Miss Me Yet?

 I know, I know it's been two months with no updates.  Zero. Zip. Nada.  And I one billion percent hold EA personally responsible.  I have come to believe that there is absolutely an annual vendetta there.  Before you start shaking your head and calling the loony bin about conspiracy theories let me explain.

Every year.  Every August to be exact.  Every year there is a normally benign patch for the game that comes up.  I mean that happens multiple times throughout the year but the one that releases late July/early August is always NOT benign, it's malignant I swear and the basis of the vendetta.    I have no issues with any other patch throughout the year.  This one though?  This one takes out my game and leaves me wailing and gnashing my teeth. Tears may or may not be involved.  Every August EA does everything in their power to shut me down and crumble my spirit.  The validation that I know it's personal?  The fact that the patch is for Sims 4 but it also renders Sims 2 broken with the same error message.  Sims 2 doesn't get updates so why is this happening from a Sims 4 patch?  Hence, vendetta!

Anyway, this vendetta always requires hours on chat and phone with IT doing all the pointless check lists they have to follow and always ends with well you can uninstall and reinstall the game.  Great in theory but  . . . when you live in the country the powers that be don't believe you deserve good internet.  Always something like we service your zip code or not your address baloney.  Last year I spent weeks redownloading. . .both games.  I mean it worked. . .last year.

Here's comes the annual vendetta patch.  I cried wrung my hands and whined to my Simmy friends and spent hours over multiple days on with tech support.  Guess where we ended up? Yup uninstall and reinstall.  I spent weeks making that happen.  Weeks!  And. . . same error message.  How does this not work when I've invested so much?!?  I've given up that I will never finish Strangerville nor any other sim related task ever.  Ever.  But then. . . Monday morning while getting ready for work at some unholy hour in the morning when literally no one but vampires and sleepwalkers are moving around I accidently did something with my mouse and randomly hear Sims 2 music coming from my closed laptop.  I had to take a moment ya know, it'd been so long since I had heard those sweet tunes.  Sims 2 was magically working but I was off to work.  That night Sims 4 had a patch.  That took all evening to finish and no time to do squat and no confidence that it would matter.  But. . .

Took some finagling and whatnot but this patch fixed the vendetta of the last patch.  I have my game back!  Now I just need time to play.  Story of my life.  Annual EA vendetta hate crimes are now checked off for 2021.  I have some commitments that will prevent me from being able to get the next installment out for a few weeks. . . and I need to get caught up in the story since it's literally been two months!  But, October will bring the resolution to the Strangerville story line and our time with Serenity.  August 2022?  I'm waiting for you!

Into the Strangerville Lab

 

It took time to get here but that door is coming open. . . I hope.  I mean I guess the reality is that we are about to see if the mysterious key card that showed up in the mailbox actually works.  

Something happened when we, I mean I, made it through the doors. You can see it instantly - something floating in the air. I just gets creepier as you go through the door and down the stairs. Something was - still is - going on here and now it's out. Out in the air, in the community and even at MY house! It's changing the air, the plants, the people. . .

 It is literally like everything changed as I came back up those stairs.  I know the locals know more than they are sharing and I was determined to figure it out.   

 

First order of business was to swing by Erwin's shop and compare notes and experiences.  From there I was headed to 8 Bells.   Those military guys know something and I was going to find out what.  I may have neglected to document the experience but I can share it was a doozie.  I knew my person had rank and I knew that I had to play it smart.  I found my rank and knew they were lying.  The smart part not so much. . . they knew I was playing them and it turned into a knock down drag out fight but I walked way with what I needed.  I'm not sure why I need it or how it works but it supposedly scans the air and makes the particles that escaped the lab with us visible and collectible.  Here we go!

I don't know what it's done to my neighbors but it's out of control.  He almost ripped my hand off when I tried to help him snap out of it.  I mean I tried to slap him but how else do you snap someone to reality?!?  It's even invading my house now!  Everything is changing and changing fast!  I scanned everything everywhere (even the infected) and gathered a lot of spores.  

 

 

The machine basically gave me a bunch of gibberish. . . oh I'm sure it means something but I don't know at.  Check out the top there though, I tried to go exploring but something possessed me and completely messed up my awareness for a bit.  I'm better now but I don't know something is very off about this place.  I won't give up but I'm also terrified.  I took the gibberish and met with a one of the scientists that I've become 'friendly' with.  She's going to take my data and compare with what's already stored in the systems along with any other known information that may not yet be correlated. I took my fears and met with Erwin and he had some suggestions as well.  Ultimately I walked away with an incomplete haz mat suit and a spore filter to use in it.  Just a bit more time to work up my courage and I'm going back to that lab.  I'm running out of time and the situation gets more and more complex with each bit I figure out.

There's still a lot to learn here.  A lot to explore. . . more than you realize.  However, a bit back I promised to come back and address the tiny little plant under the kitchen window.  Meet Hector, he lived, he thrived, he died all under that kitchen window.

 

Until next week. . .stay safe out there~

The Plot Thickens. . .in Strangerville

Let's be honest here, I really am in over my head.  I am loving my time in Strangerville and really enjoying spending time with my new friends but I overestimated my ability to dig in and really figure things out.  I'm running out of time!  But I also don't ever want this summer to end.   Let's be honest, I didn't anticipate my social life being such a big part of the summer and neglected to account for the need to sleep.  I feel like coffee, coffee, and coffee are all that is keeping me going right now.  But. . . I'm loving every minute of it.  

