Good Morning!

[kyburg]

Dear Kitty.

Thank you SO much for wigging out the veterinary staff last week - to the point they slapped a "extremely aggressive" sticker on your cage and refused to touch you. That means your claws did not get clipped, and they sent the Soft Paws kit home with us in the hope we'd be able to do it ourselves.

This morning, in your glee to attack Jim's wet hair, you missed, and clawed him but good by accident. Nice going. Thanks for making us all late while we patch him up, wrap you up and clip your claws on the spot. We'll make time for the manicure tonight, lady.

Go ahead. Hiss at me. I'll make a muff out of you. Really really.

Love (and brother, it has to be at this point), me.

Dear Honey.

I don't know what possessed you to put the towel the dog slept on last night on the towel rack where it was the only thing I could grab running out of the shower this morning - but thanks. I needed a facefull of dog hair and funk first thing this morning. Thank God it was my face I dried first. I guess.

Next time, not the towel rack. Okay?

Love, me.

Dear Tuesday.

You're Tuesday. Not Monday. Get with the program.

No love whatsoever.

Me.

--

Very quickly, because work is still demanding more than the norm - received my copy of Sims2:Open for Business on Friday, and got to install and try it out on Sunday. Tried it out on the "test bed" - my playing version is still on the Mac, with only University available - so I try out everything on the other, full PC install I got for Jim to work with.

Uh.

Adding OFB? I didn't have to reinstall like Eppie did (my_sims_reality) - thankfully. But. Let me offer a metaphor.

It's the same car. But now? It has four steering wheels, eight foot pedals that have to be managed all at the same time and has four stereo systems going full blast on different stations. I didn't save any of my work or experiments - it was pretty abysmal. I'm going to need the guide to figure out what has to be managed, and figure out how to work it all in.

There are some nice things that were added - management, wise. You can now rename a lot. You can now make a "group meal" - which looks like a single serving, but everyone can go get some - you don't have to serve it to get multiple portions. And the choices are nice - the first try was berry pie. PIE. Yay pie. Pie pie pie. *ahem*

New hairstyles, particularly for the guys.

I'm wondering how University-educated Sims will do with their own businesses - oh, and you want to have twins? Cheesecake. *winks*

And now, the Mac is two expansions packs behind. Again. I tried making my own terrain map using Sim City 4 - boy, that was scary. NO camera pullback. I'll try using a bigger grid - but that was scary. I could see the intersection of one pair of streets, period. Not playable. Scaaaary.

I have, however, emptied my Sim bin in Pleasantview. Yay, me. I'm already targeting some of the pairings building in University to move over to Havenwood, the new neighborhood, when they graduate. Wow, I may need to build some community lots.

When work is not eating my brain alive, that is.

Comments

[scrapyard.livejournal.com]

My beloved growing-up cat, the ineffable Andromeda, was also slapped with the 'Extremely Aggressive' sticker. It happened all at once, in about her seventh year of life, when I suppose she moved from young cat in prime to bitchy old lady, because I had NEVER had problems with her before. Previously I'd never even had to put her in a carrier when I took her, she was that chill.

On the fateful day, I don't know what it was that made her decide she was done, but she was DONE. She freaked the HECK out, sliced the merry mayhem out of the vet tech's thumb (I apologized profusely and stunned-ly), and just... was not having it. And this cat was declawed in her front feet; she was just that clever with her back ones. Unreal. They gave her that day's vaccination with THREE TECHS, one with the shot, one with this capture loop, and one with a padded grate. They caught her in the capture loop, pinned her down with the padded grate, and gave her the shot THROUGH said grate.

I am a bad mom, because once I was done being mortified and apologetic about the thumb, I thought the whole thing was hilarious. They kicked me out of the room (as they should), and... did I mention Andromeda was a Siamese? She was. With the voice that goes with that. So you can imagine the shrieking from behind that door. There was a young mother and her two adorable children and their tiny adorable well-behaved cat in the waiting room, and as the YOWWWWWW went on, one of them asked, fearful, "... is the vet going to do that to Bo-Peep?"

"No, honey," said his mother, "I think that cat must be having babies."

They put the sticker on her folder and made me trank her for subsequent visits, which was kind of awesome, because they would give her to me all, "Here's the drunk one." Every vet visit from that day on until the day she died of kidney failure, they would always say, "Oh, you're the one with that SWEET cat." "She's a mean old bitch," I would say, "You can say it. It's okay." But they never did, and they sent me a sympathy card when she died.

I guess you could say she had a great personality. Even now, all my friends will sometimes say, "On a scale of one to ten Andromedas, how hateful are you?"

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Can relate.

Overslept this morning. To when? 5:50am. Yes, the time I have to be at work.

Isn't that just so (*&#(*$&(*)ing SPECIAL?!

argh.

C.

[vampireanneke.livejournal.com]

I've had fun setting up a neighborhood called Hogwarts. I have houses and families for all sorts of characters... I still need to make Hogwarts and Hogsmead, but I'll get around to that eventually. I do have mansions for: Malfoys, Blacks. Hovels for: Snape, Hagrid.

