Tuesday 13 December 2011

Red rain

Round 32: May 2036 (Autumn)
last update/Hope's next update/Julia's next update

Hope Collins and Julia Gray are both 25.
(Anna is 58, Malcolm and Sam are both 26)

Narrated by Hope Collins

Rather than wasting my degree working at H&M, I’m now wasting my degree working at the Casbah Cafe. It’s not an awful job but it’s not exactly mentally stimulating.

The pay is definitely not worth it. I have nothing saved, because it all goes towards rent and other essential expenses.

Apparently, I should just be happy that it pays more than H&M, according to my mother.

She still doesn’t really get why I’m so demotivated that I can’t get a job in my field.

But then, she didn’t get a real job until she was in her 40s, so I guess she wouldn’t understand. We have different priorities.

Which doesn’t mean I don’t find her completely exasperating at times.

The good news is that I won't be making coffees any more. On a whim, I applied for a job as a lobbyist for an environmental organisation and they hired me! When I was a teenager, I used to spend a lot of time at town hall, trying to get someone to listen to me about various issues, so I guess I’ll be doing that again. Only in a more official, and hopefully more effective, capacity.

I’m so excited. My pay will finally be equal to Julia’s - she was making about 5 times more than me at the high school!

She keeps saying I could work there too, maybe as a substitute.

Thanks but no thanks. I don’t know how Julia can stand being around teenagers all day.

Somehow, she does though. Julia is really happy at the moment.

That’s not only due to work though. Julia has been seeing a guy for the past month or so and she really likes him.

I was very surprised when she told me the guy was Sam, my cousin Susannah’s ex-boyfriend.

Sam and Julia met months ago, when Sam was looking around for a place to live. He liked the look of our building, so he came to inspect it.

It turned out to be too expensive for him but it wasn’t a wasted visit, because he ended up running into Julia and they hit it off right away.

Julia liked him right away but Sam was a bit apprehensive. He’d only split up with Susannah about a month before and he didn’t want to go jumping into anything so soon, especially with a kid to consider.

So they kept hanging out, as friends. Lots of coffee non-dates and the like.

After several months of that, it developed into something more.

Sam has been taking Julia out a few times a week lately and from what she’s been saying, things are going well.

They’re taking it slow for now. Julia is really keen but she’s a little wary about getting involved too quickly because of Zac, Sam’s son.

But it looks good for them. Julia’s feeling pretty optimistic about Sam.

I’m just relieved that something is happening on the romantic front for her. Single Julia makes a seriously miserable roommate. She's so dramatic; was sure she was going to die alone after she broke up with Nathan.

I feel a little bit less like I’m leaving Julia behind when I go out with Malcolm now. Which is unfortunately not as often as I’d like.

Malcolm is a resident and he’s working really hard at the moment. They give the worst shifts to the new doctors, apparently and right now, that’s Malcolm.

Before he finished med school, I was hoping he might propose after graduation but I don’t know if he’s even thought about marriage lately. I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed he hasn’t brought it up at all.

So Malcolm and I aren’t engaged but he has been thinking about us and our future, at least. He’s asked me to move in with him!

It sounds like he’s got it all planned out. He’s been on his own since Adrienne moved in with Amar, so we’ll live in his current place. It has everything already, so there's nothing we need to buy unless we really want to.

He’s really excited about it. He's even talking about us buying in a few years, if we can swing it.

I still want us to get married but I’m incredibly excited about this step too. I feel like we’re definitely heading in the right direction now.

Julia was still out with Sam when I got home, so I didn’t get to tell her about our plans until the next morning.

She was okay with it - she can afford the rent on her own now - but she’s a little sad. She’s going to miss being roommates.

Despite how happy I am for things to be progressing with Malcolm, I’m going to miss being roommates too. We've been living together since we graduated and the time has flown by so fast.

Malcolm will have to get used to having Julia around, because I’m planning on inviting her and Sam to our place once I settle in and plenty more after that!

