Garfield Minus Garfield

www.garfieldminusgarfield.net

So much funnier, and so much more true it cuts me to the core. This one is probably my favorite.

AWESOME!!!

So.... yeeeeeahhh....

I got into the Drawing/Painting program! The Visual Arts Department sent me an e-mail stating they're accepting a few extra students and would like me to be one of them. Um... what?!?! But I spent so much money already on English Independent Study classes, and on Italian books! I'm thinking of minoring in English so it doesn't go to waste (and I do really like English!), but we'll see. I'm done with generals, so that's good, too. AAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!! I feel so disoriented and bewildered! And beFUDDLED! Not too much that last one, but you get the idea.

I'd like to thank the academy, my darling husband, my family and friends that believed in me...


I mostly want to know if they didn't initially accept me because my GRADES weren't up to par, or my artwork.

Either way, I guess it doesn't matter because I'M IN THE DRAWING/PAINTING MAJOR!!!! And get to take classes like OIL PAINTING and BOOK BINDING! Can you GET any cooler than that?! Gosh, it's going to be hard, but this is something I'm excited to, you know, try at.

Why don't you take a picture--it'll last longer!

So I love photographs, but lately I find myself being hypercritical/cynical of them. As I walk through museums, etc. and look at a vast array of them, they just scream CONTRIVED! POSED!! TRITE!! PRETENTIOUS! But mostly contrived. I get the Seattle Times online--just the local news, and then movies on the weekends, and came across this--a selection of photos taken by just normal locals in Seattle. I just thought I'd scan over it really quickly and lose interest after a couple of pictures. BUT WOW! The vast majority of these just seem so serendipitous--the photographer was just in the right place at the right time, and captured the beauty of an instant. I ended up taking my time looking through each of them, tickled at the descriptions of how gleeful these people were. They were so excited! And so was I to see their work. The images were so natural and genuine. Nothing was posed or arranged. Now that's what I CALL a composition.

And best of all, they're all pictures taken in Washington. CAN YOU SEE why I pang for it everyday?!

I am...the blood thinner BWA HAH AH AH A

Actually quite the opposite. I tested positive for it, so my blood apparently coagulates a little TOO much, so I'm at a 5-13% increase compared to the normal population of having a blood clot. Good times! This means I'm off my b.c. which I have mixed feelings about. Work 8-5 everyday now, except for Thursdays when I get off at noon. Yay for Thursdays! Boooooo for every other day. Kyle and I have started running every other dayish together. We'll see how that goes. I'm knitting a cute navy blue sweater. The link of the pattern can be found HERE (but I had to make some alterations to the pattern--I swear their math is wrong. Or maybe I just undid my sweater several times just for fun.). Anyway, if you want to make it, ask me about it, and I'll tell you what you need to do differently. I'm making it longer (curse my parents for me being long-waisted!), with tighter sleeves. I'm also in the middle of reading Walker Percy's "Love in the Ruins: The adventures of a bad catholic at a time near the end of the world." The writing style/story reminds me vaguely of Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite writers. I've read this book before in high school and wanted to read it again to see if I still liked it. I honestly didn't remember there being such an abundance of derogatory terms! Ignoring that (can't tell if Percy is a racist, if it's just an indication of his time period, or if it's to serve a direct purpose in the story. If you know, fill me in!) I'm really enjoying it. Wouldn't mind a spin on the lapsometer, although I'd like to get happy through the normal avenues, not through being read by a machine and given a sodium solution. Unless I get desperate.

Some pictures from the garden (except the pizza)

Our pizza from scratch that we made together for our anniversary



Most of our herbs are here (with aloe vera, a squash and tomato thrown in) AND YES, that IS chocolate mint in the middle!


Our zucchini is taking over the garden!!



the two front ones in the middle are cilantro and spinach that we grew from seed. Aren't they cute?! I can't handle this garden!



The zucchini squash up close. Isn't it cute!!!!

