Saturday 8 September 2012

Zurich is stained

Round 34: September 2039 (Spring)
last update/next update


Adam Gottlieb is 84, Athena is 79, Amelia is 50, Wade is 49 and Michael is 8.
(Sophie is 26, Oliver is 23, Noah is 21 and Emma is 19)

Narrated by Amelia Gottlieb

This year, Wade took up a sudden interest in fitness. I don’t know if he’d exercised a day in his life before this year but he’s been working out every day lately.

It’s still so strange to see him in workout clothes. I didn’t even know he owned workout clothes!

Not that I’m complaining. He looks really good - better than he has in years.

I just hope he doesn’t try to get me to start working out with him. I have no interest in that at all.

We’re not really an active family, in general, so you’d think Adam and Athena would both have retired by now but they’re both still going. Adam still has the restaurant and Athena is working four days a week.

She’s showing no signs of slowing down.

If anyone raises the issues of retirement with her (which Wade does quite often), she starts talking about all the career goals she hasn’t yet met.

She’s been working for over 50 years, so I’m not sure what there is left to do but she's pretty determined.

Adam, at least, is planning on handing over the restaurant to Sophie soon.

He's going to help her out a bit at the beginning, just until she gets into the swing of things.

She is thrilled, naturally. She’s known that this day would come since she was a kid and has always been excited about it. This is really a dream come true for her.

Adam is just happy to have someone to pass it down to who he knows will love it as much as he does.

Adam is still feeling pretty good and enjoying his work but he wants to have Sophie take over before the decision is forced on him.

He wanted it to be his choice and hand over the reins while he was still at the top of his game.

Now is a good time for Sophie to take on something like this too. She’s still young but she’s matured so much over the last couple of years.

She seems so settled and content now, which I’m sure is at least partly due to Oliver.

Sophie is very happy with Oliver and it really shows.

The second I met him, I knew I’d like him and I turned out to be right. He’s become very comfortable with the whole family.

He really isn’t the type of guy I would have thought Sophie would pick but he’s somehow perfect for her anyway.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard wedding bells for them sometime in the future and I couldn’t really say that about any of the other guys Sophie has dated.

Noah is terrible about coming around to visit the family but he did make the time recently to bring Brigit around to meet us.

I’ve warned him that we’ll expect much more frequent visits now that he’s living here in town, rather than on campus. No excuses any more!

I’m just so glad to finally meet Brigit. She and Noah have been dating over a year and I’ve been pestering him to introduce us to her for about that long.

I’ve been dying to meet her and we really hit it off! I’m always surprised when I like someone so immediately. It doesn’t happen very often.

I can hardly not love a girl who clearly loves my son so much though.

Brigit even got along quite well with Emma, who was also visiting.

For a while, anyway. Emma took exception to something Brigit said and wasn’t so fond of her after that.

Brigit is not really one for art appreciation and Emma is an art major hoping to making a living at it one day. Brigit sort of stuck her foot in her mouth with that one and Emma was done with her from then on.

She tried to smooth things over but Emma wasn’t having any of it.

I thought Emma seemed more irritable than usual, so I asked her about it after Noah and Brigit left.

I knew there must be something bothering her and there was. She recently ended things with Makenzie and isn’t feeling too great about it.

I wasn't especially surprised Emma and Makenzie had split up. Makenzie wanted to move faster than Emma was ready for and it was hard not to see it coming.

But now Emma is worried she’s burned her bridges if she wants to get back together with her down the line.

I tried to talk to her more about that and tell if it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be. But Emma shut that down pretty fast.

I wish she'd talk to me the way Sophie will but she's never been one for sharing her feelings too much. I'm lucky I got as much as I did out of her.

I’m not looking forward to Michael’s teenage years. His life is so drama free right now.

The biggest problem we have is his new habit of getting out of bed in the middle of the night to play video games.

He gives himself away pretty quickly by whooping and hollering, so either Wade or I will wake up and send him back to bed.

But mostly, Michael’s such a sweet boy right now. I’ll miss it when he’s too cool for his mama a few years from now.

