The Burb Family: Week 2

Welcome back to another week with the Burbs in New Maximiliania! Sadly, the former entries in this chapter were overwritten when I uploaded this update, but I'll bring you up to scratch in a moment.

Let's start with the youngest family member: Lucy. She is a teenager who will soon be ready to leave for college, where she will study towards her lifetime want of becoming Media Magnate. Her aspiration is, surprisingly, Romance. 

Lucy's mother Jennifer has the Fortune aspiration and wants to be Hand of Poseidon. She is well on her way, as we will see further on. 

John, Lucy's dad and Jennifer's husband, dreams of being New Maximiliania's next Celebrity Chef; he is a Family Sim. He's been up all night stargazing, when he should have been in bed to get rid of his flu! Good job he knows how to prepare Grandma's Comfort Soup, THE cure for (almost) all ailments :-) 

Jennifer is currently working as Deep Sea Fisher(wo)man and has to get up very early to be aboard the trawler on time. 

Back home, she works at the skills for her next promotion after she's had an early afternoon nap. Lucy is, like many teenagers, often on the phone to her friends. 

Again, John is outside when it would have been wiser to spend time indoors, as it is pouring down with rain. Undeterred, he keeps making candies (won't they suffer with the rain?!) and is rewarded with a membership card to Sue's Secret Kitchen. 

This is just to show you what the dining area looks like. 

It is Tuesday, and after yesterday's promotion, Jennifer now goes to work as Protector of Whales. 

With summer almost here, Lucy decides she needs an outfit better matching warm, sunny days than her longsleeved woolly jumper, and goes to visit Desprit Deals, where she meets and greets Hal Capp. 

After she has made her purchases, she discovers the breakdancer behind the building and asks him to teach her some moves. 

And he does! (I've not watched the breakdancer as closely as this before; I must say it is quite funny!) 

On Wednesday, Jennifer is finally admitted into the Platinum Gym. 

Lucy in her new summery outfit. Suits her, doesn't it? 

The koi in the tiny pond want feeding every day (actually I have not tried out what happens if nobody feeds them. Does anyone know?). 

In the backyard, John has finally seen sense and a small outbuilding is set up for his chocolate making machinery. While they are at it, sunflowers are planted and a garden bench is put up. 

John's first cook book does not sell very well; he only gets about 1.500 Simoleons for it. 

She is still 9 days away from Elderhood - and has just reached her lifetime want: Jennifer is Hand of Poseidon! Actually, she won the position in spite of still missing one or two skill points - simply by declining a thumbwrestling match one of her colleagues was challenging her to! 

She is about to tell her husband the great news; that should cheer him up after the less successful selling of his book. 

It is not difficult to cheer John up :-) 

He later sits in the garden and reads his cookbook. "Can't find anything wrong with it," I hear him mumble. 

Jennifer's early morning start means she can really do with a mug of coffee in the afternoon. In the background you can see John starting on his next cook book. 

This time, he is not only invited to the "Desirable Discourse", but his book, "Beyond Pork Chops", sells really well and gives him quite a boost in aspiration points. 

So far, the Burbs have always been very much in love with each other, in spite of showing only a one-bolt attraction. John's turn-ons are red hair and hats, and Jennifer changes her haircolour and style to make herself even more attractive for her hubby, resulting in 2 bolts. 

Lucy is very talented at the easel and has produced these beautiful portraits of her parents as well as the painting of their house that you will see in the next picture, above the settee in the living room. 

On Thursday, Jennifer does not work. She is now on Permanent Platinum and, while John is at work and Lucy at school, I decide to let Jennifer do what she wants, and just watch her. First, she has a bag of cookies for breakfast. Healthy :-) 

Then she has a shower in spite of not really needing one. 

She cleans the sink on her own initiative. 

Then she spends HOURS writing her diary. 

Later, she goes downstairs to look after her koi. 

And her next meal is just as healthy as her breakfast was; she stuffs her face with anything she can find in the fridge. 

She IS a bit bored, isn't she? 

The butterflies outside provide some distraction, it seems. When I see Benedick Monty walking by, I intervene and make Jennifer greet the young lad. Only later I realize that the computer is broken. I guess had it been in working order, Jennifer would have been giving financial consulting all day. 

At the same time, John returns from work - with a promotion to Restauranteur! 

Benedick instantly heads for the stairs and goes up into Lucy's room, where she is doing what she does almost all the time: painting. He admires her and tells her so, and the two of them hit it off immediately. 

They both love arts and crafts. Later, Benedick flirts with Lucy, and she does not reject him :-) Nothing further happens between the two of them, though. Maybe they will meet again later on in the game. 

Saturday morning is the first time all three Burbs gather round the table for a meal. It will also be the last time... 

...as Lucy leaves for college today! "My little girl... there she goes..." John is all nostalgic! 

His career provides full satisfaction, though, as you can tell when he comes home from his work at the restaurant :-) 

On Sunday, Jennifer is left to her own devices once again. Indeed she does not stop giving financial consulting, even with her bladder, hygiene and hunger bar in DEEP red. I fear for her life! When she finally stops, what does she do? Not feed herself, no... instead she goes to the toilet and then heads off to bed. Well, I'm not having John lose his daughter to college and his wife to starvation the same day! So I intervene and have Jennifer eat leftover salmon. 

Sunday evening, John comes home and immediately age-transitions. Oh dear... what's that awful outfit? Sorry, John - it may be your personal choice, but it'll have to go. 

There! Much better, if you ask me. Next, we'll check how Lucy is doing at college, and I hope that we will see John reaching Permanent Platinum when we will return to this household eventually.