Belladonna 8/31/21

 Jan 2007

Samantha Cordial has decided to stop looking for love and try to be content with her life the way it is.  She has good friends, a close relationship with her sister, and plenty of activities to keep her busy.  She may even go back to work soon.  She has more to be thankful for than most sims, so she's going to appreciate it.

Tara DeBateau began the second half of sophomore year and is still excelling academically. However, she doesn't spend much time socializing.  She's friendly with most of her dormmates, but hasn't made any solid connections.

Feb 2007

This most recent pregnancy has really taken a toll on Ana Patel.  She's been absolutely exhausted trying to keep up with two young children while pregnant.  Consequently, she was beyond thrilled when the new baby finally arrived, a boy named Ryman.  Ramir is hopeful that this will be the last.  They are finally making some headway financially after his big promotion at work and the last thing he needs is to have to shell out for an extensive remodel to the house in order to provide enough bedrooms.  Bharat's room is big enough for the boys to share when Ryman is older.  A fourth child is definitely not something Ramir wants, though he won't be surprised if Ana forgets all about her pregnancy difficulties in a few months and starts yearning for another.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/30/21

 Oct 2006

Birth Announcement: The Gavigans welcomed a baby boy named Thomas.

Tara DeBateau continued her path of excellence.

Nov 2006

No sooner did Carlos Contender agree to marry Jessica Peterson, than he was swept up in a flurry of wedding preparations.  Jess was wasting no time in locking him down.  They got married in Central Park, with all of Carlos' family in attendance.  Isabel and Ben didn't stay very long, however, making it clear how they feel about Carlos marrying a woman 50 years his junior.  The couple spent their honeymoon on Twikki Island, where Carlos fell even more under Jessica's spell than before.  Her plan was to get pregnant, thereby cementing the connection between them, but nature had other plans and she failed to conceive.  She's not giving up though; she's not getting any younger (and neither is Carlos) and she doesn't want to run the risk that Carlos will tire of her the way Armand did.

Dec 2006

Tara completed yet another semester at the top of her class and there's no reason to believe she won't continue to do so moving forward.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/29/21

 Aug 2006

Gabriel Green and girlfriend Chastity Gere got into a huge fight about money.  The loan payment is more than what Chastity makes and she's not due for a promotion.  At this rate they'll be broke in no time.  Gabriel doesn't seem too concerned about it all.  

Tara DeBateau is just beginning her sophomore year and she's still going strong.  She even helped one of her dormmates who is on academic probation get his logic skill up so he can pass this term. 

Sept 2006

Geoff Rutherford is getting back into the swing of things.  He went out with his sister and brother-in-law to check out the King's Gardens in Sim City.  They had a nice time, though Geoff was disappointed his nephew Justin couldn't come.  He hasn't heard from Stephan since returning from his trip, but he's not sure he really wants to.  He has been thinking about getting back into the dating scene though.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/28/21

 July 2006

Marissa Cleveland has been feeling restless and dissatisfied lately.  She thought when her son came home from college, she'd feel better, but he jumped right into the workforce, leaving her to spend her days alone as usual.  She's tried making friends with her neighbors, but they're mostly younger than her and already have established friend groups.  Justin is oblivious to his mother's discontent because he met a co-worker that he's crushing hard on.  His name is Vincent and their first date went great.  Justin can't wait to see him again.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/27/21

 May 2006

The pressure continues for Ramir Patel as he learns that not only will he soon have another mouth to feed, but Ana has enrolled Bharat in private school, which means more money out of pocket for school fees as well.  Ana remains blissfully unaware of her husband's struggles as she continues to work on achieving her perfect family ideals.

Tara DeBateau aced her final and finished freshman year with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  She's in great shape heading into sophomore year.

June 2006

Armand DeBateau couldn't be more proud of his daughter Tara for becoming such a stellar student at college.  He misses her though, which makes him all the more determined to have another baby with his wife Kimberly.  It doesn't seem to be in the cards though, as another year has passed without Kimberly becoming pregnant.  They've decided to give it a few more years (until Kim is 35) and if it hasn't happened by then, they'll start the adoption process.  Kim was on the fence about that, so invited her twin Samantha out for coffee to talk things through with her.  She came home feeling a lot better about everything and feeling more positive about the possibility of adoption.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/26/21

 Mar 2006

Samantha Cordial was invited out by the same group of friends to Red's Diner.  Once again, Armand was there, but not her sister.  He confided in her the troubles they've been having conceiving and she sympathized with him, but was also a little jealous that her sister has a loving husband while she remains alone.  Why are all the men she knows either attached or gay?