Notes:
  • Title is from Red Rain by White Stripes.
  • I still want Hope to work in Natural Science but this Politics job will be something to tide her over until she can. It pays much, much better than the coffee shop, so that's something!
  • Julia first started showing an interest in Sam a little while ago, maybe a couple of game months after he and Susannah broke up. I saw her trying to flirt with him on a community lot and he declined. I checked their chemistry, saw they had two bolts and made a note to keep an eye on them when I played Hope and Julia. When I loaded up this lot and Julia's all about Sam - she wants to ask him out on a date. I teleported Sam in and he didn't have any wants for Julia but after they talked for a little bit, he wanted to ask her on a date too. So I guess Sam wasn't quite ready to move on from Susannah when Julia first approached him but he's ready now.
  • As crazy as Julia has been in the past, I'm hoping this works out with Sam. She's Knowledge/Family and as such, is fairly keen for a family of her own. Until something sparked between her and Sam, I wasn't sure if I would find anyone for her. I always prefer to match up my Sims with my regular playables or my playable NPCs, so if this lasts, I'll be happy.
  • Next time we see Hope, she'll be living at Malcolm's place. He is not Julia's biggest fan but he's been with Hope for long enough to know that as long as they're together, Julia will be around. ;) I don't think he's ready for marriage just yet (though Hope has been ready since she graduated college!) but we'll see how he feels about it next round.

14 comments:

  1. Wow i love how your pumping out the updates so quickly!!


    So glad that Hope got a better paying job! Now she will definitely be able to save some money.

    Great to see a better side of Julia this go round, and she's happy. :) I hope things for her and Sam continue on a great path.

    Poor Hope having her heart set on being married and Malcolm is not even dropping hints of it at all. Like you I hope he gets to thinking about it. Hmm maybe its because they broke up before so he is not rushing into it??

    Great update!!

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  2. I always like guessing how certain people who are not household members will fit into the update. It's a little game I play. I guessed pretty quickly how Sam fit in, but I was still surprised. I wouldn't have pegged the two of them together, but I'm with you; as crazy as Julia has been, I hope this works out for her. Everyone deserves a little happiness. I'm glad Hope's working her way toward it too. Moving in with Malcolm and getting a better job. *thumbs up*

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  3. Nicky, it's the end of the school year here in Australia and it's been pretty busy up until now but this week is super-super slow. I've been able to play quite a bit!

    Ha, yes, Hope can definitely build up her savings now. Right now, if they bought a house, it would be all Malcolm's money going towards it. He's a bit of a financial wiz, apparently, because he's got a good bit saved.

    I'm hoping for good things for Sam and Julia too. They seem like a good match - both very outgoing and serious, which is an interesting combination.

    I think marriage just hasn't occurred to Malcolm yet. It's only this year that he's got his first "real" job - up until now, he's been a student, while Hope is long finished with that. Maybe she needs to drop some hints. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Fini, you know, I do that too, when I read other people's blogs! I wondered if anyone would wonder or guess why Sam's name might be up there for this update. :)

    I really never pictured Sam and Julia together either, until I saw she was interested. Then I started hoping that Julia might eventually catch Sam's eye too and it looks like she has. Fingers crossed, eh?

    I think before she and Malcolm split up, Hope probably would have seen wanting to move in together as Malcolm avoiding marriage but she's a little more easygoing about it now. She knows it's a step in the direction she wants to move in, so she's happy enough with that...for now, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

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  4. Oh!!! Julia is a playable npc correct? I know Sam went back to one after the break up and I thought you'd said that Julia is still one back when she graduated. If they end up together I totally want updates. I'd loge to know how Zac takes the visitations and Julia as a step mom. It would be fun. Just a not so subtle opinion for you!

    And heck ya! I'm glad Julia is dating someone and hey if they do break up at least (hopefully) she will be over Nathan. Let Sam deal with some of the crazy. I'm excited for Hope and Malcolm. It'll be nice for them to be living together but I'm always sad when roommates break up. Can't help it. They are so fun to read about. I'll be curious to see when/if he rolls some marriage wants. He has a ton on his plate that I do think it's best to wait. Just a bi back I was thinking about Hope and walking around downtown with that bulletin board fighting for some cause and her mom being tired, drinking coffee. So I doubly love that she is doing something along those lines even if it's not permanent.

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  5. I'm with Maisie here, I would also love updates on Julia and Sam if they stay together!
    I'm so happy Julia is finally seeing some one, I hope she stops 'stalking' Rebecca now, and let Rebecca and Nathan enjoy thei relationship!

    I'm really excited about Hope and Malcolm moving in together, and who knows, maybe when they live together Malcolm might start rolling wants to get engaged as well...
    And I'm really glad Hope has found a job that is more suitable, and I'm sure she'll get a job in the career she wants soon!

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  6. I am really happy for Julia, she seems all normal now that she is in a relationship again. Though I would hate to see what would happen if this didn't work out! Hopefully Malcolm will propose soon, I don't know how much longer Hope will remain patient :). And congrats to her on the job, those first years after uni can be hell especially when you have trouble finding a job! I would love to be able to follow Julia and Sam as well.

