Friday 25 February 2011

Close your eyes

Round 30: January 2032 (Summer)
Emil Collins is 60 and Anna is 54.
(Nathan is 22 and Hope is 21)

Narrated by Emil Collins

Our kids have both been out of the house for a few years now and we're officially empty nesters. Our old house was too big for us, so we downsized. It definitely wasn't a downgrade though. It's a wonderful house and it already feels like home.

The kitchen is quite small but neither Anna or I are all that interested in cooking anyway. A small kitchen is fine for us.

There's a wraparound deck going around half the house. At the front, the view is amazing. We're right across the street from a huge park.

It's quite relaxing just being at home, if you ask me but Anna wants to go on vacation.

I would love to go, one day but we just can't afford it right now though.

It's still Anna's favourite topic of conversation at the moment.

I suggested we could go camping and save on the cost of accommodation but she wasn't too impressed with that.

I was only kidding. I know no one could ever get Anna to go camping but she doesn't have much of a sense of humour about things sometimes.

Since I turned 60, I decided to just give into the grey hair. I thought 60 would be a scary age but I don't feel too different and I think I still look good.

Meanwhile, Anna is only 54 and she's already worried about aging. She's constantly inspecting her face for new wrinkles.

I've learnt to ignore her when she asks for my opinion. If she's in one of those insecure moods, she usually thinks I'm lying anyway. I don't have any patience for that kind of thing.

Anna and I have been getting along better than ever and I don't feel like getting into petty arguments with her.

Both of us work weekends, so we take advantage of our nights off during the week and go out on dates, which we haven't done in a long time.

We've really been enjoying ourselves lately. It's nice having the kids out of the house.

I've also been trying to see more of my siblings. It's been a long time since I've made the effort to see them regularly.

I wasn't expecting any more nieces and nephews but my sister Amelia had baby Michael recently, so I have yet another nephew - my seventh nephew, to be exact.

For a time, I really wanted a third child but I could never talk Anna into it. Now though, I'm glad that stage is over for us. I'm content to be an uncle and eventually a grandfather. That is likely to be a long, long way off. Neither Nathan or Hope are ready to start families yet.

Nathan just finished university and is about to start law school. Guess who'll be footing the $16,000 bill? I've been looking into it and we can handle it. We've had to take out a loan but if we watch our spending, it's doable.

Anna does most of the spending in this house but I've explained our new budget plan to Anna and she's agreed to make cutbacks.

But I don't know what Anna thought I meant by "cutbacks". The very next night, she was showing me a new nightgown she'd bought. I mean, she did look great in it but it was hardly a necessity.

We really need to get this sorted out though. Nathan starts classes next month and the first installment of his tuition is due this week.

Nathan's so excited about starting. I think Julia's getting truly sick of hearing him talk about it.

He's got a part time job as a legal secretary at my sister-in-law Kirstin's firm. He's anxious to start practising but he knows he's got a lot of work ahead of him.

Nathan has been delurging Kirstin with questions and I think she's a bit overwhelmed. I've never seen her as the mentoring type.

Hope still has another year left of university, so we have her tuition to consider as well. When she graduates, she's planning on going into natural science.

It wouldn't have been the career I would have guessed she'd be interested in. But my stepfather got her into gardening and then it all developed from there.

I'm not privy to any of the girl talk but Anna generally fills me in on it later. Which is how I know now that Malcolm is desperate to get back together with Hope.

This has thrilled Anna. I can't figure out why Anna likes Malcolm so much, other than the fact that he's going to medical school but she does.

Thankfully, Hope is saying she's not interested in dating anyone at all right now, so Malcolm (and Anna!) is out of luck, at least for now.

I just wish Anna would stop encouraging Hope to take him back. Hope is too good for Malcolm.

Anna thinks I'm being ridiculous and that Hope will do whatever she wants to do, no matter what either of us say.

Maybe she's right. Hope certainly did what she wanted when she was a teenager, so there's no reason she wouldn't know she's a grown woman. Whoever Hope ends up with, I'm just going to have to deal with it but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Notes:
  • Title is from Close Your Eyes by Jump Little Children.
  • I don't know why, because they never did it at the old house, but Emil's siblings drop around constantly. Especially Evan. I half felt like banning him from the lot but I didn't have the heart. Emil goes out and greets him autonomously; I guess his family side is coming out more now that he's older.
  • Anna and Emil seem to have settled in well to their new-found monogamous arrangement. Usually, they roll generic/multiple romantic wants but they were rolling them all for each other this round. I'm telling you, I think Emil has softened in his old age!
  • Hope has zero romantic wants for anyone at the moment. I've never seen that with a Family Sim. They usually roll the Fall in Love want as soon as they break up with someone.
  • Nathan better appreciate this law school tuition his parents are forking out, because they are $10,000 in debt because of it! That was actually one reason I moved Anna and Emil out of their old house. They would have been much further in debt had they stayed there.