Tara continued to sail through college.  Like it's hard?

Apr 2006

Little Adam Riley is 11 months old and is simply doted on by every member of his family.  Vivian is taking some time off work so she can spend as much time as possible with her little "miracle baby".  The first thing Timothy does when he gets home from work is attend to the baby.  Even Sally can't resist her little brother, always volunteering to change his diaper or feed him.  Etsu doesn't interact with him too much yet, but she thinks he's awfully cute.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/25/21

 Jan 2006

Mary Gavigan was delighted to learn she's expecting once again.  Nathan was less thrilled, but didn't dare speak his concerns out loud.  It means he'll need to work extra hard to earn a promotion because they're really going to need the money.  At least Isaiah will be 12 in April and can help out more with the younger kids.

Tara DeBateau began her second semester and is doing great.  She did decide to major in math, which makes me think I should've sent her to La Fiesta Tech, but c'est la vie, she's here now and will stay here.

Feb 2006

Things are still tough for the Baldwin family.  Ben lost his job, but was thankfully able to get it back right away.  Isabel finished her cookbook, bringing in enough cash to pay their loan payment and the bills, with a little left over.  She's also still working nights as a gas station attendant, but that doesn't really pay very much.  They're keeping their heads above water, but they're not in great financial shape by any means.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/24/21

 Oct 2005

Justin Cleveland got settled back into his old room in his parents' apartment.  Thankfully, he was able to find a job right away; if he hadn't his dad would've been on his case for sure.  He spent some time catching up with friends and playing with his mom's new cat, but he felt pretty out of place.  His parents have become used to their routine and almost seemed surprised to run into him on the stairs.  Hopefully he won't have to be here too long.  He misses the freedom of the frat house.

Tara DeBateau continued to rock at college life.  She's set to earn a 4.0 for her first semester, although she hasn't yet chosen a major.

Nov 2005

It's been a year since Samantha lost her beloved Connor, during which time she quit her job because she couldn't function emotionally and adopted a second cat to keep her company in her loneliness.  When an acquaintance called to inviter her out bowling with some of his friends, she was hesitant but decided to give it a try.  Much to her surprise, she ended up having a great time.  Her brother-in-law Armand was there, so at least she had one familiar face to turn to.  She met several new people and afterwards she felt better about life than she has for a long time.

Dec 2005

Tara finished her first semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  Upon returning from her final exam, she briefly rolled the want to choose math as her major.  We'll see if it's still there when we return.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/23/21

 June 2005

The financial strain, as well as Isabel's obsession with having another baby, is really putting a strain on the Baldwins' marriage.  They were unable to pay their tax bill and had to resort to a loan to manage it.  Ben is beginning to wonder if it was such a great idea paying cash for the house to avoid the mortgage.  Isabel is not as oblivious to their financial troubles as Ben thinks she is though.  She decided to put all those recipes she's been perfecting over the years to good use and write a cookbook.  Hopefully it'll bring in some much needed cash.

July 2005

Tara DeBateau got accepted to all the schools she applied to, but ultimately decided on Academie Le Tour because her interests lie more towards creative pursuits than technology.  She'll be living in Lam Plaza for the first year at least.  Meanwhile, Armand and Kimberly are still trying to have a baby with no success.  The family took quite a financial hit as well, between taxes, Tara's last year of private school and her freshman year tuition, plus a work situation that cost Armand $15,000.  Nevertheless, they are still the wealthiest family in town.

Aug 2005

Geoff Rutherford took some time to re-evaluate his life.  First off, he asked for his job back.  He was forced to start at entry level again, but that's the price you pay for quitting without notice.  Afterwards, he did a little spring cleaning (summer cleaning?) and took Otis to the park.  He spent some time catching up with friends via phone and took some time to reflect.  He feels he's in a better frame of mind now to handle whatever comes his way next.

Tara jumped into her first semester of college with both feet.  Though she hasn't decided on a major just yet, she did an assignment and finished her term paper before even attending her first class.  I have a feeling she's going to be a much easier student than Justin was, lol.

Sept 2005

Jessica Peterson got tired of waiting around for Carlos to make a decision and so she did something that she never thought she'd do - she proposed to him (nothing to lose, right?).  Much to her surprise (and mine) he accepted.  I think she must have caught him in a moment of weakness because he immediately regretted it.  In any event, now that they are officially engaged, Jessica will be moving in with Carlos while they plan the wedding.  She can't wait to leave her tiny trailer behind.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/22/21

 Apr 2005

Carlos Contender decided to throw an impromptu barbeque for his friends and family.  Jessica couldn't make it, but she did turn up later for a very romantic evening.  I think she may be wearing him down.  He's generally pretty lonely living all alone and he may just cave in the near future and ask Jessica to move in.

