Poor Lily (the sunburnt Sim) looks so sorry for herself in that last screenshot. I feel a little bad, but I wanted to unlock the suntan achievement and she was there. Oh, to be addicted to video games.
Moar Sims (aka Avoiding Reality)
I am truly addicted to The Sims 3 University Life. I pour my heart and soul into helping those guys succeed. I lose hours at a time to playing it. I can't walk away. So I'll share some of my screenshots in order to pull other people into Sims addiction too, like the decent citizen I am.
Poor Lily (the sunburnt Sim) looks so sorry for herself in that last screenshot. I feel a little bad, but I wanted to unlock the suntan achievement and she was there. Oh, to be addicted to video games.
Poor Lily (the sunburnt Sim) looks so sorry for herself in that last screenshot. I feel a little bad, but I wanted to unlock the suntan achievement and she was there. Oh, to be addicted to video games.
How to Fail at Polite Refusals
I've been looking for work for a long time now, a fact that has not escaped my notice. My phone has remained stubbornly silent on the call front, so when it does ring, I panic. I literally panic and replay all my latest endeavours to pinpoint the origin of the call. I look at the caller ID and freak out further when I don't recognise it. Such a call happened today and I am still mortified by it.
My job applications clearly have been failing me lately and my CV is on so many websites I can barely keep track of them all. This afternoon I got a call from a chap in an office firm, offering me six hours of work tomorrow at an exceptionally decent wage. From the moment I picked up the call things spiralled out of my control, the ball entirely in his court. My reaction was dumbfounded, definitely dumbfounded.
See, he started off with "are you so and so" and "can you work tomorrow" and all sorts of questions that I answered as they came. However, I gave my answers without the context, without the full details that he had, so that by the time I did have the full picture I had made a commitment to something I was unable to give my commitment to, all because the caller never set the groundwork for our conversation.
This led to some awkward, embarrassing dismissals down the line. The gist of the call was that he worked at an office a great distance from where I live, needed a temp cleaner to come in for a shift tomorrow and had seen my CV on one of my many website profiles. He'd called my number and gotten me to agree without actually giving me time to make an informed decision, such is the power of his position.
There are plenty of people like me out there in the world, people desperately in need of money and work, willing to drop everything to take the offer. He doesn't need to be frank with me. He will take yes or no and move on, whereas I need time to consider yes and no, then make my decision. He doesn't need to give me that time, so I was in a bind.
Taking the shift would cause a lot of problems for me. A lot. It was more hassle than it was worth. If it had been a part-time or full-time work offer, if it had been an invite to an interview, I would have agreed since it would give me time to suss them out, figure if I wanted to work for them and sort out of the minor details, like travel. Plus, I would have time to gather the things he needed from me, credentials and references. He put me on the spot and I panicked.
Of course, he is looking for a quick, temp hire who will come in when summoned, work and leave. He doesn't care that I need to clear my schedule, contact my references, figure out how I'm getting there. He doesn't care that his call is an inconvenience to me. He doesn't care that it's short notice. If I say no, there are plenty others to take my place. By the time I figured out I wasn't in a position to say yes, it was too late.
This led to the most embarrassing conclusion to a phone conversation I have ever had. My cheeks are still burning. To turn him down, to back-track after I had answered his stand-alone, misleading questions I had to flounder. I had to come up with an excuse that was plausible, yet assertive and said with absolute certainty that I could not work for them tomorrow, even temporarily. I couldn't just say "no, that's not what I'm looking to do" or anything, because that is too simple, too straightforward. I had to over complicate things.
So I made up flimsy excuses that he shot through easily and effortlessly. I began to stammer as I realised I wasn't going to get off easily. We batted around a few problems/solutions (hey, my Dad always accused me of making problems where there are none). Eventually, he knew I was reluctant to do the shift and told me bluntly that he'd find someone else and hung up.
I've been feeling the chagrin ever since, my cheeks aflame with the horror of it all. I often forget that, at the end of the day, it is my choice to work somewhere, as much as it is the company's choice to hire me. We both need to figure out if we'd be good for our interests. Being summoned out of the blue to do work is not in my interest, no matter how good the pay.
