Luna Musings

The Asylum Begins!

2008-06-28T16:01:09Z

Okay, sorry, I don't have pics or a chapter ready to go yet, but...

I'm sorry. I must already apologize to my participants. I've played less than a sim-day, and I've had one fire with a triple aspiration failure already! (I was not the one cooking, I can at least say that)

I figured, oh, it won't quite be like an Asylum, since I gave them nice clothes and a pretty environment. Well, apparently that doesn't matter to some aspirationally low folks.

Oh, here's the official list of participants, it changed a bit from the idea in Nerd's topic:
Spider Jerusalem
Cassidy (these two are set as brothers)

Brody Legacina
Orikes (Legacina) (created together, not related)

Prof. Butters Simself
Marina Simself (created together, not related)

Michelle Fobbs (playable)
Dante Gabriel Fobbs (set as siblings to avoid strangeness)

Gotta run to work!

Well, everybody else is doin' it...

2008-06-27T02:56:06Z

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (I've read parts of it. Large parts. Just not the whole thing. Numbers gets real dull.)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (complete? Heck no. But large parts of it.)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (tried to read it. Can't stand it.)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (They had to pick this one from him and not A Walk in the Woods?)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (not all of them. Several, though.)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (blech)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (In French!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (parts of it, in French!)

A lot of those I have begun and not finished, or read an abridged version when I was quite young (less than 10. I found a really great stash of Big Little Illustrated Classics.)

I showed this list to a co-worker or two, and both knew of at least 10 that they had read, without even looking really closely at the list. It helps that several of the newer books have been considered for our One Read program. Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, Curious Incident, and Life of Pi. Even though only To Kill a Mockingbird was picked as the actual One Read book (the whole city is supposed to read it), the others were very popular because of the voting period notoriety.

Happy [fill-in-the-blank] Day!

2008-06-15T14:43:24Z

Friday was Friday the 13th, ooOoooh. Lots of fun. It's amazing how people still seem superstitious about it. I make small talk with lots of the patrons at the library, you know, "Oh, great kid's book, love the illustrator", "Hey, didn't know this author had a new book out" that sort of thing. And the ones getting horror or astrology stuff seemed much more aware of the date. I'm such a voyeur. Only a single bad thing happened to me. The freezer broke. Not horrendously, just enough so we had to move fast to save all the stuff in it. More on that later...

Yesterday was my parent's 40th wedding anniversary! Can you imagine? Being with the same person for four decades. And they knew each other through most of their childhood, too. Looking at them, I know I'm blessed to have Michael. We match well, even if we seem like the Odd Couple (old/young, black/white, etc.) but just like Mom and Dad there's something about us that meshes. Of course, we've got a ways to go before we get to 40, but at least there's been no sign of 7-year-Itch. So anyway, I call up Mom and Dad, say "Happy Anniversary", and tell them about the freezer. They're the reason it's so full, after all. They give us beef (cattle farmers) every time we visit home. (and it's such good beef too, very lean, no unneeded meds, humanely treated) I told them we didn't really have the money to buy a new freezer so quickly, and Mom of course said to call us when we found one and they'd pay for it. I love them. So generous when they can manage it. They were on their way to Branson to celebrate, too.

And then today. Father's Day. We woke up to Cat Stevens' "Cat's in the Cradle" (one of the best sim videos I ever saw was based on that). The new freezer is cooling off in its new spot. Mom and Dad are probably on the road, but I'm calling this evening to have a good chat with Dad. His own father was not much of an example. He pretty much used my dad as free labor on the farm, until Dad escaped by way of the Vietnam War. He didn't say stuff like "I love you, son." Even with us grandkids, he'd just hand over some cash rather than show genuine affection.

Well, my awesome Dad decided not to live like that. Despite being a quiet man by nature, he made sure to hug and tell his love for me and my brother. We got Dad Nights, where he'd load us in the truck and we'd go off to a movie, or down to look at his new hay baler or whatever. Quality Time, ya know? And I'm sure Mom really liked having the time to herself.

I'd like to see how Michael does as a father. I think he'd be pretty talented at it.

Sorry if this got too sappy/sentimental. I just figured it was right for this time of year.

Lot Debugger?

2008-06-14T14:31:56Z

Hey, everyone. This is a call out to my fellow simmers for some good info on MATY's Lot Debugger. I've never used it, but I'm thinking I might need it before too long. I've been getting more little errors, mostly graphic stuff but I hate to take a chance with a neighborhood like Planet Revolution.

