From the words of Roy - The IT Crowd

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

I've been getting increasingly frustrated after installing Pets. AFT save didn't give me any problems but WAG froze time and time again. Then the new save for Sammy also froze during the night.

The worst day of all - trying to load WAG. First try, Disc verification fail. Have to try again. Finally loaded save, when I went to save I had an error 12. What I should have done is restart, what I did was quit to menu and reload. That's when I had a crash to desktop. Next try, Disc verification fail. I think I played all of 5 minutes that night.

Add to this the general frustration of having although the blogs have more readers than ever, my blogs are also getting fewer comments.

While installing Skyrim on the virtual PC on this Mac, I was doing heaps of other updates and restarted both the virtual PC and finally did a few Mac updates and restarted it.

Low and behold, WAG is working. It's gone nearly a full day with no freezing and no problems saving (I'm saving ever few Sim hours.)

I don't tend to restart the Mac much. The manual says just put it to sleep when not in use and that's what I do. But if I start having problems again, I think turning it off and on again is now *way* up on my to try list.

And if you've never watched the IT Crowd, just do it. Too funny for words.

I am in mourning - Sims 2 site is gone

I think it actually happened some time ago but I wasn't paying attention. I am mourning for 2 things. The first is that I didn't get a chance to copy some of my material from the forums for reposting to the little Sims 2 blog I have. Damn. Nor do I have a spare copy of my Sims 2 bachelor challenge story.

But the main thing I mourn is that means that Candi's Uglacy is no more. That uglacy was the first legacy story I ever read and one of the funniest Sims stories around. Last time I had checked, Candi was still working on a Apocalypse challenge which was done in the same style. And it's all gone.

Cool new blogger feature

One of the updates to blogger is adding a 'lightbox' facility to all blogs. Basically, if you click a single image in a blog post, you get to scroll around all the images in that post in a separate window at a larger size. A nice way to concentrate on the images and easy to use.

Some of the recent changes to the blog interface are good, a few are annoying. Like some of the advanced settings aren't available - you have to go to the old interface to choose if you want people to type in the word verification or not. But this one is cool in my books.

Hi there people

It's been quiet and I've been missing all of you heaps.

Anybody still out there or am I by myself in Sims world these days?

PiB/Nicarra stories - not Sims related

A few of you will know by now, I've started digging out my old old old stories.

If you have some desire to read those stories, let me know. If I have your email, I'll add it to the Share list for each story. Those of you on Google+ are probably already in the right circle to get the story links.

Be warned, one thing is my first novel - which isn't going to be the greatest thing you ever read. Possibly not the worst but definitely not the best.

Also, will be doing NaNoWriMo this year and updates on that in November will be happening.

i'm almost back!

so after months and months of my computer being broken, it's FINALLY fixed!!! the good news is i have a better hard drive and have recently purchased generations... the bad news is that all my sims games are lost forever. no rojos, no katalina. but i'm kind of excited about starting fresh. i have yet to install the sims 3, because i literally have just taken my computer out of the box. but i already have a new town in the planning phases and within the next couple of days i should have my game up and running. it's going to be awhile before i officially post anything, because i don't know who my blog will be about, and i have a lot of setting up to do. i'm thinking about using twallan's mods instead of awesomemod, so if anyone has any tips on that or which of twallan's mods you like let me know! :)

New upload - the wedding chapel

For those that liked it

The wedding chapel is now up.

As was featured in Penny and Nick's wedding with a few modifications - like landscaping.

Twallan's Relativity and a new page for Sam

Twallan's Relativity mod has changed a lot in the most recent incarnation. You have far more options like having skilling rates set relative to age length. So your Sims might be able to skill up even if you do a speed legacy. :) I'm a bit overwhelmed by the changes, it was so ultra simple before.

And I wrote a new background page for Hi Mum, It's Sammy. It's just a page about his various spouses and their creators. At which point, I realised how much I adore Tomasi women. Cause they rule Sam's life - mostly. LOL

Some of the new generations stuff is so cool

So when your Sims asks a parent for the offspring's hand in marriage, you can get this.
Mind you, since they are engaged anyway, whether or not Em or Brad approves isn't really going to stop me from marrying them. But this is sweet.

I think I've blown the chance for Prom or graduation for Penny, Ronnie and Nick. Sorry kids.

Oh, and a new option (beyond Reminisce about the old days) for Vanessa on chatting to child aged Miriam was Pinch Cheeks. :)

-----

Parent blessing is +20 for 10 days. Wow!

Just ranting for the moment

I'm really really tired of number of 'new' challenges in the Story forum that are 'acy'

They aren't new, they are legacy challenge with a new rule or two. Back in Sims 2, you can find people doing Uglacy and Prettacy but no one claimed they were 'new' challenges. There was just a goal of breeding uglier or prettier Sims in each generation. And some of the current 'acy' things no one tried to pass as a 'new' challenge. As far as I can tell, rainbowacy wasn't called new, it's just about the colours coming into the family with each generation.