I got things to do, but I'm kinda lazy...

So, I've been obsessed with knitting for the past few months. It's a real problem. As in I don't get much else done because of it. Everyday that I DON'T work in the mornings (instead I work 12-5), I wrap a blanket around me, curl up on my tacky lumpy futon in the front room, put on Bones or Criminal Minds, and just knit. I even measure time in how many episodes of these shows I can watch. Isn't that pathetic? I mean, I knit the entire time, so I'm not exactly wasting it, but I'm not using that time exactly productively, either. But it's so hard. I make all of these amazing plans to completely scrub down the house, but when I wake up in the mornings I'm exhausted, and when I get home from a *grueling* day at work I'm worn out. Yes, sitting at a desk for nine hours can be tiring!!! My back certainly suffers. But it's been suffering since I was eighteen, so that's nothing new.

On the plus side I've been bleeding profusely, so my doctor put me on a stronger birth control. Hopefully that'll... dry me up.

Speaking of blood, apparently my family has a genetic condition called, "prothrombin gene mutation." It has something to do with coagulation (my uncle and mom both tested positive for it. I'm not sure if any of the other relatives have been tested for it. I'm the first of the kids to get tested for it), and I read somewhere that it can affect fertility. But more research is needed, as well as my results! I just got like seven vials of blood drained from me today. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.

Here's a link to the wikipedia page about it. I'm not TOO worried about the pregnancy thing since my mom had four kids, and even though it took five years, my sister has a child now, too. But we'll see.

Kyle, Shawn and I saw the Incredible Hulk last night. There were a few cheesy parts, but what can you do with a cranky oversized green guy? Hulk... SMASH!! A little silly. But overall I enjoyed it. It made me want to watch the original just to see how bad it really was to initiate a remake just a few years later.

We saw Kung Fu Panda this past weekend--the three of us, with Gabe. It was pretty hilarious. It was also interesting to see the different levels of jokes--there were parts where we were busting up laughing that the little kids barely acknowledged, and other parts where THEY couldn't stop laughing, and we just rolled our eyes.

My family is officially moving to Springville in early August. They're nuts! I saw the house last week, and it's BEAUTIFUL, it's just HUGE. But that's what they wanted. The garden is great, too. Shawn and I called dibs on it until my dad moves here.

Yeah. My dad is staying behind in Seattle until he can quit his job. Which will probably be about two years. Isn't that sad? Poor dad tries to move closer to his family, only to be the one left behind. He gets paid butt loads for staying on longer like that though, which is the only reason he is remaining in Seattle. I hope he does okay.

Anyway, the only things these days getting me out of the house is work (for which I'm chronically five-ten minutes late) and my garden in the backyard. I LOVE IT! A bunch of our seeds just sprouted, so we have plants at different levels--the herbs we use intermittently, the tomatoes are flowering, the zucchini squash is taking over the entire garden (my fault) and the carrots and spinach, etc. just started sprouting. And they're just growing up so fast *tear*. We harvested one of our heads of lettuce before it was officially a HEAD, but it still tasted great with tacos :). Here's a picture of the STYLE we're doing it in, but not of the actual garden. That's another thing on the list of things I need to do, but probably won't any time soon--take a picture of the little sprouts. Well, wish me luck in getting more motivated. Hopefully my impending blood death won't get in the way too much. I like excuses a lot more than I should to get out of stuff. It's a real problem.

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

• You have low extroversion.
• You are quiet and reserved in most social situations.
• A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you.
• You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people.

Conscientiousness:

• You have medium conscientiousness.
• You're generally good at balancing work and play.
• When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
• But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

• You have high agreeableness.
• You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
• Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
• You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

• You have medium neuroticism.
• You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
• Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
• Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

• Your openness to new experiences is medium.
• You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
• But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
• You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

oooooooooooooooooh!