Like, I was at the House of Cheese, and everyone eating grilled cheese suddenly was sitting behind their chairs on air. Then they were instantly standing, and sat down again to eat. At the Nebula Tower, when Quint bathed his new baby, the baby was floating over his head, not in the sink, until the bath was done. That one could so easily be a lolSim: Washin da babee, ur doin it wrong!

Stuff like that gets me slightly worried.

On to what's going on in my sims' lives. I'm trying to write up some scenes with Rhys, only to discover that he has none of the necessary people on his contact list! So I've got him hanging out at community lots to try to meet the right household. One very telling bit of info, when I opened up his Want panel, it involved one Want to Max Enthusiasm, and three others to interact with Cherryh!

The Picaso's have a cute son (named Pablo, of course) and are excessively happy and don't know anyone in the neighborhood. Just townie pool. Which works well, since they're my "Must get away from Apoc limits!" family right now. Even families such as Julia, Malcolm, and Rhys are too involved in the plot for me to play them freely right now. So it's been good for me to play the Picaso's. I think that at this point none of you want to see me burn out on the story, right? The Picaso family is my preventative measure.

Grrr, downraters.

2008-06-12T01:06:47Z

So, I uploaded Cherryh, since I got a request. It was useful, since I figured out how to get adult-Cherryh there without bothering with SimPE or CAS. And I know some folks have snapped her up! Goodness sakes, 20-some downloads? Thanks, folks.

But then, I notice the star rating. I shouldn't bother looking, but I do. I know she was at least 3.89 at some point, but now she's not even 3.75. Maybe some folks downrated her because she wears costume makeup, or has Maxis-made clothing. But can't they even cut her some slack because she's a character? This isn't some model that I'm trying to show off my mad CC skillz on, it's someone from my stories! There's a reason she looks the way she does!I think they hit my latest chapter too. It's rare that my chapters don't hit 4.7, and this one hasn't moved much past 4.5.

The whole idea of downrating bothers me. I'll generally only do it if they're pretty deliberately rude, breaking the rules (gets 'em reported too, usually) or truly awful in their spelling, grammar, and pictures. And, not or. Surely everyone has something redeeming about their stories, right? I never downrate sims that are uploaded, either. But I think a lot of people do it just because it's their chance to get revenge, somehow. To take out their frustrations on someone else's creation. To be PMSey and not get told to buy some Motrin, I dunno.

So, that's got me feeling down, just slightly. So I found some pictures of some of my favorite events off the main lot!

HA! Take that, Julia!

And THAT too! Make me have to suffer Agrippa's cryin'... grr.

More fun events!

This is what she did right after the guests left after the wedding!

And this is what Isaac wanted to do! A happy, really really Playful, not-Nice but tons of fun to play couple!

Gypsy: So, how about this girl?
Robin: DO NOT WANT! I'm trying to set my gender preference, not derail the Nebula family, TYVM!

Robin: Sorry, Ursula! Head on home, mmkay?
Ursula: Wha?! I feel really dizzy... I'm gonna stagger off now...
Robin: So, Gypsy, who else ya got?
Gypsy: Ummm, a bunch of Cassius cast-offs. Wanna try?
Robin: *sigh* maybe I'll just wait until I get sent to college.

I've got some pics to share...

2008-06-02T01:40:00Z

This is actually a mini-episode that never made it into a Planetary Apocalypse Chapter. It's still funny, though...

Julia: Hello? I'd like to request delivery of a rare species of canary. Yes, I know it's contraband, why would I be calling you otherwise? Yes, this is my favorite type of bird. I'll be expecting delivery immediately if not sooner. Thank you!

However, the bird didn't arrive in very good condition... apparently there was some problem with carbon monoxide in the trunk where he was being smuggled? Either way, the driver knew he didn't want to face the music...

Julia: Hey! Where are you going? I tip very well for such prompt service, you know!
Orson: I'm sure you do! Gotta run anyway!

By the time Julia took a good look at her prized specimen, the bird was... less than fresh!

Julia: WHYYYY! I'll have my revenge, delivery boy! Just you wait!

I based it on a chance card that Orson got and thankfully, successfully answered. Hope ya like it!

Progress slow...

2008-05-29T03:47:34Z

I keep trying to write, but the computer keeps crashing! Ugh. It only seems to do this when I'm writing up chapters, and it seems to happen at least once every chapter!

