The Horror! Oh, God, the Horror! *Updated*

A very quick update. I've been playing the Sims 3 and doing my own little legacy challenge (not the official one, it's too stuffy and rules-y for me). At first, I was going to go with the Fox family, with founder Melanie, her husband Holden, and their kids, Oliver and Cristy (the latter of whom I didn't name). Holden, a Maxis-made Sim, is kind of weird looking, so I started to worry about their having ugly children as heirs, so I started a new legacy - the Hendersons. I forgot about the Foxes more or less, and today, I decided to finally age the kids up to teens. This is what I got:



Oliver's not so bad, but Cristy! Oh, lordy. Look at that hideous face! Ahhh! She is kind of the female version of Holden - you can see why I was worried, can't you? And you can't really blame me for switching legacies.

Enter Sophie Henderson, who married George (who is based off of George O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy). They had three children: Stella, Autumn and Violet. Violet finally grew up to a teen, and for now, all three girls are teenagers after quite some time being different ages. Let's see how they turned out.



Whew, so much better! They're all kind of making weird faces, but you get the idea. They're also much prettier in the game. Stella has George's head shape, so I think she looks the most like him, though Autumn got his hair colour (it's a subtle difference, I know). None of the girls really look like Sophie, but I'd say Stella is the closest - her eyes and lips are the closest to Sophie's. Which is weird considering Stella looks more like George than the others. Interesting (to me), Violet looked a lot like George when she was a kid, and I thought that would continue as she aged. But I was wrong! I'd say out of the three of them, Autumn looks the least like either of her parents. Oh, and I love that they all have different eyebrows! Heh!

Sophie's pregnant again, and apparently it'll be a boy, finally! I'll post his picture later.

But anyway, go back and compare the two families. The Foxes have a very misleading last name! And I was hoping for Oliver to get with Autumn or Violet, depending who he got along with better, but now, after seeing his sister, I'm not so sure.

ETA: I have the parents! And the newest Henderson!!

Let's start with the ironically named Fox family:



Melanie (my creation) and Holden (Maxis-made). I don't think that Melanie is all that pretty - there's something off about her - but Holden! Ack! Why didn't I get a better look at him before they got married and started to reproduce?!

Also, you can't really tell, but they're wearing matching shirts! Heh. Melanie's shirt is CC and Holden's is Maxis-made; they just happened to be wearing the same fabric. It was funny, so I kept it.

Now, onto the Hendersons...



Sophie and George. Sophie is really pretty, and George - my creation - is adorable. I love him! He's becoming one of my favourite Sims.

And introducing...



The littlest Henderson, Brodie! He looks a lot like his papa, at least for now - and he's the first of the children to get George's eyes! Finally! Brodie and Sophie are BFFs after spending an afternoon playing video games together. I consider this an accomplishment, considering how neglected he was as an infant and toddler. I'm excited to see how he's going to turn out. And Stella's birthday is around the corner, when she turns into a young adult. There will be pictures. Oh yes, there will be pictures.

Survivor HvV: A Small Case of Crybabyitis

Welcome to week two of HvV! It was a pretty interesting episode, but for me, one of disappointment. The Heroes lost, again. Come on, guys, get your shit together! But let me backtrack a bit.

Boston Rob nearly got evacuated last night as the Samoa flu hit him hard. He passed out on the jungle floor (yikes!) and had to be examined by the medical team and my love, Jeff Probst. He was in pretty bad shape, and according to Jeff's blog, he was actually worse than they showed on TV. But luckily, after some rest and H2O, he was able to stand up and get back to the game.

The challenge was one that JT, among a few others whom I can't recall, had done before. As usual, the Heroes started off with a huge lead that was quickly diminished when it came time to do the puzzle. Despite initially agreeing to let JT be the tribe's "one voice," the other Heroes, namely Stephenie, started chiming in and deciding what to do. Over at the Villains tribe, Boston Rob screamed at them to shut up and listen to them, which they did, which caused them to gain the lead and eventually win. Yes, my Heroes were heading back to tribal council.

Back at camp, James laid the smackdown on everybody, reminding everyone that they had agreed on a "one voice" policy that was quickly abandoned. Nobody wanted to speak up for a fear of getting targeted, but they were all pretty pissed. Meanwhile, there was a scramble around camp to get Candice and Cirie, who smartly decided to stick together, to vote for Amanda and Steph.

Tribal council was a doozy, with James, Steph and eventually Colby and Tom really getting into it. In the end, Steph got voted out.

This was a huge mistake. I mostly like Steph. She's physically strong, and to vote out someone like that on the sixth day is a huge, disastrous mistake. Sure, she's a whiner, but put with that a bit more so you can, you know, avoid losing again. Between her and Amanda, I would have preferred the latter to leave. Amanda's kind of annoying, with her constant dopey, doe-eyed expressions that she probably thinks make her look innocent, but in reality make her look spaced out. Stephenie all the way.

