I did not pay attention to the little booklet that came with the game when I first installed it. I didn't even realize there was one. But a few people in the sims2 group mentioned it so I hunted around for it and have learned a few things that I did not pick up in working with them.
last night Mary was way down on the social needs scale, dangerously so, so I took her to a community lot to be with other people. The first two she met were not helpful and there wasn't any food at that place, so I got her in a taxi again and went to another lot, where she ate something like hotdogs. Cooked them on a barbecue there! Then she met Elaine! Finally! They seemed to get along well. Great! Now at least they can probably be friends.
But that wasn't enough. I was lying in bed restlessly, hopelessly awake, so at about one in the morning I emerged again and created another family: two elders and their grown daughter. Oh yeah, earlier I had created two roommates, one of whom is a truly nerdy looking guy. I want to see how he fares. After getting the elders and daughter installed in a stock house and running through all the money they had left, I went to bed again. I don't feel too tired now but later I am figuring I will be asleep on my feet.