1. Hello and welcome to Day One-Part B of the Simself Asylum Challenge! It turns out that my file size was too large for uploading to Slideshare, so I had to break it into two parts. If you haven't read Part A yet, I suggest you do so now…lol. In any event, the last part ended with my simself finding a bed and going to sleep. We will now join some of the others to see what they're up to in the kitchen . . . .<br />quot;
So, Paxton, how do you feel about kissing?quot;
Jilly grinned sheepishly at the man sitting next to her. Something about Paxton seemed to attract the ladies. I don't know if it was his suave, good looks, or the aura of romance which hovered around him, but it was like the attraction of magnets to steel.<br />Before he got a chance to answer, Maria giggled hysterically. quot;
Oh, Paxton knows all about kissing! He's had LOTS of practice! Haven't you, Paxton?quot;
The man blushed as Maria began to tell another story of their time at the asylum.<br /> <br />quot;
You should have seen Paxton when he started losing it!quot;
laughed Maria. quot;
The poor guy wasn't getting any kissing and it was driving him bonkers! At first, he just walked around pouting and wringing his hands a lot. Finally, one day in the bathroom, he totally lost it and Brittany caught him there, collapsed and muttering insanely under his breath. Soon, Paxton found a new lover, in the form of an old mop! Everywhere Paxton went, so did 'Molly', the mop. Paxton certainly got LOTS of practice kissing with Molly, didn't you, Paxton?quot;
Maria's hysterical laughter filled the room.<br />quot;
Uh, I really don't think it was necessary to go there, Mariaquot;
Paxton said quietly, clearly humiliated by her revelations.<br />Maria merely laughed again as she started to rise from her chair, quot;
I think my job here is done!quot;
<br />Jill looked up as Karima entered the kitchen and said sympathetically, quot;
It's alright, Paxton. We all have our moments.quot;
<br />Karima, having missed out on the sandwiches, decided to be the one to initiate the use of the stove. She had no cooking skills of which to speak, but was feeling lucky and wanted to try to serve a decent meal. She barely noticed Paxton as he rose from the table and moved behind her toward the espresso machine.<br />As Karima hummed a happy tune while mixing up her macaroni and cheese, Paxton seemed to be trying to hide and shrink away from his embarrassment at the story Maria had told. Jill gazed at him for a moment before rising to clear their plates from the table. quot;
That girl certainly does have a big mouth, doesn't she?quot;
she said in an attempt to lighten the tension that seemed to be filling the room with a stifling presence. <br />Maria nonchalantly joined the others in the living room as they all seemed to be engrossed in the program playing on The Yummy Channel. Everyone hoped to gain enough cooking skills to avoid fires like the one Maria claimed had killed her so suddenly and cruelly. Brittany couldn't help but to ask Maria why she thought telling the story of Paxton's insane obsession with kissing his 'mop lover' had been necessary. Suddenly, whoops and hollers of joy could be heard emanating from the direction of the kitchen, which helped Maria to avoid answering Brittany's question.<br />quot;
Oh yeah, check this out!quot;
Karima exclaimed, overjoyed. She had managed to produce a perfect bowl of macaroni and cheese without burning it or the setting fire to the kitchen! Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, she proudly began the task of setting some bowls of it on the table for all to enjoy.<br />While everyone remained safe and dry inside, the first thunderstorm since our arrival began to show its wrath outside. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked, but no one seemed to care as long as things remained reasonably calm inside the building. Life went on and conversations continued.<br />quot;
I told you it looked like rain!quot;
Sawyer boasted to Karima. quot;
You thought we needed a crystal ball to predict the rain, so that shows what you know!quot;
he added, turning to Valpre, who rewarded him with a nasty scowl.<br />Meanwhile Holley tapped her foot as she waited for someone to exit the bathroom so she could use it. Finally, she stepped inside, appalled by the generally filthy look of the room.<br />Before she had a chance to do her business, however, Karima barged in and, not caring that she had no privacy, proceeded to do her own business as Holley seemed to be engrossed in her own little world, staring off into space.<br />quot;
Well, are you going to just stand there all night?quot;
Karima asked as she looked quizzically at Holley. quot;
You Americans are a strange lot!quot;
