Friday, January 22, 2010

Catching Up With the Family



Hello, peeps! Josephine is back and updating you once again on the goings-on in my life. This time around, I'm going to share some things that have been going on back at home. Lots of stuff going and I'm just the kinda sim to expose you all to the craziness.



First of all, everyone has a birthday coming up. PARRRRR-TEEEEEH!!!



Second of all, my lil' bro (you remember him, right? Green? Pointy ears? Cute as a button?) ... he's been doing some phenomenal things in school.



Mom has been working on dad's garden more than dad himself. And speaking of dad ... umm ...






Certain things haven't been going so great for him. I'm only hoping that with his temper that he doesn't do anything to revenge himself on those who caused his failure. I'm starting to wonder if he'll do anything (ANYTHING) to reach that career goal of his. :O\ But that's too depressing to think about. Instead, I wanna focus on something good for a minute or two:



My little brother.



He's not so little anymore. And what's with the camouflage? I think when I transitioned to a teen, I also had on a pair of camo pants. He must REALLY look up to me. *grin*



For a kid who spent a lot of time by himself, I'm actually a little surprised by the choice in his primary interest.



And his secondary choice. *blinks* You think you know a guy, and then he pulls a complete 180 on ya. *shakes head*



One of the boys in the hood also joined the ranks of teens running rampant in the neighborhood.



And just like me, dad got Jake a car. But ... he's gotta be a man about it and get it running on his own. I think Jake is happy for this. I think he might've been annoyed to have an old, broken down jalopy. This way, he gets to make a MAN-MOBILE. And considering that he's a Family/Pleasure kinda guy, having decent wheels is kinda important, especially later in life.



Mom gave him some money for his birthday to go down into town to get himself whatever he wanted.



I'm thinking he didn't have enough to get this gal. *snicker-snort-cackle-choke*.



He did, however, have enough to buy himself some new threads and get himself made over. Is my brother hot or what? He's gonna be beating the girls off with a stick!



Maybe he should carry around a stake-like-stick instead. O__o



My baby brother, mom and dad weren't the only ones in the household expecting a birthday. Janie became an elder dog in a flash of sparkles.



Too bad though. We didn't really work with her much, and she never had a career. A girl's gotta have a career. I guess she was more of a stay-at-home-mom (nothing wrong with that either!). :O) Max didn't mind that she became an 'old girl'.




And speaking of birthdays, we ... uhh ... have a new pet in the house.




I'm ... uhh ... not quite sure what to make of this new development in my dad's ongoing need to expand his magical capabilities.



Jake doesn't seem to mind though. Maybe its the green glow - it goes with his skintone. Heh! ^__^



And then there's mom. As a birthday present to herself, or rather through the intervention of a grateful coworker ...



... she came home with a raise, a promotion and the completion of her goal. Way to go, mom!



I came home to help her celebrate in style.



It was a small party, but a wonderful celebration of her riding the gravy train into her golden years. Happy birthday, mom!!



And some friends of hers came along for the ride!




Dad wasn't there, of course (working hard again), but ... for the most part, a great time was had by all. And ... for my own part, I would have to say it was great spending time with Jake. Soon, he'll either head off to college (like me), or he'll forgo college and start making his way in the world as a respectable adult. But until then, I'm gonna show him what it's like to have fun!

Peace and Cheerios!




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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Personal Growth



Well. I feel like it's been a really, REALLY long time since I last posted to what dad told me he renamed "The Schmoepova Family Blog". A lot (A LOT) of stuff has been going on in the family. The last entry was mine and I've changed so much since that post. I guess there's nothing for it except to go ahead and post this update. Someone's reading this blog, since the site's stats are showing stats above zero ... so that someone is probably getting impatient on the goings-on.



The taxi pulled up in front of the place that I planned to make my home ... for a little while at least. I think all freshman should have the dorm experience before they decide if they want to move into different housing ... whether it be an apartment or a sorority or fraternity ... or whatever.



Dad was busy with work, so mom was the one who accompanied me.



Lydia: Well, here it is, Jo ...

Josephine: Yeah ... It's a lot bigger than what the brochure showed.



Shortly after I said that, a strange tingling sensation began to travel up and down my body, zinging up my arms and legs and all over and through my skin.



Ah. It's good to be a Young Adult in a sim world.



Lydia: Do you have everything you need?

Josephnie: Yeah. I just have to go in and claim a room and then the college moving and storage place will bring all of my stuff in.

Lydia: How the times have changed. When my generation went off to college, they had to bring and move in their stuff by themselves.

Josephine: Dang!

Lydia: I know!

Then mom got quiet ...



... before she grabbed me in a hug so tight that I could barely breathe.

Jospehine: ... *gak* Mom ... can't ... breathe ...!

Lydia (*choked whisper*): You ... you be sure to call us if you need anything. Anything at all. Doesn't matter what time of day it is, okay. Just ... call us.



Josephine: ... I will, mom. I promise.

And I hugged her back ... just as tightly.



I could feel mom's eyes burning into my back as I walked slowly towards my dorm. This was very exciting for me in a lot of ways. Well ... equal parts excitement and fear. But ... it was a test, a coming of age thing. Without turning around, I decided to give my mom an assurance.

Josephine: I'm gonna do great things here mom. I'm going to grow into a great woman. I can feel it. My experiences are are really gonna change me for the better. So don't worry!



Of course, when I turned around to give her a winning smile, that was when one of the campus' cheerleaders decided it would be a great idea to run past with such levels of cheer and manic energy that she could probably fuel a power station.



This little ritual did NOT assure mom. Not. One. Bit. It was still kinda funny though. Mom left shortly thereafter, and I entered my dorm to get my room all squared away.



I chose one of the few rooms that already had a computer installed (courtesy of the college to promote internet technology growth in the young adults of today). I also made sure to lock the door. I'd heard rumors about sims not knowing the basics of privacy. The LAST thing I wanted was for some drunk frat brother pushing his way into my room when I'm fast asleep. Oh HELL no.




The Campus Movers then brought all of my stuff in. With some of my college scholarships, I was able to deck the place out so it felt more like home than a college dorm room. I felt it would make my transition easier.



Once that was all set, I decided to explore the dorm and check out my dorm mates.



Some of them are actually quite attractive.



Some of them I barely noticed.



And some of them I found to be great opponents in the war of chess.

Not one for doing things half way ... I decided that I would need to totally immerse myself in the college experience to really become part of it.





I'm talking ... TOTAL IMMERSION. :O)) Hopefully, these photos will not come back to haunt me. And I hope that dad does NOT blow a gasket if he sees them. *grin* Hehe!



In other news, my friend from my old part-time job decided to follow me to college.

Simmer's Note: I forgot this guy's name. And since I'm at work, I can't look it up. It'll have to wait, so be prepared for some [INSERT NAME] fun time!

His first order of business ...



Get some new damn clothes. His grandmother got him that outfit that he was dropped off in. Considering she was the one to see him off, he felt it would make the old girl feel good if he wore it. With her out of the way, he could assert his personal style.




He and I bonded over several meals of mac 'n' cheese.



And he and I became really good friends! The college experience is definitely good so far. But I'm only a freshman. Lots of things to do. Lots of things can happen. I guess you and I will have to wait and see what happens next!




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