16 comments:

  1. It seems Emil is growing old gracefully, who cares about grey hair! It must be good for them, with the kids all flown from the nest, they can just care for themselves.

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  2. Wow, that's awfully nice of them to foot that huge bill! I hope he rocks the socks off his master. I can't believe how softened, and.. relaxed, Emil is! Crazy. He seems like a different person, he gets a gray head, and he's all zen in life.

    I think Anna looks great, and she does have a little while before she turns elder, a few months anyway. I'm sure it will be here before I know it. It was great seeing Hope though, and knowing that she isn't going back to Malcolm, I can hardly picture him a doctor, but I'm sure that will change when the time comes. They always seem to mature for their roles, and grow into them.

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  3. I love the look of their new house (from what you've showed us!) It does seem like they both have matured. I'm glad they've settled down and have finally come around to it just being the two of them, and no one else!

    Strange that Hope isn't thinking about anyone. Guess she feels she needs some time on her own for a bit. Maybe later on someone with catch her eye.

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  4. Emil and Anna are too nice, paying for Nathan's tuition!

    I love Anna's sour look when Emil jokingly suggests camping! He's so right that she's the last person you'd ever expect to camp. Their new place is lovely, and so well-situated.

    So Malcolm wants to get back with Hope? Hmm.....

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  5. Picturing Anna camping, makes me think of the original Parent Trap, and the Dad's new gal... she wasn't a camper ether!

    Yes, I came back on here just to say that, cause I forgot to earlier. lol

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  6. Goodness, they're paying for the entire bill. I want them as parents :) I laughed when you showed the "tiny" kitchen. In my hood, that's a huge kitchen :P

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  7. Driftwood Valley, Emil has a fairly high opinion of himself but it's working out well for him as he gets older. He's a confident man. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, mostly, my Sims' parents foot the bill for their post-grad (exceptions are Finn, whose parents couldn't afford it and former townies) but Nathan is the first one where it's actually a struggle for them to pay.

    Emil was quite zen this round! He was quite cruisy to play as well - he didn't get angry about anything. I think he's content with things the way they are.

    I still can't picture Malcolm as a doctor either, actually but we'll see how he goes! Emil would really love it if Hope stayed well away from Malcolm but I'm still watching them. Malcolm is really keen!

    LOL at your Parent Trap comment! I'd forgotten about that movie!

    Thanks for reading!

    Riverdale, thanks! I had to skimp a bit on decor, because Anna and Emil don't have too much cash. But I used my selective photography skills to only show you the nice parts, lol!

    I'm sure it won't be long before Hope starts to think about love again. It's never too long for those Family Sims!

    Thanks for reading!

    Rachel, Emil flunked out of university and it's not something he wants for his kids. So he's making some sacrifices so his children will be better educated than he is.

    It's probably a good thing Anna looks so sour most of the time, because it meant I didn't even need to pose her there! She was clearly anti-camping! Emil has fond memories of camping though - he went with his dormmates in college (including Anna's sister Betsy, actually!)

    Yeah, Malcolm has been pretty keen! He wants to be friends with her again but he's rolling all sorts of flirt wants on top of that, so it's pretty clear where he wants to head with this.

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, heh, Anna and Emil are being quite generous with Nathan!

    That kitchen is smallish in my hood, lol. There are smaller ones but they're mostly in apartments and smaller houses. That one is pretty small for a house that size. I don't think you'd allow this house in your hood, due to the lot size!

    Thanks for reading!

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  8. I don't think there's a boy out there who will be good enough for Hope, at least not in Emil's eyes.
    It's nice of Anna and Emil to pay the total sum of Nathan's tuition, I hope he does well in law school!

    It's nice to see that Anna and Emil have settled into their now arrangement so well.

    Their new home looks great, just enough for them. I like the way you decorated it too!

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  9. So that is Nathan's dad, I can see where the confidence comes from, I like Emil. I LOL at the nightie comment, sometimes, men do not get it. And I am with Anna on the anti camping, the great outdoors *shudder* , great update~

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  10. Their new house is very nice. I love the view from the deck. It's really nice to see how these 2 interact with each other without the kids around. They're funny, he ignores her when she asks about how she looks at her age and how she buys new nighties when they have a $16,000 tuition bill to pay. And glad that he's getting to see his family more now.