May 2005

Gabriel Green and Chastity Gere are still struggling financially, especially after their tax bill came due.  They had to take out a loan to pay it.  While Chastity did bring in a little extra cash, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the fact that Gabriel is still not working.  If he doesn't get it together soon, I fear it will take a toll on their relationship.

Birth Announcement: Timothy and Vivian Riley welcomed a baby boy, Adam.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/21/21

 Mar 2005

Mary and Nathan Gavigan welcomed their third child, a baby girl named Amelia, and immediately moved to a house in the suburbs.  They were lucky enough to find an affordable three-bedroom that will accommodate their family nicely.  Nathan is kind of hoping Amelia will be their last child, but Mary is bound to want another sooner rather than later.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/20/21

 Jan 2005

The Patels have been in their new house for a few months now.  It's really beginning to feel like home.  So much so, in fact, that Ana's yearning for another baby, despite Kaja being only 7 months old.  Ramir knows better than to refuse her, so he goes along with trying for another baby, but is secretly relieved when she doesn't get pregnant.  He's got enough stress right now with trying to work his way up in his career, supporting a family of four, and keeping up with the mortgage, bills, and taxes.  Not to mention that Ana has been thinking about quitting her job to stay home with the kids.  Honestly, she calls out more than she goes anyway, but at least for the moment she's still able to collect maternity pay, which is better than nothing.  Ramir blames the stress for his inadvisable decision to begin an affair with a woman he's known for a while.  He still loves Ana, but feels unable to keep up with her plans for their family.  Will he come to his senses and end the affair?  Or will it tear the family apart?  Stay tuned.

Feb 2005

Timothy Riley celebrated his 40th birthday and he couldn't be happier.  He never could have imagined his life would work out this way.  He didn't expect expect his first wife to die.  Nor did he think he'd find love again.  He never would've guessed he'd be moving into a beautiful house, with his beautiful wife, his beautiful daughters, and a soon-to-be born beautiful baby.  Does life get any better than this?

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/19/21

 Nov 2004

It should have been the happiest day of Samantha Cordial's life.  The plans were made, the chairs and arch set up - the only thing missing was the guests.  A freak rainstorm brought a halt to the wedding, postponing it until another day.  That would have been bad enough.  However, fate had a different idea.  Connor wanted to make everything perfect for his bride and went out in the evening to clean up the yard.  He didn't realize how close the leaf pile was to the folding chairs that had been set up and thought nothing of tossing a match into the pile.  The chairs went up in flames as well and before he knew what was happening, he was caught in the blaze.  By the time Samantha realized what was happening, it was too late, he was gone.

Dec 2004

At long last, Justin Cleveland graduated college with a stellar 2.6 GPA.  He'll be moving back home with his parents until he decides what to do with his life.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/18/21

 Sept 2004

Gabriel is enjoying his freedom from work by catching up on his reading and working out.  Chastity is still working hard, though promotions are few and far between.  To add to her stress, they had a pregnancy scare that was really worrisome.  Luckily it was just a false alarm.

Oct 2004

Geoff Rutherford was in such low spirits that he impulsively quit his job and booked a vacation to Twikki Island.  He felt better immediately upon arrival.  Who can be depressed in paradise?  While sightseeing on his first day, he met a guy named Darren that he really liked.  Unfortunately, he didn't see him again for the rest of the trip.  Darren must have been leaving that day.  However, on the second day Geoff met another guy, Stephan, and they spent virtually all their time together for the rest of the vacation.  Things ended very romantically and Geoff is still feeling high on life since he got home.  Whether Stephan was just a vacation fling or something more remains to be seen.

I sent Justin Cleveland to stand next to the telescope when his fun was slightly low and miraculously he decided to stargaze, finally earning the last point needed to actually graduate this semester.  His father will be ecstatic.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/17/21

 July 2004

Armand and Kimberly DeBateau continued on their quest for parenthood - to no avail.  Their efforts will likely ramp up when Tara leaves for college next year and they become empty nesters.  Tara is not sure where she wants to go to college just yet; it depends on where she gets accepted I suppose.  Her interests are varied and there are many careers that might suit her.