I think I need to work on executing conversations and deals better. Sheesh.
My job applications clearly have been failing me lately and my CV is on so many websites I can barely keep track of them all. This afternoon I got a call from a chap in an office firm, offering me six hours of work tomorrow at an exceptionally decent wage. From the moment I picked up the call things spiralled out of my control, the ball entirely in his court. My reaction was dumbfounded, definitely dumbfounded.
See, he started off with "are you so and so" and "can you work tomorrow" and all sorts of questions that I answered as they came. However, I gave my answers without the context, without the full details that he had, so that by the time I did have the full picture I had made a commitment to something I was unable to give my commitment to, all because the caller never set the groundwork for our conversation.
This led to some awkward, embarrassing dismissals down the line. The gist of the call was that he worked at an office a great distance from where I live, needed a temp cleaner to come in for a shift tomorrow and had seen my CV on one of my many website profiles. He'd called my number and gotten me to agree without actually giving me time to make an informed decision, such is the power of his position.
There are plenty of people like me out there in the world, people desperately in need of money and work, willing to drop everything to take the offer. He doesn't need to be frank with me. He will take yes or no and move on, whereas I need time to consider yes and no, then make my decision. He doesn't need to give me that time, so I was in a bind.
Taking the shift would cause a lot of problems for me. A lot. It was more hassle than it was worth. If it had been a part-time or full-time work offer, if it had been an invite to an interview, I would have agreed since it would give me time to suss them out, figure if I wanted to work for them and sort out of the minor details, like travel. Plus, I would have time to gather the things he needed from me, credentials and references. He put me on the spot and I panicked.
Of course, he is looking for a quick, temp hire who will come in when summoned, work and leave. He doesn't care that I need to clear my schedule, contact my references, figure out how I'm getting there. He doesn't care that his call is an inconvenience to me. He doesn't care that it's short notice. If I say no, there are plenty others to take my place. By the time I figured out I wasn't in a position to say yes, it was too late.
This led to the most embarrassing conclusion to a phone conversation I have ever had. My cheeks are still burning. To turn him down, to back-track after I had answered his stand-alone, misleading questions I had to flounder. I had to come up with an excuse that was plausible, yet assertive and said with absolute certainty that I could not work for them tomorrow, even temporarily. I couldn't just say "no, that's not what I'm looking to do" or anything, because that is too simple, too straightforward. I had to over complicate things.
So I made up flimsy excuses that he shot through easily and effortlessly. I began to stammer as I realised I wasn't going to get off easily. We batted around a few problems/solutions (hey, my Dad always accused me of making problems where there are none). Eventually, he knew I was reluctant to do the shift and told me bluntly that he'd find someone else and hung up.
I've been feeling the chagrin ever since, my cheeks aflame with the horror of it all. I often forget that, at the end of the day, it is my choice to work somewhere, as much as it is the company's choice to hire me. We both need to figure out if we'd be good for our interests. Being summoned out of the blue to do work is not in my interest, no matter how good the pay.
I think I need to work on executing conversations and deals better. Sheesh.
In Which I Succeed More At Simulated Life
I got a new Sims 3 expansion pack, which effectively means that for a few days I won't have a social life of my own. That's okay, because my Sims will have plenty of things to do and I can live through them vicariously. Three cheers for simulated life!
I never intended to buy this expansion pack. I promised myself faithfully that The Sims 3 Seasons would be my last one because, A) I'd spent enough money on The Sims 3 expansion packs and stores that things were becoming a little bit ridiculous (hey, we all have our addictions) and B) my laptop probably wouldn't be able to handle any more expansion packs (Seasons was my fifth at the time, after Late Night, Generations, Pets, and Showtime).
Since most of my decision to buy no more expansion packs ever hinged on B more than A, my whole deal with myself balanced precariously on the belief that the next lot of expansion packs would not appeal to me. I was wrong. The world somehow had it in for me and University Life was announced in January. My heart stopped in my chest. Did I hear right? The rumour was true and I was sucked in immediately by the swanky trailer.
