The start of my second round with the "new" set-up of my game (two years is not exactly "new", is it - it took me from May 2023 until August 2025 to complete the first round!) begins of course here at No. 250, Main Street in Desiderata Valley, where I will play the Aspir family through their second week. Their first week is here.]
Luis, by far the oldest Sim alive in my game, is now 94. He still works on his lifetime want of maxing out all his skills; I doubt he'll actually make it, but he is certainly giving it an honest try.
The youngest family member is Pauline, now in the middle of her childhood. Whether on purpose or by accident, she was given a lifetime want even as a toddler and still dreams of becoming a World Class Ballet Dancer (no aspiration other than growing up yet).
Victor and Elizabeth are living their lives almost the opposite way of what Maxis had in mind for them; according to their biographies, Elizabeth should be the career woman while Victor pines after more babies with her. In my game, though, she is a stay-at-home Mum who works on maxing out her skills when not busy with household things, her family or friends, while Victor is the one who is rising the ranks of his chosen career towards his ultimate goal of being Education Minister.
On this Monday, Pauline and Victor are off to school, one to learn and the other to work. Luis is busy somewhere around the house or garden, and so was Elizabeth until her best friend Hannah Bell walks over (the Bells live close by) for a visit. The two ladies have been best friends since the start of the game, and I like to imagine they go way back, maybe to their school days or even before that.
Pauline and Victor return from school at the same time, but of course Victor does not ride the school bus (he could, couldn't he?). He has been promoted to Substitute Teacher, while Pauline's grades are improving.
Tuesday is a good day for the Aspirs. It starts quietly with Elizabeth talking to friends on the phone and her father-in-law repairing the computer while Paula and Victor are at school.
About an hour before her daughter and her husband are due home, Elizabeth has a nap.
Good things come in threes, they say, and here the first two are Pauline's first A+ and Victor's promotion to Elementary School Teacher.
Number Three is Elizabeth finally making her Bronze Sewing Badge! Good-bye, potholders... :-D
We all know the erratic sleep patterns of our elderly Sims, and Luis is no exception. It is still pretty much the middle of the night when he wakes up on Wednesday and decides this is a good time to spray-paint the old car he's been working on for a while.
Winter will soon be over, but today sees the first snow. It is not much, but the freshly painted yellow car makes a nice splash of colour against the grey-green-white ground.
Victor was unlucky with a chance card, but after his demotion to Substitute Teacher, he goes straight back to work and is rewarded for his diligence, getting reinstated in his position as Elementary School Teacher, something that obviously pleases him greatly.
"It used to snow a lot more in winter when I was young, didn't it, Dad?" - "Yes, it did, Son. And it snowed even more when I was a little nipper, nearly 100 years ago!"
A lot more snow has fallen over night, and by Thursday morning, Desiderata Valley is a proper winter wonderland. Pauline's school announces Snow Day, but although Victor works at the same school, he is still required to go in.
Mother and daughter spend Pauline's unexpected day off together. First, they read and do the crossword.
Then, they have a cosy chat over their lunch of Mac & Cheese. Pauline would love to go shopping for a new dress come spring, maybe a pink one?
Victor arrives home at 3:00 pm with a promotion to High School Teacher. He will be glad to start an hour later in the morning now!
On Friday, he is made University Guest Lecturer. He will need to do some studying now in order to make his lectures a magnet for all students.
Pauline grows up into a pretty teenager. Over the weekend, her room will receive a makeover. My dice decides on Romance as her aspiration.
First, though, she has a makeover herself, getting a much more modern haircut. To celebrate both her husband's promotion and her daughter's birthday, Elizabeth prepares pork chops for dinner. Unfurtunately, they turn out rather overdone, but nobody seems to mind.
Neither Victor nor Pauline need to go to school on Saturday, and so the entire family decides to hit the shops. Clothes are purchased, and Pauline even gets a mobile phone - although no pink dress, since all of a sudden she isn't into pink anymore.
"Hannah! What a lovely surprise!" Elizabeth is always happy to see her best friend.
The two ladies have their photo taken in the photo booth, followed by Pauline and her Granddad.
Then, just as I am sending them home, the game crashes on me... ...and loading it next time, there are none of the purchased clothes in their wardrobes nor do they have the photos in their inventory. Grrrrr!!!! (I have made them walk to and from the community lot, and it wasn't overflowing with Sims.)
Elizabeth spends good part of Sunday morning at her sewing machine, which results in a Silver Badge.
Pauline is happy to wake up in her made-over room, which sports her new favourite colour, various shades of turquoise, aqua and teal. She has kept the pictures she drew as a toddler and child, but everything else is new.
Father and daughter watch their favourite show on TV together, "Simsomer Murders".
The Aspirs want to observe Family Day. Natasha Una being their only living relative in the valley, she is invited in the afternoon and stays for dinner. This time, Elizabeth makes the pork chops to perfection, and the family raise their glasses of bubbly for a toast: "Here's to a good week!"
And a good week it has been, although it took me a lot longer than expected due to the many game crashes I've had. It is quite annoying, and I wonder what else I could do to stop them happening - it's not every household (so far!), and sometimes I was certain it had to do with an update on my computer running in the background. But I can not really make out a pattern.
Anyway - Round 2 has officially begun :-)
