Amity Island

[Valzed]

I'm normally not one to keep a journal or diary. I would like my island name to be displayed in my side bar though and I needed to create an island journal to have that option so... here I am.

My island is loosely based on the island in the movie JAWS. JAWS is my all time favorite movie! I accidentally saw it in a drive in movie when I was two. The drive in had a double movie night - a kid's movie then an adult movie. The idea was for the kids to have fallen asleep before the adult movie began. I guess I thought the kiddie movie was boring because I slept through it. I honestly can't even remember which one it was. I woke up before JAWS began and was mesmerized. My grandparents knew I had woken up but my parents didn't at first. I gave my mom a stroke when I stuck my head in between the front seats and proclaimed, "That shark gonna ate that lady." I've loved the movie JAWS ever since. (In my parents & grandparents defense they did try to get me to go back to sleep but I wasn't having it.)

My island rep is Val Brody. In my mind she's a relative of Martin Brody, the original Amity's former police chief. I have a human resident named Lin Hooper. She's a relative of Matt Hooper, an oceanographer sent to help with the shark on the original Amity. Hooper is in charge of the Amity Shark Conservation Center. Brody & she tag and tracks the sharks off Amity's shores. My hubby & son also live on Amity but use they're actual names. They don't play with me much anymore. I have references to the movie JAWS hidden around the island.

My island doesn't have one cohesive theme. I've created little areas based on things I like/love. I have a fairy ring/ancient stone area. I have a kaiju (giant monster) fight area. I have a cemetery that's up all year long, not just at Halloween. I have a night picnic/Moon viewing area. I'm still working on my orchard/flower field. I just need to grow blue roses to be able to put the finishing touches on.

I guess that's about it for now. I'll add some pics and maybe some more little bits of info later on. Thanks for reading!

 

[Valzed]

I figured it might be nice to add some pics to this journal. I've pretty much got the villagers I want and am not planning on moving anyone out any time soon so I figured this was a good time to post pics.

This is my island map as of September 2021. I haven't done very much terraforming and I doubt I will. I'm just one of those weird people that likes their island sort of "as is".

These are my villagers as of September 2021. I don't really have them in relationships. I think of them as buddy pairs. My most interesting pair is Ankha & Ken. A Snooty & a Smug who love to discuss current fashion trends while being so very fashionable.

I'm disabled in real life and use an electric mobility chair when I leave our apartment. When I was originally setting up my island I instinctually used all inclines and no steps. I didn't even realize it until I was showing my grown son my island and he mentioned that he liked that I had made it handicap accessible.

This is the most special place on my island for me. My cemetery is in honor of actual loved ones I've lost. Some of which were human and some were fur babies. From L to R: The brown grave is in honor of our 3 beloved dogs we've lost (all 3 had brown on them). The black in in honor of my Father-In-Law who we lost to cancer. The dark gray is in honor of my grandmother who we lost to pneumonia. The lighter gray is in honor of my grandfather who we lost suddenly and unexpectedly to natural causes. The white is in honor of our two rat boys who were actual brothers. (Some older members may remember me using pics of them in my sig at times.) I make sure to keep this area weed & random flower free. Some days I just sit on the bench and think about them all.

These are my newest addition to my island. Another little nod to the movie JAWS. I created both of these myself.
They're silly but they make me smile.

Thanks for looking!​

 

[Valzed]

RL has been extremely hectic lately so I'm a week late posting about this but I am SUPER excited about it.
On November 1st, 2021 I FINALLY grew a blue rose! This means that I have grown all of the original hybrids all by myself!
(I don't know if there are any new hybrids in the 2.0 update & I haven't had time to google if there are.) I am so happy!

 

[Valzed]

Our lives since November have been overwhelming. My husband has had four operations on his left leg. I got COVID in February and ended up in the hospital due to complications. I was then in a rehab until March 17th recovering from the complications. My hubby is still in a rehab recovering from his latest and last surgery. I wasn't able to play NH for some time but have been able to get back into it.