I continued to tell myself I wouldn't buy it, even though I desperately wanted. I continued to tell myself that my poor laptop wouldn't be able to handle it, that gameplay would slow right down like it had previously with The Sims 2 and the expansion packs I'd bought for that. Except, The Sims 3 has been doing really well with managing expansion packs and their glitches, fixing everything up with a simple patch. In fact, my five expansion packs ran the same as the base game (mostly). The biggest hurdle was always the first few plays after updating my game, but then things were dandy.
Still, I told myself no. Anyway, it wasn't realised until March and that was ages away. It was, but then I got busy and months flew by and I suddenly realised it had been released without my noticing. In America, anyway. So like the fool I am, I watched LPs on YouTube and fell more and more in love with it.
I cracked and bought it yesterday. I regret nothing. My laptop is handling it all fine and, well, just look at these screenshots from my gameplay.
I never intended to buy this expansion pack. I promised myself faithfully that The Sims 3 Seasons would be my last one because, A) I'd spent enough money on The Sims 3 expansion packs and stores that things were becoming a little bit ridiculous (hey, we all have our addictions) and B) my laptop probably wouldn't be able to handle any more expansion packs (Seasons was my fifth at the time, after Late Night, Generations, Pets, and Showtime).
Since most of my decision to buy no more expansion packs ever hinged on B more than A, my whole deal with myself balanced precariously on the belief that the next lot of expansion packs would not appeal to me. I was wrong. The world somehow had it in for me and University Life was announced in January. My heart stopped in my chest. Did I hear right? The rumour was true and I was sucked in immediately by the swanky trailer.
I continued to tell myself I wouldn't buy it, even though I desperately wanted. I continued to tell myself that my poor laptop wouldn't be able to handle it, that gameplay would slow right down like it had previously with The Sims 2 and the expansion packs I'd bought for that. Except, The Sims 3 has been doing really well with managing expansion packs and their glitches, fixing everything up with a simple patch. In fact, my five expansion packs ran the same as the base game (mostly). The biggest hurdle was always the first few plays after updating my game, but then things were dandy.
Still, I told myself no. Anyway, it wasn't realised until March and that was ages away. It was, but then I got busy and months flew by and I suddenly realised it had been released without my noticing. In America, anyway. So like the fool I am, I watched LPs on YouTube and fell more and more in love with it.
I cracked and bought it yesterday. I regret nothing. My laptop is handling it all fine and, well, just look at these screenshots from my gameplay.
How can you not see how awesome it is?
Yeah, EA owns my soul.
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead [Review]
I am losing patience with this series and I can't pin down exactly why that is. It took me a long time to finish The Indigo Spell. I would sit down to read it and find it difficult to trawl through, which led to me putting it down and forgetting about it for days at a time.
Not a good sign.
I guess the issue is that this series is an Adrian/Sydney love-fest. Literally, there is no plot or storyline or arc other than for those two to get closer/over their issues/break out of their moulds or some other nonsense. And sure, I bought it in The Golden Lily, but I'm not buying it anymore, because it exists at the cost of actual storytelling.
Here are a few of my issues:
1) What is the Goddamn point of have a supporting cast of characters if you will never, ever use them or let the reader known what's happening with them?
2) Where the Hell are all these random revelations coming from? Seriously, if this is what you were planning, lay some foundations so it doesn't leave the reader confused. Most of the plot devices are meaningless because they don't fit with what we already know about the VA world and there is a distinct lack of evidence (in other words, hints) dropped around in the previous books that support these revelations.
3) Because of the above random revelations, that are massive holes in what little plot does exist that make the story hard to buy.
4) Why oh why can't this Goddamn series manage to be consistent? Why?
This spin-off is losing the plot. Literally and figuratively. It doesn't seem to know what it's supposed to be doing and does a poor job pretending it does. If there is meant to be a grand, old arc connecting all the books, I can't find it. All I can see is the bumpy relationship development between Sydney and Adrian, which is rapidly losing my sympathy.