Aug 2004

Against all odds Vivian Riley has discovered she's pregnant!  Timothy was happy with their family, but his wife's excitement over the new baby is contagious and he can't help but look forward to the blessed event.  A third child, however, will definitely necessitate moving to a larger apartment or maybe a house.  They've got a decent amount of savings, so it's just a matter of finding the right place.

Justin Cleveland began his makeup semester.  He did manage to earn one logic point when I sent him to a community lot and "encouraged" him to play chess by instructing him to "go here" right next to the chess board.  He still needs one more point to pass.  I swear, it's like pulling teeth with this guy.  I hope my next college student (who will be Tara DeBateau) is more accommodating on rolling wants for skills (which she will be).

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/16/21

 Apr 2004

Jason Cleveland has been stressing about money lately.  It's not that they don't have enough, but he's worried about keeping up with his family's spending.  He thought he was finished paying for Justin's college, but it turns out Justin may have to repeat his final semester, causing Jason to have to foot the bill.  And then Marissa decided to adopt a cat without consulting him (as if she ever consults him about anything) and he has to pay for all the pet supplies as well.  Is it any wonder he's irritable these days?

May 2004

Isabel Baldwin is disappointed that she hasn't been able to conceive, but she knew it was a long shot.  They'll keep trying, but time is running out.  Ben's been feeling a little stressed about money lately.  Every dime they earn goes towards the household budget, but it's still not enough, especially when Isabel takes Sofia out for shopping trips.  How many clothes does a 13-year-old need?

As expected, Justin Cleveland did not graduate, but instead must repeat the semester while on academic probation.  If he doesn't get it together this next term, he'll be expelled after putting in 4 1/2 years work.  His father will also be furious about all the money he spent on his son's education, only to have him flake in the eleventh hour.

June 2004

Mary Gavigan decided she wants another baby and Nathan, who is always trying to appease his somewhat unstable wife, agreed even though Noah is not even two yet.  The pregnancy was confirmed and now Nathan is trying to figure out where they'll put a third child in their three bedroom apartment.  The baby's room is already doubling as an office as it is.  They may need to start looking into real estate soon.

Birth Announcement: The Patels welcomed a baby girl named Kaja.

Happy Simming! 

Belladonna 8/15/21

 Feb 2004

Carlos Contender has seemingly backed off completely from Jessica Peterson.  He's technically still in love with her, but he shows no interest in spending time with her, so I don't think he's going to take the bait she's offering.  Apart from that, he's just enjoying his semi-retirement and catching up with friends.

Mar 2004

The Patels' son Bharat celebrated his fourth birthday this month.  The new baby is due in June and the family is planning to buy a house, since the apartment is a little small for four.  They've found a nice one in the suburbs that's not too expensive, yet has plenty of room for their family to grow.

Justin Cleveland was feeling pretty down after all of his frat brothers getting expelled and, consequently, did not earn any skills or even attend class.  It's not looking good for him to graduate in a couple months.  He may be repeating his final semester instead.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/14/21

 Dec 2003

Justin Cleveland just barely passed another semester, while all the rest of his frat brothers got expelled.  If Justin can make it through one more term, he'll graduate with a degree in history.

Jan 2004

Jessica Peterson is doing everything she can to keep busy these days.  She goes to work, cleans her trailer, watches movies, and reads books, all while waiting for the phone to ring.  Unfortunately, when the phone does ring, it's never Carlos.  She's beginning to worry.

Justin began his final semester of college and he's short quite a few points in charisma and logic.  Since he doesn't have a want to skill, nor do any of his traits encourage skilling, and he hasn't rolled an ROS that compels him to do so, the only way he's going to get those points is autonomously.  Charisma can't be gained autonomously, so that leaves logic.  There's a telescope at the frat house, but Justin has shown absolutely no interest in it.  So I took him down to the shops, where there's a chess board to see if he'd bite.  He did play for a while, earning one point, but then he lost interest and went off to play pool instead.  He still needs two more points, so we'll have to wait and see if he manages to get those before the end of the term.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/13/21

 Aug 2003

Armand DeBateau is a successful businessman with a teenaged daughter, Tara, who he adopted right after his divorce from Jessica Peterson.  Two years ago, he fell in love with and married Kimberly Cordial.  They've been trying to have a baby ever since, but Kim is suffering from fertility issues that may prevent her from ever conceiving.  Even with the fertility treatments that Armand was happy to provide, the chances are slim.  They could always adopt, but Kimberly really wants a child of her own.  They're both young still and can afford to try for a while longer before making the decision to adopt.

