Round 36: July 2044 (Winter)
Louisa Gentry is 24 and Justin Moretti is 23.
(Jairus and Vanessa are 55, Eddie is 24 and Lauren and Xavier are 23)
Louisa Gentry is 24 and Justin Moretti is 23.
(Jairus and Vanessa are 55, Eddie is 24 and Lauren and Xavier are 23)
Narrated by Louisa Gentry
Since graduation, I’ve been working at town hall. It’s not my preference but I had to take anything I could get.
Somehow I was promoted to campaign manager, which gave me more money but also more responsibility and more duties than I don’t especially enjoy.
I’d like to work in the field I actually studied for, so I usually use my lunch break to apply for jobs.
I’ve been called for a few interviews, only to be rejected every time.
My last interview was for a position as the school counsellor at the high school in Exeter. It went about as well as my other interviews.
As soon as they see my transcript, with my fail and subsequent academic probation, I’m quickly out of the running.
It’s so frustrating. I was on academic probation in my first year and I really worked hard after that and did so well.
I’ve gone as far as I’m willing to go in my current position, so to earn more money, I really need a new job.
I feel bad that I’m not contributing as much to our bills as Justin is, as much he says he doesn’t mind.
Justin and I decided to buy a house after graduation rather than live with roommates, so we also have a mortgage to think about paying off.
It’s not a huge amount. We could probably pay it off within five years, even if I stay in my job. But it’s still on my mind a lot.
Justin’s parents were fine with our choice; Justin’s mum was my age when they got married, so they couldn’t say much even if they did object. My parents were not so thrilled.
Even now that we’ve been moved in a year, Mum and Dad will comment on how we could have had a nice holiday if we hadn’t bought a house.
Never mind that we would have been saving our money anyway. And never mind that my parents have never been anywhere since Mum moved here from Takemizu.
We don’t engage much with it. We just smile and change the subject.
Justin and I are happy and that’s enough for me. I’m glad we bought a house. It’s nice to have our own little place.
I feel very settled here and I was surprised how quickly it started to feel like home for us.
I love coming home and having Justin right there and waking up next to him every morning.
It’s too small for a family but it’s just right for us and our little kitten, Aesop. Justin and I aren’t quite ready for kids yet anyway.
Well, Justin says he’s ready. He’s quite keen for fatherhood lately.
He hasn’t been pressuring me about it but I know if I said I wanted to start trying, he wouldn’t hesitate.
I can’t imagine giving him the go-ahead for another few years yet though. I want to enjoy some time with just us as a couple.
We have pretty frequent visitors, so we’re not always on our own. Justin’s twin brother Xavier is over quite a lot.
He’s pretty busy with law school but he jokes that not having a girlfriend frees up a lot of his time.
He says he doesn’t mind but I think he’s feeling a little lonely at the moment.
I’ve suggested to Justin that we set him up with somebody but he said Xavier would hate that and feel so awkward.
I was planning on setting up my twin brother instead but as it turns out, Eddie has taken care of that himself.
He and Caitlin broke up a few months ago and just recently, he’s started dating Lauren again. They dated for ages, from high school until halfway through uni, before she dumped him rather suddenly.
Lauren is a very close friend but I don’t want to see Eddie unceremoniously dumped again before he even knows what’s happening.
Eddie told me they’ve talked a lot about last time and he’s really confident that things will be different this time.
We decided to have Eddie and Lauren over for dinner together, partly to catch up and partly so I could see how they were together.
They’re still in very early days, but they do seem really happy.
I’m going to try to stay positive about them and hope for the best. If they end up together for good, I’ll honestly be thrilled.
Notes:
Notes:
- Title is from Next Year by the Foo Fighters.
- I can't remember if I paid off Justin and Louisa's mortgage completely but I definitely got very close. It was very modest - $3000 or so - so they're not going to be drowning in debt any time soon. You may notice their house is a bit bare, as I had to skimp on decor with them!
- Just a tiny glimpse of Eddie and Lauren but I haven't done his household's update yet, so more then. In short though, Eddie never really got over Lauren. When he was with Caitlin, he'd roll wants for her and for Lauren...and then the wants for Caitlin just tapered off completely. So with Lauren's aspiration change, I thought she might be ready to try again with Eddie. They have very high chemistry, so I'm hoping things work out this time. I think Louisa would still be feeling a bit protective of her brother though, so she's a bit cautious, as much as she loves Lauren.
- There will be another update from Louisa and Justin in December, which is their shared birthday month. :)
I really hope Louisa gets the job she wants soon. It's nice that Justin is so supporting.
ReplyDeleteI loves those shots at the breakfasttable, especially since they are both in their PJ's.
They seem so happy togethers, and that's all that matters. I can't wait to see them take the next step.
I like Eddie and Lauren together, and I hope this time they can make it work.
Hopefully, that job will pop up for Louisa when I visit them again in December. :) They're very happy and that job would just make things perfect.