<br />Jilly was a real go-getter! She had been the first to use the easel, and now she was the first to use the expensive telescope to gaze upon the heavens. It was surprising how most other things in the asylum were so shoddy while they were allowed to have such a nice telescope with which to hunt for alien beings.<br />Since Holley never bothered to answer her question, or even acknowledge her presence for that matter, Karima decided to go on about her business as she pretended Holley wasn't in the room. Holley simply continued to stare off into space as Karima showered and sang a soulful tune. Finally, the glazed expression left Holley's eyes and she headed back into the kitchen without uttering a word.<br />quot;
You knowquot;
Sawyer blurted out suddenly, quot;
if you ladies' breasts were a bit bigger, they wouldn't resemble two fried eggs in a pan nearly as much as they do now!quot;
<br />Jo gasped, horrified at his remark, and had to stop herself from throwing her hot coffee on him. Holley came close to smacking him, and Val was tempted to bean one of the cups she was juggling off his head. How dare he be so bold?<br />I awoke refreshed from my nap and, having missed all the fun, I had to be told about it later. I am not crazy like the rest of my 'roomies', but I like to think of myself as 'pure' and 'innocent', so I have gotten into the habit, so to speak! <br />The sandwich I had eaten earlier had worn off, so I made my way back into the kitchen to join the others.<br />While I headed straight for Karima's delicious macaroni and cheese, I noticed that Karima, Valpre, and Holley had all gone for the espresso as well. That's when I decided that having the coffee machine around was not such a good idea. Where would the fun be if everyone drank coffee instead of all trying to pile into too few beds for too many people? So, when no one was looking, I hid the espresso machine away where no one could ever find it. People needed sleep at night, not coffee!<br />When Sawyer barged in on Ashley in the bathroom, she was not as casual about having intruders as Karima had been. quot;
Get out!quot;
Ashley screeched at him. quot;
Get out and stay out, you creepy perv!quot;
<br />Sawyer muttered something about not being particularly interested anyway as he left the room to let her have her privacy. quot;
Women are all nuts!quot;
he complained loudly.<br />quot;
Mac and cheese is alright, but I sure do have a hankering for some tomato soup!quot;
Valpre blurted out. quot;
This espresso certainly hits the spot, though.quot;
<br />quot;
Hey, speaking of that, what happened to the espresso machine?quot;
Jo asked with a puzzled expression. I, of course, only shrugged my shoulders and pasted my 'pure and innocent' expression onto my face!<br />Although both Crissy and Amylu seemed to be hungry, they could not seem to drag themselves out from in front of the TV to go in search of food. Besides, Crissy was interested in the conversation going on between Paxton and Maria.<br />quot;
If you ever humiliate me that way again, I'll burn you like the sun! Do me a favor and just mind your own damned business!quot;
He glared at her back furiously as she got up and left the room, with Crissy following close behind. <br />I took the opportunity to occupy the space Maria had vacated and began to study up on my cooking skills a bit. Since my arrival, I was one of the only people who had not developed the first skill in anything yet. It may have seemed rude to read while we still had visitors, but sometimes business had to take precedence over pleasure. Apparently, Amylu felt the same, because she soon rose with a sigh and stood to face our unshakable guest.<br />quot;
It was very nice to meet youquot;
Amylu said with a polite handshake, quot;
but it is getting quite late. So I'm thinking we can do this again some other time?quot;
Paxton seemed to agree whole-heartedly, so he gathered his friends together and they all left to head back to their own residence.<br />Crissy, although I had seen her hovering outside the bathroom door earlier without ever entering it, even though it had not been occupied, decided to head straight for bed instead of using the facilities first. I guess she thought she could it hold it awhile, because she needed sleep more than she need to relieve herself.<br />It turns out that she had been mistaken, so she almost immediately rose from her chosen bed to complain about the pain in her full bladder. The bathroom was still empty, so I thought surely she would head for it, but instead . . . .<br />Crissy decided that sleeping in a different bed could help with her problem. She quickly found out that was not going to work, so she jumped up and finally made a dash for the bathroom.<br />It was at that moment, when Amylu decided to pass through the bathroom on her way into the bedroom. Crissy crossed her legs tightly and cried out in pain as the dam began to bust loose and she could no longer hold it.<br />Crissy became the first one of our group of residents at Siminsane Sanitarium to humiliate herself by making a large yellow puddle on the floor. She stood up, shook her leg, and faced toward the shower.<br />Meanwhile, it seems that Amylu had 'gotten into the habit' as well. Look, Amylu and I are 'sisters'! She climbed into the bed, and sighed softly as she settled in for the night. She had become the next one of our group to ensure a comfortable place to rest until morning.<br />Meanwhile, as Crissy stood complaining about the horrible odor her 'accident' had caused, Karima barged in and went about her business in a casual manner, just as she had done with Holley earlier. quot;