Justin began his first semester as a senior at SSU.  All of his frat brothers are on academic probation and there's a good chance he'll be here alone during his next term.

Sept 2003

Ramir and Ana Patel have been married for over a decade, but have only just recently started their family.  Their son Bharat is just three years old and they just found out they're expecting their second child in June.  The timing might not be great for a job switch, but Ramir has always wanted to be a chef and when the opportunity came up, he couldn't pass it up.  It will mean less money for the family, particularly if Ana quits her job to care for the children.  Not to mention they'll likely need to start looking for a house, as their apartment will be cramped once there are four people (and a cat) living in it.

Oct 2003

Carlos Contender is (inexplicably) 86 years old and a confirmed bachelor.  He's a former athlete and Isabel Baldwin's uncle.  Recently he started dating Jessica Peterson, but he must have an inkling that she's a gold digger because he rarely puts forth any effort in the relationship.

Justin continues to coast through senior year.  He's not too focused on skilling or studying, but since his hobby is tinkering, he might eventually break (and then fix) enough things to gain a mechanical point that he needs to pass.

Nov 2003

The Baldwin family recently moved out of their apartment and into a house (their household was corrupted and wouldn't load, so they kind of had to move), where they have a lot more room and some very nice amenities, like fireplaces and a swimming pool.  Money is pretty tight though, since Benjamin had just started a new job working for the mayoral campaign.  Although Isabel has always been a stay-at-home mom, she took a job to help bring in extra cash to help with furnishing the house.  Lately she's also been thinking about having another baby, even though she's 45 and her kids, Sofia and Marcus, are 12 and 7, respectively.  It may not happen, but it's now or never because time is running out, so she and Ben are officially trying.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/12/21

 May 2003

Gabriel Green and Chastity Gere have been living together for a while now, but neither is in any rush to get engaged.  Gabriel has always dreamed of being a doctor, but the lack of a college degree prevents that from becoming a reality.  Consequently, he moves in and out of dead end jobs, never being satisfied with any of them.  He's currently unemployed, which gives him time to study up on fire safety, argue with the neighbors, and try to befriend stray animals.  Chastity doesn't really mind her job as a record store clerk and tries to put her best effort forward no matter what.  She hopes her boyfriend will develop some ambition soon because one income won't keep them afloat for long.

Justin Cleveland just barely squeaked by, fixing a shower and earning a mechanical point he needed to pass just hours before his final exam.  In any event, he's now finished junior year and will soon begin his final year at SSU.

June 2003

Geoff Rutherford is on his own now that his roommate Connor moved out to live with his girlfriend.  His dog Otis keeps him company, but he'd really like to make a connection with someone, even if it's only a casual dating situation.  To that end, he attended a speed dating event at the park.  He met some guys, but didn't particularly hit it off with any of them.  Earning a promotion at work didn't even cheer him up; he's still feeling pretty down in the dumps.

July 2003

Timothy Riley and Vivian Cho got married at long last.  They've been together for a while now, took things slowly, and made sure their daughters got along with each other before making the decision to take the plunge.  Vivian is quite a bit older than Tim and her biological clock is ticking.  She really wants to have another baby, though Tim is on the fence, feeling their family is great the way it is (his daughter Sally is turning 10 in December and her daughter Etsu will be 7 in August).  Nevertheless, Viv has begun taking fertility treatments in an effort to maximize her chances of becoming pregnant, though at her age it isn't very likely that she'll conceive again.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/11/21

 Mar 2003

Samantha Cordial has been living alone ever since her twin Kimberly got married a couple of years ago.  However, her recent engagement to Connor Weir has led to him moving in while they plan the wedding.  While they may never be as wealthy as Kimberly and Armand, they should be comfortable with two professional incomes (she's in Medicine, he's in Business).  If she's concerned at all about Connor's somewhat abrasive personality, she's keeping it to herself.

Justin is still facing academic probation, given that he's not studying at all.  His focus has shifted to getting new pledges and getting them to do his work, but he doesn't actually have any friends outside the fraternity, so no one's really interested in his pitch.

Apr 2003

Jason and Marissa Cleveland have been married for over 20 years and they're very comfortable in their routine.  Marissa's parents always looked down on Jason, who they didn't think was good enough for their daughter, but he's proud of what he's achieved - a beautiful home, making vice by the age of 50, and a son who will be the first Cleveland to earn a college degree.  Marissa sometimes finds it hard to fill her hours now that Justin is away at college and Jason is always working, but she's content with her life.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/10/21

 I've finished a round in Belladonna, made a few tweaks and have some others in mind that I still need to work out, but it's functional as is, so I'm going to keep going while I continue to ponder those changes.  Here's a synopsis of what I've got so far:

--I kept the aging system and am recording ages as actual ages rather than the way the game records them (i.e. a sim is 35 years old as opposed to 19 days to elder).