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  7. Wow, Julia and Sam, I wouldn't have guessed that. I actually thought Sam would fit into the update because of Susannah, not Julia. I'm hoping it will last as well.

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  8. Maisie, Julia is a playable NPC but I really love that crazy girl! I've been thinking about adding her to the rotation, especially now she's with Sam. I haven't done the schedule yet for next round, so I'll have to see about that.

    Julia does seem to be over Nathan now, which is good. She didn't roll any wants for him at all this round, platonic or otherwise. Even when she was on a date with Sam, when wants sort of go nuts sometimes.

    I'm sad to break up these roommates too, as always, but there are still plenty of roommate groups around. Off the top of my head, there's Jack and Nathan, Connor and Josh and Elspeth, Lila and Sophie. I love roommates but I love getting a couple started on their lives together too.

    Heh, I wondered if anyone else remembered Hope and her teenage activism! I always meant to do more with that when she was at college but she was there with such a massive group and I just didn't get the time. So I was pretty excited when "lobbyist" came up on the computer!

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, heh, well, you might just get some Julia and Sam updates. ;) As I said to Maisie, I'm just going to have to see. I think Rebecca sorted Julia out when she punched her in the face. Rebecca got in trouble for it but it probably did have the intended effect at the same time!

    My Sims often start rolling different wants when their living situations change, so Hope moving in may well make Malcolm start thinking about marriage. Nothing would make Hope happier, I know that!

    Thanks for reading!

    Mizzgin03, yeah, Julia has calmed down and matured now that she's with Sam. It's like Hope said - she's really not a fun single girl! LOL, everyone wants Julia and Sam updates! I guess the readers have spoken. ;)

    Hope will probably start dropping anvil-sized hints if she feels like Malcolm is taking too long. She's trying to be patient right now but who knows how long that will last!

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, I never would have guessed it either, if it didn't happen right in my own game, lol! But they do seem to make sense, now that they're dating. Hopefully, Sam an Julia will go the distance.

    Thanks for reading!

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  9. It's definitely nice to see Julia happy. I was beginning to wonder about her too. Hopefully this new found happiness will make her a nicer person. Hopefully.

    I hope that this new job will allow Hope to feel as though she's found her niche. More money is a nice thing, that's for sure.

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  10. Choco, I think Julia will still be Julia, no matter who she's with but hopefully Sam won't give her any reason to go completely nuts. ;) They do seem to like each other a lot so far.

    Working with an environmental organisation will probably look better on Hope's resume than H&M and the Casbah Cafe! Fingers crossed she can get her foot in the door in the field she really wants to work in now.

    Thanks for reading!

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  11. Yay for Julia! What an interesting pairing. :) I'm glad Hope found a job with decent pay! Moving in with Malcolm is a big step...it should be interesting to see how well they live together. :)

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    Replies
    1. I would not have thought to pair up Sam and Julia but they took care of that part for me. I just had to guide them along, once Julia looked interested. We'll get to see more of them this round.

      I was about as relieved as Hope to be able to move her away from that coffee shop and into something better paying. Still not her dream job but she's getting there. Moving in with Malcolm is a big, big deal but I think they're both ready for it now. They know what life is like without the other, so I think they've got a good chance of doing very well with this next step.

      Thanks for reading!

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  12. Sam and Julia?!!!!!! Wow. He's moving fast! I wasn't expecting this!
    I'm glad Hope got another job (though I love your Casbah Cafe!). I like her (that's the freckles effect... ;)). And she's moving with Malcom!!! Great! I can't wait to see how it will go.

    (Do you remember what was happening in the restaurant where Malcom and Hope dated? There's a waiter or a guy more or less dancing in the background! That's too cute!)

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    Replies
    1. Heh, well, at this point, Sam and Susannah had been broken up for seven months, so it wasn't that fast! Not for someone very outgoing like Sam. He's not the custodial parent either, so he has a lot more time on his hands than Susannah does!

      I use the Casbah Cafe often enough that this won't be the last we see of it, though I'm sure Hope doesn't want to see it again too soon! Malcolm and Hope are coming up soon on my play schedule. I've got some ideas for them jotted down already, so I'm excited to play.

      LOL, that waiter guy? I didn't even notice him but he's just doing finger guns, I think. Outgoing Sims do it a lot when they're walking through a room. Just another of those silly Sim things!

      Thanks for reading!

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