Sure, I love Adrian. He is absolutely brilliant in the Bloodlines series, but one strong character isn't enough to cover all the plot holes, all the absent characters or the flat characters, or the poor storytelling. He cannot carry this series alone, which is why I am debating continuing it.
As for Sydney, Goddammit she annoys me. The more I learn about her, the more I want to slap her. She's also becoming inconsistent and OoC, and I know she's meant to be changing and growing and acting out a little, but even if you take that into consideration, she still has moments that stretch the realm of belief too far. Also, the way she treats Adrian throughout this book made me want to throttle her.
Now to the storyline. Or storylines. Because the Bloodlines series sees a great deal of plots occur simultaneously, and becomes a living example of "Jack of all trades, Master of none." We get all this "action" going on at the same time, but we only get the surface details. None of the threads are deeply examined, all are flawed as a result, and all feel rushed and somehow unnecessary. I guess this is because Adrian/Sydney become the centre of all them.
I kid you not. No matter what the mission/plot, Adrian and Sydney become the centre of it. Witch-hunting ... no, an opportunity for Adrian/Sydney to get some action in. Conspiracies ... oh no, a way for Adrian to show his fierce protectiveness over Sydney. Defence training ... nope, more time for Adrian and Sydney to spend together.
Every thread, story, mission, aspect of the book meant to NOT be about relationships/love, gets turned on its head, left at the wayside so that the spotlight can be shone on Sydney/Adrian and they can get a little bit closer. No wonder the plot can't develop. Everytime it tries to, it gets kicked aside so we can get more Sydney/Adrian time.
It's a shame because Richelle Mead usually juggles relationship development and plot development really well (see Vampire Academy and Dark Swan for reference). However, the focus in those other books IS the plot (dhampir issues and Strigoi attacks, friendships in danger, depression, ruling a gentry kingdom and exorcising rogue spirits) and the relationships grow alongside or as a consequence of events that happen in the story.
This is where the Bloodlines series falls flat. It puts the relationship before the story and fails to stir interest in either as a consequence.
2/5 stars
Not a good sign.
I guess the issue is that this series is an Adrian/Sydney love-fest. Literally, there is no plot or storyline or arc other than for those two to get closer/over their issues/break out of their moulds or some other nonsense. And sure, I bought it in The Golden Lily, but I'm not buying it anymore, because it exists at the cost of actual storytelling.
Here are a few of my issues:
1) What is the Goddamn point of have a supporting cast of characters if you will never, ever use them or let the reader known what's happening with them?
2) Where the Hell are all these random revelations coming from? Seriously, if this is what you were planning, lay some foundations so it doesn't leave the reader confused. Most of the plot devices are meaningless because they don't fit with what we already know about the VA world and there is a distinct lack of evidence (in other words, hints) dropped around in the previous books that support these revelations.
3) Because of the above random revelations, that are massive holes in what little plot does exist that make the story hard to buy.
4) Why oh why can't this Goddamn series manage to be consistent? Why?
This spin-off is losing the plot. Literally and figuratively. It doesn't seem to know what it's supposed to be doing and does a poor job pretending it does. If there is meant to be a grand, old arc connecting all the books, I can't find it. All I can see is the bumpy relationship development between Sydney and Adrian, which is rapidly losing my sympathy.
Sure, I love Adrian. He is absolutely brilliant in the Bloodlines series, but one strong character isn't enough to cover all the plot holes, all the absent characters or the flat characters, or the poor storytelling. He cannot carry this series alone, which is why I am debating continuing it.
As for Sydney, Goddammit she annoys me. The more I learn about her, the more I want to slap her. She's also becoming inconsistent and OoC, and I know she's meant to be changing and growing and acting out a little, but even if you take that into consideration, she still has moments that stretch the realm of belief too far. Also, the way she treats Adrian throughout this book made me want to throttle her.