I'm super excited because on June 20th, 2022 I FINALLY finished the Art Section of my Musuem. Now my Museum is officially complete! Hoot, I say! Hoot!

 

[Valzed]

A new year has begun here on Amity. I wonder what's in store for the residents. Resident Rep Brody (that's me) will be ready to lend a hand whenever needed.

January 19, 2023 Thursday

As usual I started my day off collecting my daily NMTs. (I don't really need them but it's part of my daily routine so I still do it.)

Next I checked for fossils. It amazes me that I keep finding them after all these years. What happened on this island to create so many fossils?

While checking for fossils I noticed Redd's ship was here. I wondered if he had anything good but I didn't have time to check.

After gathering up all the fossils I went to see Blathers. I wish he'd let me gift him some for his personal collection.
(Look how dapper he is in his adorable green bowtie!

Next stop was to see Timmy & Tommy to sell the fossils since our museum doesn't need them. The boys are so heckin' cute!

Then I was off to see my see favorite sister shopkeepers. I was hoping they'd have something new in stock but no luck.
(Please let them have the Robot Hero Tee soon!)

Finally, after all my daily errands, I stopped by my favorite Winter fun spot - Chillin' Out. Bert the bartender always has a new joke & Ernie is a blast to chat with. These two are always so friendly & fun! (Unlike some snowboys I've met. Ungrateful brats.)

 

[Valzed]

Yesterday was an eventful day. It started off with Isabelle saying we had a camper staying with us at the campground. As the Resident Rep I always like to go greet our campers. I put that on my "to do" list for after my daily errands.

As usual my day started off getting my NMTs.

After I left the Resident Services Building, I ran into Flick. I was so surprised to see him visiting! I checked what models I still need and asked him to create one for me. (He's so deliciously dramatic!)

I finished my daily errands and went to greet our camper. I love seeing who (or Hugh) has come to visit!

While checking the Hot Items for the day earlier I realized my stock of various woods was very low. Forget fossils hunting. It's chopping time! Here we go with the first tree of the day. PSA: ALWAYS CHECK fOR WASPS.

Wasp caught. Tree chopping time for real!

Oh my gersh! Raymond & I are wearing the same sweater! I'm so glad he didn't notice. I don't know if he would have been horrified at the fashion faux pas or proud of me for being so stylish!

Phew! All non fruit trees were chopped. I got a nice haul of lumber, caught all five wasps (Yes! No stings!) and got the furniture items to sell to boot.

Normally I'd go see Bert & Ernie at Chillin' Out but after being outside for so long I was feeling frozen!

Nothing like ending a busy day with a nice hot cup of coffee & a visit with Brewster!

 

[Valzed]

Happy Lunar New Year from Isabelle & me to all who celebrate!

Yesterday, Jan. 22nd, 2023, was the start of the Lunar New Year.

It snowed on Saturday so yesterday I knew I'd have to remove all the "wayward flowers" that had shown up. ("Wayward flowers" is my nickname for the flowers that grow after it rains or storms.)

While I was out collecting flowers Molly flagged me down. She asked me to deliver a gift to Ione and I can never say "no" to this cute little ducky.

I also ran into Daisy Mae while I was out & about. The price of turnips was a bit higher than I like so I skipped buying any this week. (I really wish I could offer Daisy a tissue.)

While hunting for fossils and cleaning up flowers, I found two gyroids. Sadly, I have already collected all the bloopoids & boioingoids. (Sigh. I just need 3 more Rattloids to have all of the gyroids.)

After selling all the wayward flowers & fossils, I went to deliver the gift Molly asked me to drop off. (Ione loved the gift, btw.)

Having done all my daily errands & after delivering the gift I finished my day by reporting back to Molly. Making Amity's residents happy makes me happy.

 

[Valzed]

Yesterday turned out to be a busier day than I expected.

Before I began my daily errands I ran into Ken & Dom in front of Resident Services. I sat & chatted with them for a couple of minutes before starting my day.

