I'm On Vacation...

So, my writing and posting on Simmington Hills has become a little sporadic again.  I go for long spurts and update a lot, then it trickles down to nothing for awhile...Well, here's my ramblings.  I've got a blog why not use it for myself sometimes, right? 

I've decided to take a small break from SH for a few reasons... I'm enjoying Facebook too much right now, that's one reason.  LOL!  A few of my friends know that FB is like crack to me...and I'm having trouble letting it go.  :P  I'm constantly waiting on energy refills and looking at the clock to collect my take; checking in to see who's attacked me and who's butt I've beaten down, not to mention my obsession with collecting things...and now that I've installed the new MW toolbar, I really can't let it go!  (All you Mafia Wars and Treasure Madness fans know what I'm talking about. Hee-hee.)

I've also been watching all the old seasons of The Office.  I had never watched this show before until I caught a re-run one night recently...I fell in love instantly.  I had heard how wildly popular it was and saw them get some awards on tv, but I didn't realize just how good the show actually is.  Now, I'm able to watch some of the old seasons and catch up, and I'm telling you...if you haven't seen it, you need to try it.  It is HILARIOUS!

I'm also enjoying spending time with my family.  December is a big month for us.  All of my siblings have birthdays in December.  There's four of us.  Me and my twin sister and two brothers.  I can't say if my parents planned it out this way or not; they deny it...but growing up, we always had to decide between getting Christmas gifts or birthday gifts.  LOL!

All of us currently live in the same city except for one brother, who is in town right now, visiting from Spain.  He rarely gets to visit, so it's great having all four of us in one place for a change, especially during this month of December.  Not to mention how happy my parents are.  We're the kind of family that loves to laugh, so we are constantly cracking on each other for fun, or playing board games, like Scrabble, and talking shit at the table.  Movie-watching and eating lots of great food together goes hand in hand with my tribe, so you can imagine all of us 'round' folks trying to squeeze a place on the couch to watch Dad's big screen tv.  While the surround sound rumbles in the pit of our chests because he's got the sound turned up extra high, "For effect." he says.  LOL!

***
Something that's coming up:  I'm going to be having major surgery next year, and I'm freaked out about it.  Maybe this is another reason why I want to just take it easy right now away from Sims 2 and writing.  This will be my first surgery, ever.  I'm not gonna lie, it's causing me some anxiety and stress, but I'm ok.  It's not a life-threatening issue, so no worries!  It may require me having to take another break from the hood, as well, to recuperate.  Although, I'm not sure yet what's going to happen.

I'm learning through some of my friends, that they can play Sims through stressful situations because it relaxes them...I'm the opposite.  LOL!  Go figure.

I'm not going to pressure myself to post an update.  I do that a LOT.  I gotta catch up, I'm so behind.  Riverdale will tell you.  The whole Marchon graduating college in Riverdale before his older brother, Rashid, comes to mind.  *smiles*  Rashid hasn't even graduated highschool yet!  So yeah, I pressure myself.

I also have to admit that I'm not feeling this next household on the calendar right now, either.  LOL!  This next household is the first time I've had trouble getting a feel of the Sims.  There's this groove I usually sink into while I play, I can't explain it...I'm just not feeling it with this family.  And I hate to sound shallow, but their skintones are really awful.  And I can't get past how bad they look.  And my Sims are not usually model perfect, either.  (But this family was a gift to me, so I didn't change anything about them so as not to offend the woman that made them. And I hope she doesn't read this and get offended, but we all have personal tastes.)  I should've changed them when I had the chance.  Now they're all moved in...the house is decorated, and I can't stop looking at their splotchy skin.  I would have to kill them off and start over, I think...but, I'm gonna go with the flow.  This is another challenge and I'm gonna write that they have a skin disorder, I've already planned to.  hehee!  You might ask:  Why don't you just move onto another household?  Sure, I could move onto another household, but I've got a calendar to stick to!  Hey, you guys know I'm compulsive like that.  LOL!

I hope, as this year winds down, all of you give an extra tight hug and share lots of smiles with the ones you love.  We take for granted how a simple smile can affect someone so positively.  It's a charity we can give to others that's totally free.  It's been a crazy year, hasn't it?  And life is just too short. 

Peace!
--Halimah (aka green)

CPS - April 2008

Steve VanHouten is 24, Rashid Cunningham is 18, Elmer Valdes is 18, Erline Valdes is 18, Sierra Spencer is 14, Tyisha Masters is 14, Keva Michels is 12, and Christina Wise is 12.

See previous school sessions HERE.

The high school added a new gym a few months ago, however this was only the tip of the iceberg of all the renovations that were planned for CPS.  Workers came in to paint and renovate several classrooms due to the latest budget increase from the Board of Education (BoE).  There are new students registered that are going to need the extra desks and chairs.