Now to the storyline. Or storylines. Because the Bloodlines series sees a great deal of plots occur simultaneously, and becomes a living example of "Jack of all trades, Master of none." We get all this "action" going on at the same time, but we only get the surface details. None of the threads are deeply examined, all are flawed as a result, and all feel rushed and somehow unnecessary. I guess this is because Adrian/Sydney become the centre of all them.
I kid you not. No matter what the mission/plot, Adrian and Sydney become the centre of it. Witch-hunting ... no, an opportunity for Adrian/Sydney to get some action in. Conspiracies ... oh no, a way for Adrian to show his fierce protectiveness over Sydney. Defence training ... nope, more time for Adrian and Sydney to spend together.
Every thread, story, mission, aspect of the book meant to NOT be about relationships/love, gets turned on its head, left at the wayside so that the spotlight can be shone on Sydney/Adrian and they can get a little bit closer. No wonder the plot can't develop. Everytime it tries to, it gets kicked aside so we can get more Sydney/Adrian time.
It's a shame because Richelle Mead usually juggles relationship development and plot development really well (see Vampire Academy and Dark Swan for reference). However, the focus in those other books IS the plot (dhampir issues and Strigoi attacks, friendships in danger, depression, ruling a gentry kingdom and exorcising rogue spirits) and the relationships grow alongside or as a consequence of events that happen in the story.
This is where the Bloodlines series falls flat. It puts the relationship before the story and fails to stir interest in either as a consequence.
2/5 stars
The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead [Review]
If the Vampire Academy series can be likened to a television drama, than the Bloodlines series is a sitcom. It is light on the plot (although The Golden Lily actually contains one) and heavy on the relationship. It's sort of like the collateral damage version of Where Are They Now? This series is not to be taken seriously. Or, more accurately, I personally can't take it seriously.
Sure, I gave it four stars, one for the plot showing up and one because I thoroughly enjoy Richelle Mead's writing (her books really are page-turners, even if the content happens to be drivel) and two for a blossoming relationship. Spoiler not spoiler, it's Sydney and Adrian's, though mainly the way Adrian tries to be closer to Sydney in little, cute ways. Consider my heart broken on his behalf.
The Golden Lily is choppy at times and the events/devices are pretty episodic, just like a sitcom. This makes for easy reading, but it's not exactly riveting. Until it gets to the scenes between Adrian and Sydney. Then it picks you up and slams you into a wall of emotion. The utter brilliance here is that we get to see the real Adrian Ivashkov and all the reasons he and Rose would never work become glaringly obvious.
He is truly vulnerable and in need of a purpose. Most people write him off, even the ones who consider themselves his friends. They pussyfoot around him and cater to his every whim. They take his snark comments and sarcasm at face value and never bother to scratch beneath the surface. They don't know who he truly is, but Sydney does. That dynamic is breathtaking.
She makes him a better person and he makes her more human, because let's be honest, Sydney can be a drone at times. He softens her and she encourages him. They compliment each other brilliantly, but the snag here is he is a vampire and she is a human. Not just any human either, but an Alchemist who would probably never see the light of day again if her people found out about her close relationship with a, gasp, denizen of evil.
I love their relationship. I do, but therein lies the problem. This whole series exists as a crazy device to bring these two unlikely friends together, because when/how else would they ever come into contact with one another. This is easy enough to piece together when you clock how many pages Jill (who is supposed to be in danger) accumulates through The Golden Lily.
Hint: It's not a lot.
In fact, the whole cast of old VA characters and new Bloodlines characters become background noise as the focus of The Golden Lily switches to Adrian/Sydney. You forget why the pair are even in Palm Springs in the first place.
To be fair, it's not all Adrian/Sydney. There are two new annoying additions trying to wrestle the spotlight from the pair. I'm referring to Angeline (why oh why is she assigned to help Jill when she has NO FORMAL TRAINING) and Brayden (the male version of Sydney except with added "boring" and "dull" thrown in). Neither add to the wealth of the world, except maybe Angeline who represents Mead screwing logic over again. It hurts to think about all the times logic is brutally slaughtered across the two books, so I'll move swiftly on.
