Takin' Care of Business - Round 1

As usual, Janice started her day with a round of sketching, only interrupted by a quick glance at her phone to make sure she didn't miss any calls from potential clients. Eventually she did get a call from Nancy Miguel who's looking to update her curb appeal.

Of course, she couldn't really blame Nancy for seeking her services. Janice has visited Nancy and Youssef's home before, and there's absolutely no space for a newborn! They would need a new place stat, and in order to sell the home, they would have to make someone actually want it.

So with Janice's eye (and several clicks of my hand), the boring old pink house got a *little* less boring.

Janice tried to ignore the filthy surroundings by her standards as Nancy gushed over the new doors and windows. She gently urged that they contact her for other home renovations, such as updating the wallpaper, making use of the large garage space, and getting rid of that hideous tile.

Nancy: "This is fantastic! Thank you so much. Now my house looks just as good on the outside as it does in!"
Janice: "I wouldn't advertise that dear, but thank you for your compliments."

Janice got another call from the Howe residence, requesting a gym add-on to complement the rest of the house. It wasn't an easy job at all given the limited budget, but she did her best.

Brooke seemed to like it. Janice *once again* discreetly plugged her services in hopes of remodeling the farm. In her own words, it's an "outdated fire hazard" that should be cleaned up immediately.

Brooke: "This looks great! Thank you so much."
Janice: "Hmm, yeah. Let me know when you're ready to bring this place into the 20th century at least, okay dear?"

Youssef made a quick stop to Janice's house to thank her for a job well done and discuss the possibility of further renovations. Janice was more than happy to oblige.

Later on, she stopped by the Roslyn Theatre to see a performance by none other than Ms. Roslyn herself. She thought about writing a formal review, but she decided against it.

Janice walked down to the Cabaret Strip, a project for City Hall she had been working on for awhile. It turned out pretty well, but she didn't understand why it needed a nectar store when the Monte nectary was just thirty minutes away from Plum City. Was it for convenience, or competition? And my, what a frightening lack of color. Obviously she did not oversee the color scheme for this shop.

Janice made her way over to the Hickory Roots bar for a shot of...anything.

Janice: "Excuse me sir, do you have a shot of expresso or hot chocolate? I really need to perk up so I can get some more sketches done."
Bartender: "Um...certainly, ma'am. In fact, I have just the thing for hard workers such as yourself."

Janice: "What is this concoction? It's certainly sweet..."
Bartender: *shifty eyes*

If Janice was in her right mind, she would have thought that the bartender slipped her something. Of course, she was not in her right mind.

Janice: "I'm a f@cking winner, y'see? I work hard, so I win. That's my philosophy."
Clerk: "Err...okay."
Janice: "Nonono, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. I am a winner! I eat common people like you for a snack. I am Charlie Sheen #WINNING IN THIS PLACE! I BUILT THIS PLACE! I OWN YOU."

Janice: "Oh, and my boyfriend is an award-winning gardener! Why? Because my man works hard for his lettuce. Boom. Did I blow your mind, nectar girl? I know I did."
Clerk: *yawn*

Janice: *off-key* "Ooh baby baby, ooh baby bay-beee~"

The next day, Janice had a severe hangover. Of course, that doesn't stop a workaholic!

Edward Dillard decided he wanted a shed devoted entirely to sculpting. Of course, that's what Janice gave him; along with a whole bunch of other things he didn't need (and some needed things moved around). Needless to say, she didn't get a glowing review.

Her luck with Erin Davis didn't improve much either; she nailed the requirements, but Erin complained that her room(s) were far too crowded for her to get anywhere.

She received a request from the Ross residence to add a nursery for the new baby, and of course Janice couldn't help but notice the coincidence. Just a few days ago, she was talking to her boyfriend about Starr.

She tried her best to ignore the kid playing on the floor as she began to wonder where her father was. Did she even have an active father? Were her parents ever together? That Starr needs to get a grip...

Janice tried her best to fulfill her client's wishes, but Starr was much pickier than she originally imagined. She kept complaining about "living in squalor", and Janice simply abandoned the project and planned to demand compensation from City Hall for her wasted time.

Before she could leave, the little girl (named Michelle) thanked her for the work she did on the new theatre.

Michelle: "It was so cool! Mommy and I got balcony seats to watch the orchestra last night."
Janice: "Oh. Well, thanks kid. I'm glad to have helped someone around here."

She won't admit it, but talking to Michelle brightened her otherwise dismal day.

And if she stuck around longer, she would have spotted Michelle's possible, present and possibly negligible father. I am honestly uncertain if Moe is the daddy or not, but they certainly seem to hate each other as an absentee father would hate (and be hated by) his daughter for abandoning them for a blonde stylist. *cough*ERIN*cough*

I'll have to check the family tree when the Ross family comes up.

Anyway, Janice was famished so she had to get a quick bite to eat. She went down to Jayme's Delights yet again for a midday treat.

