The Vasquez Dynasty: Digital Diary of a Domestic Environmentalist

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 4: The Three Little Pigs


                                                                                                                            Entry 10
     Dear Diary,

     Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave their
     own homes and try to save the world.

     They joined forces with a wolf and declared themselves a democracy, because their
     mothers had told them: "Whatever you do, do it the nicest that you can because that's the
     way to get along in the world."

     The first little pig always made lousy, unsubstantiated arguments because it was the
     easiest thing to do.

     The second little pig made OKish, logical arguments. These were a little better than the
     lousy arguments

     The third little pig made great, solid arguments.

     Every day the small pretty wolf, who dearly loved to outsmart the little piggies, came
     along and talked to the first little pig with his lousy arguments. She said: "Let me win! Let
     me win little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and your arguments will sag in!"

     "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little pig.

     But of course the wolf huffed and puffed and the first little pig's arguments sagged in.

     The wolf then talked to the second little pig.

     "Let me win! Let me win little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and your arguments will sag in!"
     "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little pig. But the wolf huffed and puffed
     and the second little pig's arguments also sagged in.

     Then the wolf talked to the third little pig.

     "Let me win! Let me win!", cried the wolf.
     "Or I'll huff and I'll puff until all your arguments sag in!"

     "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the pig.

     Well, the wolf huffed and puffed but she could not make those arguments sag in.

     But the wolf was a sly young wolf and she tried to make this democracy work to her
     advantage by getting the first two little pigs to support her arguments.

     The third little pig, however, was a sly old pig and always one step ahead of the wolf.
     She'd already have the support of the other two little pigs before the wolf could even try.

     So there was nothing for the wolf to do but retreat with her tail between her legs and try
     again the next day.


                   


     Yea... those have been my only expressions lately. This whole ordeal is so immensely
     frustrating! There's always one freaking pig who manages to build a freaking house of
     stone! And everyone knows wolves can not blow stones away!

     I feel so sorry for the wolf.

     Tomorrow I'm reconstituting this household as a tyranny!

[Juxtaposition]

I like the three little pigs reference, very cute

The many faces of Caitlin, to bad a lot of them don't look too nice.

Meteorologists predict landfall of hurricane Caitlin soon LOL

Great update!

[TheChronicR]

I love that fairy tale. And the update is awesome!

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 5: Hi! My Name Is Lois Lane


                                                                                                                            Entry 2
     Hey again,

     Just a quickie!

     It seems everyone is getting a new look! Well, except for Cate, but she doesn't care what
     she looks like. Not that that matters because she looks gorgeous anyway. And if she didn't
     then that would be fine too! It's not about how you look you see, it's about...

     I'm rambling. Sorry.

     Where was I... Oh yea: I gave myself a new look, to fit my new persona. And Hank
     surprised Agnes with a makeover.

     Just between you and me - isn't that sweet of him? I'm sure he did that to help her
     acclimate to our new household. Cate's really nice and all, but she can be so petty
     sometimes. She kept chortling every time she looked at Agnes' hair. Well, Agnes looks
     fabulous now! All because of my Hank! Isn't it sweet of him how he's trying to help
     someone else? I think I'm falling in love all over again!

     So naturally, I thought it time to upgrade Hank's wardrobe as well. I took him shopping
     for new clothes and afterwards I sent him to the hairdresser. Personally, I think his new
     look turned out quite well! I'm not sure how I feel about the hair and the goatee yet - it's
     a bit too Bieberish, if you know what I mean - but I'm guessing it will grow on me.

     That shirt though, I'd rather burn today than tomorrow! He desperately wanted to have it
     - so I let him. But my oh my, now he won't stop pretending he's Clark Kent. Naturally I
     have to play Lois Lane - like I have time for that. We've got a house to finish!

     Oh well, I guess if he actually turns into a vegetarian it won't have been so bad.

           


     Talk to you soon!

     Yours,
     Pauline


Authors Note 1: Hank is a walking fashion disaster. Whatever you put on him; he always ends up looking like a gorilla in clothes! He's just too buff.
Authors Note 2: The construction works are almost done! Well... as done as they are gonna get on this budget. Just a few more i's to dot and then the story can finally progress again! You better prepare yourselves for the "grand" tour!

[Asleep]

Awesome~!
I like Hank's new look.

[samoht04]

He tones down a bit when he turns into an Elder. 

[Juxtaposition]

Wowee Hank is ripped!  I didn't expect that!