DeleteI have my fingers crossed for Eddie and Lauren too. Without her romance aspiration, I think they could make it this time.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Justin and Louisa seem like they are managing quite well, despite her parents' disapproval of the mortgage and Louisa's difficulties getting a job in her field. Is that a limitation you've placed on students who earned low GPAs or are you going by which careers come open on the computer or newspaper? I remember with a higher GPA in Sims 2, grads can go straight into Level 4 jobs.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Lauren and Eddie will be a better match! It was funny to see them matchmaking.
Justin and Louisa are doing okay. They're almost done with their mortgage, so her parents won't have too much to complain about soon. ;)
DeleteI believe I stole this GPA thing from Laura but yes, GPAs do affect your employment prospects in my hood. Louisa's GPA wasn't low - it was 3.6, because she really did work hard after flunking her first semester. But it's two points of shy of being plonked right into her dream job. 3.5-3.7 GPAs get their dream job within 5 years, so she'll get there eventually, whatever happens.
In TS2, just having a degree will put a sim right into a Level 4 job but higher GPAs will let them go higher than that. I'm not super keen on that, to be honest. You're not going to be a high school principal or a surgeon right out of university in RL, so I don't tend to allow it in my game either. If the position a sim ends up with is a bit crazypants for a new graduate, I adjust it manually.
Louisa is quite outgoing and if she was single, I don't think she'd mind being set up. Justin and Xavier are both very shy, so Justin knows it's not something Xavier would enjoy. I have other plans for him anyway. ;)
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Looking for a job and going for interviews is not fun, even more so if you keep getting knocked back. Louisa seems pretty determined so hopefully she will find that one company that will give her a job. Best of luck to her!
ReplyDeleteLouisa and Justin are just the cutest couple! Kudo's to them for buying a house instead of renting, at least further down the track they will have an investment. It's always a hard decision and also hard work too. A holiday is always nice but to come home to your OWN home is so worth it.
Good to see Eddie moving on too, nice update! :)
Determined or desperate? I think Louisa is both at the moment - she really doesn't like her current job much at all. I realised I didn't actually say so in the update but she's looking for work in Counseling Psychology or Social Work, which are both custom careers I have in my game. So for that interview, she was going for a school counsellor job.
DeleteRenting is actually pretty expensive in my game, with the apartment mod I use. So buying is quite a wise decision, even if Justin and Louisa have gone into a little bit of debt to do it. Justin has rolled the want for a holiday though, which I thought was funny, given what I wrote about Louisa's parents!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
True story: I think it's always a little bit exciting when sims can't get the job they really want, lol! That probably sounds so mean, but I just find it more interesting, you know? Because it's so damn easy (even easier in TS4!) for sims to find jobs!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do feel for Louisa. I hope she doesn't struggle for too much longer.
It seems very responsible to me that two young 20-somethings bought a house instead of going on vacations with their money, because you'd expect that most post-grads would opt for the vacations instead. Maybe her parents are feeling sticky about it because they feel like they settled down too early?
But that's up to Louisa and Justin, because it's their life. And they seem happy with their decision. Once their house is paid off, they'll have even more money to go on vacations with, and they'll own a home, too! Their kitten is adorable!
Good luck to Eddie and Lauren! I hope they work out because that'll be awkward for everyone if they don't a second time!
Yeah, I kind of like it when they don't get their #1 choice of job right away either. Even with a bunch of custom jobs clogging up the choices on the computer, it's still not that hard for the right job to come along eventually. Especially seeing all they need to do it accept the job and they've got it!
DeleteLouisa's parents were youngish when they settled down, so that could be part of it. I think Justin and Louisa will get to vacations in their own time, maybe sooner than her folks are expecting. It was important for them to get the house thing squared away first. :)
Ha, I know, right? I have high hopes for Eddie and Lauren, so I hope it doesn't all come to naught!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Eek! I'm excited for Eddie and Lauren, and totally understand why Louisa is hesitant over their reunited couplehood. I hope that it works out for them!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Laura, I love when sims don't get into their chosen jobs. Julia is in the exact same boat, her job just hasn't popped up in the ads. I am hopeful that eventually she will get the career that she wants, but it's nice seeing her work to get there.
Funny on her parents wishing they'd vacationed. I don't come from family that would say that, but traveling is nice and good to do when you are young and don't have children. It's not like vacation hoods are going anywhere though! :)
Next update will be from Lauren's brother Mitchell's perspective, so there will be a bit more Lauren and Eddie (especially Eddie is actually in that household!) They've always had high chemistry, so I was disappointed when they didn't work out the first time and kind of excited when Eddie started rolling wants for her again.
DeleteIt's a bit more realistic, isn't it? Some people never get into their chosen careers...though hopefully that won't be the case for Louisa or for your Julia!
No, my parents wouldn't say anything like that either! I think Louisa's parents would be happier if she'd done the roomie thing for a while, as much as they like Justin. They might be comforted once they realise she's not going to start pumping out babies just yet. ;)
Thanks for reading and commenting!