What's wrong with you people?quot;
she asked Crissy, her brow furrowed in confusion. quot;
Do you think you can stop the call of nature just because you aren't alone in a room?quot;
Crissy, almost dropping from exhaustion, only glared at her, in annoyance, and left the room.<br />Ignoring the green fumes emanating from her tired body, Crissy went back into the bedroom and chose yet a different bed to spend the rest of the night in. She would worry about getting clean tomorrow. Tonight she was exhausted and only wanted to escape from this world into a land where such things as these never occurred. <br />Jilly was the next inmate to claim a bed in which to sleep. She was thrilled by the world of werewolves, witches, and vampires, so she fancied herself a 'bad girl', and liked to dress the part . . . at least in private!<br />Breakfast was soon upon us, so I decided to try out some of my new-found cooking skills, so I made some toaster pastries, which made me the second person to use the stove. They came out perfectly and without incident, so I considered that a rather nice accomplishment!<br />As Karima and I sat down to enjoy the results of my culinary prowess, Holley and Jo were conversing in the living room. quot;
Look, I really don't see what all the fuss is with you about magic, witches, etc! Which witch should wear what? Should this person be a good witch, a bad witch, or neither? I, personally, don't give a rat's ass which witch is which!quot;
<br />quot;
Well, you don't have to be so darned nasty about it! At this rate, I just don't know if we can ever truly be friends!quot;
<br />Instead of looking for a bed, Valpre decided to search the galaxy. In the process, she actually discovered a new star and received a $500.00 reward! Not having any clue as to how this fits into the rules of the asylum, I decided I would have to do some thinking on whether or not we were allowed to keep it.<br />As the day began to dawn anew outside, more folks gathered around to partake of the delicious toaster pastries I had made for breakfast. I was excited to hear the paper being bounced off the door outside. Soon, I would learn if the job of my dreams was waiting for me today.<br />After getting his belly full, it was Sawyer's turn to find a bed. As of yet, because of the now-missing espresso machine, it had been easy to find a bed in which to sleep, but that was all about to change by nightfall tonight.<br />quot;
I predict that the job you seek will still not show up in the paper today!quot;
Karima giggled. I was in no mood for silly banter, so I scowled at her, especially when I saw her prediction was correct. Once again, only three jobs were listed, but not the job I needed to have in order to reach my goal of getting us all out of this crazy place!<br />As I decided on just taking the last job listed for now, because the bills were not going to get paid without an income, Holley decided it was time to grab a bit of shuteye, so she picked out a bed and fell promptly into a deep sleep.<br />After reflecting upon it for quite awhile, I decided that it was not right to keep the money Valpre had been awarded for discovering a new star, so I purchased another money order and sent it out to Aussie Karima. As I thought of her receiving all this money from our little venture, I wondered how it would feel to be 'on the outside' and also what she was doing about now . . . having fun, I'll bet!<br />Ashley awoke with her stomach rumbling uncontrollably with hunger pains, but instead of grabbing something from the fridge, she began to wander around aimlessly, as if she were lost. I felt really badly for her and wanted to make her something to eat, but my carpool had arrived, and I couldn't afford to miss my first day at a new job. I had picked a job as a Gumshoe in the Intelligence career, so I'd have to check the paper every day until I finally found an opening in my preferred profession.<br />quot;
Have a great day at work, Tina!quot;
Ashley greeted cheerfully as I passed by her heading toward the waiting car.<br />quot;
You have a great day, Ashe!quot;
I called back. quot;
And . . . be safe!quot;
As I climbed into the backseat, I wondered what would happen as I left them alone for the first time. Will everything go smoothly, or will something terrible happen? Will Ashley actually get something to eat, or die from starvation in my absence? Or . . . will someone burn down the house while attempting to make a meal? Sighing heavily, I knew I'd have to wait until arriving home again to learn the answers to all my burning questions.<br />