The Ramaswami Family: Week 1

Welcome to 175 East Pleasure Path, home of the Ramaswamis! 

Maxis says about them that "Sanjay and Priya are ready to settle down and start their life together! Will they settle in the beautiful town of Riverblossom Hills or find a new place to make their happy home?" 

Well... I should have checked their biography first - sorry, guys, but instead of Riverblossom Hills you have landed in Desiderata Valley. I hope you don't mind :-) 

The house is as good as empty, but at least the kitchen is fully functional. I get rid of what little (and cheap) furniture and fixtures there are, ending up with nearly 17,000 Simoleons on the couple's bank account. For now, I only furnish the bathroom properly and put up a desk and chair so that they can use the computer Mr. Humble is about to deliver. 

Aaaw, aren't they lovely together! 

Sanjay "... has always loved music and is happy to be able to help others have wonderful musical experiences as well! With the support of Priya, he is certain he will succeed in bringing music to the masses!" - according to Maxis. 

But his lifetime want is to be a Mad Scientist, nothing to do with music. Therefore, as soon as possible, he will quit his job as a coffee shop sound engineer and start a new career in Science. 

Priya's current job as a Fact Checker matches her Maxis-written bio, but not her actual lifetime want: She supposedly "... loves to write and dreams of being the editor of a magazine. Can she balance her career and starting a family?" 

However, she sees herself as future Captain Hero. Both have the Popularity Aspiration, and duly wish all the time for making friends, inviting people over, meet someone new and so on. 

Priya has already left for work when Sanjay is picked up for his job - just as the welcome committee arrive. They hang around for two hours but eventually leave without anyone having spoken to them. 

Sanjay is lucky with a chance card and returns with a promotion to Summer Camp Music Teacher - not that his heart is really in it, but the bonus is certainly welcome. 

For their first meal at the new home, the Ramaswamis invite the Aspirs over. Victor apparently has a hard time getting over the fact that Sanjay wears makeup (he really does) - look at his face! Elizabeth probably wonders why her gracious hostess has a camera dangling around her neck even at the table. 

It is already Tuesday by the time Priya and Sanjay finally get to bed - their bedroom needed setting up first, and Priya got her favourite colours. 

Nothing remarkable happens that day. They both go to work, the bills are delivered (and paid). 

Typical Popularity Sims, they both wish to invite someone over, and so Priya calls Matthew Picaso, while Sanjay rings his wife Jessica - they only live down the road, and are quickly there to tuck into a large bowl of Mac & Cheese together, with Matthew's table manners leaving a bit to be desired. 

Wednesday is another working day for the Ramaswamis. Without having put all that much effort into her job lately, Priya still gets promoted thanks to chance card. She is now an Obituary Writer. 

That justifies a kitchen upgrade, I think. The matching blue appliances do not only improve the look and feel of the room, but also make for better, more nutritious meals. 

On Thursday, Sanjay is back from work an hour before his wife and has a good long soak in the bath tub. It must be a challenge to be a Summer Camp Music Teacher in autumn!

It's a shame that the wish to "Invite someone over" is not fulfilled when a family is invited, only with a single Sim. Since both Priya and Sanjay have that wish every day, tonight they ask Jessica Picaso and Victor Aspir over. The four enjoy a late meal of spaghetti before the two hosts have to go to bed. 

Day after day, they have been searching the Simternet for openings in their respective dream careers, but by Friday, still nothing has come up. Sanjay reassures Priya that they will find those jobs eventually, you'll see!

That evening, Matthew and Jessica Picaso are invited over one by one, obviously delighted at seeing each other at their neighbour's house.

The vast open dining-living space gets a chess board and two comfortable chairs. Not only will the Ramaswamis need logic points for their careers (if ever they get off the ground), it is also a good way to satisfay their "get skill" wishes, raise fun and cement friendships.

Priya gains a mechanical skill point (as per her wish) by repairing the trash compactor. She needs three attempts, but at least doesn't get electrocuted or sets the house on fire.

"Today is the day - I can feel it in my bones!" Sanjay exclaims on Saturday morning. And indeed, five minutes later he is accepted as a Test Subject - a small step for Simkind, but a giant leap for Sanjay towards his lifetime want! 

Still no new job for Priya, and so she does all the tasks around the house before leaving for work to gain some more skills. Everything seems to break down today, but there is nothing she can't fix!

As is almost always the case, Sanjay is promoted right on his first day: He now works as Lab Assistant. 

That calls for a celebration, and so he invites Priya to the "Londoste", one of the most expensive and reputedly best restaurants in the Valley.

Stupidly, I did not make them a Casual Group, and so they have to ask to be seated one after the other, which results in them sitting as far apart as possible. Still, the food appears to be excellent :-) 

Apart from a lot of townies, there are only two other residents here: Edward Contrary and Elizabeth Aspir, meeting for a game of chess.

To make their visit to the restaurant still worthwile, the Ramaswamis share a tender moment by the fire place before going home. 

Sanjay immediately retreats to the study corner in their bedroom to skill in view of his next promotion.

Priya plays chess with Elizabeth Aspir, as it was her wish to invite someone over.

Just before Sunday begins, I remember that the computer broke down this morning, too, and needs fixing if Priya wants to look for a job.

And guess what - an opening as a Cadet jumps out nearly as soon as she enters the jobcenter's website! Doesn't she cut a dashing figure in her brand new uniform? 

Several hours later, Priya returns not only with colleague Robert Kim in tow, but also a promotion to Patrol Officer.

At the same time, Sanjay leaves for the lab, all smiles.

The look on his face upon his return doesn't betray the joy he feels at being promoted to Field Researcher. Now there are quite a few skill points waiting to be gained.

But first, the Ramaswamis change out of their work clothes and then can be found in the kitchen, preparing a batch of Hamburgers together. 

They go down well with glasses of champagne. "Here's to us, Darling!" - "Yes, to us, Sweetheart!" 

The week went by very quickly, with both Sims out for work every day, and then friends over. 

I kept waiting for them to wish for things to further furnish and decorate the house, but no such wishes came up (they are Popularity Sims, after all, not Fortune), and so I decided to improve things a bit without them asking for it. 

Money is not a pressing issue now - they end the week at a healthy 13,500 Simoleons, and well established in their respective dream careers.