I’m sure Wade is worried I’ll start getting baby fever once that happens but I know I won’t.

I’m glad we could have Michael but I definitely feel like I’m done with babies. So no fertility treatments or adoption for me. Of this, I am 100% sure.

I’m at a point where I am very content knowing that there are no more babies coming. It’s very nice spending some romantic time together and not worrying about a baby’s cry interrupting us!

Notes:
  • Title is from Zurich is Stained by Pavement.
  • Wade had rolled the want to Get Fit when I entered this lot. A weird one for him to roll but he needs a body skill point to get promoted (at long last!). Maybe he finally will now.
  • Athena's LTW is to reach the top of the law career and she's also rolled it as a regular want. I'm going to let her try, unless she rolls the want to retire.
  • I haven't transferred The Claudette to Sophie yet but I will do that soon. I think Sophie's ready for it now. :)
  • I couldn't see Emma and Makenzie getting over their current hurdle, so they're done now. I'm not sure what kind of wants Emma is going to roll next time I play her though, so I'm not ruling out a reunion yet.
  • Michael and his video games was a game play thing. I still don't know why he got up at 3am to play SSX3 but he did.
  • I think is the first round I've played Amelia where she didn't roll a baby want. She's definitely not getting one at 50, so that's a good thing. She's probably ready to start rolling grandchild wants but not yet.

29 comments:

  1. Glad to see Wade is getting fit. I'm sure Amelia really will appreciate that and if it will get him the promotion he wants it's even better!
    Athena certainly isn't going to budge in terms of retirement which did make me laugh. She really is determined to reach the top of her career and there is no stopping her. I'm glad Sophie will be getting the Claudette soon. It's clear to see Adam loves his restaurant but Sophie has an equal passion for food. Hasn't she wanted this since she was little?! He must be so pleased there is someone in the family to take over.
    It's sad that Emma and Mackenzie are done but it's for the best. They did want such different things and she was a bit too old for her. I'm sure Emma will find someone new!
    Michael is so so adorable, I especially love him and Ryan playing together. They are the cutest kids!
    I have to say I absolutely adore the family portrait this time. It's just such a nice picture! You're so good at posing.

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    1. Amelia's definitely appreciating Wade's new bod, though she has no intention of returning the favour. ;) Wade likes curves anyway!

      Yep, I've transferred the Claudette over to Sophie now, so she's officially the owner. Adam has always planned to give it to her one day and Sophie's known that since she was very small. She's going to love it.

      Emma and Makenzie just weren't meant to be, I guess. I'm looking forward to seeing who Emma will date next. It's hard to know with my gay sims - the pool is considerably smaller!

      I love Michael too and he's become really good buddies with Ryan this session. Michael is a really nice little kid - kind of surprising he came from Amelia, lol!

      Glad you like the family portrait. I like it a lot too. :) It's much more about patience than any actual skill though, at least with this particular picture.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  2. This family is so cute, and they all mostly have a bit of extra weight that it adds to their sweetness as a family. I feel bad for Emma, but it did seem to be coming. Hopefully she'll do better with it in time.

    Brigit is cute and im glad the visit went well, barring Emma. I've btdt, hopefully Emma lets it go.

    I'm Super excited for Sophie to take over the restaurant! I think she's really matured as you said and I agree about Oliver playing a part in that! Im excited about a possible wedding!! Hope they do! I think she'd be adorable pregnant, and she's one of my favorite girls so I'm hoping she passes down her looks too.

    I hope Athena can achieve her goal, she's very determined. I just wish she were younger, it'd be nice if she'd retire and spend more time with family.

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    1. I'd forgotten about Adam and Athena both carrying a little extra weight as well - definitely a family trait there!

      Emma will be okay in time. I don't think she and Makenzie were ever destined to last very long. Hopefully she can mend things a little with Brigit too, if Noah stays with her. Things could get awkward!

      I'm excited about Sophie taking over The Claudette too; I think she might do a little makeover of it, just to freshen things up a tad. She's in such a different place now than she was in college. I wasn't sure she'd seem ready at this age, back then, but she is. Credit to Oliver, I think, at least in part!

