The Versatile Blogger Award

Brianne from With My Collie By My Side was kind enough to give Sims 2 Stories by Lorelei the Versatile Blogger award, it comes at a perfect time for me, mood-wise, and I want to thank her for reading my blog and for thinking of me!

Here is how accepting the award works.

1. Add the award to your blog.

2. Thank the person who gave you the award.

3. Post the rules on your blog.

4. Mention 7 random things about yourself.

5. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the random 7 things:

1. I'm an aging baby boomer (fossil) who actually saw the Beatles in concert back in 1964 and screamed myself hoarse. Paul was my favorite.

2. I absolutely love cats and have lived with one or more of them for over thirty years. My youngest one, Babydoo, died last fall at 12 years old. I miss him terribly. This year is the first time I've been cat-less. I will never get through 2012 without bringing home a cat to love. There are various breeds I covet, like Birman, Persian, Ragdoll, but in the end all my cats have always been either strays or shelter cats. I just can't buy a purebred from a cattery when I know there are so many cats who desperately need a home.

3. I'm addicted to playing Sims 2 and writing about my Simmies. I loved to write before this and my blog tends to be "Sim-illustrated stories" (as one of the blogs I read puts it). I have a very rich fantasy life. :)

4. I was bit by a dog, just below my eye, when I was two. It took me until I was 29 to get over my fear of dogs. I love them now, though. But once in a great while a large, unknown dog can scare me like I was a child again. Cats work better for me because I have problems with depression and a touch of agoraphobia. But...if I COULD have a dog...I tend gravitate to small dogs like Chihuahuas, Shi Tsus, Papillons, Pomeranians. I like collies and always wondered if I would like a Sheltie.

5. For fun I used to sing with a country-rock band on talent night back in the late 1970's. It was a house band and I got to be really good friends with them...especially the guitar player (paging Brian Ottomas!). I didn't even like country music or know it when I moved down to NC, but I grew to really love it from 1975 through 1979 when it seemed to be the background music to my life. Things change and I haven't listened to any of the current country music in 20 years. I still listen to the old classic country, though.

6. I had a dream to be a hairdresser since I was a child. Seriously. I went to beauty school and worked in a hair salon from 1969 through to early 1975. I loved, loved, loved everything about doing hair, but I was ready for a change when I moved down to North Carolina with my parents to work in the family business of making rubber parts for antique and classic cars.

7. I love old movies. I'm talking OLD, like from the 1940's, 50's and 60's. If you give me a thumbnail description of plot from a movie of those eras I can probably name the movie you're thinking of and who was in it. Conversely, if you only give me the name of the actor and actress from a movie and the decade I can guess the movie. You can take the information to the bank; no sense in arguing with me about it.

Here are 10 blogs (I know there's supposed to be 15 but I'm very carefully selective and there are, so far, only 10 that I read)

1. Tales from the Dark Sims - This is a "Collection of Short Stories Inspired by The Sims" and currently is telling the story of the Swans, a family of vampires. Sovereign is a very good writer, the stories are quirky, dark indeed, but with a sense of fun and humor. Her vamp Simmies are especially beautiful to look at, too. It has a content warning due to violence I would think (after all, they ARE vampire stories) although it is not at all graphic.

2. Travels - a wonderful travel blog that will take you to exotic locations via fascinating photographs and articles from a remarkable woman who has changed her life so that she can devote it to world travel. Just reading about, and seeing photos of, the food alone worth taking a look! She writes in a way that you feel like you're beside her on the trip.

3. With My Collie By My Side - Reading about Brianne's beautiful collie, Violet, and Griffin, a blue merle Aussie puppy (and seeing the photos she takes!) just makes my day. She injects her posts with fun and the love she has for her family and her dog. She's a busy girl but posts often and fairly regularly.

4. The Fuller Legacy - This is the first Sims 2 Legacy that I got hooked on. Sim Girl writes about the Fullers with tender regard and beautiful photographs. I love this family and they’re up to the fourth generation. I would rate it PG-17 like my own blog, mostly for adult themes.  

5. Carolyn Steele Agosta - Carolyn is one of my four sisters and also a favorite author--her blog has her articles on various subjects, short stories and excerpts from her two published novels. The stories can be amusing or heart-wrenching, sometimes both. That's good in my opinion; I like a little humor with my drama :)

6. Funkycherry's World of Sims - A Sims 3 Legacy blog I've just begun reading but already like it a lot. It's written by a teenager and she has a very helpful post on making photographs for your Sims blogs on there, too. I'm actually caught up on this one *faints*. Can't wait for the next installment.

7. Hyperbole and a Half - I love the articles and her accompanying sketches in this blog. Generally I laugh out loud at least once or twice in every post, but she manages to layer in incisive comments on life in between the quirky humor. Take time to check her out and you'll be glad you did. In fact, here is one of my favorites, the illustrations make it, so please check it out!

8. Lakeside Heights, a Sim-illustrated story Another new blog I’ve started reading, this one is not strictly Legacy, but a “Sim-illustrated” futuristic story. A TON of characters but I'm wading through them and it looks like it will be another addiction of mine. Like most Sims blogs, this is pretty much PG-17.

9. Bloodline - The Ryuzaki Family A Sims 3 Legacy blog I've begun following. I hope someday I can get my blog this organized. It's taking me a while to catch up to present day stories, but I'll get there and I'm already tied to the family. These legacy stories have strict rules and it's best to familiarize yourself with the rules so things will make more sense. Again, this has a content warning but I've not found anything to worry about in the stories so far, just adult themes.

10. Write Out Loud - This blog is by painterchic, an artist/writer/photographer who is also friend who attended my sister's writing class with me. She doesn't always get to post very often, but her humor is warm and totally on the mark. I got introduced to the other blog "Hyperbole and a Half" (above) through painterchic's blog.

Thanks again, Brianne!

Next update Glenn Caswell Ch. 6 Removing the Sword Part 1