I also love James, but he needs to shut the hell up, or else he's history. Please, James, stay quiet. I love you and your big muscles. Let me enjoy them a little while, okay?

The Villains were boring tonight, with the exception of Boston Rob's health scare. Tyson has been really quiet, to the point that I forget he's there until I see his scrawny body in his too-tiny bathing suit. I'd keep my eye on him, that's for sure. He may just slip under the radar long enough.

I really want the Villains to go to tribal, not just so the Heroes get a break, but because I'd love to see the dynamics and the alliances to really come into play for the first time. Fingers crossed!

They're baaaack!

Last night was the premiere of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and it was awesome! I really enjoyed last season, and feel that overall, the last few batches of Survivor have been pretty good. But if last night's episode was indicative at all, HvV is going to go down in history as one of the greatest seasons of the show.

They brought back an interesting bunch of people. For the Villains: Coach, Courtney, Boston Rob, Tyson, Danielle, Sandra, Parvati, Jerri and Randy. The Heroes: Amanda, Cirie, Rupert, Stephenie, Colby, Sugar, JT, James, Candice and Tom. Both have their strengths (Boston Rob, Parvati and Sandra; Tom, Colby, James and JT); both have their weaknesses (Danielle and possibly Randy; Sugar). In sheer brute strength, the Heroes have the advantage - James could snap Courtney in half like a twig without any effort - but don't count the villains out at all.

Russell is back, much to my mostly dismay but part amusement. On the one hand, listening to his twangy voice going on and on about how he's the best player to play the game made me cringe. I got enough of that last season, thanks. But it was quick to see that Russel was up to his bag of tricks in no time flat. Interestingly, Russel went on to film HvV without finding out who won in Samoa. He has know idea that his strategy actually isn't the best. That his strategy actually cost him the title of Sole Survivor (which he tried to buy from Natalie at the reunion, if you'll recall) and the million dollars.

Russel not accounting for the social aspect of the game was his biggest downfall. Lying/making promises to people, only to turn around and stab them in the back will not make you friends. Especially when it comes to the jury. I pointed this out to my dad. He dismissed me, saying that the jury is stupid to take those things personally and that they shouldn't bring emotions into the final vote (I don't really need to point out that my dad is a Russel fan). Maybe he's right. Maybe emotions shouldn't play a role in the voting process, but when push comes to shove - they do. And you won't do well to forget that.

Think back to the All-Stars season, which for me was a big let-down. The reason why Boston Rob lost to Amber was because of - yep - emotion. The circumstances are a little different in this particular season, since as All-Stars, they'd played together and partied together before. But when Boston Rob stabbed Kathy and Lex in the back - that right there, that's why he lost. I defy you to watch the final tribal council of that season and watch Kathy's speech to Rob without getting a little emotional yourself. Maybe that's not the way the game should be played, but it is. It is.

If his tribemates are smart, Russel will be the first to go. They didn't get to see him in action on Samoa, so they don't know how strategic he is. But if I were on that tribe, he'd be my number one target for that very reason. Sure, he's surprisingly strong and useful in challenges (which, I have to admit, initially blew my mind in Samoa), but not knowing his strategy is a huge downfall, and a huge advantage he has over everyone else. My thinking would be: hey, this guy was clearly a great player, since he's fresh off the boat from Samoa, and he's obviously bad news, since they cast him as a villain. So boom, gone. 'Bye, 'bye, Russel.

Personally, I will do a little dance if Russel gets voted off. As early as possible would be ideal, but I cannot tell a lie - he would make for an intriguing jury member!

Moving on...

A Jerri/Coach "showmance" would pretty much be the greatest thing to ever come out of Survivor. That is all.

It's really hard to say what's going to happen next. Survivor has usally been unpredictable, but this season, it could go in any direction. I'm pulling for the Heroes, because with the possible exception of Cirie, I'd be happy with any of them winning. Among similar lines, I'd hate to see Randy, Russel, Courtney, Danielle and Tyson win. And because she'd be so obnoxious about it, I wouldn't want to see Jerri win, either. But I think Tyson and Randy really top my list, because they're such jackasses. Not in the cunning and clever and you have to begrudgingly admit entertaing way that Boston Rob is a jackass. Genuine, real, unpleasant jackasses.

On the flipside, I'd love for Colby or Tom to win. Tom is a wonderful player who showed everyone that you don't have to be a manipulative asshat to win this game. And Colby? I've never gotten over the fact that he didn't win in Australia.

If next week's episode is as anywhere near as entertaining as this week's, then a Survivor post will become a weekly thing around here!

BSC Sims

I thought it would be fun to post some of my BSC Sims here, especially since my last post was admittedly asynchronous with the rest of my blog. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry that they're all kind of small, if you visit here you can see them in better detail.



Here's Claudia, who is understandably freaked out that the stove is on fire. Note her awesome outfit and blue & red hair. Oh, and Claudia, honey? You probably don't want to stand that close to a fire.