      LOL, oh, Sophie would be so cute pregnant! I love fat pregnant sims - I haven't had one in a while.

      Athena needs something random like a cleaning skill point to be promoted. I force her to do all the cleaning around the house but she's not there yet! Hopefully soon.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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    2. Haha, that's funny! Poor Athena, she just wants promoted and works hard but has to clean the entire house still. I hope it pays off!

      I haven't had a fat pregnant sim since Cara. They're adorable! All my sims seem to be fat kids and fat 40/50 year olds. They all seem to lose the weight or roll the want when teens and adult.

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    3. Well, if Athena would just roll the want to earn a skill point, she could stop cleaning, lol! She did roll that this round but she still needs one more point. :)

      I've actually never had a fat kid (at least in Sullivan). My kids never seem to get pudgy, for some reason. They all wait until they're adults to start putting on weight! Just like I did, ha!

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  3. Oh. My. God.

    I have finally caught up LOL! A long time ago I used to lurk so thankfully I didn't have to read from the very beginning, but there was still a very large chunk of updates I needed to read! Glad I finished!

    I love how being curvy is a family thing for these guys! I've never really thought about it but most sims I make/read about are either insanely skinny or muscular- they never have an ounce of fat! Definitely not like real life!

    And I'm with Amelia- I totally approve of Oliver+Sophie.

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    1. Wow, I'm always pretty impressed when people want to get caught up completely! It's no small feat, given how much there is to read here. I'm glad you're all up to date now though.

      I don't have a ton of curvy/fat sims either, really but I do like that it seems to be hereditary with the Gottliebs. They'll all stay fat, unless they happen to get the want to work out or to be fit. They're all pretty lazy, so it's unlikely!

      Oliver and Sophie are rather adorable. I never would have put them together myself (I intended Oliver for Elspeth at first) but they seem to complement each other very well.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  4. As always, your update was a pleasure to read. Maybe Michael got up at 3.00 am because he had gone to bed just a bit before 8.00 pm? I find that my Sims sometimes do that when they go to bed before 8.00, they don't stay asleep until 6.00 am but get up when their energy bar is full.

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    1. Happy you enjoyed the update!

      That's definitely a possibility with Michael, although I do try to be careful to make sure they always go after 8, as I've noticed the same thing. He might have been tired and snuck off to bed a little early. It made for a good little aside in the story anyway!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  5. I can't believe Adam and Athena are still working. I think it's great that at her age, Athena still has career goals she wants to achieve.

    I'm so excited to see Sophie running The Claudette. She's definitely ready for it now, as you said she's matured a lot since graduating from college. It'll be interesting to see the restaurant after the makeover.

    I love the curves of the ladies in this family. It's hard for me to see them as fat though. I'm fat and I wish I had that kind of a body, lol.

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    1. I know, Adam and Athena are pretty old to still be going! Adam has officially stopped now though and has handed over to Sophie. I'll let Athena keep going until she reaches her LTW or until she wants to stop herself.

      Sophie's gone through quite the transformation since college. She's really come into her own and I think she'll do a great job with the Claudette.

      Oh, you and me both! I'm overweight and am lucky enough that I carry it fairly evenly but I would still love to look like the "fat" women in this game! They're definitely not what I would refer to as fat in real life.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  6. Whew, I'm glad no more baby wants for her :) hate it when that happens. So glad Sophie is getting the Claudette and I lol'd at Michael, so typical of a kid :)

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    1. The baby wants from the over 50s are a little frustrating, it's true. Roll up something I'm actually willing to get for you!

      I laughed at Michael too. It really is something an 8-year-old would do!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  7. This family is adorable - I love that they have "fatness" (or the EA idea of what fat means, at any rate) as a family trait. :)

    Michael getting up in the middle of the night to play video games is beyond cute, though I suppose his parents aren't as amused.

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    1. I'm glad you like the Gottliebs. I always forget how much I like them until I actually start a session with them. They're a lot of fun.