    And I second what everyone already said about Anna camping. LOL. The only time "Anna" and "camping" should be in the same sentence is when you're saying that there's no way in hell Anna would ever go camping! I'm with her though. There are bugs and dirt out there! They could go to a luxury cabin in Three Lakes (I can't remember if you left it that name) and she can stay in the hotel getting pampered while Emil goes out to fish and do camping stuff.

    I'm glad Hope is holding strong and isn't giving in to Malcolm just yet. That's sweet that he's rolling all kinds of wants for her, though.

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  11. Tanja, ha, you might be right there! But Emil has a particularly low opinion of Malcolm, not that it would stop Hope. She does what she pleases.

    I haven't really figured out a way to have my Sims do poorly in their post-grad studies but your comment reminds me that I should maybe think about that. Maybe I want to add something in. Hmmm.

    It's been three years since we last visited Emil and Anna, so they've had time to settle in to this new monogamy thing of theirs and have found it's not so bad. They're in a good place right now and are happy in their new home.

    Thanks for reading!

    Drew, yes, this is Nathan's dad! I'm still amazed Anna and Emil produced a child as reserved as Nathan is but Nathan gets his seriousness from Anna.

    Heh, I'm with Anna too. I've been camping once, because I had to go while I was at school. I did not enjoy it one bit! Anna has the right idea to avoid it, I think.

    Thanks for reading!

    Danielle, I placed this house down in a really random place on the map. Just the first blank space I had around the edge of the space I've used. But it's quite a prime position, as you can see.

    Anna and Emil are fun - more fun than I thought they'd be. I still kind of dread playing the empty nesters but I'm getting into a rhythm with Anna and Emil.

    I feel the same way as Anna about camping - I'm such a princess! I could send them to the luxury hotel in Three Lakes and she'd be happy but they quite literally do not have the cash at the moment. But they do both want a vacation, so hopefully at some point, they'll get to go.

    Yeah, Malcolm is pretty eager. We'll see if Hope takes him back. I think it's a good idea for both of them to maybe see other people for a while anyway. They were together a long time.

    Thanks for reading!

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  12. It's great that Emil and Anna can foot Nathan's law school bill for him. He's extremely lucky so he better no screw up.

    I like the new house, it seems to fit them and I guess the family likes the new house too since they keep stopping by.

    I wonder who Hope will end up with. It's a big step to break up with someone you've been with for son long.

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  13. Wow, Emil has really found inner peace now that he's an elder. I'm glad he and Anna are doing fine, I was kind of worried if she would start looking for a younger man.

    How nice of them to pay for Nathan's law school, especially since they have to take a loan. I've been trying to figure out a way to have some of my post-grad students do not so well in their studies but I haven't come up with anything yet. Maybe roll a dice to see if they make the grade or not.

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  14. HCove, Nathan is a fairly conscientious student, so hopefully that, and the face that his parents are paying, will be enough to keep his mind on track.

    Ha, yes, I guess they do! I'm using Apple Valley's decorating styles method with each new house I decorate so this is definitely more Emil and Anna's style than their last place. Filippo and Maria were still alive when they moved into the last place, so I guess we can say the old place was in their style. ;)

    It is a big step to break up after so long. Sometimes it means the end of that relationship and sometimes it ends up being more of a break. Malcolm is hoping it's the latter and Hope is not so sure what she wants.

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, lol, yes, he has! Anna felt unexpectedly unsettled by her encounter with Amar, so I don't think she's going to go around looking for younger men any time soon.

    The loan was mainly so I don't have to keep track of how much they owe in tuition! But it fits in with both their money styles that they would take out a loan, so I didn't mind doing it. If they were hoarders, I probably wouldn't have.

    Rolling a dice is about all I came up with too. But I don't know...I kind of wish there was a way to tie it to wants or personality. Basically, I want to be able to reprogram the game to make it work entirely for me, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

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  15. I can't believe Emil is sixty already. :( Were did the play time go? He is still looking good though. LOL at some of his reactions to Anna. Clearly they've been married a long time.

    The picture of her in the new night gown was particularly cute!

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  16. Lunar, I know! It seems quite sudden that Emil's turned into an old man but then, it always does when Sims age to elder!

    I was nerdily figuring out how many years my Sims have been married the other night and Anna and Emil's wedding was 25 years ago. So yeah, a long time! Emil's had plenty of time to deal with Anna's crap, so he knows what will set her off and the best way to deal with it. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

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