The Waters Family has been fairly boring to date. I really wanted a family that required absolute minimal interaction from me that could be left to their own accord and played while I worked on other projects. But it didn't work that way, at least not for them to be somewhat interesting. So I tweaked a little, and then a little more. But then I stopped...

Adrian's wish made the game a little more interesting, especially after I followed it through. That was certainly an unexpected curve ball. While I have decided that I can't be completely hands off if I want this family to be enjoyable and actually worth my time, I am still, to a certain degree, letting them 'roam free'. They are still the family I let run while I am pre-occupied doing other things on the main PC (Sims is on my laptop), and as such, have to find out how to occupy themselves.

I've often wondered when I look at them if they know they are on their own. I always feel like Melani knows I'm here, especially when it comes to helping out with the kids. Has anyone ever played Black and White? It was an extremely frustrating game where you played the hand of God, and you have a pet to do your bidding, be it good or bad. This pet knew you were there and would often look up to the sky (or basically towards the monitor so they were looking at you) as they knew you were there. I often feel like my Sims know I'm here too. They're more Black and White than they are The Trueman Show.

I wonder if The Waters Family know that I'm not really there. Sure I stick my finger in the fish bowl and swirl the water around a bit, but outside of that, they're on their own. And of course, yes, I'm a little nuts and am probably the only person who feels that way lol. And no I won't open the front door, I can see the straight jackets through the glass....

Anyway.... The Waters Family are slowly coming out of their shells and proving their worth. The unexpected and random bursts of crying from Emily makes me know their still alive, while the death glares between Emily and Insane Grandpa make me nod and smile, happy that I made them slap each other stupid.

Every now and then though, they do something completely on their own, and not just as a result of my swirling the water. Like the other night when I looked across just in time to hit the paused button and wonder what the hell Adrian was doing over the toilet...

I turned the camera around a bit to see if he really was 'freaking out' as it appeared to be on first glance. Yes, yes he was...

I noticed the toilet was leaking, and although that would send me running out of the bathroom to get away from the water with floaters, I don't know if it would quite inflict this sort of reaction. Then again, Adrian is insane so perhaps that's how insane people react to a broken toilet?

Or maybe, just maybe, my theory that the break up is actually affecting him even though he's being a stupid man and hiding all his feelings, and this is nothing more than an over reaction? Yes, perhaps that's the real problem... the toilet reminds him of Emily because she always kept it so clean, and here he was going and breaking it, just like he did to their marriage.

*cocks eyebrow* Oh I think we have found the real problem...