Day 3, Wednesday, 6:14 PM
Holy cats, what a day. And it’s not even over yet.
The big news is…my dad got fired from his job. On his second day of work! Can you believe it? I mean, usually he lasts a good 5 or 6 days before he gets canned! Good grief.
It was so weird. Rico and I were watching TV after school when we heard the front door slam shut. I figured it was Uncle Elvis since Mom was in the kitchen, and Dad was supposed to be at work. But then it sounded like someone was out there…crying. And Uncle Elvis doesn’t cry. He just, you know, thinks about crying.
“Is that…Dad?†I asked.
Rico listened for a second, then shrugged and went back to watching TV.
I don’t know why I didn’t go out to the foyer right away. I think…I was afraid. I mean, if your dad is crying, even if he is kind of an emotional guy, then you know some really bad stuff has gone down, and…I didn’t know if I could deal with it.
So we waited and listened – or at least I listened; Rico was too busy ogling the dancers on “Solid Platinum” to care about what was going on. I heard mom’s footsteps go from the kitchen to the foyer, then low voices talking in a sort of tense murmur. I strained to listen but after awhile I didn’t have to strain, because the voices got louder and louder.
Mom sounded angry. And I mean ANGRY. Like the cat just shredded her favorite nightgown angry.
“I can’t believe this,†she was saying. “Of all the times to lose your job. OF ALL THE TIMES! We just moved here, for goodness sake! We have no money. How are we going to do this, huh? How? Put a tip jar next to the piano and hope for the best?â€
“Hon…honey…don’t worry about it! We’ll be fine. I’ll get a new job lickety-split. I promise.†Dad’s voice sounded all weird and strangulated, like he was sobbing and smiling at the same time.
“Lickety-split? Oh? It’s that easy, is it? Well, I’M TIRED OF YOUR PROMISES, MAURICIO!â€
This finally got Rico’s attention. “Ooh, a fight!†he whispered, smacking his hands together. All of a sudden he jumped up and hurried out to the foyer. I followed, of course.
Mom and Dad didn’t seem to notice us, so we stood there just watching them argue for a few minutes. I felt like a such a voyeur. (Hey, voyeur in the foyer…catchy!)
Rico kept whispering peanut gallery comments like, “Wow, she’s really letting him have it,†and “Aw come on, Dad, you can do better than that!†That boy sure loves a good drama. He was probably hoping they’d start kicking each other in the shins or something.
Meanwhile, I was confused. Whose side was I on? Was I on a side? Mom wasn’t being very nice to Dad, but then, this is the fifth time Dad has been fired from a job. I don’t know why he keeps getting axed – he always says something like “they just didn’t have a use for me anymore,†but why would that keep happening over and over? And on the second day of work? Come on! They just hired him, for pete’s sake.
Anyway, I had to get out of there, so I ran upstairs. I found Bernie sitting on the floor of his room, looking a bit mopey, so I tried to cheer him up by talking about GnomeNabbers. But he just asked me what was wrong with Mom and Dad.
“I don’t know,†I said, wondering if I should tell him the truth, or make something up. I mean, the poor kid looked depressed enough already. But I figured he’d see right through me if I lied – he’s no dummy. So I said, “I think they’re just tired. And still kind of sad about our old house. And it’s hard, living in a new place.â€
Bernie mulled that over for a few seconds, then said, “Oh. Wanna play catch?â€
Man. That kid is like a superball, you know? He just bounces back from everything.
Oops, time for dinner.
(continued on Page 2)
HEY! cool update! Jeez, it looks like her parents were going to get a divorce for a second. I cant wait to see if its a boy or a girl, gotta go- ill make a longer response tomorrow!
LOL, cute kitty! I like where you are going with this. I always do the same old perfect life for my sims. How boring. I really need to find a way to make myself spice things up.
Enjoyed the update!
