real life interrupts

I've been trying to get back on a regular posting schedule, but I keep getting delayed. The main problem is my computer. My poor MacBook Pro is over three years old, and the cooling system is completely shot at this point. I have to keep the fan on maximum at all times, and even then it frequently overheats when I try playing The Sims 2. This is especially problematic because I'm working on the college update, which requires me to play four households for three days each. But I ordered a new one last week, and it should be here soon. It'll take me a while to get everything transferred, but then I'll be able to play for longer than an hour at a time.

The other distraction has been setting up a new neighborhood. I've been watching a lot of Revenge, a wonderful prime-time soap about duplicitous Hamptonites, and it inspired me to set up a Hamptons-like beach neighborhood for my Sims. So I scrapped my old version of North Port (which you haven't seen, but it's where Tina Traveller and Isaiah Gavigan grew up), and have been building a new neighborhood from scratch. I'm using Phaenoh's lovely Sand Simoleon Point as the neighborhood and have been slowly adding houses and community lots. I don't have any pictures of it to share with you, but I have uploaded two of the lots on Mod The Sims, a residential lighthouse, home of Trent and Trisha Traveller, and Trisha Traveller's restaurant. Next I'm working on a beach house for the Gavigans based on the one in Revenge.

home

March 2044 - Samantha Ottomas is 60, Orlando and Sharla Bertoni are 38, Donna is 14, Veronica is 5.

Sharla never thought she'd be living back in her childhood home, but after her father died, she couldn't bear to have her mother living alone. She and Orlando had been planning to move into a larger house anyway, so it just seemed natural for them to move in with her mother.

February

February 2044 - Peter Ottomas is 61, Samantha Ottomas is 60, Sheila and Tommy Ottomas are 33, Katie is 9, Sean is 6.

February is a quiet time for the Ottomases. With the holiday rush over at the robot store, Sheila finally has time to spend with her family again. She still has to work on the weekends, but with a later start time they can share a pancake breakfast before she leaves for work.

my girl

January 2044 - Benjamin Grove is 25, Phoebe Centowski is 23.

In August when the lease on Phoebe's apartment was up, she and Benjamin moved in together into his apartment. They've been dating for over a year now, and their ready for their relationship to take the next step.

teenage dream

December 2043 - Anne and James Smith are 43; Christopher and Margaret Long are 16; John Smith, Tom Smith, and Libby Stanton are 15; Jamie Smith is 12; Alex Smith is 10.

When Anne's father died last fall, he left Anne the family house, and they moved in just after Thanksgiving. It was hard leaving their old house, but Anne loves being back in her childhood home.

we gather together

November 2043 - Julien and Melissa Cooke are 56, Adrien Cooke is 14, Anthony Cooke is 26, Anjali Ramaswami is 25.

Julien and Melissa are excited to have Anthony and Anjali home for Thanksgiving. It's only been a few months since they moved to Takemizu Village, but it's a big adjustment not to have their son living a few blocks away.

"When are Anthony and Anjali coming home?" Julien asks.

"Sunday afternoon. Anthony says they have big news to tell us."

the crane wife

October 2043 - Anthony Cooke is 26, Anjali Ramaswami is 25.

For the next two years, Anthony and Anjali will be living in Takemizu Village. Anthony got a two-year position as a researcher, and Anjali will be working as a radiologist at the local clinic.