At some point in my fossil hunt, Shino ran up to me to discuss moving away. I begged her not to move and she relented. Phew! That was a close one.

After I finished my daily stuff I paid a visit to my favorite cousin. I bought an outside chair from him - which seemed to make him happy.

Once I was outside I realized I didn't really like the color of the chair so I was off to Harvey's to see Cyrus. He's so fast at finishing my requests!

After saying goodbye to everyone at Harv's I went back home to place my newly completed outdoor chair on my little hideaway. I'd been wanting to replace the lawn chair I had there for some time. Now once this janky boats leaves I can sit & enjoy the view.

I stopped by Chillin' Out to see Bert & Ernie. Bert had a new joke for me: "What type of bagel can fly?" "A plain bagel!" I'm not sure Ernie quite understood the joke. (Note to self: I have to make sure to tell Orville & Wilbur that one.)

As I was heading home Ankha caught my attention. Poor thing! Her gams were hurting and she just had to come to my place to rest them. (I'm not sure why since we were actually closer to her place. )

Ankha asked me to show her the other rooms. As we were getting ready to leave the main room she started singing along with my Throwback Skull Radio.

https://imgur.com/a/CR1OJZt

I showed Ankha my bathroom. (We didn't linger too long here.)

Then we moved on to the den. I guess Ankha's gams were aching again because she sat down to rest. It was nice & cozy in front of the fireplace.

Next we moved on to the kitchen. I offered Ankha some tea and gnocchi but she said something about watching her figure to stay fashionable.

Next I took Ankha to see my curiosities collection. She was more impressed with the table.

Last but not least we went to my bedroom. Ankha had to rest again so we chilled out for a bit. I'm glad she felt so comfortable in my home.

I'm so glad Ankha & I were able to hang out for a bit yesterday!

 

[Valzed]

I wasn't able to do many updates to this journal in 2022. However I recently realized that in 2022 I managed to cross a bunch of things off my "Island bucket list" . I'm so excited to have completed so many goals! I still have some bucket list items to complete. I hope I can get all or most of them in 2023.

 

[Valzed]

Yesterday was a more normal day on Amity.

As I was doing my daily fossil finding, I stopped to chat with Shino. Only she could come up with a fancy name for sitting down.

After checking for weeds near the beach I found a gyroid fragment. I hope it's a Rattloid. I just need three of them to finish my gyroid collection.

When I was through searching about one half of the island for weeds and fossils I noticed the sky had turned an ominous gray. Snow was going to start soon.

Good gravy! I'd never seen a dung beetle move such a large snowball before!

https://imgur.com/a/TkjevvS

Woo hoo! My first "Island Bucket List" goal of 2023! I still have a few more to complete and hope I can get them all done one day.

Oh, Sable! You're such a dear soul! (It had just started snowing before I stopped in.)

While doing my daily routine, I saw that C.J. was visiting Amity. After I finished my errands, I asked him about having a collectible made. It warms my heart to hear how he proudly praises Flick's talent for art.

Having finished my normal routine and having spoken with C.J., I decided to head straight home before the snow storm got worse. Fireplace here I come!

(Yes, that is a Bluey hoodie I was wearing. I designed it myself along with a Bingo hoodie and tees.)

 

[Valzed]

After the big storm and snow again on the 27th, it was nice to have a clear weather day yesterday - January 28th, 2023.

My day started with me coming out my front door to see Ken sitting at my garden table. I was thrilled to have him come visit! We had a lovely chat.

After doing my normal daily routine I realized I hadn't checked the Lost and Found in some time. There were some great finds! (I can always use more clay & iron.)

I chilled out at home for a bit and then went to see K.K. Slider. I am such a huge fan! I let him surprise me.
(He played Lucky K.K. in case you were wondering.)

Shino brought a glow stick! So cool! I wish I had thought of that...

Shino & I had K.K. all to ourselves! What an amazing evening! Even K.K. seemed to think so!

 

[Valzed]

Yesterday, January 30th, was another sunny Winter day on Amity.