Wow, I was pretty worried that the parents might get divorced or something…but wow, a little sibling! I wonder if it will be like Bernie or Rico. I hope that her dad gets a job soon. And I wonder what Franchesca’s after-school job will be…
.. Wow. Jen? I think that picture of Franchesca — http://jenba.net/pics/fran0051.jpg — is the prettiest portrait of a Sim I’ve seen. Simply. Gorgeous. I’m all starry eyed! *.*
Do you mind if I borrow the ‘Solid Platinum’ tv show idea? :D It’d fit right in with one of my current Sim families!
Are you doing something different with the pictures in this series, by the way? I really love them, they have this nice crisp quality to them that makes everything just pop out. A+! Encore! Encore!
Thanks, guys!
Kay – You may certainly borrow the ‘Solid Platinum’ tv show idea! Now you’ve got me intrigued, though…
And as for the pictures, I’m doing a few things differently. For one, I don’t use the in-game camera to take snapshots anymore — I’m using Snag-It. I take the photos as .PNGs and resize them in Photoshop. Starting with this post, I’m also using the Sharpen function to make things look crisper. Sometimes I fiddle with the Brightness/Contrast, too. Then I save it as a JPEG so the file size won’t be too huge. I’m glad you’re liking them! :-D
Oh, I forgot to mention that I also have GunMod’s Radiance Light Mod installed, which tends to bring out more detail in the graphics as well.
Hi. I thought the parents might get an divorce or at least not speak to each other for days. So she’s preggers that might explain why she got so mad you know hormones and all.
Great chapter I wonder what after school job Fran and Rico will get? I guess I have to wait until next update.
Oh yeah I’ve finally got my copy of seasons last Wednesday I think and I’ve found another bug when I’m in the neighbouhood view the floor flashes purple luckly it doesn’t affect the houses as the flashing red wall bug has come back again.
Anyway keep up the good work and I’ll be looking to the next chapter.
See ya
I simply LOVE this story. You have transitioned the plot to something more heavy while maintaining your humor. Her tone has changed, as have the pictures, to go with the plot and character development. You’ve added some more struggles, which lend themselves to a lot of developing, and I like to see some drama done the right way: not a soap opera but more true to life than most blogs. It’s inspiring to see that, and I plan on adding a little more drama to my sims’ perfect lives. Also, you can really see the effort you put into the pictures and your blog, you go farther than most and it shows! Thanks for putting so much time into this blog, it’s my favorite by far!
Yay! A baby! I hope it’s a girl too, but I’m sure either a girl OR boy would be equally adorable. This Sim family has a really great, unique look to them.
I also love the look of your pictures. Love the one with Uncle Elvis fishing! How do you grill up a fish anyway? I wasn’t able to do anything with my fish after my Sim caught one. I could take it out of the inventory and lay it on the ground, but then when I clicked on it all I could do was sell it. Any tips?
Pandora Moon – Purple floors now, huh? Oh my. Do you use terrain paints in your lots? Sometimes I get a flashing lot if I’ve used a given terrain paint and then deleted that paint.
Katie – Thanks much for your kind words! I’m glad this entry didn’t come across as too soapy.
Willow – Thanks! To grill up a fish, just leave it in the person’s inventory, then click on the fridge and choose the “Serve dinner” option. You should see something like “Bass with Squash” or whatever meal corresponds to whatever fish you caught. It’s cool, because the “sparkly” meals fill them up way faster than regular food, so you can have them eat maybe half of it, then put the rest in the fridge as leftovers (thereby getting two meals for the price of one). The downside is you have to keep an eye on them so they don’t overeat.
i love all the stories that you write but the Franchesca Diaries are by far my favorites.
i fear what Rico would do should he dig his way into the government, in any way, shape, or form “give myself a raise” !?! I agree with Elvis on that one.
Taz reminds me of my old cat, i swear she always smiled or something when i was hurt… maybe it’s a cat thing…
I’m wondering what Fran and Ricos’ (and maybe Elvis’) jobs will be? if Rico gets polotics…we’re in for some serious troouble, and more rambling from him and his ego.
Wow, a new baby! I hope it’s a girl too. Poor Franchesca needs a sister for sure! Great update Jen!
I have a Thatcher update up. Devon deals with jealousy over her sister, the pressure to recieve scholarships in time for college, and a new relationship suddenly thrust at her.