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 6: My Dream Home


                                                                                                                            Entry 11
     Dear Diary,

     It has taken all of us a while, but our house is "done"!

     At least, that's what Her Royal Wigness is telling us. As our bookkeeper (she insisted - no
     wait - she demanded that job after she contributed the biggest 'investment'), she
     apparently has the right to tell us when the house is done. Because in the world of
     bookkeeping, when you run out of money, something is done.

     No need to question your own accounting strategy or expertise. No need to question your
     own budget. No need to question anything!

     When the money's up; you're done! Easy as that.

     I can tell you, that makeover has not changed her for the better. Ever since Hank
     managed to squirm her into tight jeans and a new wig - because honestly, that's just not
     her real hair: no brush in the world could've made it through that bush of hers! - she's not
     just controlling and meddlesome. Oh no, now she is controlling and meddlesome with an
     attitude.

     And the way she keeps flicking her hair when she's trying to make a point... maybe I
     should tell her I'm allergic to polyester.

     So, the house is done. Want a tour? I'll give you one! But don't complain to me if you find it
     boring!

    
     This is an overview of our house. Superman flew over (in a hot-air balloon - I think he's
     suffering from a powerblock) and shot this picture.

    
     Notice those weird open spaces under the roofs? These are our roofgardens! We just
     mislocated the plantlife somewhere between the non-existing part of our funds.

    
     A little closer view of the house. Notice how only one floor has windows? That's because
     we're not currently occupying the other floors. "Why?", you may ask me. Well, because
     we don't really need it. Another perfect example of how Wigsie manages our funds: let's
     build a monstrous house of which we'll only use 1/5th. At least we get to call it a "spacy"
     home now!

    
     Remember how my lot was nice and flat? For some reason Pauline and Hank thought we
     needed to shape our lot to the cliffs and the beach nearby; so they dumped some extra
     sand to create this slope of nothing. Of course, of course, it's not yet done. But you see
     it is! Because Wigsie says so.

     I guess you're starting to get the gist of this so let's fly through the rest of the house more
     quickly shall we:
         This is the most important area of the house: our environment movement's office and
    lounge area. Don't you just feel the importance radiating from the emptiness? Mmm...
         We have a killer view from our patio out back - just nothing to enjoy it from.
         Most of our house looks like this; lovely isn't it?! No worries about having space to hang
    personal art pieces!

    And last but certainly not least:
    
    
    This is my room. Certainly the tranquil retreat from those 3 I did not even mean to invite
    I was hoping for!

    This was the tour! I hope it didn't disappoint! I'm off to enjoy my "lovely" home now...

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 7: A New Residence


                                                                                                                            Entry 38
     Dear Erik,

     I finished the house! It turned out quite well I think - not entirely how I wanted it but I
     managed to get things done my way most of the time.

     Here's a 360 degree view of the property. Hank took these pictures from a balloon;
     probably the only thing he contributed to the whole operation.

    

     When designing the house I went for a modern beach home look. Pauline wanted it built
     on sloped terrain - because we're on a cliff - so it has three stories in the front and two
     stories in the back. It's comprised of two separate parts linked through a small glass
     element. Perfect for our needs really, this way we can be in separate areas as much as
     possible! Most of the house is still unused - a fact Caitlin is needlessly upset about.
     Although she can't know that it will be in use sooner rather than later; I need all that
     space for my plan to succeed!

     I have a few regrets however.

     For starters I gave Pauline some budget to create a garden. Not a very intelligent decision
     on my end. All she managed to create with it was one wildlife pond! The rest of the
     property is still barren. I hope she doesn't expect more money to continue anytime soon.
     And because of this, I wasn't able to finish everything I had planned to. Our bedrooms
     and bathrooms are still awful - it's like living in a Formula 1! The moment I can, that's
     going to change!

     Next to that the house has an open floor plan. You know how I hate open floor plans; never
     being able to distance yourself from others. I like my solitude. Caitlin somehow managed
     to beat me to the punch on this one and got Pauline and Hank in her "pro-open-
     plan-camp". So I drew the short straw.

     You must be aching to see the rest of the house by now, so let me show you what I've
     accomplished:

    
     Overview of the first floor of the house. Hank drew this from a compilation of pictures.

    
     Here's a view of the entrance. Pauline left her shoes out though - again!

    
    
     First stop when you enter is the living area. I wanted a bit more colour but Caitlin is a
     very "earthy" person. It shows. It's still very light and spacious though - that is what we
     both wanted.