The crew started working in the early morning hours on the weekend.  The trusty janitor, Frank Mulner, pulled up in his light blue hatchback, just before sunrise, to unlock the doors.

As you can see, several desks and chairs were added to the main classroom.  There's also a new computer room and garden storage area (located behind the cafeteria).  The next set of renovations will possibly be to add a second-level auditorium.  It's not been approved, yet.  We'll see if the BoE deems an auditorium necessary.

***

The last sessions of school, before senior graduation and summer break, are always kind of informal and relaxed.  The kids get half-days due to teacher in-service meetings.  So, when notice was sent out to each family that year-end class pictures were due, everyone was happy that classroom time would be interrupted and the day would end earlier than usual.

No one had even thought about Erline Valdes.  She was a senior, so why wouldn't she come and take pictures with the rest of her classmates?

She had missed so much of the schoolyear because of her pregnancy...she had basically become 'out of thought/out of mind' to a lot of her so-called friends and fellow classmates. 

CPE - April 2008

Maxine Wise, is 37, Charles Wise is 12, Sabien Cunningham "SayJ", Jr. is 9, Terris Dalton is 9, Terryn Dalton is 9, Emely Blair is 9, Shaun Spencer is 5, and Tyrone Masters is 4.  (Frank Mulner, Janitor/NPC, is 38). 

See previous school sessions HERE.

The Janitor, Frank Mulner, arrived at school early to make sure the school year's last few sessions would end without a hitch.

The halls were mopped, the water fountains cleaned out, the trash disposed; everything was in its proper place and ready for the spirited primary students to burst through the doors at any moment. 

The kids were ready for school to be over with and for summer to begin.  So were the adults...

Bigger, Clearer Pictures, Yayyy!

My journal pictures have been crappy since 2006.  They look great when I take them in-game.  They look great when I post them on different forums, but when I post them here...they turn out horrible.  I hated the jagged edges and the compressed, fuzzy look...you guys know what I'm talking about!  I've asked around but never really got a definitive answer as to what to do.  Maybe I'm the only one that didn't know this, I don't know...LOL!

I think I was posting my pics the wrong way to begin with.  I've been using the Edit HTML tab, and using an IMG code that included a code for whatever height/width numbers I wanted to use.

I was inspired by Sullivan, who I think was experiencing a similar issue in the past with the look of her pics, and now they look fantastic!  I got up this morning, determined to make a change!  ....And today, I found the answer!  And I can't tell you how HAPPY I am!

So for those of you out there, who want bigger, clearer pics...(even if you don't want them as big as mine are...try this and play around with the sizes.)

Here's what I did, and I use Photobucket (free). I also use the updated Editor in Blogger (You can change this under "Settings"):

1.  I changed my Blogger template from "Denim" to "Stretch Denim".  (Everyone I asked before told me to use to Denim, and when I changed to Denim, I still could never get my pics clearer...they must've forgotten to say Stretch.  I tried it today on a whim.)

2.  Go to your Photobucket or whatever picture host you use, and copy the "Direct Link" of your picture.

3.  Under the Compose tab when making a new post, you'll see a picture icon that says, "Insert Image". Click it and choose "Web Address (URL)"

4.  Paste the Direct Link into the Web Address (URL).  You'll see your picture show up in the box, and hit OK.

5.  Now choose "Original Size" and "Center" should already be chosen.  (The Original size for my pics is the standard 600 x 450.)

That's it!

If you have a post that's already been published, and you want to change your pics...like I've been doing all day.  Then:

1.  Edit your post.

2.   Click the Compose tab and click on your photo, and 'remove'.

3.  Find your photo in Photobucket, copy the Direct Link.

4.  Paste it in the Web Address (URL) box, the photo pops up...hit OK.

5.  And again, choose "Original Size" or whatever size you want to use.

You can play around with the sizes.  There's small, medium, large, and extra large sizes too. 

I hope this helps somebody that had the same questions I had.

--green

Tax Collection - April 2008

Trenton VanHouten, Tax Accessor, is 25.  (If you'd like to read how taxes are collected in The Hills, please read Nick Michels' Business Advisor Notes for Round 2006 - September 2007.)

***
It's that time of simyear when all Sims must pay 'The Man'.  The tax man, that is...and Trenton knew it was going to be a long night.  Most Sims wouldn't be able to get by his office until the evening time; after work.  He made sure he had plenty of rest and spent some play time with his daughter, True.  He left her in the care of his brothers while he worked in the small office that was built next to the main house.

He was not looking forward to the endless complaints and unnecessary whining Sims would make about having to fork over their hard-earned cash.  He knew that most of these families would have to take out loans to pay him today.  He felt bad for them, but on the otherhand, Trenton knew that he and his brothers would shell out more in taxes than anyone else in Simmington Hills.  So he really didn't want to hear the whining and complaining.  Everybody has to pay up.  Only the Mayor and his family are excluded from paying property taxes.