Before I ever made plans to come to Strangerville for the summer, before I rented the house and found the job (hello Coffee!) I had already started digging into the secrets of Strangerville.  I found so many message boards and blogs and even legit news sites that funneled me some information.  

You don't have to give up your summer or run around to figure this out, just check out the link attached to the picture and take some time to learn about Strangerville for yourself.  Literally, I would never have made it this far without some help!

I guess I should stop whining about being so tired and really get down to business.  The military might be tight lipped even with a few drinks and a lot of flirting but I picked up just enough to be dangerous.  Link that with the bits and bobbles I was able to sneak out of the poor scientists that are struggling to even understand what happened and yeah just enough to be dangerous.  I snuck through the fence and did a bit of poking around in the crater and found a wealth of information. 

 

 With all the information I was able to find around town (never underestimate the power of books as well!) I had enough information to peak the interest of some of the more hardcore conspiracy theorists.  Trust me when I say that you will never know you know these people.  Deep in the web on some of the hacker sites you can find a lot of information and buy a lot of street cred with that information.  Please don't tell me I'm playing with fire and it's dangerous and all that other blah blah blah.  I've met people I know I can trust and I'm also running out of time.  I can't take the slow route when I've earned my way into the fast track!

I shared what I have with some of the others out there and they shared back with me.  Someone sent me a key card.  I assume it goes to that sealed door at the lab but. . . first it literally came to the house so here's hoping it's someone I actually know because otherwise maybe I need to listen to blah blah blah.  I'm confident it's legit though so don't worry.  I'd love to share more with you but I've got plans to get through that door. Don't worry, I'm not going alone but more on that later too :D

42 days to go. . .next stop what's behind this door. . .

Strangerville Summer

 

 It was late when I rolled into town but it didn't take much to get settled in.  I had so little stuff to add to such a micro tiny house!  I feel like I'll forever be tired with work hours (5am!?!) and hearing the clock ticking on my time in Strangerville.

This!  This is what I'm here for.  Crater turned military base turned Secret Lab.  Ultimately abandoned due to an unexplained explosion - that is the reason I'm here.  I mean the history alone is worthy of time and research but the explosion that caused everyone with any knowledge, really any power, to scatter and leave everything behind that is what I want to understand.  That and the unusual plants that you don't notice in the dark but area literally everywhere!  Even in my yard!

Creepy cool looking right?  The are literally everywhere and the closer you get to the crater the more prolific they get.  I haven't yet figured out if they bloom or pod or even open.  I'm not giving up as it's just the start of what is going on in this otherwise idyllic dessert town. 

For those of you questioning the plant in the corner of the house never fear, I'll explain that later. . . I promise.  I may be exploring and studying Strangerville but that doesn't mean I'm not also completely embracing life and every opportunity that comes my way! 

And in the vein of Strangerville the first order of business, after checking out the glowing plants, is to go where the locals go.  I took a few pick up shifts at 8 Bells, the local bar where the military personnel spend their off time.  I can tell you that while they like their drinks strong and their flirt game is just as strong, so are their lips.  Not one secret shared. . . but some little tips did rise to the surface.  

I also spent some time at the Strangerville Information Center which is just a fancy name for the local library.  I mean not only are books a wealth of information but the scientists all tend to gather there.  Most are still reeling from recent events at the lab and out of any where else to go.  They too are tight lipped about why they are here and what happened to cause the explosion but a few little leads might lead me somewhere.

Don't forget the Conspiracy Theorists.  You might shake your head but let me tell you I've yet to meet someone who comes across as woo woo. There's a LOT of truth there it's just a matter of piecing the right parts together. I can say that in spending time with the locals I've made some friends, had a few adventures, (living every opportunity!) and perhaps, just perhaps a reason to return after school. . . 

Speaking of friends I've been drug all over the desert for different events.  The most recent was The Spice Festival.  Not only did I completely kill all taste buds for life but that's also where I stumbled across that tiny little Cow Plant seed, you know where that small little plant came from.  I can't wait for it to grow and see what it becomes!

Before you start judging me that I'm all play and no research I assure you that is not the case.  Remember that half the battle is building trust with the locals so that I can research.  I won't lie though I feel like the summer is moving too fast and that I'm going to run out of time.  I've got 62 days to go.

Home Sweet. . .Strangerville?

 

The more I learn about the history of Strangerville the more I know that I need to go there, to study there, and learn there.  It's the perfect example of Science and History merging into something that defies explanation.  The crater drew the military for a reason. The crater drew scientists in droves as well. Nothing is resolved?Nothing!  The more I don't learn about the scientific break throughs coming from Strangerville the longer it feels like to graduation.  My family knows my plan is to spend the summer there before University in the Fall.  They aren't thrilled that I'm leaving right after graduation but  I've already found the cutest little house with a view of the crater to rent. 

I did it!  Graduation is in the rear view and a summer in Strangerville starts this weekend!  I got a part-time job at Moondoe's Coffee Shop which gives me access to the locals, time to discover my own secrets of Strangerville, and a bit of income to tide me through the summer.  Tomorrow?  The adventure begins.  I've got 75 days to figure it all out.