    
    
     This is our kitchen. The integrated bar was Pauline's idea and a surprisingly good one.

    
    
     The dining room is completely my design. Heavy black offset with bright paintings. Cate
     grumbled a little but even she can't deny it works well with the rest of our interior. She
     initially wanted to scrap this room but I refused to let her get her way: a lady dines in
     style.

    
    
     My favourite room in the house. It's a bit small, but it's only temporary.

    
     This is also temporary - eventually I'd like to move all the utility to the ground floor
     - but I just had to show you the bathroom. Again the tiling is of my design.

     There is one confession I have to make though: I kept 20.000 simoleans in our funds.
     Everyone thinks we spent it all - but we didn't. It's good to have calamity money, you
     taught me that! Besides, they need some motivation to actually start working for their
     money. There's only so many rich women in town.    

     Wishing you were here,
     Your Agnes

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 8: Wild Pond


                                                                                                                            Entry 3
     It's done!

     It took me a long time of begging with Agnes, and an even longer time to design and
     create it, but it's done!

     My Wildlife Pond!

     We are environmentalist. And we have to show it! What better way to do so than with a
     pond in your front yard where all sorts of local flora and fauna can thrive. It's making a
     statement - it's showing that you care. Our own little ecosystem; isn't it wonderful! I'm
     sure it will influence the people that we invite into our home and educate about our future
     for a greener world. Agnes and Cate may not see that: but I do!

     Want to take a look with me?

    
     One of Hank's balloon shots - you can see very clearly how the pond has two different
     levels. I'm thinking we can stock the pond in the future to add fish to the system as well.

    
     The pond isn't very trimmed - something I love about it. This way plants and animals
     have all the room they need to grow and enjoy their respective lives!

    
     Hank created the stairs for me - isn't he handy! They're hewn out of the same rocks
     we made the slope with!

    
    
     I also created some intimate seatings near the pond so it can be enjoyed to its fullest!

     I can't wait to start landscaping the rest of our garden! I'll need a strategy though, or
     Agnes won't give me the money; I used the entire garden's budget for the one pond.
     Oops. But you can't deny it looks gorgeous huh?!

     I'll let you know how it all turns out!
 
     Yours,
     Pauline

[Phyre]

Chapter 3: Proverbs Run In Pairs

     Paragraph 9: Proverbs Run In Pairs


                                                                                                                            Entry 12
     Dear Diary,

     Some say that many hands make light work. Me, I say that too many cooks spoil the
     broth! We're out of money and what do we have to show for it?

     

• A humongous house of which only a teeny, tiny, portion is used.
• Of this teeny, tiny, portion, most things are still temporary.
• Some stupid philosophical wildlife pond - yea right.
• A lot of barren nothingness.
• Two bikes for four people.

     And no one's got a job.

     I would've been better off alone. Now we'll all end up living in a tent!



Author's Note 1: Big update with lots of pictures. I hope everyone enjoyed the tour! There's so much I wasn't able to realise due to funds, or things I designed to change later (such as area between the curb and the house). My head's still full of ideas, but I will keep adding and changing things as (if?) the money comes on. When that happens - there will be pictures of course!
Author's Note 2: I realise it may seem a little strange that only the first floor is "representable". That's just how I roll when I design. It has to look good, and if it doesn't then it doesn't matter how it looks (I do have to mention that a lot of the current items will be changed in the future, since I could not afford the nicest, most expensive things of course). I initially thought I could also do the bedrooms and the bathrooms on this budget but the house turned out really expensive (because of the stairs, the wallpaper and the windows), and the pond was a lot of money too.

[samoht04]

Looks great! 

[TheChronicR]

Wait a second... where's Chapter 4? Oh, and the house is A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Especially the pond/waterfall/wildlife thingy.

[Juxtaposition]

I love the dining room, I'm with Agnes there, that thing is classy and fabulous.  Looking at the pale rooms I was literally thinking to myself, that needs a nice bright painting to make it perfect.  Then bang in the next picture, perfection!

The pond is beautiful, here is a direct quote of my reaction "*Gasp* Wow!"

It may have taken the entire landscaping budget, but that is a conversation starter if I've ever seen one.

Great update, the house is amazing!

[Katluvr]

I looooove your house and your story.  I can see the care and forethought you put into everything about your dynasty.  Can't wait to see if Caitlin and Agnes come to blows, he he he!