For reasons I don't quite understand, Stacey thought it would be a great idea to do her homework outside. In the dark. Even though her house with adequate lighting is right next to her. Oh, Stacey.



Claud, doing what she does best.



Another Claud shot. I had to include this one, because a) her hat is adorable/totally dorky, and b) she just finished her snack of ice cream straight out of the tub. Heh.



And here we have Dawn, talking to her plant-friends. At least they like her.



I like this. Claudia, Stacey and Dawn hang out at Dawn's house, chatting. Cute!



Ahh, synchronized reading. Here we see the Schafer-Spiers, minus Sharon, induldging in a few good books.



Here we have Mary Anne, meeting Logan for the first time. I know, I know, that's not really how Logan looks. But I realized that he sort of reminds me of a friend's boyfriend, and designed him a little bit after him. Note: You probably can't tell from this picture, but Logan's shirt has a cowboy pattern on it. Hee!



Added purely for the lulz. Mary Anne passed out from exhaustion during her meet with Logan, and I had to take a picture of it. I'm mean, I know.



Haha, oh Stacey. You're so sophisticated!



This is the only shot of Kristy I have that's decent, and one out of, like, three in total. I unfortunately had to reinstall my game the other day, so I lost all of my neighbourhoods in the process and I didn't get to play Kristy much to begin with. But here she is - talking to Sam, no less.



One of my personal favourites, for a few reasons. One, you'll see that Mary Anne is bawling her eyes out at the sheer excitement of Stacey having a birthday party. And not to toot my own horn, since I chose it for her, but I love that dress on her. I don't actually like the dress, but it's so something Mary Anne would wear and think it's amazing.

I also love that Dawn is looking directly at the camera, as though she's blaming me for her chair issues (which, if you play the Sims, you'll know their chair issues are plentiful). However, seconds before this, I realized that while Mary Anne cried her face off, Dawn had a thought bubble with a picture of the cake slice she's holding in a circle with a line through. I was really excited, because I was all "OMG, Sim!Dawn hates cake!!" and it was all pretty epic. Sadly I was too slow on the uptake with the camera, so there's no photographic evidence, but this shot is just as funny. (FYI, that's Maureen eating the cake.)

Heartbreakingly, I didn't get around to making Mallory and Jessi before I had to reinstall. I plan on making them soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Goin' to the Chapel

My friend is getting married in November, which is great! She has been wanting this for years, and I'm thrilled for her.

But as for the next few months, I can't help but feel a sense of impending doom. Why?

First, there's the plus-one thing. If you're single, it can be a bummer and pretty much make you feel like a pile of crap. If you're not really seeing anybody, do you still check off the plus-one? And if you do, have you just jinxed yourself? I don't want to be presumptuous, I don't want to scramble. But dammit, sitting around a bunch of happy couples when you haven't any prospects in sight can really suck the love right out of you.

The thing that really gets me, though, is this new Jack & Jill phenomenon. It appears to be a regional thing, so if by chance you're reading this, and you've never heard of it, I'll explain. It used to be a combined bachelor/bachelorette party that has morphed into a wedding fundrasier. Basically, the bride & groom and/or bridal party throw this event, charge people money, and spend the night drinking, playing games and doing raffles/draws. And you know what? I really, really hate the idea.

I think the idea of throwing a party for the sole purpose of raising money is stupid. Weddings are expensive, both to throw and attend. I'm going to be spending money on your gift, on transportation to the wedding, and probably having to spend the night in some hotel somewhere far from home. Assuming that I'm not buying a new dress, shoes or getting my hair done, that adds up pretty quickly. So why on earth should I spend more money paying for your wedding? True, the average charge to get into a Jack & Jill is around $10. That's not very much, but if the party is in a city other than where I live, the costs are going to start adding up again.

Also, another trend I've noticed is for the bride and groom to invite everyone they know to the Jack & Jill...even if they're not planning on inviting you to the actual wedding. So...you're saying you like me enough to take my money to help pay for the wedding, but you don't like me enough to invite me to said wedding? Hmm.

The thing that really gets me, though, is the fact that Jack and Jills cost money to throw. You have to rent a venue, and unless you're disgustingly cheap, you have to hire catering, and hopefully drinks. Not to mention the prizes and any expenses necessary for raffles and games and such. True, a successful J&J will bring in a profit, but I can't see it bringing in that much extra cash.

I like the idea of a non-paying J&J. Just for fun and all that - that's completely and totally acceptable, and I would gladly attend. But if your wedding is setting you back so much that you're hitting up your friends for their pocket money, then maybe you should cut back a little.

What does any of this have to do with my friend? Nothing yet, but I can see her as the type to want a pay-for-our-wedding J&J. I'll probably end up going because she's my friend, and it's her big day and all that. But really, I just had to get this off my chest without offending anyone. Thanks, blogisphere!

Coming soon - a REAL update. I've got a fun T5 in mind, so stay tuned!