Why can't life be replete WITHOUT ironies?

So my visiting teachers called. I'm going to see them at 5:30 today. If that wasn't bad enough--guess who called? Yeah. My old roommate from sophomore year I didn't get along with too much. She's my visiting teacher. And my home is a little messy (mostly the kitchen), and she was a neat freak, so I'm feeling a bit insecure about that. And I only get a half an hour to tackle my home before she comes over because I agreed to work an extra two hours today since my other coworker isn't able to make it for some reason. Maybe if I start puking I can get out of this... Hmmm.... I wonder...

I finished my portfolio!

My portfolio is done! And so are my anxiety attacks for now (too much information?)... Never mind. You don't KNOW ME! Anyway, it was nice to have a three day weekend right after, replete with reruns of 30 Rock, an art and craft night, a heated game of Phase 10 where in spite of everyone's best efforts, I still won (who's in graduate school nowwwww?), and a wasted day. No one ever told me Candide was REALLY good. Although I'm only about 20 pages into it. We have to read it for Humanities. Oh crap. I have an exam for Humanities this week. BLECH. I'm so sick of school. I went to church yesterday! My new ward! That was... fun... why is it so hard for me to introduce myself and talk to other people? I'm a returned missionary, I should know how to do this, and I should know how IMPORTANT it is to do this. Which I do, which is why I think it makes it THAT MUCH harder for me to actually do it. I'm a BAD person! Does that make sense? The first posting on postsecret.com is Haras's!!! She's a celebrity now! She sent it in months ago, so it's a nice surprise to see it on there now! Yay fun cool! Shawn once did the math and said that the dude is only able to post like 2% of the secrets he gets. Doesn't that make you feel special, Haras? Because it SHOULD!! Anyway, here is a highlight from my portfolio:Just kidding. Shawn drew that. If you really want to see my insecurities, I posted them on facebook.

I also highly recommend any Agatha Christie games on yahoo games. you can download them for about 60 minutes of free play! So I've gone through a lot of those games and games like unto them. So addicting! But now my eyes look for weird clues everywhere and I keep thinking I'm finding ones! What was great was Agatha Christie's Peril at End House--for some reason it let me play the entire game!!!! Yay fun cool! That's all for now! Stay tuned til next time when we figure out who left the toilet seat up last night! (Actually I've never once had a problem with that, it's just the only thing I could think up on the spot. Sorry. Itrysohard.)

what a weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHAWN BOUGHT ME A LAPTOP! AND SO I BOUGHT HIM XBOX GUNS SO WE CAN PLAY DUCK HUNT!!!!!!!! NOW WE'RE EVEN!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! And I'm almost done with my stupid portfolio! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Life is good! I even did my hair today! How's THAT for applying yourself! Even though that meant I didn't eat breakfast today and now I'm really hungry. Sigh.

I know the feeling!

Ape and art drawn together at Woodland Park Zoo

By Susan Gilmore

Seattle Times staff reporter

Towan the orangutan held the blue-colored chalk in his mouth to draw, giving his lips and face a bluish tinge Wednesday.

Where to bid To view and bid on Towan's art, visit eBay.com and search for "Woodland Park Zoo."

Orangutans at the Woodland Park Zoo are going ape over art.

Zoo officials hope that two paintings by resident orangutan Towan will fetch a fine price on eBay.

Towan, who will celebrate his 40th birthday later this month and is one of five orangutans at the zoo, is an accomplished artist, say zookeepers, who encourage the creatures to express themselves on canvas.

Already, bidding on the two Towan paintings has eclipsed $800. The works will remain for sale
on the site until early afternoon on Friday.

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES

A close up of one of Towan's paintings that is being auctioned on eBay.

"All the orangs like to paint," said orangutan keeper Felicity Oram. "It's an enrichment activity.
They are very visual creatures and are higher apes and like to express themselves."

She said each ape has his own style and that painting is one of Towan's favorite activities. He uses a paint-filled pen, unlike other orangutans, who paint with their tongues, Oram said. That's why the zoo uses only nontoxic paint.

She said Towan "definitely takes time composing."

The only problem, Oram said, is getting the paintings when the apes are finished with them.

Towan, however, slides his under the doorway when he's done, unlike some of the other orangutans who tend to tear up their work.

Carolyn Austin, another orangutan zookeeper, said Towan will work for two hours on one piece; she offers him colored chalk and paint-filled pens and he'll choose the colors he wants. Towan likes primary colors, Austin said.

Towan and his twin sister, Chinta, were born at the zoo with much notoriety as the first twin orangutans born in captivity.

Austin said the apes are so intelligent they can understand certain words and gestures of the zookeepers. If she says the word "trade," Towan knows to trade his finished canvas for a blank one.

By far, she said, Towan is the most-accomplished artist in the zoo's orangutan family. But he doesn't seem to mind parting with his paintings. "It's like 'I did it and it's done,' " said Austin, adding that the paintings have previously been sold at local events. One of them fetched $1,000 at a zoo auction.

Towan's paintings are on 12-by-16-inch canvases, matted and framed, with a certificate of authenticity.

The money raised will go to support the International Conference of Zookeepers, which will be held at the Woodland Park Zoo in September 2009. It will be the first time the conference has been held in the U.S., said Austin, the organizer.

This is the second time the zoo has sold animal art on eBay. When the Seattle Seahawks were in the Super Bowl two years ago, elephants at the zoo created paintings in Seahawk colors that fetched nearly $1,300 in the online auction.

*I don't know if it's cuter that Towan slides his paintings under the door when he's done, or that I can totally identify with those orangs that tear up their work when they've completed their painting. Either way, I thought this was a great article from the Seattle Times.

We're getting a new sink! And a working faucet! No more drenching myself through the overpowerful stream of the side sprayer. Yay! This also means we can use our dishwasher again. So no more washing dishes or doing all the cleaning except the dishes in hopes that Shawn will feel the need to contribute his part by doing them. Don't tell him I said that. Dishes were my job growing up (both at a couple of my real jobs, and it was also my family chore), so yeah. I'm a little dished out at the moment.
My illustration application is a due a week from Thursday. Good times. Wish me luck!