As I started my day I ran into Ankha. She had a very busy, productive day planned.

Yesterday the Hot Items made me curious. One was a birdcage & the other orange marmalade. I was wondering which one would sell better so I made five of each to take to Timmy & Tommy. I sold the orange marmalades first.

For just 15 oranges used, 4500 Bells is a good profit.

Next I sold the birdcages.

While the birdcages did sell for a higher profit, I had to use forty wood to make them. Considering oranges are easier to get than wood, I think the orange marmalade was the better option to make. (I'll have to rememer that for the next time.)

After my Hot Item experiment, I went to Able Sisters. (Sigh... still no Robot Hero Tee.) There I ran into Roscoe.

Roscoe is a bit... particular so this is actually high praise coming from him!

I finished up all my daily chores just in time to enjoy the fountain show that runs at the top of every hour. I love seeing this!

https://imgur.com/a/9Fn9zuY

C.J. was visiting again. Since I wasn't able to do a seasports challenge the last time he visited I made sure to make time to do one yesterday. Small Fry Day!

I was able to catch a pond smelt, horse mackerel & anchovy pretty quickly so I ran back to C.J. right away.

C.J. seemed happy with how I did.

I always enjoy helping C.J. with his live stream. Seeing him happy makes me happy!

 

[Valzed]

Yesterday (Feb. 2, 2023) was Groundhogs Day on Amity Island! As soon as I was up and dressed I went to eagerly await the Groundhog's appearance. Would he see his shadow and predict six more weeks of Winter? Or would he not see his shadow and predict an early Spring?

The Groundhog saw his shadow behind himself! Six more weeks of Winter. Sigh. At least the snowflakes are lovely.

The Groundhog then started ranting & raving. He said something about "she'll probably RESET to a cloudy day". I wasn't sure what he was talking, to be honest.

After all that excitement I started my daily routine. I found another gyroid fragment on the beach in front of the Amity Shark Conservation Center. I hope the fragment is one of the ones I need.

I took a break from fossil hunting to enjoy a little sit down with Ione. She's such a sweet soul.

After I was all done my normal errands, Dom flagged me down. It seems Roscoe & he had a little tiff. I just had to help Dom & Roscoe mend their friendship.

Thankfully Roscoe was home when I went to deliver Dom's gift. (It was a magazine, btw. Roscoe seemed to like it a lot.)

I was so glad to hear that Roscoe & Dom could fix their friendship. (Roscoe gifted me ski googles. How thoughtful!)

I ran to tell Dom that Roscoe liked his gift. I love helping my island friends!

On my way to visit Bert & Ernie, I found poor Gullivarrr washed up on our shores... again. He was in need of my help.

After donning my official Nook Inc. wet suit, I swam out into the frigid ocean waters around Amity. I dove for several icy cold minutes and then I found what Gulliarrr needed to contact his ship.

I waited to make sure Gulivarrr was able to contact his ship & then left him to wait for rescue. Since I was chilled right to the bone from diving, I opted to go visit Brewster. I am so glad we have The Roost here on Amity!

 

[Valzed]

For today I thought I'd highlight a couple of different things that happened over the weekend.

On Friday, Feb. 3rd, Label came to visit. After I had finished my daily routine I stopped by to see her. Even though I'm not very fashionable I like to try to help her.

Label gave me the python print jacket. I did my best to make a party appropriate outfit. (I sort of felt like Majima from the Yakuza games.)

I wasn't sure Label would think my clothes were party worthy but to my surprise she did.

I was so glad that Label liked my outfit so much. (Dom was scoping out my Majima cosplay.) After this I went home and changed into some comfy clothes and settled in for the rest of the day.

On Saturday, Feb. 4th, I finished my daily errands quickly so I could talk to Tom Nook about Raymond's house. I had noticed the last time I was visiting Raymond that he didn't have an area where he could sit and relax with friends. Mr. Nook helped me put my plan in motion.

