strangepulse.com

I’m Susan. 38, married for 19 years, with three kids. A Mormon housewife into doom metal. And this is my blog.

I went grocery shopping at noon today.

Conversations, Driving and driving and driving, Photography

Because I needed to get food before Elijah got home from school. If he doesn’t eat first thing he is…let’s say, extremely difficult.

As I was wandering the aisles, trying to figure out what I should make for dinner tonight, I heard a voice on the store intercom say, “Security to the front door please.”

I figured maybe the guy I’d seen in the parking lot who had been shaking his pants and watching coins fall out of them onto the pavement was a homeless guy and was causing a problem, or something.

Then I got in the checkout line and noticed there were a lot of teenagers also in line.

The store is directly across the street from a high school and during lunch a lot of them run over to the store for food.

As I was leaving the store, I saw a security guy at the front door with backpacks on the ground all around him. Apparently they make the kids leave their backpacks outside.

I don’t remember why I was telling this story anymore. Except I just got done watching last night’s episode of 30 Rock with Elijah and when it was over, I complained that the story lines around Tina Fey are always lame.

He said, “Mom, if our family was a TV show, you’d be the one with the lame storylines.”

A couple nights ago I took Nathaniel and Dillon to see Sasquatch, a local band I know the drummer and bassist of. They used a photo Nathaniel, Dillon and I took out in the desert one night when we went camping for the artwork on their new CD. The band gave us free copies of the CD (we’re credited inside!) and free tshirts. And the show was fun.

I took my fisheye camera along because it has a pretty bright flash. A lot of people I know from an online music forum were there. Haven’t been to a stoner rock show in a long time. So it was really fun.

Here’s Nathaniel and Dillon:

Nathaniel and Dillon

Cas, the bassist of Sasquatch:

Cas of Sasquatch

Me and my friend Adrian from Seattle, who I did not realize was in a band that was also on the bill, called All Time High:

Adrian and me

It was really cool to see him.

Here I am with some other people, including Sean who used to read my blog but probably doesn’t anymore, since I’ve gotten so lazy with it.

Colin, Sean, me and Tom

Finally got to meet him! He’s the one waving.

Next up: The boys and I stumbled onto a war protest in Hollywood the other weekend. I took pictures.

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Sooo awesome. And may contain swears.

Music, Youtube

If you haven’t heard of Chat Roulette, it’s a site that lets you video-chat with random strangers. There’s no filters at all so I’ve heard like one in ten people you come across are naked men masturbating.

This guy did the coolest thing. He played his piano, improv, about each person he encountered.

What’s funny is everyone thought he was Ben Folds (he does look like him). So Ben Folds the other coolest thing. He did it too, during a concert!

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Ah, family.

Conversations, Music, Photography

Elijah after coming out of the local Rite Aid:

“There was a lady in there with an eye patch. But I checked, and she had two real feet.”

No pirates here! Move along!

Elijah complaining about how I want the house to be clean before my parents and brother arrive for a week’s visit:

“When I have kids I’m not going to make them clean the house because you’re coming over. I’m going to make things dirty so that you’ll leave.”

Yesterday Daniel, Nathaniel, Dillon and I went to the local skate park. I used the fisheye for some shots. Here’s Daniel skating:

Fisheye is to skateboarding as sunshine is to California.

Nathaniel (standing, right, holding my bag) and Dillon (left, sitting on a skateboard):

hanging out

Then Nathaniel, Dillon and I went to see a free instore performance by Brant Bjork:

Brant Bjork

It was pretty awesome. Here’s one of the songs he did:

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A drawing the Edge made.

Conversations, Music, Photography

Someone I know via blogging sent this to me quite awhile ago. I finally remembered to take a picture of it.

A drawing by The Edge

A drawing by The Edge

She and her friend did an interview of U2 for a fanzine on their Boy tour at a Ramada Inn restaurant. This is a drawing Edge made on a paper placemat during the meal (breakfast). You can also see stains from their coffee or tea on the paper. That’s the fanzine in the top left, and a photo of Bono on the right. The note in the top right is her note to me.

Daniel thinks this is worth something, but I don’t. His exact words: “You finally have something that’s worth something in all your junk!” But honestly, I really don’t think it is worth anything.

Except to me!

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My son turns 20 today.

Photography

TWENTY! TWO-ZERO!

How did this happen? I’m not even 40 yet.

Here he is as a kid (on the right, with the big blond hair):

Catherine and Nathaniel

And now:

Summer came and passed away

Humanity

The thing that trips me out the most is how tall he is. Well over six feet. I’m 5′2″. His dad is 5′9″. It’s weird.

For his birthday he gets car insurance and a driver’s license. I’d write more but I’m totally brain dead today, haven’t been sleeping well! I’ll try to post pictures of the cake his dad made him tomorrow.

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I wish I knew what you were searching for.

Music, Youtube

I’ve been searching for this my whole life and never knew it. This kids chorus singing the Church—so awesome!

Check out the choir’s blog for more videos and info, including a Phoenix song.

Or visit their youtube channel for more videos.

One for Tawnya!

Holy cow! I keep editing and adding on to this post as I discover more stuff they’ve done. Here they are performing WITH Crowded House!

More on their youtube channel.

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Modelling

Driving and driving and driving, Photography

I’ve been going out picture-taking a lot with a Flickr contact who is really fun. We love going to the same types of places. She’s really good at taking pictures of people, though, which I am not! She and I went to a spot where some train cars are parked last weekend and Elijah came along. She got him to pose for her! Amazing.

I can’t put the pictures right in my post because she doesn’t allow that on her Flickr settings, so I’ll just link to them.

Here’s Elijah on a train car.

Me and Elijah together.

I was nervous being up there.

And Elijah on the tracks.

It was a cool cloudy day, which we don’t get too many of around here. Awesome to take pictures in. I still need to get my film developed from that day.

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Have you ever wondered what it must be like to have a popular song be written about you?

Music

I do that sometimes. Mostly, it’s true, when I’m listening to Jeff Buckley’s “The Last Goodbye” and wondering how any woman in her right mind could ever turn him down.

(And don’t even get me started on “Lover, You Should Have Come Over…”)

But I don’t usually wonder about it with a sense of “I wish that was written about me.” Mostly I think about it in terms of, “I would not be happy to have a song that says that about me all over the airwaves.”

Of course a lot of songwriters don’t write about actual people, it’s all made up stuff. But a lot of songwriters—including a lot of my favorites—do write about actual people. I mean, how does Darryl Hannah feel about Jackson Browne’s “I’m Alive” album, which (I’m assuming) is pretty much all about her?

The girl that “Sister Christian” is about nearly changed her name, she was so mortified when people figured out it was about her.

How’d you like to be the woman this was written for?

Actually, she probably just rolled her eyes when she heard that song. Glen can be a bit melodramatic at times.

It’s why we love him.

So what are some songs you wish were written about you? Or songs you’d want to die if they were?

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