Oh made the Potters, killed them off and moved Harry in with the Dursleys.
Made the Weasleys with all the kids.
Delcour house, Granger, Lovegood (Luna I made an alien), Longbottoms (I have Alice and Frank is small rooms with all the needed items bed, chair, tv, refrigerator, bathroom, even books, but they can't leave the rooms. so they should go rather insane). Haven't played with them yet, just been setting up everything. Killed of Mrs. Black, etc...

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

Had I known you like pie that much, I would have made pie!

I can still make you folks pie, next time you come for a visit. Since we're coming home May 21, and the Copper Rivers will be in right around that time, are you coming up?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

You know, you mentioned coming down in May, and I've completely gotten buried and haven't gotten back to you on that!

I think we've got the one trip back to Kentucky to do in April - and that's it for the year, (with the possible exception of China for the adoption this year) the vacation time and money are that finite.

NOW - if you're coming down, can you give me some parameters?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Another "management" update is that you can now lock doors behind you. *Very* useful for Romance Sims. Finally.

I wonder...

[turandot.livejournal.com]

Is it possible that she's that aggressive because she's the smallest of four cats? She might figure she has to make up in ferocity what she doesn't have in size. =P

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

We will be leaving on the 11th, I think, coming down to SoCal for the 13th and 14th, then the entire family troops off to Yosemite for nearly a week. We head back on the 19th and 20th, and will be home by the 21st. We are driving down in Lichen.

Copper Rivers come in the week we're gone and I will have Jon pull me the best one he can find. It's going to be a big huge fish (the last one I got was 32 pounds). If you want, instead of coming up here to get one, they can ship you one and it will be really good when it arrives - they're used to this sort of thing. If you like, I will talk with Jon at CityFish and have him pull a big one for you, too, so you don't have to come up here after it; I will not be able to bring it down, I don't think, because (a) we are driving, and it should fly to you, and (b) they probably won't quite be in yet by the time we leave to head South. it would be far better to have it shipped to you by air. But shipping will cost you (and so will the fish, probably $12-$14 a pound). If you have the freezer space, I highly recommend getting a whole fish, having it filleted, having it shipped, and then cutting it into 2-person servings and freezing it in vacuum-sealed packages. I have managed to keep mine for 2 years and not gotten any freezer burn, doing exactly that. If you don't have the freezer space or a vacuum sealer like a FoodSaver, then just get a piece or a side of a smaller one and eat it more quickly.

The Copper River king is the best salmon in the world. In no way do I exaggerate. This is the very best there is. Kenais come close, but they're not Copper Rivers.

And if not this year, then another year. Come up with the kid(s) and get a nice fish some other May.

Re: I wonder...

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

Our Sprite (was Sasami, and is related to kyburg's problem child) is by far the smallest of our four cats, and not at all aggressive.

Re: I wonder...

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

The one who got the 'extremely aggressive' sticker was not the youngest kitten... It was Ai-Chan who has been there a while.

Of course, kyburg can correct me (seeing as I am apparently wrong all the time) if I am mistaken.

C.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

My cats (declawed in front by their previous "servant") really need their hind claws clipped, but I can't hold them still to do it myself. I dread their eventual vet appointment. Maybe when Pennsic Boy Toy returns to pick up the stuff he left in my condo....

Re: I wonder...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Cait really knows our kids - yup, Ai-Chan the freaking deeeeeva was at fault this morning.

Kibo? Not a single complaint from anyone. She, who turned me into hamburger, Kibo.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Quote it out for me; I'll be better able to answer when I get a figure. It's tempting....very, VERY tempting.

And yes, have the freezer space - I'll likely have to kick the turkey out early this year (long story), but it could be done!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Also, what is your availability while you're down?

[neintales.livejournal.com]

So far the new expansion has just frustrated the tar out of me when I tried to play around with a home business. Not only do I have to shut free will off totally to get the Sims to do the tasks I want them to in the little garage 'store' but I haven't been able to sort out things like "Wait, do I also need some other Sim doing someething other than working the register for people to buy those toys, or did I just set them on the shelves wrong? How do I actually designate them as for sale? How can I keep all the customers from lining up in front of the locked door to the main house and wanting in THERE and ignoring the actual store bits?!"

I may try playing around with just a community lot later tonight instead. But so far while I love the new roofs and stuff.. no love for the business at ALL.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

You went for the same lot I did! Yup, four wheels and eight pedals - and I know I'm missing something.

I wonder if doing a wholesale business might be the better thing to do - instead of running a retail out of the garage.

I SO need the guide. The book that came with the software was so sketchy. Hints, mostly. I tellya - you put a steep learning curve into something so time-critical as a Sim's lifespan, it does not make for happy play.

But still - this is something I wanted to play, and I'll get my head around it. I just need more information -

Re: I wonder...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Rei's kids were so different - we still think about them and sigh. It's sickening.

How is Sanzo these days? Jim wants pictures and Christmas cards, yanno.

Re: I wonder...

[turandot.livejournal.com]

Ah. See, knowing that you have three adult cats and a kitten, I automatically assume you're referring to the wee young one when you say "kitty". =P

Re: I wonder...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

In our house, it's kitty kitty kitty kitty dog.