What playing Sims 3 does for me

I know I've talked about video games before, but I'm going to revisit the subject again. Mostly because I've started playing Sims 3 again. I don't have all the expansion or stuff packs, and I don't have all of the ones I do own installed right now. But I have the base game plus the expansions I love on the computer and I'm playing the game pretty much daily now, even if it's only for an hour or two.

I've discovered that I like playing Sims 3 because I can make life be as good or as bad as I want it to be. Some days I want a glimpse of the life I hope to lead one day. So I give my sims everything they want, build them lovely houses, give them multiple pets (okay, multiple cats...though I do have one family who has a bird, three turtles, and four cats instead of just cats), give them good jobs, and just generally give them a good life.

Then there's the times when I feel like they deserve to live as cheaply as we have to. I've got a married couple, no children yet, who are working low wage jobs just to make ends meet. They live in a small house with cheap furniture and struggle to pay the bills even though they live as simply as possible. Every now and then I'll cheat and give them an extra thousand simoleons (sim cash) to help them get a leg up so they can get promotions. Sims 3 has three age levels for adults: Young Adult, Adult, and Elder. My poor couple are halfway to adult and still within the first two rungs on their jobs. My wealthy family has one who's reached the top of their chosen career, with the second not far behind. Both of them are barely halfway through the Young Adult phase.

What's that mean? Honestly, it's a game of dream vs. reality. I love playing both of them because they both give me hope. The game where everyone has money, has a good job, and has as much food for themselves and their pets that they want – that they can even afford to support all those pets as well – is fun in it gives me a glimpse of what my future might be. The one where they're poor and live paycheck to paycheck is good also because it gives me hope because even though they struggle they're very much in love with each other and I don't let it stop them from getting things done. Those little bonuses of $1000 they get once in a while is like a bonus on a check. They use it to fix something or buy something they need. (Books aren't cheap on Sims 3. And you need books to increase skills.) I love Sims 3 for just that reason: I can glimpse several different lives all at the click of a button.

Do you have any video games that help you out? What are they? How do they help you?

L is for Learning

Learning.

I touched on this in my G is for Growth post but I want to continue it on here. In Marked, there's a place where one of her friends asks Aisling why she's willing to do so much, to spend so much of her time doing new things. Aisling's response is something she attributed to her father: “If you're not learning you're stagnant. If you're stagnant you're not going anywhere. Learn so you can go somewhere.”

I had crochet hooks and yarn, but didn't know how to use them together. I wanted to learn since I wanted to make some afghans like my mother and grandmother had. I went to a friend and she taught me how to crochet a chain and attempted to teach me how to make rows. I struggled with it because her teaching style didn't fit my needs.

So what did I do? I went to YouTube. I watched I don't know how many videos before finding a series that fit what I needed. I watched them over and over again until I got it right. After that, I went on to make a small lap afghan. After that I started reading patterns and making plans to make an even more elaborate afghan. I didn't have the right sized crochet hook and never got around to getting one, but the information was there and I learned it.

I started knitting when I was 8. My grandmother taught me and my mom kept it up. They only taught me to knit and purl, teaching me the stockinette pattern but that was it. I could experiment with both types of stitches and make my own patterns but I wanted to know more. I wanted to make hats and gloves and socks.

I got a set of DPNs. DPNs are double pointed needles. They came in a set of five. Once again I was on my own because no one I knew could use them. So I read patterns on Ravelry, I asked questions in forums, and once again I turned to YouTube to teach me how to use them. I never got to finish my projects having lost one of my DPNs somehow. But I still learned. I still know how to do it too. When I get around to it again, I'll get new DPNs and start over. I may need a refresher course but the knowledge is there.

Learning is such an integral part of every day life that we don't even realize we're doing it. You're always learning something new. The trick is knowing that and paying attention. If you don't think you have an opportunity to learn something new, find one. Ask questions. Watch a video. Read an article in your newspaper or one of the many online news sources. Keep an open mind.

J is for Jelly Beans

Today I want to talk to you about jelly beans.

More specifically, Jelly Bellies. Bear with me, this is a serious post. I promise.

I love Jelly Bellies. Especially the pear flavored ones. Those are my favorite. I only get them as a treat once in a while. Do you know how expensive the darn things are? Upwards of $7/lb here. I never get a pound though. My store has smaller bags and I usually only fill them a quarter of the way, sometimes half if I'm having a really bad day.

I have to be having a really bad day before I'll buy them though. The sugar content in those things is really high and I already ingest enough as it is. But there's something about a favorite treat that can make a day better.

As I said, I only get them once in a while. Last time was months ago. I love eating them a few at a time, savoring them and drawing out the enjoyment of the treat as long as I can. Sometimes I binge on them, eating half of what I buy in one sitting. They're so addicting, to me at least, that I can't always help myself.

But with all treats, we must be careful. I know the push is to eat healthier, and some of you are probably horrified. I know I'm overweight and munching down half a small bag of jelly bellies, which usually runs about half a pound if I'm not careful, is not good for me. But neither is denying myself the chance to have a treat.

If we go all the time with eating only the healthy foods and renouncing all of those things we love, we're going to slip and end up binging on those treats we've been denying ourselves. Then we feel guilty and berate ourselves for it.

As long as you limit it, an occasional treat is just fine. It gives us a reward for staying on our chosen path. It grants us a little bit of sweetness/savory/etc – whatever your idea of a treat is – as we plow along in whatever we're trying to do.

This goes for anything in life. If you focus too much on one thing without taking a break, you're going to snap. Take time for yourself. Find a moment or two to just relax. Take a little bit of pleasure. Don't feel guilty. Enjoy it and then go back to what you were doing. It won't hurt and you'll feel better for it.