The 'Good' trait and others can be used to your advantage.

Make a support character or 'buffer' if you will, who has Good, Great Kisser, Good Sense of Humor, and Charismatic traits.

Have that character as your main's spouse or lover and when you need a mood boost, just have them 'Brighten Day', kiss you, tell a few jokes (Hilarious conversation moodlet), Gossip to you and compliment you.

Although it is absurdly easy to keep your mood maxed in Sims 3, it may make it easier to play a really difficult character. A difficult character would be Grumpy, Ambitious, Loner, Unlucky and Stupid. Might be a nice challenge for someone.

Better strategy allows you to take down the raid bosses.

It sounds like you are suffering from capitalization failure.

Magicians appear dressed in top hat and tails; probably another loose end from the devs.

I've tried the scenario the OP describes and it gets boring pretty quickly. After you skill up, what then? Gardening is only mildly entertaining.

Much better to do an Adam and Eve and Ted and Alice scenario.

Omega Man is no fun without a balcony and a high powered rifle.

I'm wondering if opportunities will spawn people? The ones like 'please fix my broken stereo' and 'use the get to know interaction and come report back to me'.

NPC's also appear in the park at random if your town is emptied of playable characters. The magicians are interesting.

From the stats posted above, it looks like the +3 'boss' bonus will have you both switching back and forth until you assassinate her.

stephieack

A first step would be to read this thread.

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,7437.0.html

If nothing else, you may be able to get the book in question from an oppurtunity a household member has had in the journalism career. I noticed tonight you get to keep those books.

I can forsee the vendor trash becoming useful in future EP's. Gems and metals for jewelry making - metals and space ores for robot construction etc.