Orange and Black Attack!

Last night was the annual "hang out with Susie Goebel and Pat Barnum night" at the Sutherland residence. Susie lives in Cedar City and Pat lives in Lehi, so these things don't happen too often, but they always turn out being an extravaganza.

The highlights of the evening:

Pat bringing his tape of The Price is Right; Pat and 15 of his high school hooligan friends went to TPIR in February. The seats are first-come-first-serve, so of course they slept out on the street in front of the studio the night before. They had front-row seats so every time a contestant came up to the front you would see Mike, Pat, Jeff and Bryant high-fiving them or making their crazy faces. They all wore Tubucky State U. t-shirts. They made up a fake college that was in Knarraville, UT in case any of them were chosen. It was a very funny thing to watch. Jadee's girlfriend, who is Amanda Milne from my USU days, got called up and won a trip to Chicago.

Traci telling Pat about Lydia Mayne going inactive and marrying an Arab. Pat almost died laughing. He thought it was the most unbelievable thing he had ever heard, and could not wait to tell his friends that Murray's Molly-est Mormon had gone nuts.

Susie telling us that Hoover Hoffmann is a member of a comedy improve team. Hoover! Could there be anyone less likely to be funny? Or Susie mimicking the Rock Lobster dance that Pat did when she, Pat, Hoover and Cari Daliff went to the B-52s concert together in '98. That led me to think about Pat going to They Might be Giants with Mike Neider and Mike hating it because he was squished behind a fat computer geek guy with glasses and a mullet who took off his shirt and had a pimply back.

I don't really know how to describe the visit, other than "an experience." It's the feeling of having so much that you want to discuss or reminisce or laugh about and not knowing how to effectively fit it in to three hours time. We go through the updates on all of the Murray folk and common acquaintances. We get in all the gossip and the news and the baby count and the engagement promises. Susie and Pat are both so original, unique and funny that it makes for an eclectic atmosphere.

We discussed music--Pat's continuing love for Radiohead, Traci's interest in Justin Timberlake, my secret Britney Spears thing and Susie "not having enough ears" to take in all of the John Mayer that she needs in her life.

I hope that Pat and Susie will someday decide that they should just marry each other. I think that is the best choice for both of them.

I am going to do my best to make this annual event at least semi-annual.