Sweet and Tender Hooligans

Way back in 2000 or 2001 Chad and I went to see The Smiths cover band at Cane's in San Diego called the Sweet and Tender Hooligans. For some reason we had to leave the place early (I think Chad was working the over night shift at that point) so we only got to hear about 1/3 of the show. I didn't want to leave but knew we had to because Chad needed at least a few hours of sleep. He promised that if they played again and we were around we'd go and stay for the whole show. Of course, while I was living there they never came back, and every time they played in the Los Angeles area I was either busy or out of town. So...about a month ago I saw a flyer online for the band--they were coming to Fresno! I held Chad to his promise and made him take me to the show this past Saturday. We invited our friend Garin and we were all excited to see them perform. The band was awesome--even better than I remembered them from nearly 10 years ago. They played almost all of our favorite Smiths and Morrissey songs and did it with enthusiasm and skill. We stayed until the end and afterwards met some of the band members. They were nothing short of gracious and even seemed happy to meet us. After the show we were all super pumped. I can't wait for them to come back so we can see them again. Up top is a photo of Chad and me with the singer Jose Maldonado, aka the "Mexican Morrissey". (Ignore my freaky eyes--the flash was bright--yikes!) Chad and Garin are the clowns in this photo below.

Movie Screen

Using money we got for Christmas Chad and I ordered a new TV for our living room and it finally arrived last night. When he brought it into the house I about fell over because it looked so big compared to the modest TV we had in there before. Our new set is large, but it really isn't that big after you look at it for a couple minutes. This morning I realized I'm used to it and already forgot how the other TV looked in here.

Sierra Summit Friends

On Saturday we made a spontaneous day-trip up to our local ski resort to meet up with friends from the Bay Area. Everyone (but me--although I did see a very pregnant woman snowboarding--yikes!) either snowboarded or went skiing for the afternoon and had a great time. The sun was out and the weather was beautiful so it was a perfect day in the mountains. Here they all are before heading up the lift.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's big birthday and we spent last night at the cabin to help her celebrate it. We went for a walk, had pizza for dinner, played Scrabble and watched the Food Network and American Idol. It was a relaxing but fun day in the mountains. I made my mom this quilt for her birthday. In this photo she's got it folded in half so it's really twice as big as it shows, but you get the idea. It fits right in with the cabin decor so I hope it'll get a lot of use! Happy Birthday, Mom!