Woah.... last post was in July. Sorry guys, I guess I've been busier than I expected.

Needless to say, I haven't had the time to play my game... but I've not given up on my ongoing storylines.

The Tohno family is undergoing a slight change as generation 3 hits puberty. Nyuu finds herself in the middle of something big. Very, very big. The sort of big that has proportions fulfilling the epic description. Not being able to play due to endless assignments & photography work is actually quite hellish.

A Strange Little Desert Town has been in a bit of luck. I've managed to break my writers block & have been scribbling out more of chapter 13 while on the train in the mornings. Obviously this is easier on the days that I manage to score a seat, but I'm getting much neater as I practice my standing while writing in an A6 notebook. [grins]
Unfortunately, it is still going to be a very heavy chapter. Consider yourselves warned.

I'd give you a preview picture, but the chapter's words are not as yet complete... which means that the images are still only existing as an in the pipeline thing. Soon though. As soon as I can, without failing my exams from lack of study or late assignments.

If you're interested in my non-sims stuff, which is still pretty staggered but not quite as ignored as this journal has been during this semester, you're welcome to go look at my personal journal; draganin. It's mostly photos & the occasional rant.... plus a few bits & pieces from my college work.

Okay... so going back into full time study kicks your previous time management in the proverbial. Gah. However, I'm having a metric f***ton of fun both studying & getting to do a photo documentary on the class/semester at the same time. Not to mention the networking.... picked up a couple of new models, possibly gotten a job photographing for a modelling agency & also getting to do a shoot for the college next week =)

So why am I writing this in this journal? Because one of the girls in class did special occasion / glamour makeup on my face today & I managed to get the shots all up to date online from class.... & a friend messaged me to tell me that I looked like Carrie Stripe (generation 5).

( While she looks so sad in photographs, I absolutely love her when she smiles )

I'm still around.  Honest.  I've been working on chapter 13 of A Strange Little Desert Town, though I'm still stuck on a section thats giving me grief.  Kinda helps that the characters aren't enjoying it & that makes me hate writing it, but it needs to be written.  Maybe I'll try working on it during my lunch breaks at college (I start on monday - [bites nails] - its been 9 years since I last studied).  I'm also still playing the Tohno family.  There is an update from them on its way - hopefully I'll get time to put it together on the weekend.... & I've been kicking around in WoW a bit lately (& got Lich King for my birthday along with collectors ed TS3) with lemon_lime35 & brilliantcat .  It's rather amusing over skype.

Meanwhile I'm planning a new start on my apocalypse challenge.  I didn't technically fail the last one... but I lost the save file amongst a heap of dvd backups & harddrive stores & I can't be bothered looking through 4TB of data for a challenge that was only up to g3. 

Why does this matter?  I'm wanting to make this further difficult - it's going to only be made up of pixel_trade sims.  So once I reinstall ts2 on my laptop, I'll battle the empty hood idea & then start the townifying process.  But here is the thing.... I want you to tell me which of your sims you want to see make their way into the hood.  Please leave me a comment with the two boy & two girl sims of yours that you'd like me to install (& if you could link me to the page you've got them for download on that would be lovely).

[grins]
Thanks in advance!

Some of the photographs from my recent trip to China are beginning to trickle through the processing & reach the site. There’s just under 5,000 photographs to get through, though some of those are my holiday shots so will end up printed for my albums & wont be going into the gallery.

First to go up are the photographs from the Mu Tian Ya section of the Great Wall of China. ( Tonight we walk the borders & tomorrow we'll be gone.... )

I have a rather big love of certain webcomics.... & I just had to share this one with all of you incase you don't follow Ctrl Alt Del by Tim Buckley.

They Track All

Seriously. Click. Read. Laugh til you can't breathe & then admit that you will be no different when you go to pick up your preorders. XD

So it's up on MTS2 finally =)

I got the screenshots sorted & asked why they weren't accepting the comparison photograph I'd included & I got a message saying it was approved. Perhaps they just didn't notice the attached photo that was also showing in the main body of the post =P

For those of you that would like to download the lot, its here.

I got home today, did a couple of chores & then sat down to reshoot the Great Wall lot to meet MTS2's pedantic standards. I resized & collated the images, labelled them & ensured they all met the size requirements. Satisfied, I went to MTS2.... & they are down for maintenance!

Gah!!

If their timer is still counting against my 72 hour deadline to fix the screenshots so that there is absolutely no pay content shown at all on anything including the model then I'm possibly not going to make it. In which case GLHF MTS2 coz I doubt I will bother trying again & will just upload it elsewhere. It shouldn't be so darn difficult to get a CC-free lot uploaded.

Though if they continue to tell me I need to include a comparison shot I'm going to ask them what the hell is wrong with the photograph I included in the first attempt. They can't even say OMG ITS COPYRIGHT - my copyright watermark has my full name *&* my internet alias on it (as my alias here is the same as my domain name).

[sigh]
[attempts to be patient & wait out the maintenance]