--I kept the trait system from Sullivan, but fleshed it out a little so that it has more concrete definitions and actions to be taken for each trait.

--I kept the idea of ROS's, but took inspiration from other simmers' ROS lists for a broader range of events.

--I kept the risky woohoo, fertility, and cheating percentages, but also added more correlation to traits with them.

--I modified the depression outcomes.

--I greatly simplified the college/career system.

--I kept a handful of the financial costs, letting the others go because this was the main complication that kept me from playing, since I don't have any mods or hacks in my game to simplify the payments.

--Finally, I'm playing a round as 12 months, switching the season for the whole neighborhood every three months, and each household gets randomly assigned to a month during which they'll be played for one day and age one year.  The exception is for pregnancy, in which I play those households during the months that they'll have their "pops' and give birth as well, just with aging off to keep ages in sync.  Uni is also played intermittently in between other households, so that it lines up with the way a school year actually works, and so that I don't have to play so long in Uni all at once because I really hate playing Uni for the most part.

All that being said, when I started playing Belladonna years ago, I decided to start them off in the year 2000 and figured all their birthdates/ages accordingly.  For the upcoming round, we'll be starting in Jan 2003 with Ms. Jessica Peterson.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jan 2003

Jessica Peterson has a rocky history in Belladonna Cove.  She was briefly married to Armand DeBateau (a very wealthy businessman), but that ended when she cheated on him and now she lives in the Main Street Mobile Home Park.  She doesn't really have any friends in town (I guess everyone heard about the scandal), but she's recently snagged the attention of Carlos Contender, an elderly former athlete who happens to be quite wealthy.  Though the relationship is new, it could move quickly due to Carlos' age, which is just what Jessica is hoping for I'm sure.  At 36, she's not getting any younger and she needs to secure her future if she doesn't want to be living in a trailer park for the rest of her life.

Justin Cleveland is just starting the Spring term of his junior year at SSU, where he's majoring in history.  He lives at the frat house and was engaged to Phineaus Furley until last semester when Phineaus broke things off after a misunderstanding with a cow mascot.  Phineaus was expelled shortly thereafter due to poor performance and I imagine Justin was relieved not to have to see him every day (Phineaus was also a member of the fraternity), but I think he misses being in a relationship because he's been goofing off and thinking about finding someone new rather than focusing on his studies.  If he's not careful, he could go on academic probation.

Feb 2003

Nathan and Mary Gavigan live in the Sentinel Apartments complex with their two sons, Isaiah, who will be 9 in April and Noah, who is 3 months old.  Nathan works as an athlete and is determined to create the perfect family environment, despite Mary's emotional problems.  Nathan is always in motion, working, cleaning the house, helping with homework, caring for the baby, and keeping fit.  He spends very little time sleeping.  Mary struggles with depression and mood swings and is often too tired to do much more than read the paper and take care of Noah's basic needs while Nathan is at work.  The couple is holding things together at the moment, but it will eventually have an effect on their marriage if something doesn't change.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 8/4/21

 I'm moving on to my newly revamped Belladonna Cove.  Since I haven't played this 'hood in literal years and have just updated the rules extensively, I'm going to play a round or two before updating so that I can get into the swing of things and make any necessary changes as I play through.  The original rules were heavily copied borrowed from sullivansims.blogspot.com and, though I still love the way she plays, it's too much for me to keep up with, so I saved some parts of it and modified others to better fit my personal style.  I currently have 12 households, plus one Uni student, so I estimate it'll be a week or so before I finish a round.  Until then, Happy Simming!

Boomtown 8/1/21

 The drama continued for Trish Leonard and company.  Trish worked at Oresha, but it didn't rank up.  Dixie had the day off, Nick got fired from a bad chance card, Kenny got promoted, and Dagmar did not.  Dixie decided to move on from Nick and invited Bill over.  Nick came home early after being fired and caught them in bed together.  Since he was still in love with Dixie, he got jealous and slappy and now they're both furious again.  I don't think they're going to get back together.  Trish gave birth to a baby girl named Malia, but didn't pursue a relationship with Nick.  Guess she's happy being the mistress?

End of round.

Happy Simming!