But now there is traitacy, wishacy, careeracy, houseacy, ad nauseam. Each one declared to be a new challenge - use the legacy rules plus... THAT'S NOT NEW!

ok, rant over. Feel much betterererer now. :)

My New Uploads

Ok, I know this is going to be a surprise but no Grants no Lemans.

Presenting
Cyclone Sword and his family, Trina, Nicole and Rock BTW - why Rock? Well, in one of Chrysame's blogs, Cyclone had a son called Brick. And that got my brain on the track that ended up at Rock Hudson (Don't ask, it is a very twisty track.)

And the Harkness family Jack and Ollie Mayweather Harkness. The twins Stuart and Lizette. The youngest Tyrone.

Give them a reccy if you get a chance.

SILC - reader choice poll one up

http://officialsilc.webs.com/readerschoicepolls.htm

Best short - how about that, I was beginning to doubt they were ever going to organize anything.

One thing that Sims 3 blogging is teaching me

Namely, I write light fluff. While I can write a few intense scenes, murder a few Sims, break the occasional heart - you know if it's my blog, it won't happen for long.

Guess I'm just a hopeless romantic at heart. :)

So I can envy Kaleeko and Amelia and their ability to keep writing intense - heart wrenching stuff. I just have to admit to myself, there is simply no way I'll ever write like that.

On the other hand, I also love reading light fluff so this is probably not the most surprising thing on the planet. We've recently started watching an old old tv series "Jeeves and Wooster", which makes me want to go back and read PG Wodehouse again. Light fluff at its best.

Real Sim Weddings (Sammy spoiler warning)

With arches and guests seating themselves and wedding cake

Makes PiB a happy camper.

Something for PiB & a note to Kaleeko

I just set up Riverview with some families that had happened in BB. I'm rotating to 10 families like back in the old days. One of the families I moved to RV was John Edward Grant, his wife Carolina North and their son Benny. They married and had Benny on their own. Now where Benny got those eyebrows from I have no idea. I just took him to CAS but the only thing I changed about him was his clothes.

Going back into school to sign up for after school class.

 Leaving School.

I have no idea how anyone could get along with Carolina but apparently John Edward found a way. They did that on their own.

Before going to CAS.



When I first entered the house.

While I'm here I will let you know that I am going to be okay according to the neurologist. I just have a brain that is very very old. *laughs* Shouldn't that mean I am very wise?
The ear problems are still improving; just very slowly.

Loving the stories.  I have fallen behind and am going to try to catch up.
To Kaleeko, I read your latest update and am seriously worried about Jeb's state of mind. I fear he may do something drastic and possibly to himself.

Need grown Grants?

Probably not but I just uploaded all 4 of Phillip and Vanessa's kids as young adults to the Exchange
http://www.thesims3.com/userExchange.html?persona=Nicarra60
Please note, I do not promise that all their outfits make sense. I didn't check. :)

And after Generations there will be

Pets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qDluiIzys&feature=youtu.be



Including the much longed for horses, as well as cats and dogs.

Days 29 and 30 of the 30 day Sim challenge

Day 29 - The reason you started playing Sims in the beginning


I avoided Sims 1, heard that it was an addicting and a huge time sink.
Finally got Sims 2 and discovered that it really was addicting. I almost lost interest when I had only the base game but then I got Open for Business and that had just the elements I needed.

Day 30 - The reason you are still a Sims fan today

Sims as a story telling medium and

More than anything else, all of you. The people who comment/read/blog, who share Sims and our stories. I treasure each of you, your posts, your comments and the Sims you share.

Thank you especially Dee, Chrysame, Sue, Kaleeko, MJ, Cheezy, Raisin, Amelia, Felicia and all the lurkers on this blog.

Hello

I just wanted to drop in and tell you all how great the stories still are. They are just so awesome.
I haven't stopped reading. I have read every single one in my email.
@ Pib: The Shrimp had me worried there for awhile. Now I just hope he makes it out of Egypt in one piece.
Such an awesome job there PiB. I've read all, but that is the one that sticks with me right now.

@ Kaleeko: For some strange reason I always really liked Shark. It was rough seeing him lying there like that. What are we going to do with Travis? I hope he makes it out of Lisa's house in one piece. I know that had to be Lisa. Like mother like daughter. I may be wrong but don't think so. Officer Walker has to be Wyatt. It's the eyes.

Love you guys. Keep on writing in all your awesomeness. :)

Also - Welcome Amelia and housekeeping time

I don't think there was ever a welcome Amelia post. Drat. And a very belated Welcome to Amelia

Housekeeping time - is the blog list up to date?
I've just added Amelia's main blog - do you want the Maltese Llama listed yet?
I've added Felicia's blogs.
Any other blogs that need to be removed, added?
Any new widgets we must have?
If anyone want to pretty this up in any way, it's more than time for a makeover.