The first time was Monday night. I'd just finished writing a really emotional scene between Ursula and Quint, after having switched some pictures so the emotional expressions were absolutely perfect, and BAM! Crash. Big paragraphs lost. I said a censored word so loud that Michael startled awake from a nap! I could hear it all the way in the computer room. I would have beat up my computer but my sensible side did point out that it wouldn't do any good. So, even though it was almost midnight, I just started up the game again and tried to recreate all that wonderful dialogue. I got pretty close, I think. I hope.

The next time was just a few minutes ago. I'd gotten some good stuff in, but a tad more fluffy. It won't be so important to get it exactly the same. It's still frustrating, as the game takes forever to load up the placeholder lot. I've got about 56/120 slides done.

On an unrelated (and much more positive) note, I've had a bush in the front yard for three springs now. I've made sure the lawn guy does not mow it down, because I was sure it would be something neat someday. This year, this WEEK in fact, it blossoms! I have a ROSE BUSH! A freakin' b-e-a-utiful rose bush! I really wish I had a working camera, I'd take pictures of some of the (multitude of) blossoms to show all of you.

Now, I can't exactly hang around outside admiring it because of my allergies, but I know it's there. Yay. Speaking of the allergies, I sneezed so hard at work that I pulled a muscle in my upper back. I didn't even know it was possible to pull a muscle there! But it's hurtin', believe me. Luckily, I had a Dr. appt already set up, so I just added that to my list of complaints. The nice doc-lady confirmed that it was just a pulled muscle, and that my asthma is flaring up and causing me most of my other health grumbles. So I'm back on the ol' inhalers, as much as I hate them. And a lovely heating pad for the back pain. It's helping, I can tell already.

Cher's Fashion

2008-05-26T17:18:06Z

Okay, so I promised pics a while back. I've been cleaning out the Storytelling folder, and it is HUGE! I've got lots of material to sort through. I didn't even find the ones from Robin's house that I wanted to show her. Ugh, what a chore. But anyway!

I suspect Prof B. will be thrilled with Cherryh's new dress. It's not quite the teen one that I found adultified, but I still like it on her. The sweater will become her outerwear whenever I get back in the lot and remember to change it!

I'm going to start on Chapter 18 soon. Michael has been complaining just a tad that I haven't really spent time with him, even though it's a holiday weekend, so it'll be after I settle in for movie-time with him.

Have a good holiday, everyone!

Chez Michael's French Toast

2008-05-23T23:22:27Z

When Michael was sick, or recovering, I took care of him. I am not a cook, so we had lots of microwave meals, easy-to-fix stuff. This week, I've been rather sick, and he's been well enough to really care for me. Oh, the benefits!

This morning, he made french toast. He used Oat Nut Bread, which stays wonderfully textury even when soaked with egg! As if that wasn't enough egg, he put a perfectly fried egg and a sausage patty on top of it! Even with serious allergies, that looks good enough (and I could sort of smell it too) to tempt Gandhi to eat. Now that I write it out, it seems so simple, but oh, how tasty it was! I wish I could share with you the delicious crunch that was the Nut in the bread, and the perfect fluffiness of the egg. He asked if I wanted syrup (we only have about four kinds in the fridge) and I thought how could anyone ruin such a masterpiece with syrup! It was that good.

Tomorrow his sister and brother are coming to visit. I'm so glad they're staying in a hotel. I don't have the energy to freshen up the guest room. I hope she's not in a chatty mood. Or at least that I feel a whole heckuva lot better by the time they get here. Thank goodness for the long weekend to sort of recover from all these allergies! And for the Claritin-D that seems to have knocked them into submission!

Allergies, I haz dem...

2008-05-22T12:46:03Z

Last week, even on the weekend, I'd sneeze and snot a bit, then I was fine. This week, all bets are off. Breathing is a major pain, since my poor lungs want to cough right as I'm hoping to inhale. My nose is emitting lots of yellow stuff. My head hurts because I've been blowing said nose too much. And Benadryl is not a work-friendly drug.

I did manage to play a little bit yesterday, though. I went to Anne and Sinjin's place to refresh their relationships with the Horde. It was a good reminder that I still haven't switched Cherryh to her new outfit! Really, I'm completely caught up as far as play-then-write is concerned! But at some point I'll have to go into the main house and get things moving again. I still have no clue how to do the Wedding Scene that must happen.

