A bit more game talk

Who ya gonna call? Ghost hunting in action.

So I've had more time to dig into The Sims 3: Ambitions expansion and have decided that this is one expansion I'm really glad I purchased. I take back my previous statement that the Education career path is new - I realize now it was in the original game all along, I just never played it - and instead give you laundry! Yes, for all those who had been asking, EA finally broke down and gave you the ability for your sims to do laundry.

I've created a new sim, Eleanor Rigby, and she's moving up the chain in the Ghost Hunter profession.  Currently she's at level 8, though the image to the left shows her at a lower level as she busts some seriously angry ghosts.  On top of that, she has maxed out her Inventor skill and now I just need to work through the chain of items that the science lab wants me to turn in before I can make my first robot.  Love, love, love this expansion.

Everyone should have a two headed, flaming doggie!

Remember when I talked about getting my WoW account hacked?  Well it took about ten days, but Blizzard finally got everything sorted out.  I have my level 80 toons back and everything that was taken has been returned to all the toons on my account plus to the guild master of the guild my 80's are in.  Whew.  So I decided it was time to invest in a little more security for my account.  I purchased (and received via UPS today) the Blizzard authenticator gizmo and it has been set up on my account.  The added bonus, for me anyway because I have a huge vanity pet addiction, is that the authenticator purchase comes with an in game pet: the corehound.  So now my tree can wander around with a two-headed, flaming beast behind him all the time.  It doesn't hurt that the idle animations are adorable - the two heads fight over a bone, it rolls over and begs.

In book news:  Kobo is having a week long iPad giveaway so I broke down and ordered seven ebooks (entry limit was six, but there was one more I wanted anyway) and will keep my fingers crossed.  So now I have my ereader loaded up with two series - Molly Harper's Nice Girls ... books as well as Rhiannon Frater's As the World Dies zombie trilogy - and a stand alone vampire novel (Pretty When She Dies also by Frater).

I'm currently working my way through Markus Zusak's The Book Thief for my latest Refer-A-Book Friday read.  On deck is Town House by Tish Cohen, an impulse buy at Costco.  I'll post reviews when I'm done.
I did write a review for Columbine over at Goodreads, but I haven't brought it over here.  I've been thinking about how my reviews are written and I may just try a more conversational tone, like I did with the Sims Ambitions post.  I found it easier to write that than the last few reviews I've posted.  Still trying to find my 'book review' voice, I guess you could say.

'til next time.

The Sims 3: Ambitions Expansion Pack

The new Sims 3 expansion pack, Ambitions, was released yesterday and I got my paws on a copy. I've been a HUGE Sims fan ever since the first installment was released and I've usually picked up each new iteration as it came out (with the exception of the Stuff packs for Sims 2 ... those never really interested me). When Ambitions was announced I was tickled. Finally we'd be able to control our Sims while they went about their workday.

I've been tinkering at the new game play for less than a day now, but I'm already in love with all the stuff I've poked at. I created a new Sim in the new town that comes with the expansion, Twinbrook, and installed him in the fire fighting profession. Yes, your Sims can now have a job or a profession - far as I know only the professions are playable, the jobs are still run the standard way - and fire fighting is just one of them. Being able to upgrade your fire extinguisher (upper image) and actually fighting fires in other sims' houses (lower image) are only a few of the interesting things the fire fighter profession lets your Sim do. You get to hang out at the fire station during your work day and get buddy buddy with your fellow fire fighters. While at the station you can work on your athletic and handiness skills (very important for a fire fighter, especially to keep the truck in good repair), upgrade/maintain the alarm system, upgrade/repair the fire truck and just generally keep your fire fighting Sim in good spirits as you wait for the next emergency to come in.

Along with the new town and the fire fighter profession we've also been given new items, build objects, decorations, and Sims can look up available real estate for sale using their phone or computer.  In addition to fire fighting, your Sims can also be private investigators, tattoo artists, makeover experts, architectural designers, inventors, sculptors, and ghost hunters.  Doctor sims will be able to make house calls and have to respond to emergencies in town.  I also noticed that there is an educational career path now as well (you can join it at the school in town) and sims can list themselves as self-employed at city hall.  Sims who produce things (inventions, sculptors, produce, fish, etc) can now put their items up for sale at the new consignment shop in town.  If the item sells they get the simoleans, if not it gets returned to them in the mail.

Overall I am really enjoying all the new bits and pieces in the expansion, though I have a lot more to try out and tinker with.  My fire fighter is currently the fire chief (level 7 in the profession) and has the life long wish to save a whole bunch of lives (2 so far!).  I think I'll create a mad scientist type next, just for laughs.

If you're into the Sims at all, this is a great expansion pack to add to your collection.

Sims, Warcraft and the library

Heh. I've been working on a single family in Sims 3 lately. The Jones family started out with Devon, single female who painted and gardened her way through life until she ended up pregnant by Stiles McGraw. She decided to keep the baby, but her relationship with Stiles never went anywhere... the two aren't even on speaking terms now.

So, Devon raised Tiffany all on her own and, just recently, was tickled pink when Tiffany got married to Shayne. Everyone in the house helps out with the garden (which containes a lot of perfect generation plants) and the house and they all get along really well. When Tiffany /finally/ got pregnant, somethine strange happened to Shayne. He took to shutting himself up in a tiny room all alone, spending days in there just gabbing on the phone, until one day he just... dropped dead. So Tiffany's twin girls will never know their dad. *tear*

Patch day was yesterday in WoW. No major changes for resto druids, which is nice, but lots of improvements to the dungeon finder and some of the more annoying dungeons with loooooooong ass intro animations. Didn't even bother logging in yesterday until just before the weekly raid time for the guild. Noth the plaguebringing went down fast and netted everyone their 5 frost badges.

Took the little guy out today to the library. Came home with more books than I took back, but can't complain too much. Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Horns by Joe Hill all decided to follow me home... all in hardcover :p The only downfall to getting things from the library.

Weather is starting to get nicer and nicer. May have to set aside a weekend to force all the guys to help with some spring cleaning!