Quite a day she’s having there. I really like your new famiy-each of them is unique and interesting…can’t wait to see what happens to them.
Hey Jen, the pictures look really good! Editing each picture really isn’t much of a hassle once you get into batch files and whatnot. Are you using what I stated in the tutorial? Because I saw them and was like, “Oooh, look! She’s working with the lighting!” GunMod’s is great for manipulating the lighting. Snag-IT is also awesome.
The story is really coming along; I like this. It’s fun and light and very visual! I really hope you can continue with it and enjoy it as much as we enjoy reading it.
Oh! Speaking of surprises — :D — are you taking names for the baby to be, or is it too late? If it isn’t, I’d like to vote for Perle if it’s a girl and Josef if it’s a boy.
ooh great entry! I love Elvis! I’m so happy that there’s a pregnant person in the house, make’s live more fun, doesn’t it? :) I was wondering how you got your sims to catch bugs, is it a free will thing? (I always turn free will off because I’m a control freak ;)) Anyway, can’t wait for the next update!
Wow!!! Well, I’m excited for Franchesca’s family…I think I spelled Franchesca wrong!!! What do you know, I did. :) Silly me!!! I personally also hope it’s a girl…I’d name her Chrysanthemum, because it seems like an interesting name to give someone who has a sister named Franchesca. Or maybe Lilly…I have to ponder the thought. Great update!!!
Wow, great update!
I really love the picture of the cat watching Franchesca, where you can just see the bottom of Franchesca’s chin. Great perspective there.
Can I ask what eyes and lipstick you are using for Franchesca? I don’t think I’d ever seen (or noticed) her up close before but she’s absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks for the tip, Jen. I can’t wait to fill up my Sims on “sparkly” meals! My husband is going out of town this week and allthough I’ll miss him like crazy, I’m planning on playing a Sims marathon so I can finally check out all the awesome new stuff on Seasons.
I’m looking forward to your next entry! :-)
Hi Jen! Love the update. (O’course. :D)
I generally use the in-game camera. Thanks to GunMod’s radiance mod and a rather good graphics card, my pictures are very nice as-is when on the highest setting (well, I think so, at least–I don’t modify them at all except to add a border). I don’t like using things like SnagIt or Ifranview or whatever because I don’t know how to take pictures without the cursor in the way. :(
Hey, Jen? Just letting you know I put up a single picture post on my blog. I got inspired when looking back at the one you put up showing that nicely cluttered room. :D
Wow Jen! Not only a great story, but great graphics!!!! I thought it might just be me – your pictures have always been great, but Snag-it really makes a difference. I think it’s going to become my method of choice. It looks amazing! It’s going to be fun to see what this family does to make some extra money! :D
Hey sorry I updated so late, but I have a question, I have sims 2 seasons, but something is up with the ponds I build, when I build them the color is grey and I can’t see the fish or anything, but when I click the skyview button the ponds are blue. So if anyone has any advice please give it to me, thanks
Abby – You won’t see the fish straight away when building the ponds, they’ll only appear in ‘Live’ mode when you actually have Sims walking around. Likely the color change is due to the ponds reflecting the sky, though I’m not sure what the ‘skyview button’ is.
I am sooooo antsy for the next update. You have me so hooked! Update soon?
NEED AN UPDATE- I AM SUFFERING FROM:
NO UPDATE SYNDROME!!!!!!
Just kidding- but i am checking like every second.
Thanks Kay! but I mean even in live mode my ponds are still grey, and by skyview button I mean the option that lets you see a skyview of your lot.
I can’t wait till your next update…so I’ve been checking at least three times a day. In between these checks I’ve actually updated! Come see when you have time.
Wow. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve been to your website. I have no idea why … but I guess that’s just the nature of the beast called “life”! Hehe.
Wow … I’m loving this story so far! It’s so humorous! And I love the pictures you take … very nicely done! Great detail!
Uncle Elvis has a very nice jawline …
And Taz … he played dead VERY well. I take it that you’re enjoying seasons … A LOT!
*goes to read the next chapter*