Of course, that's when she spotted Erin fighting with Jayme. So Starr's mother is fighting with Moe's new wife, and my suspicion is that Moe and Starr were once married (or at least together) and now there's a rift between the mother and the hussy. Makes sense.

Erin: "Your daughter is a f@cking llama!"
Jayme: "How dare you talk about my daughter like that, you hussy! You've been scouting this town for Monte men since you first came here! I know Patrick was the first on your list, we all saw you stalking him."
Erin: "Shuddap you llama-face! Moe and I will be together forever whether your airhead daughter likes it or not!"

The next day, Janice was rewarded with an award, a promotion, and her own architectural wing at City Hall for all her hard work.

And she knew just how to celebrate this monumental achievement...

Bow chicka wow woooowwww ;)

p.s. - the badly sung notes were from Salt N Pepa's "Push It".

The Date - Round 1

Janice received an early-morning phone call from her new boyfriend Lonnie, asking to see her for a quick date on her last day off. She was tempted to say no (after all, she was still trying to finish up some sketches) but she couldn't help but say yes.

What a regret that was.

They met up at Jayme's Delights and tried to make light conversation as they waited for the breakfast crowd to clear.

Lonnie: "So what do you think about this overcast weather we've been having?"
Janice: "Well, I much prefer it over the constant sunniness of other worlds. It's nice to have some variation, right?"
Lonnie: "I hate it. It makes it difficult to drive in all that grey."

YAWN.

Janice, being the suck up that she is, agreed with her Creator wholeheartedly. She immediately rolled the wish to visit the museum she's still trying to map out. Even on a date, she manages to make her activities all about work.

Lonnie: "It's so purdy." :D

Janice: "Well, here we are."
Lonnie: "You know, when you described the museum to me, I was expecting a little more..."

Lonnie: "..."

Janice: *flips page*
Lonnie: "...so maybe we could-"
Janice: "Oh, for crying out loud, Lonnie! You're smothering me! Can't I read a book in peace?!"

Immediately after arrival, Brandie Frontelmau fainted. Or maybe she's just a drama queen, or her mom's a total bore. Either way, Julia doesn't seem to be too amused.

Julia: *facepalm* "Brandie...don't make me pull out the smelling salts again..."

Janice: "Look, I'm sorry you forgot to pack a lunch, but I thought we agreed on having a picnic today! If you're that hungry, why don't you just go buy some food from the hot dog stand?"

Lonnie: *glare*

Janice: *OM-NOM-NOM*

Lonnie: "...Wow, you're stingy."

Janice: "Next time, come prepared."

Lonnie: "Hey, do you think Starr is flirting with that guy?"
Janice: "Nah, I think she's just going to ask him to play football."
Lonnie: "Football?"

Janice: "Yeah. I mean, I don't think its good for the baby, but maybe it'll be a boy and Starr wants to give birth to the next football star."
Lonnie: "Or maybe she swallowed a football and she was flirting with the guy."
Janice: "Hmm, maybe. Starr always seemed a little too nice to strangers, particularly male ones."

Janice: "Oh hey, did I tell you? One of my sketches earned me a promotion! I feel so accomplished."

Lonnie: "I got horny and cyber-woohoo'd with a random sim I met online and I can't stop thinking about her."
Janice: *stares blankly*
Lonnie: "Um...yeah. It was awhile ago though, so technically I'm not cheating!"

Janice: "Did you break her heart yet or what?"
Lonnie: "Well, I don't have her contact info or even a name. I just have a pretty generic screen-name and some pictures of her rack."
Janice: "You pig."

Lonnie: "So...I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I could have avoided this by just reading a trashy novel and using my imagination, right?"

Bonus Picture:

Starr: "WHEEE, I'm an all-star!!" :D

Julia: "Ugh, so obnoxious."

Banks - Round 1

Janice Banks recently moved from Sunset Valley to Green Valley so she could work as an architect for Plum City Hall, and also do some freelance work for home and business owners. Unfortunately the city isn't paying her much for now, but soon she'll be able to prove that she can do the job as well as anyone.

Saturday was rather busy for her due to the consult she scheduled with Mrs. Jayme Ross, the owner of Jayme's Delights. She was thinking about expanding into one of the new districts, and she wanted to discuss figures.

Of course, that's not to say that she was there entirely for business. She ordered a plate of delicious cobbler and sat down at the nearest table she could find. Mmm, cobbler. Too bad they didn't have any key lime pie in stock.

Janice headed upstairs to the Nectar Room to sample some of Cypress Hills' finest. She later found out that the nectar she had tasted was not genuine Monte nectar, but nectar imported from Hidden Springs! How dare they try to pull the wool over her eyes?

Janice wanted to go to Monte's to see if she could score some decent nectar. Of course, she had to wait awhile for the nectar clerk to come back from her lunch break.

After purchasing the nectar, she went home to pour herself a glass or four to kick off her Saturday night. The GENUINE Monte nectar was delicious, of course.

Of course, the real highlight of the night involved sketching and planning the new buildings for Plum City. Janice was never fond of prolonged breaks anyway.