So I'm basically the same as when I took this the last time--at a bishop's fireside when I was about sixteen. Here are my results for my color code personality profile test:
White, blue secondary. Although it looked like I had a lot of red as well, but no yellow. Oops!

WHITES (Motive: PEACE)

WHITES are motivated by PEACE. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, WHITES are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle.

WHITES need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. WHITES are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, unexpressive, and silently stubborn. When you deal with a WHITE, be kind, accept and support their individuality, and look for non-verbal clues to understand their feelings.

your personality profile indicates that you have significant portions of other colors in your overall makeup that help shape your unique personality style.

I had a sword?

Soooo... I haven't really been up to much lately. Just working a lot, which takes up the better part of my day, which sucks. I have the most energy in the morning and early afternoon, and by the time work gets over I'm a zombie dragging myself home. Even though I'm a secretary and I spend 5-9 hours a day just staring at my computer screen. It's exhausting contriving different ways each day to look busy! I did sign up for a couple of independent study classes so I had something to work on during work, but GOSH I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT MOST OF THE TIME! Even though I woke up just fine this morning, the idea of coming into work for a full nine hour work day may have been so unappealing that I MAY have called in to be a couple of hours late. When not at work, I usually find myself yet again in the front of the TV, knitting like crazy while watching dumb shows borrowed from Kyle's vast collection of dumb shows. I did start a garden last week! It's really cute, utilizing Mel Bartholomew's square foot gardening technique, although not followed to the T--I started it BEFORE his book came in the mail, so my dirt isn't Mel's mix--it's actually what he recommended NOT doing--using the dirt already there, although I did add a bunch of top soil to it, on my dad's recommendation. We'll see if my little plant guys makes it.
Speaking of dumb Kyle shows, Shawn and I started watching Heroes from Season One. It's TERRIBLE! The characters are pretty one dimensional/boring/too serious minus a few. The writing is bad, the acting is hammy, and yet I can't stop watching it. Curse the last couple of minutes leading to a cliffhanger! The only characters I REALLY care about is Hiro, his friend, and that diner girl he tried to save--WHY THE CRAP did they get rid of HER?! She was adorable! And wasn't too serious which made her a breath of fresh air! I do like Sylar's character just being he's so innocent and nice looking. You wouldn't think he would cut people's heads open with just the point of his finger. I do like the cheerleader, Claire, more than I thought I would--her relationship with Zack is way cute. Peter Petrelli is way too hammy, along with that girl he's in love with. The artist is growing on me, especially since he's clean now. I like D.L.'s character more and more, but Nikki's is kinda getting old. And I want to smack their kid. He knows better! Anyway, so yeah. That's my life these days. Shawn has been leaving on Monday and returning Friday for the past week or two, so that's dumb. Hopefully he'll be able to return on Thursday this week, and this'll be the last week where he's gone for more than a day. I hope I hope! Anyway, besides that life has just been good/boring. Good times.

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day.

He inquired, 'Where have you been?'

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, 'Look, Michael. Look what I've made.'

Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, 'What is it?' 'It's a planet,' replied God, 'and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance.' 'Balance?' inquired Michael, 'I'm still confused.'

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. 'For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things.'

God continued pointing to different countries. 'This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.' The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, 'What's that one?'

'That's Washington State , the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats, carriers of peace, and producers of software.'

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, 'But what about

balance, God? You said there would be balance.'

God smiled as he said, 'There is another Washington . Wait till you see the idiots I

put there.'