      Heh, no, Michael's parents didn't find Michael and his video games quite as funny! Though I would think Amelia would have had a little sympathy with it too, being a Games sim and all. ;)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  8. This really is a nice family. I adore all their children, and I kind of like the fact that Michael is so much younger than his siblings, and still kind of is the baby. I can't believe he's 8 already! I'm really looking forward to his teenyears, and I don't know why :)
    I love how Michael got up in the middle of the night to play videogames, and that shot of Amelia checking out what he's doing is priceless!

    I didn't know Wade has got 'fat', but it's nice that he's working out. I really don't like it when male sims are fat, EA got it all wrong there, at least in my opinion.

    It's sad that Emma and Makenzie eventually did break up. But maybe it's for the best if they both want different things from life at least at this point. Who knows what whill happen when Emma graduates and is ready to take the step.

    Such exciting news for Sophie, I can't wait for her to take over and see what she does with the place!

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    1. Yeah, it's kind of fun having Michael be so, so much younger than the others. He has a lot of other kids in his age group, so he's far from lonely.

      Wade got "fat" a few rounds ago but he's been yo-yoing between that and the default state. I never have him exercise but maybe I'd sent him hiking? Or possible he did a bit of swimming on a community lot. So he'd been at the default fitness state for the last couple of rounds. But anyway, I agree with you about the male fat mesh. It's just a big belly and they stay slim everywhere else. I know some guys do gain weight like that but not all by any means. I wish they'd made them look more realistic.

      I think we could probably all see this coming for Emma and Makenzie but it's still hard for Emma now that it's officially over. Eventually, she'll be okay.

      I almost want to send Sophie down today and start redecorating! But I have to play Zaria and Max and I want to finish the new high school before I taken on any new building/decorating projects. ;)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  9. It’s great that Wade is working out, even if it seems abnormal for him. Close to 50, is a great time to start getting in shape before he reaches 60. I love how Amelia says that she likes his new physique, but don’t try to make her workout too, lol.
    Athena and Adam are true hardworkers. I can’t imagine working at 80, let alone 84. Even at 84, Adam is still in great spirits and has the stamina to run a business. It’s nice of him to pass it to his daughter when he is still capable of running it. You mentioned before that the Claudette is one of the most expensive in Sullivan so it seems Adam did a great job running the place for many years since it hasn’t shut down. Now, will Sophie run the restaurant as an actual full-time job or will she work, but hire a manager?
    Noah and Brigit make a really nice couple. I think this is my first time seeing Noah. I read his profile and now I have better insight. I knew either Noah or Sophie had to be the oldest, I guessed Noah. It’s great that Amelia and Brigit get along. Amelia seems like such an endearing mother when she says that she loves a girl who loves her son.
    Too bad Emma and Brigit didn’t hit it off like she and Amelia. However, once Emma gets over her break-up with Mackenzie, maybe they’ll get along better. It’s hard to tell if Emma really doesn’t like Brigit or if she’s just upset entirely over Mackenzie and it’s making her upset. I definitely saw Emma and Mackenzie breaking up, and I definitely think it’s a good idea for now.

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  10. ^^^Sorry the paragraphs are all bunched together.

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    1. Heh, most of the family are really lazy. I'm including Wade in that but he's got 4 points, which is downright active in this family! I will fall down dead if Amelia ever rolls the want to get fit. She's a Pleasure sim and they are likely to roll the Get Fit wants but she's been "fat" since Sophie was little and has never wanted to lose weight. She's happy, lol.

      Sophie is actually Adam's granddaughter, not his daughter. Wade and Amelia are her parents. But yes, it'll be nice to have someone new running the place. I never have my sims run businesses as full time jobs, at least gameplay wise. She's in the Culinary career, so she'll keep that job and I'll pretend she's going off to the Claudette every day. Then I'll visit the restaurant with her whenever I feel like it (never more than once per session). I don't think she'll hire a manager, which means when I go there with other sims, I'll have to briefly take control of her and send her to act as chef. Often when you have the owner doing a task, it doesn't stick when you're playing as a visitor. It's not too much of a trial though, so I put up with it.