Michael finally read my latest chapter. His main complaint? The censor blur when sim-me was taking a bubble bath! He's a little concerned that Quint seems pathetic. While that is one of the qualities I want to come forth right now, I also want Quint to get more sympathetic. He's in over his head, but that doesn't mean he's not trying to swim. The Nebulas are just kinda used to a pace of life that runs all over him.

It's kind of funny, comparing the (awesome) Villainous Apoc and mine... So far, all of my marriages have been pre-arranged but relatively smooth, until this last one. It seems like the Fitzhughs started rough and are getting a bit more used to it. It'll work as a nice break for me, though, since after this the heirs can choose their own.

Oh, I looked it up and I have NINE careers still to go. Ursula and company are working on three of those, but that does still leave six for descendants. There's quite a bit more Planetary Apocalypse to go!

And there goes the chapter, into the great outdoors!

2008-05-19T04:58:20Z

Wow, I got it done! I still can't believe it, it was going so slowly yesterday, and today I did some trimming and just burned through some really tough scenes!

http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=220377

There's the linky! I'd like it if you comment over on boolprop.com, if you belong there. If you're just an LJer, it's fine to comment here, but you should really consider joining boolprop if you like sim stories!

It's actually going to be hard to sleep, I'm so excited about what you all might think of it!

Plugging away...

2008-05-17T15:31:55Z

So, 30/110 slides done. But now I have to go to work! Blegh, work on a nice Saturday. And after that is the Preakness! I try to catch three horse races every year, and this is the second! Still, though, if everything works well, I should get the chapter out this weekend. Maybe tonight.

Iron Man

2008-05-17T00:21:00Z

I just saw Iron Man. It was Michael's idea, mostly. He said we deserved a movie break (he's getting cabin fever again.) and I pointed out that we could very easily have a break with Prince Caspian. But he insisted. And really, it was worth it! He'll take me to see Caspian next week, and I do have quite the soft spot for Robert Downey Jr.

If you're a fan of the animated TV series, listen for the theme music. It was in the credits, but I am not enough of a fan to recognize it. Stan Lee, as usual, had an awesome cameo! No spoken line this time.

Watch all the way through the credits. There's a bit at the end that you will want to see!

I'm gonna fire up the game now and see what I can do to get y'all the next chapter.

mmmfobbs @ 2008-05-15T23:13:00

2008-05-16T04:28:47Z

Soo, I'm not so much of an LJ user. I go through stages. I feel like I should post every day, free-writing or whatever. Then I feel guilty when I miss a day and I avoid it like the plague. Silly, I know.

On Friday, I was sooo lucky! I called in to one of those radio station things, you know, be the 10th caller and win something. I didn't think it'd actually happen, but I won tickets to The Police/Elvis Costello concert! Michael couldn't go, so I had three days to find a concert buddy. Then, the next day, my cousin graduated from college. My baby cousin, who I remember cradling as a baby. I feel so old. And, I ask him if he'd like to go with his old cousin to a concert, and he did. We had a blast Tuesday night! Elvis and Sting seriously rocked (Sting... drool!) and I had no idea how talented the other members of The Police really were (Cousin Lyle was raving about the drummer. He should know, he's a trained musician, esp. percussion.)

And then came the drive home. Two and a half hours, starting at 11 pm. Did I mention I had to work all day Wednesday? Starting at 9 am? It was not a fun day. But I think I'm caught up on sleep now.

Anybody want to venture a guess as to why Robert is so unhappy? You'll have to wait until next chapter! (really, I'm trying to write it, but... stuff happens... like sleep.)

This is a gimme for Doc SimNerd. I was playing around with Maxi Buckle's store, and Cherryh walked in. I had to send her home, she might be shocked by lights and stuff to buy, ya know, but then Larch walked past her. It was a fun moment.

And this is one of Maxi's best makeovers EVAH! Anyone want to venture a guess as to who it is? And if I'll go through with hooking him up with Miss Maxi? I don't know if that'll make it into any Apoc chapters, but it's fun anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving? Eh, could be worse.

2007-11-23T04:11:41Z

Michael's blood sugar crashed, right before I was about to leave. I'm glad I hadn't, I was able to help him get a sugary drink and some crackers, and he was much better when I finally had to leave. Before that happened, we watched The Incredibles together. I love that movie!