Oh my TYPO! Someone who finally understands...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2004367117_danny23.html

Totally Harshing the Office Mellow, or: Not For the Faint of Heart

So.... I didn't make it into the program. But even though the visual arts department apparently doesn't love me, I was amazed by the demonstration of love by God and everyone else that followed. Here goes:
Two text messages used the word "B*stards" to unkindly describe those that rejected me. One of those utilized "sh*t" as well. Funny how angry my situation made others! Rachel apparently yelled out loud in her French class when she received my text, and told her teacher, he "wouldn't understand."
One text message asked if I needed a moping session.
My dad and twin brother who were sort of in the area stopped by, said a few awkward words, hugged me, and then took Gabe with them.
Shawn just held me for the longest time, and then provided some good words of comfort. Awww.
But the really best part? Besides Rachel dropping off a king size thing of reeses peanut butter cups and a live tahiti FISH with Anna in the middle of the night? My whole entire family was in town. We went to Target and got sushi (still craving more. I hope Shawn realized how hard it was for me to share) AND a record/CD/radio/tape player so I can play all my records that were just returned to me. I have a little record player, but you have to play with the cord for an hour every time just to get it to decently work. It was sunny and rainy on the way there, which is my favorite weather and has been my entire life. Stacey is really good at knowing when to stop comforting and focusing on the loss and when to start distracting with her cheeky wit. Anyway, I had a feeling that I wouldn't make it into the program. The morning before I found out, I registered for English classes, and later that day started crying when I saw the envelope in the mailbox. Oh well. At least I got to hold Cohen more as a result of my disappointment!

Once my head stops splitting

I have got a SPLITTING headache, and it's been prevalent ALL DAY TODAY! Causes? So many to choose from:

• lack of sleep? For various reasons I won't address, I wake up a few times every night.
• Shawn's alarm clock set for five hours before he eventually wakes up. You know those ERGH ERGH ERGH ERGH ERGH clocks? Yeah. One of those. And I thought my cell phone alarm was bad. Dah dah diddle diddle Dah da diddle diddle. Much better, and I can hold it under the pillow so it's not as loud.
• staring at a computer screen for four hours at work. Maybe getting my own lap top WASN'T such a good idea (yes it was Shawn, thank you so much for buying it for me!!! ILOVEYOU!!!!)
• (I think it's really this one) the smell of my Betty Crocker book, which I pulled out at work and in most of my classes. I've had it out as I've cooked about 20 recipes, ranging from sweets to meats, so you can imagine all the delicious smells it has soaked up. I'm freakishly sensitive to weird smells, so yeah. I'm glad this class is almost over. Two more recipes!!!
• that time of the month *ahem*
• (or this one) my stupid contact prescription. My eyes refuse to focus, and they bother me every few weeks. You know George Michael in Arrested Development when he's getting his eye examination, and he's like "B, no C, is it C? Is A out of the question?" I know how he feels. I swear I make my prescription worse rather than better with those stupid exams.
  
• tension--I sometimes bite down really hard, or kind of lock my jaw when my head is slightly pointed down or I'm focused or thinking hard about something. Or just stressed. That's been known to cause headaches for me too. OH MY LIFE!!!!!
• the homemade fudge and homemade buttermilk biscuit mix I may have eaten for breakfast. WHAT?! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!
  

How does that make you FEEL?!?!!?

119 words

Speed test

It's a Slippery Slope, My Friend!

So Shawn and I bought beer yesterday. We just thought to ourselves, oh to H-word with it, you only live once.

Well we did buy it, but it was for cooking (as in ALL the alcohol will burn off during the frying process). It's for coconut shrimp, pretty much one of the best foods we've ever made and had.

We bought a six-pack, it being cheaper in the long run then getting a huge can of beer that we would only use a third of and would end up throwing the rest away.

So because of this purchase, the guy at the checkout I guess assumed we weren't Mormon, and proceeded to go off on how he wasn't Mormon, that he was from North Carolina, how kids younger than him would come in with fake I.D.'s all the time and beer beer beer beer beer beer beer. WOW! I had NEVER felt so uncomfortable! I wanted to yell at him, "DON'T YOU DARE ASSOCIATE ME WITH YOUR BEER-GUZZLING FRIENDS! WE DON'T DRINK BEER! WE'VE NEVER CONSUMED AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE! WE GET HIGH ON LIFE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" I don't want anyone to ever talk that at ease with me about beer again, as if I could relate. YEEEEEEEEEEEEESH! Talk about learning your lesson concerning avoiding the appearance of evil. ITOLDYOUSHAWN! Just kidding, it's not your fault. I'm the one that has been gunning to make it again ever since last time. (If you want the recipe, let me know!) The fun part about that was back when we were still single, we had this big can of beer we had bought for the shrimp coating, and we had kept in his apartment refridgerator :-). Good times. That's where the appearance of evil is fun, folks!