I was relieved and excited to hear that Raymond was open to making some changes.

Once Mr. Nook & I got started I thought back to how Raymond's place was set up. I considered this the "before" look.

I suggested a change to the office chair at the desk to the left. I think one without arms might make it easier to actually sit at that desk. Then I suggested a nice seating area on the right of the room. Mr. Nook helped me finalize everything. Now we'd just have to wait overnight to see if Raymond liked the changes.

To help calm my nervousness, I went to Chillin' Out to see Bert & Ernie. Bert had a new joke for me. "Where does a snowman upload his blog?" "On the Winternet!" Oh, Bert! You always brighten my day!

Yesterday, Feb. 5th, I woke up bright and early. I wanted to get my daily routine done so I could go see if Raymond liked the new layout in his home. I was nervous when I went to see him but Raymond was so welcoming.

Hearing that Raymond was enjoying his new layout made me super happy! After chatting with him I decided to end the day on a high note. I went back home to rest up for whatever the week may have in store.

 

[Valzed]

Oh my goodness! Yesterday was my busiest day yet!

Before I could even begin my normal routine, Ione stopped by for a visit. I love having my island friends stop by!

As I was doing my daily fossil hunt, I came across a lost pouch. I knew I just had to return it to whoever had lost it. After looking at it a bit more carefully I thought it might be a style that Ken or Raymond would like.

As soon as I finished up with the fossils, I ran to Ken's house to see if the pouch was his.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. (Sometimes it's so hard to tell which resident to talk to first.)

I waved goodbye to Ken and dashed straight to Raymond's. Luckily, he was home.

It's not a dream, my friend. It's really your lost pouch returned to you.

Aw, Raymond! You don't have to give me anything to say "thank you". Knowing you're happy is thanks enough! (He still insisted on giving me a simple parka.)

Having finished my errands and reuniting the pouch with its owner, I went to see what Kicks had brought with him. (I love seeing the new bags & shoes!)

At this point I thought my day was done but I received a text from Lin Hooper - Amity's resident shark researcher & manager of the Amity Shark Conservation Center. Hooper was off island. She had gone to present her research to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in an effort to help get shark finning banned worldwide. She texted to say her flight out of Washington, DC was delayed. Hooper asked me to check on the ASCC since it was snowing on Amity. I told her I would and said I'd meet her later when her Dodo Airlines flight landed.

My first stop was the ASCC shark tagging vessel - Orca II. I made sure the tarp was secured and check on the outside exhibits as well. (I think these are called Reef Knots. They seemed secure to me.)

Next I checked the satellite dish Hooper uses to track our sharks. I made sure to check it very thoroughly.

Next I went inside the ASCC...

I made sure everything in the main display area was clean and tidy.

Next I checked on the most important room - The Tracking & Research Hub. This is where Hooper keeps extremely detailed records of each shark she's tagged and their yearly visits to Amity. Her research blows my mind! (I made sure to not touch any of her records or scientific equipment. To be honest - I just made sure her PC was still on.)

I made sure each restroom was fully stocked for when the ASCC reopened to visitors. Ladies room first.

Next the mens room...

Finally I checked Hooper's living quarters upstairs. I had promised to check on her pet brine shrimp. Counting them to make sure they were all there was no easy task.

After checking on the ASCC, I locked up and went home to wait until Hooper's flight arrived. Then I met her at the pier to help her bring her presentation materials home.

Once we had gotten everything filed away, we went to the ASCC's refreshment area - Gullivarrr's Galley. (Everything here is self serve and visitors pay by leaving a donation.) Hooper told me all about her trip. It was great fun!

 

[Valzed]

Today was a big day for me on Amity. I finally got the last gyroid I needed to have the WHOLE set. I now have every color of every style including the Brewsteroid. I collected all 180+ without trading for or buying any. The last few months have been a bit grueling waiting to finally get the last one but I'm kinda proud of myself for collectng them all on my own. Here's a pic of me with the black Rattloid, the very last gyroid I was waiting on.