afternoon, I find her fondly smiling at her husband who has come in for a nap - no skilling today for him so far, but he has been trimming the shrubs around the house all morning.
Checo can't believe his luck when on Saturday morning he gets back into the Business career - and at a higher level than before! (He did some skilling, after all.) Tomorrow, he'll be starting as an Executive Assistant.
"Daddy has a job, Daddy has a job," Tessa chants. "And he won't mess uuup, won't mess uuup," Checo joins in.
They celebrate by walking to the old part of Pleasantview (their house is in Bluewater Village). Woodland Park is particularly beautiful this time of year.
Tessa meets Lilith Pleasant (who does not want to hear anything Tessa has to say) and greets Brandi Broke, her best mate's Mum.
Checo spots family friend Jodie Larson walk by. They have a brief chat (and Jodie laughs heartily about a dirty joke Checo tells her), but she doesn't stay.
Tessa has better luck with Melody Tinker, who even laughs at the little girl's jokes.
She then catches her first fish ever - and a really big one it is, too!
There is a set of swings in the back garden at the Ramirez' house, but this one appears to be more fun - maybe because Tessa does not have to play on her own.
Back home, Lisa pours over her cook books (she really, really wants to become a super cook and already is quite good) while father and daughter spend the afternoon reading a story together.
Sunday turns out to be the best day of the week for the family. First, Lisa finally finds an opening in the Medical career and starts right away as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Tessa does not need to spend the day all on her own with both her parents working. She is allowed to invite her best mate Beau Broke over.
His Mum comes along, too - maybe employing a Nanny for today wasn't really necessary after all.
Tessa and Beau really love being together and play nicely. One of Tessa's wishes is to sell lemonade, and Beau even pays 13 Simoleons for a cup!
Lisa is promoted to Paramedic after her first shift as an EMT, followed closely by her husband's promotion to Field Sales Representative.
With their careers well on the way, I can leave the Ramirez until next time I'll play them - which might be in about a year or so.
They were great to play; I just love the spirit in this family. Checo keeps rolling loads of romantic wishes about his wife (she seems to be more interested in skilling, but loves him dearly in spite of her having 3 bolts for Chester Gieke!!), and they both spend as much time as they can with their daughter. Tessa is happy to have the one best mate and rarely wishes for more friends; that may change when she turns into a teenager.