      Yep, Sophie's the eldest and Noah came along right after her. I'm not sure how long Brigit and Noah will last but they seem very happy for now. As for Amelia, she has a mere one nice point but she lives for her kids. She's a good mother, despite the lack of nice points!

      Yeah, it's difficult to say whether Emma was just in a foul mood or if she really didn't like Brigit. We'll see eventually, I guess. She does tend to react that way to a lot of people, lol!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  11. Haha, I loved Amelia's shock at Wade wanting to get fit. At least she gets to enjoy the "benefits" without actually having to work out herself!

    It's so nice to see that it's time for Sophie to take over the restaurant! I'm sure she'll do great.

    Poor Brigit. She is not used to the storm that is Emma. I love Emma's disgruntled/annoyed faces. They just seem to fit her so well!

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    1. Exercising is really not a common activity for the Gottlieb family! Amelia is more than happy to sit back and reap the benefits of Wade's hard work though. ;)

      Sophie's doing all right, a business owner at 26! It's a big task Adam is leaving her with but he'll be there in the beginning to help her out. :)

      Brigit didn't know what she was getting into, dating Noah! Hopefully Emma's mood will be a little better next time she and Brigit meet.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  12. How unusual for Amelia not to want more children, but I know Wade is relieved.

    Brigit really made the wrong move with Emma! I hope they'll be able to repair the rift if Brigit becomes a more permanent fixture in the family. I like that each of the children has their own personality, down to the point where they'll confide or not in Amelia. :)

    Adam is really getting up there in age...it will be so sad when he dies!

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    1. Very unusual! Especially considering that I made Tatiana selectable while playing Zaria last night and she had the want for a baby. Good Lord...she's about to become a grandmother! No more babies!

      Emma really stuck her foot in it. Not that it's particularly hard to upset Emma! And Amelia does indeed have four very different kids; I think Michael will be another one who remains very close to her, like Sophie. She'll be happy with that, lol.

      I am dreading having to kill off Adam. :( He was one of my first favourites.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  13. Man, I remember when Amelia made that ultimatum with Wade about donating for Joanna and Rose, and now Michael's 8. He's adorable. At least Amelia's sure she's done now, unlike some others.

    Every once in a while, I'll get a random get fit want. I'm finding the joy in letting them decide now, and the occasional unfit sim.

    Glad Brigit gets along with almost everyone. I have a feeling Emma won't hold that grudge forever, so I think there's a chance that rift will be bridged eventually.

    Sophie and Oliver are as usual, adorable. And I'm glad her dream seems to be within reach and she'll soon own The Claudette herself.

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    1. That ultimatum feels simultaneously not so long ago and very long ago indeed! A lot has happened since then and I'm glad having Michael seemed to fill whatever void Amelia was feeling. I like my sims to be happy but there was no way she was having another one after him!

      For poor Brigit's sake, I hope Emma is a little more open to getting to know her next time they meet. She is the grudge-holding type but whether she's going to hold a grudge against her brother's girlfriend remains to be seen. Their relationship isn't in the negative, at least, so they have a shot!

      Sophie is now the official owner of the Claudette! I did the transfer a couple of days after I played this session. She and Oliver aren't doing too badly for themselves. ;) She owns a business, he owns his own house with his brother. And they're very happily dating, of course. :) I love them.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  14. Poor Michael needs to get better at sneaking in his video game times. He'll learn once he gets older.

    Brigit seems nice and should fit into the family if she hangs around long term.

    I'm so happy for Sophie. It's always great when your dreams come true.

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    1. LOL, maybe if Michael can convince his parents to get him a console for his room, he can get in some more sneaky gaming time!

      We'll see about Brigit and Noah. I like her but Noah is one of those sims who I have absolutely zero plans for! I'm very much following his lead.

      I'm very pleased with Sophie too. She'll be a great owner for The Claudette, seeing she has a true passion for the place, and for food in general.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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