His brother and sister are visiting (staying in a hotel, no work for me!). We went to a restaurant for our big dinner. It was nice, if not traditional. I talked more with his sister than we usually do. That was a very good thing. His brother hardly ever talks, but that's nothing personal towards me.

I'm really quite pleased that we were able to chat so well. She wasn't happy when Michael married me. No, she's not a bad person or anything, but her generation wasn't one where you saw many interracial couples really make a go of it. And she didn't stand up in the courtroom and forbid us to marry, or toss me out of her house when we visited. She just, struggled I guess you'd say, with accepting me. Quietly. So for us to just sit and have a nice dinner and conversation is a big step. I'll take it. I know I can't force her to be my best buddy or anything.

Radio and Socks

2007-11-22T03:55:08Z

I got new socks. There's just something nice about fresh comfy socks. Kind of a pick-me-up.

The radio station I always listen to plays their entire library once a year, alphabetically by song title. They call it B to X, which is totally prejudiced against A, Y, and Z, but hey, they are KBXR, so it makes sense, I guess. Right now, it's much Better than their regular line-up. Literally. They played "Better Days", "Better Man", "Better Now", and "Better Than". The whole format makes for a nice variety, some really interesting mixes of styles of song. I'm surprised more stations don't do it, but they'd probably have teenie-boppers complaining that they haven't heard -insert name of overplayed song here- in the last two hours.

Tomorrow I'll mostly spend with Michael. His brother and sister are coming up. The puppies will be sadly neglected! Not really.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Drive safe out there.

Simmerific news!

2007-11-16T22:42:17Z

I have de-stressed a bit about Bon Voyage. It does seem to do okay on regular lots, just uber-slow on the vacation itself. I am still leaning toward uninstalling.

But my test is going fabulously! Remember my BC? Well, Toby is getting that promised getaway!

By the time he left the Far East, he was quite the experienced traveler.

And the next vacation, to a tropical spot, he brought a special friend!

I'm going to write up a story from Toby's perspective, but my free time is filling up, so no guarantees on when.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

2007-11-13T02:08:59Z

I just watched the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" FIND THIS MOVIE. WATCH IT. And don't get defensive when they say consumers are some of the ones guilty for killing cars such as the EV-1. Not the only, thing, obviously. They also laid the blame at the feet of car manufacturers (the very ones developing-but-failing-to-market the EV-1s), the government (who helped kill laws to raise fuel economy and mandate zero-emission vehicles) and big oil, who bought rights to the magnificent battery technology that's been developed.

When they were describing it, I wanted to run out and grab one of these cars! So it wasn't huge, and its range wasn't long (60ish miles). Well, guess what? I don't have anyone to carpool with, so size isn't a big deal, and I don't drive more than 30 miles a day anyway! We've got the van for trips, so this car would have really worked well for my lifestyle.

What about you? If you could charge up at work or the grocery store, wouldn't a short-range, highly efficient car work just fine for almost everything you do? I mean, even my parents, who live in the boonies and need several different vehicles for various farm purposes, usually have a car that is the "quick run to town" vehicle. They also have a larger, more comfortable one for long trips. Okay, I'm rambling...

Anyway, this documentary was an eye-opener on how so many factors came together to unfairly kill the best market for the electric car. Hybrids are a step, but not enough of one. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are unrealistic, a pipe dream. What happened to those EV-1s that were on the roads? Their leases were canceled, their engines disabled, and all but a scant handful were taken to the desert and pulverized. By the car company that made them.

If you get a chance, see this movie, loan it to other green-minded folk, and show more interest in alt-fuel vehicles than in the next huge SUV, okay?

Blue Man Group, and typing away at captions

2007-11-10T14:36:09Z

For some reason, Michael thought it would be a good morning to watch our Blue Man Group DVD. I'm just glad the DVD player is working again.

It must take some talent to be one of those guys. First of all, they really are talented percussionists. Then, they have to be willing to wear that makeup, which probably includes a skull cap (I don't think all the Blue Men shave their heads). They also must be fairly good actors, to clown about on stage with their peculiar motions. They are the mimes of today, except I don't think they're quite so creepy. I really want to see their NYC show sometime.

In Sim news, I'm working on the next Apocalypse chapter. I want to get caught up to where I've played before I install Bon Voyage. This may result in multiple chapters being posted at a time, if I can maintain the pace I've set. I was really hoping it would happen this weekend, but I was so sick on my afternoons off this week! Ugh.

