Take Me to the Moon 4.14: Growing Pains

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Ewan Tesla is about halfway through his teen years; Elise Tesla just became a teen.

From the Journal of Elise Tesla

 Let me tell you, finally being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes.   One thing that would revolutionize my life, is if my mom wasn't so weird.  

   I just asked her to give me some gardening tips so I can use some of the plants in scientific experiments.  But she drives me insane, going on about the fact that she's a Space Ranger, how she learned more about botany since going into space than she ever learned on earth.

She's told us a million times about how she walked on Sixam, the alien planet.

My grandma's pretty cool though.  She's old enough to retire, but she decided to become a police officer, instead, after grandpa died.

I was shopping in Magnolia Promenade last week, and she was there, patrolling.  She kind of said hi in a low-key kind of way, which was nice.   One thing I wonder about grandma, is how in the world she looks 25 when she's got to be pushing 70, at least.  Her hair is starting to grey, but she has no wrinkles, at all.

My dad and I usually get along well.  Except, when we play chess, he always looks so smug when he gets checkmate.  

He does it on purpose, just to annoy me.   I am sure of it.    I keep promising myself I won't play him anymore, but I really want to learn to beat him.

My little brother, Eric, is surprisingly cool.

 He knows how to take a joke without getting bent out of shape.






Since we started high school, though, Rachel and I aren't as close as we were before, and it's mainly because she doesn't like Eric.

Eric's my brother.  It's ok for me and him to argue, but not for Rachel to hurt his feelings.

Rachel doesn't appreciate it when I tell her to lay off.

"Jeez, don't take it so seriously.  I was just joking." 

 But everytime she's around Eric, she gives him a hard time, just for being a kid.

Although I'd never tell mom, seeing the rocket lift off still gives me goosebumps, and mom's new Apollo rocket that she built lately, is the most amazing yet.

Plus, we have an amazing lab in the basement of the command center.

Since mom brought back plant life from the alien planet, Sixam, she and dad designed a new area, a greenhouse with airlocks.  This is, of course, designed to prevent the specimens from Sixam from infecting us or our plant life here on earth.  Invasive species can be lethal in a new environment.

  Besides, two of the three specimens she brought back are carnivorous.   They are fascinating, and I am starting to think of them as my pets.

It's my job to take test the soil pH and a number of different stats on the plants daily.

And log it, so we can use the data to evaluate various experiments.

We haven't identified any toxins or dangerous substances in the plants, that would hurt us, but we are very careful to use all the universal precautions in the botany lab.

Along with learning to use the scientific method, and studying botany, I am working on my mechanical skills.  Although it is frustrating trying to use a ridiculously large wrench to fix a drain, I think it is critical that I know how even the most basic things around the house work.

 

Last weekend, a lot of the kids were going up to Yuma Heights for a campfire cookout, and dad let me go, since Ewan was going with Adrianna.  I kind of stuck with Rachel when we first got there.  We're still friends, and when Eric's not around, we're fine.

Ewan played the guitar, which was fun.

But without Rachel and I being close, I don't really have a best friend anymore.  I don't know Etienne that well, and I never really like Rianna at all.

 Like I said, being a teenager is not easy.

From the Journal of Ewan Tesla

Adrianna and I had our first kiss, but I don't think things are going so well now.  First, for some mysterious reason, Adrianna and Elise just don't get along.

Adrianna comes over after school a few times a week, so we get to hang out. She likes to play around a lot.

And it's hard for me to tell if she's joking or what, sometimes.

Then, she'll just suddenly say it's time to go.

And I don't know if I did something wrong, or if she wants me to make more moves, or what.

One evening after she left, I went down to the command center to do my homework near mom while she worked in her lab.

She saw me there, and came over to check on me.  Asked me how I was doing.  I asked her how in the world I'm supposed to figure out what girls are thinking all the time, and she said not to put too much pressure on myself.

 Mom asked what I think of Adrianna.  I told her, I really like her.  But I just feel kind of stressed when I'm with her sometimes.  Mom just listened, and said she couldn't tell me what to do.  She said she knew I'd figure it out, though.

Sometimes I wonder, though, what do mom and dad really know about being in love?  They've got each other, and they don't have to worry about what the other person's thinking.

The campfire cookout had been so much fun, I asked her to go up to Yuma Heights State Park with just me, for a date.

It was a gorgeous afternoon.

I thought maybe she wanted me to be a little more forward, and she did seem to like it.

I fixed Tofu Dogs on the grill, as the sun set.

But dinner was not what I hoped for.  Adrianna's not really interested in art or music,

and I don't know about student government, or political stuff she's interested in

We ended up both pretty bored and just waiting for it to be over.

I was thinking maybe we should break up, but I didn't know what to say.  When we were just friends it was never like this.








Then Adrianna broke the ice, and asked if I wanted a back rub.







After she rubbed my back for a while, she said, "Aren't the stars beautiful?  It's such a beautiful night."

But I was just thinking, maybe we've moved too fast.  I don't feel ready for a girlfriend, and maybe I just need to meet new people for a while instead of trying to build a relationship.

But I didn't break up with her that night, because I just don't know what to say.  It's not her, and it's not me, it's just the time I think.  And I really want to stay friends with Adrianna.

When I'm painting, that's when I feel like I know what I should be doing.

Notes:

While on their date, Ewan didn't have any romantic whims. He wanted to meet someone new.  I had him kiss her because it is one of the "tasks" for a date. 

Delaney has 16 days before her elder birthday.  I think she's starting to look a little older around her chin line.  (Alexander only has 8 days till his elder birthday).

Bella has a glitch.  This is how she looks in CAS:

And this is how she looks in game, no wrinkles!  I chalk it up to her wealth and a skilled plastic surgeon.  But I would prefer her to look more her age; I think aging is beautiful and look forward to seeing my sims move on past that eternal youth look.

Desmond is still his gloomy self, but you'll be glad to know that his mom eats with him and tries to cheer him up.

The grim reaper was at Magnolia Promenade with Bella, when she was on patrol.  I was worried he was there for her!  She was very sad when she saw him, as she is now acquainted with him. 

Elise, however, didn't see him even though he was right beside her.

The most eventful thing that happened on Bella's patrol was that she ran into Etienne Pancakes, who is evil.  Since she is good, she gets a sad moodlet when faced with evil.

She can dismiss evil, though, as a mean social.   But Etienne practically bit her head off when she did it.

Now she just needs to find someone in need of a citation.  Bella is a Colonel, Level 9 I think, but she has to get some more experience before she can have her own cases, according to the game notifications.  (The game placed in her in the Detective career, as a Colonel, but when I play her I have to do the lower level jobs).