In bloom

Round 23: Summer 2017

last update/next update

Joanna Gottlieb is 22

Dear Rose,

I'm in Three Lakes now! I know it's the end of summer in Sullivan but it's the end of winter here and we're going into spring. Of course, their spring is more like our autumn, so it's still a little cool. I've brought all the rain with me too. Lucky I got used to that on Cape Elizabeth. It rained a lot while I was there too! I bet it rains the whole time I'm in Takemizu as well!



Anyway, if I waited for it to stop, I'd never get to see anything so I just trudge through it. I've been fishing a lot since I got here, just so I don't have to live on hamburgers. This was the first fish I caught - pretty impressive, huh? I've even caught 3 golden trout - I heard those are pretty rare.

When I get back, I'm going to keep up with the fishing and you can come with me. You love that kind of thing anyway. I mainly just like the end result, ie., barbecued fish!

When you're travelling, it's helpful if you can pick up local customs so the locals respond to you better. I finally figured out what the locals here do and then the first person I try it on turns out to be from Sullivan!

Speaking of people from Sullivan, guess who I ran into here and guess who she was with? Olivia and she was with that Steve guy you said you met! I didn't meet him but Olivia said she was with him. It must be getting serious if they're going away together, huh?

It's really beautiful here but I do get lonely sometimes.

I didn't think I would, because I can be a bit of a hermit sometimes. But I'm finding myself starting conversations with random strangers, which is pretty unlike me and is not really very satisfying either! I'm missing you again, I guess - well, I always miss you but it's worse at some times than others. We'll get through it - it's less than a year until I get back now. First day of 2018, I'll be there and I'd better see you waiting for me!

I actually found some of that treasure I was looking for the other day! I thought it was fake but the tour guide seemed to think it was legit. I'm going to try and sell it when I get back. We can put it towards a house.

Or physiotherapy, which I'm certain I'll need after all the injuries I seem to be causing myself on this trip!
Some of these tours...well, I just don't know about them. I went on this logging expedition (I know - I can just imagine what you think of me going to help cut down trees) and I was sorer than I've ever been in my life. I should really give up on them but I feel like I have to try everything at least once.

The day after the logging trip, I decided I needed to do something really civilised, so I found a market and went shopping. Just some souvenirs and a couple of pieces of jewelry.

And some new clothes! The applause was probably overkill but I was so happy to be in something new and fresh and clean!

I tried bird watching, like you suggested but sorry Rosie, but I lost interest in it pretty fast. I'm not a total hippie yet, apparently!

Axe throwing though? I am totally into that!

Look how good I am at it! I get a bull's eye almost every time!

Something I am not into is random creeper guy following me around all day.

And all night! He's developed a little crush on me, I think. He hasn't tried anything yet but I'm pretty glad I'm leaving here soon. I hope I don't run into him on the next leg.

Oh, and when we get our own place, let's get a log rolling thingo installed in the backyard!

It's really fun, if not particularly challenging. There's a dearth of good opponents around here and I'm kind of sick of winning!

Can you please remind me why I thought it would be so fun to slum it and do this whole thing on the cheap again? The hotels here don't seem to care whether non-guests visit and look around so I checked out the most expensive one. My God!

They have an indoor hot spring! Indoors! It's man-made but it's pretty cool anyway.

And an indoor pool.

There's just more stuff to do indoors in general. I tried not to spend too long in there, just in case it turned out that only guests were supposed to use the gym or that you had to pay or something.

I couldn't resist a soak in the hot tub before I left though! I'm still sore from that logging thing.

So that's it for me and Three Lakes! Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Takemizu and not long after that, I'll be on my way home! I already can't wait to see you.

Love you,

Joanna

Random pics:

Look, Steve really was on vacation with Olivia! Well, probably not really, because they only ever seem to go in households. But I didn't see Gordon, Lia or Ione around, so it was easy for me to pretend they'd come together. ;)

Someone else showed up unexpectedly while Joanna was at Three Lakes!

I spotted Rose (but not Evan or Luc, oddly) at Joanna's campground, practising her axe-throwing. I tried to keep them apart...

...but Joanna found her. This was all autonomous, by the way.

I thought they would have had got this kissing thing down by now.

There we go. Love those pervy little kids looking on in the background (Jack Benton is still behind Joanna, though he's hidden in the last pic). I'm pretending this didn't happen, story-wise, but I thought it was kind of funny.

Notes:

• Title is from "In Bloom" by Nirvana.
• This is the second of three updates on Joanna travelling, so she's got just one more leg of her trip. Her next letter will be from the Far East and it's going to her parents. I'd meant to alternate the letters between Rose and the Gottliebs but the way the play schedule worked out, it fitted in better this way. I'm also imagining that Joanna is writing more letters than I'm actually doing as entries here, so Adam and Athena haven't actually been ignored up until now! Anyway, let's take a look at how Joanna is going with the vacation memories!

ISLAND MEMORIES (11/11)
Ate pineapple surprise
Learned to hang loose
Learned to hula dance
Learned hot stone massage
Learned to fire dance
Got a voodoo doll
Made an offering at the monkey ruins
Learned a sea chantey
Went on an island vacation
Found a beach treasure
Played on the pirate ship

FAR EAST (0/11)
Immerse yourself in tradition and culture
Learn the ancient massage of the Far East
Join in ancient exercise
Take a bow
Travel like a ninja
Learn a Far Eastern tale
Make a wish!
Enjoy a warm cup of tea
Try a fishy eastern delicacy
Landscape the Zen way
Use those tiles and win

MOUNTAIN (9/9)
Went on a mountain vacation
Learned to slap dance
Befriended Big Foot - just a reminder that I cheated with this one: there will be no Big Foot moving to Sullivan.
Learn to work out tension the mountain way
Won at log rolling
Learned to chest pound
Ate flapjacks
Examined the tree ring display
Got a bull's eye at axe-throwing

ANY LOCATION (8/14)
Had a good vacation
Discovered a secret lot
Follow a guide to 5 new sights
Third time's the charm
Learn the local ways
Went on a tour
Found a secret map
Find the buried treasure
Ordered a photo album
Be guided to all the local sights
Enjoy a meal delivered right to your room
Uncover all the vacation secrets
Become a frequent traveler
Slept in a tentTotal: 28/45

• She's doing alright, huh? Crap, there better really be a reward after all this! Joanna will be staying in a hostel-type place I've built when she goes to the Far East, so she can get that room service finally (it's a pretty fancy hostel, apparently)! There are a couple of tricky memories in the Far East - the Ninja can be a pain and my Sims don't seem too inclined to do Tai Chi of their own accord most of the time. We'll see how she goes!
• Joanna is like super nature Sim now after all these outdoor activities. I'm going to have to spend some time getting her reacquainted with the kitchen when she gets back because the BBQ isn't cutting it! She spins up bird watching and bug hunting wants but she loses interest in them pretty fast. Short attention span or does Joanna find bird watching as boring as I do? I'm going with the latter!
• So what's with that townie heart-farting over Joanna? I've only seen that happen if there's chemistry between the Sims (which is an impossibility here, because Joanna is a lesbian, not bisexual like Rose) or if the Sim is Romance. He needs to go and listen to Pink Triangle and buy a clue (the song is about a guy falling in love with a lesbian, to summarise).