My proposed chapters are:
Career Topping Time (hosted by Denise Avidreader, who I have yet to work into the plot)
Wedding Belles At Last (hosted by Lois, parties, yay!)
Baby, Baby, Baby (hosted by Susanna, with several surprise events)

And so far, I'm really hoping for a girl this next generation. Oh, here's a little plotty preview. I love it when things happen accidentally that are just perfect!

Work and play flip flop

2007-10-30T12:46:11Z

I get to play in the morning today! Or sleep in, but clearly I'm up already. The puppies have no sense of when is a good time to sleep in. I swapped work hours with a guy who is going to take a GRE practice test tonight. And tomorrow, a vacation day, yippee! So, maybe I'll sleep in tomorrow.

I'm gonna play the Nebulas some more today. Last night I fired up the game because Heroes and CSI: Miami bored me. Really, it wasn't so much bored as, the network stations are all staticky and I can't understand the dialogue. That really irritates me. I'll just watch them online or something where I can get clear audio or subtitles. Anyway, I got off track there, didn't I? So, I start up the game, figuring I'd work on undoing clothing changes from the Halloween Party, and get everyone home and doing boring things in prep for installing Bon Voyage. But, gameplay sucked me in, and next thing I know, I'm tracking just how much money the Nebulas can make in a 24 hour period.

One restriction lifted, two sims perma-plat, and $60,000 in earnings later, I had to go to bed because it was 1 am! Wow! I'm getting so close to moving people out, it's awesome. I don't know if everyone reading it realizes, but it's not just Military (Susanna's job) that is vital to it. I also have to get Lois to top Journalism (or Science, if she'd found that job) to get moving out unrestricted. It just makes sense for the "twins" to both be so vital to freedom for the family.

I better set an alarm so I know when I have to leave for work tonight, I just might forget in all the fun of playing!

Creative impulses

2007-10-24T12:24:11Z

Well, I got the next Nebula chapter done way faster than I thought!

http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=190920

The comments feed me. I get more ideas for next time. I put out chapters faster! It's a lovely non-vicious circle.

Sadly, no one seems to like my little Victorian Apoc-okay house!

http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/lot_detail.php?asset_id=618668&asset_type=lot&user_id=1281797

I mean, you would have to take out all the lovely furniture and lights and luxury items like the stove, but it does sit on an 8x8 footprint! But it's still incredibly cute. One of my spares will move into it, once they've lifted their restrictions. Probably Susanna, since I think Lois will want a cabin-style spot, with a truck!

I got an entire book of Victorian architecture, with floor plans and tons of pictures, it's great! Even landscaping ideas that include gardens and fruit trees! I'll probably be building many cute little Victorian houses for a while.

Workity work

2007-10-22T12:51:18Z

As the BC wrapped up, I knew it was time to return to the Nebula's story. I even started WANTING to again, which is really the important reason I did a side-challenge. And really, once I opened up the placeholder lot and got going choosing pictures, it wasn't as bad as my mind had made it out to be!

So, I haven't really written many captions yet, because I had to go back and actually play more on the main lot, but there's some joy there, huh? But the main thing is that progress is underway!

Oh, I am also the queen of ZUMA! Great game.

mmmfobbs @ 2007-10-15T14:48:00

2007-10-15T19:50:40Z

For any of you who want to see me make a fool of myself, take a look (and listen) at this:

I'm the one with the red sleeves, before we take off the sweaters.

Extracting the Nebulas

2007-10-14T19:03:38Z

I finally managed to get SimPE downloaded, and I *think* I extracted them correctly. I'm not putting them on my simpage unless I get requests, because I'm sure they'd get culled fast. But, if my game blows up in my face when I try to install Bon Voyage, I've got the Nebs all safe and sound!

Stress off my mind, for sure.

Ty thinks that my foot needs washing now.

The cast and crew...

2007-10-12T12:27:46Z

Hubby's cast is off! He's still got tons of bandages, but the nasty wound that was on his leg is closing. The people at the burn/wound clinic are brilliant. And he's happy to be able to attempt walking again. It was not a walking cast, it was a big heavy clunker that put him way off balance.

My team at work is a little bummed about getting second place at the conference, but we're thinking of being in a holiday parade locally, so that would be a boost to our morale. Unless people threw things at us. Hopefully not.

This afternoon, I really want to get back to writing! I've even got tomorrow off, it should be enough to get a chapter (maybe two) out this weekend.