The Golden Lily is a solid read. Not Mead's best work, but definitely better than Bloodlines and, hopefully, a turning point for the series. There is an interesting plot threading through the pages, not a collection of fractured ends and devices. There are strong sidelines in the form of blossoming relationships and character development. There is an obscene amount of Sydney/Adrian face time, at the cost of other characters, but you'll forgive Mead as you are swept up in their scenes.
In simple terms, it's an easy read. It might emulate a sitcom, but that doesn't steal from its value. If anything, it's relaxed nature makes it the perfect companion to VA.
4/5 stars
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead [Review]
If you're a fan of VA then barrel on ahead. Chances are you'll devour and enjoy every single page. It is a page-turner. The mystery here is how is it a page-turner? That I cannot answer, because Bloodlines is a book devoted to tying up loose ends and building new foundations. You won't find a strong plot in these here pages.
See, Bloodlines dumps the reader into the middle of messy Moroi politics, unfinished love affairs and a few frayed plot threads that were left over from Last Sacrifice. The reason for its existence is to bridge the gap between the old VA series and the shiny new one we, the reader, will be treated to in the future. Tell a story it does not do. At least, not effectively. Bloodlines very much exists in two halves:-
Part I: The (necessary) cleaning up of selected loose ends left at the end of Last Sacrifice.
Part II: The construction of the foundation that the rest of the series will be built upon.
So, definitely do not read this book uninformed. Also, have the patience of a saint when you begin Bloodlines, because boy does it take ages to get going. The first three-four chapters focus entirely on recapping, re-greeting and reacquainting ourselves with the world/characters/mission/story arc. It makes for dull early reading and takes the love of an old fan to persevere through. I can see newbies dropping out as a direct result of this overwhelming tedium.
When we eventually get to the old faces we receive an interesting shock, because wow, is everything so different and novel from Sydney Sage's POV. This is both a strength and weakness of Bloodlines. Seeing vampires from a human perspective gets a tick. Enduring her racism/prejudism (call it what you will) is tricky at times. I understand her disdain of vampires and appreciate it, but her reaction to magic. Nu-uh. Overkill.
Sydney shines most when she's interacting with Adrian Ivashkov, the only VA vamp to actually retain all of his personality. They have a way of bringing out the best in each other. In Sydney's case a more passionate side comes out, whereas Adrian stops hiding behind a mask and shows his true feelings. You don't need a degree to see where this is going, but it is very welcome.
The rest of the characters pale in comparison to Adrian. Jill stops being Jill (or the Jill from VA) and becomes Lissa Mark II. It doesn't matter if this is a conscious or accidental intention, it is one I don't approve of and it makes Bloodlines seem oh-so-familiar at times (Jill/Laurel versus Lissa/Mia anyone?).
We get a lot of deadwood thrown at us too. Zoe and Sydney's parents are introduced and then never seen of again. I would have liked the Zoe-thread to have been reconciled, but alas, loose ends are the theme here. It's also strange that Sydney would phone her mother to stop her worrying at the start, but never again email or contact her. The whole thing feels sloppy and not at all thought out.
Self-plagiarism and lazy writing are also flaws. We get whole plot devices from VA shoved in every now and again, but we're not supposed to notice since the narrator is so different from Rose. An old character gets a face-lift and placed in Bloodlines to cause some of the most confusing conflict I've ever come across. I have no problem with some new faces, but going to such lengths to make him a clone of an old VA character is baffling. Unless there will be a revelation somewhere down the line where it turns out Micah is a reincarnation or something of Mason and has been put on earth for the sole purpose of helping Eddie out.
Despite its flaws, I enjoyed Bloodlines. I've always enjoyed Richelle Mead's writing and I love the characters dearly. However, the lack of clear plot gives Bloodlines a low score. There is a lot of promise though. If the Bloodlines series breaks away from VA and carves out its own identity, it can become something fantastic.
3/5 stars