Things went great with my old roommate and me. Apparently she had never sensed any resentment or tension between us--she had even mentioned a desire to look me up to catch up a few months ago. (Kinda glad she didn't). Anyway, we caught up like old times. It was fun to have someone from that stage in my life, because I don't really here. There's Jessica and Janay, but they weren't in my ward or in my apartment or anything, so that pales to what Amanda and I were able to talk about. Like old ward crushes and friends, etc. AND HOW SHE WAS ROBBED! I knew that (this was the following year, not when we were roommates), but I didn't know that the meth head that stole it was caught, and she ultimately got all her stuff back.

She wants to go on a double date. We'll see :-)

I had this dream last night that I (actually I think I had kind of this bird's-eye view, like I was watching a movie. The girl that had enlisted was either Christina Ricci or Rose McGowan. I'm leaning towards the latter, but I was too far away to really see who it was) had enlisted in the army or the peace corps or something, and was living in this huge building, and how it SUCKED and was wondering how she got pulled into doing this, not having recalled ever signing up for anything in the first place, and wondering if there was any way to get out of it. GROSS! Think these things through, people! Anyway, something happened--like some of the troops had stolen something, and there was all this hubbub. Since she was having a difficult time anyway, I think she went AWOL, or just stayed with her folks for a day or two. She finally decided to go back to see if she could help, and when she did, the mansion was COMPLETELY RUN DOWN! As if no one had even stepped inside for years! There were all these cobwebs, and things were broken and scattered all over everything. I just freaked out! In the back there was this huge run-down shed full practically to the top of just STUFF, and there was this alternative-looking kid (as in not gothic, but not mainstream), in his mid to late teens, going through it, and she finally caught up to him (he saw her and kept trying to get away--not out of fear, just being obnoxious), and asked him what the crap had happened. I don't think he knew, but he finally had her come in, where there was a bunch of his other friends, all trying to be cool like him. YEEESH! Did I ever tell you how I dislike most teenagers? I think it was my mission that really drove that ick-factor home. Not to mention life in general. Anyway, she ended up going through a bunch of stuff, and came across some cute jewelry boxes and stuff. This kind of turned into my next dream. All of a sudden Lyndy, Jessie Spalding, Rachel Gillmore, Carma and Amber Longhurst and I were all trying to pile into the back of a car. Don't ask me how we did it, but we did. I think it was Lyndy, then Jessie, then me (all though the three of us kept changing places according to who we were talking to), then Carma, Amber and Rachel. That was the order. Anyway, we all just talked like old times (we all knew each other back in junior high/ high school--some of us even before that), and it was great! And then we stopped at this field with a building on the side of it. Some of us decided to cut each other's hair. I think I ended up having Amber (or maybe my old roommate Meridith? She was there at the building) cut my hair, and it turned out AWFUL and I was DEVASTATED! I told them not to cut it short, but they did anyway, telling me to LIVE A LITTLE! It was a lot longer in the front, but mostly on one side. When I dried it, it just poofed up like a bad 80's do. Whoever's hair I cut turned out great, by the way. I got so upset that I started throwing all this hairstuff and makeup in the toilet, and I was going to flush it, but then I realized there was NO WAY the toilet was going to be able to flush all of that, so I took most of it out, and just flushed what I could! In any case, it was fun catching up with old friends.

Sorry no pictures, but I am, in fact, that lazy.

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.