Ernstrom Family Chatter — More Fun Than You Can Handle!

Messiah

March 21st, 2008 · a day in the life, random, tina

Every Year, Utah State University and various members of the community put on a performance of Handel’s Messiah. For the last 4 years, I have filmed it. As such, I attended the dress rehearsal last night. It is always an awesome performance, and each year it seems to get better.

Basically its volunteer soloists, choir, and orchestra – conducted by a talented musician/instructor of Audiology. Some of the songs are sung in Spanish, and all are translated into American Sign Language (ASL). The Sign Language is presented as a theatrical interpretation (as opposed to a word for word transliteration) of the performance. Proceeds from ticket and DVD sales, in addition to various sponsor donations, go to fund an Audiological mission to Mexico, in which students from Utah State travel to Mexico to test hearing and fit people with hearing aides as needed.

This year, the performance will be at the Ellen Eccles Theater. In addition to the typical evening performances they are trying something new this year – A Saturday afternoon matinee specifically geared toward children and families. It will be more educational – information about Handel & his music, as well as concert etiquette, etc… The dialog will be presented in English, Spanish and ASL.

In any case, its a great experience and I highly recommend attending if you can.
The dates are March 28th & 29th, 2008 and ticket prices range from $5 to $10 depending on seating location. Or $10 for a family of 5 (matinee only, and children must be 5 years or older). You can get tickets here, or at the Ellen Eccles Theater Box Office: (435) 752-0026. (Note: I wasn’t able to find how to get the family discount via online ordering)
Here are a few images from yesterday’s rehearsal – and a video clip from last year’s performance.

Also don’t forget tonights’ Sweet Pork Burrito Taste-off!
Tasters, we’ll see you tonight! Everyone else. look here tomorrow for the results. Happy Eating!

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Movie Quiz: Answers

March 20th, 2008 · bridget, random

Here are the answers to Bridget’s movie quiz:

Scary feet, scary feet. Monsters Inc.
Sad girl. Her eye fall out. Played the piano. Corpse Bride
Says I fell asleep, got beat up. Meet the Robinsons
Goes Mike Wazowski, like that. Monsters Inc.
Nemo touched the butt. Finding Nemo
Saved the baby, huh? He was crying. Tarzan
Where’s Jesse? Wanna watch the one with Jesse. She’s a sad girl. Toy Story 2
I want to see the one where he’s on fire. He runs around, he’s gonna get her. (Hint: This one is actually a Pixar short) Jack-Jack attack (from The Incredibles)
Buzz Lightyear show Toy Story

How did you do?

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Movie Quiz

March 19th, 2008 · bridget, random

The following movie quiz is presented by Bridget.

She often asks me to watch a movie by describing a scene or saying a line from the show. It is then up to me to figure out what she’s talking about. The best part is that she might describe the same movie differently each time. They are like riddles.

The following is a short quiz with lines/descriptions from these movies, as she states them. Can you guess the movie?

Scary feet, scary feet.
Sad girl. Her eye fall out. Played the piano.
Says I fell asleep, got beat up.
Goes Mike Wazowski, like that.
Nemo touched the butt.
Saved the baby, huh? He was crying.
Where’s Jesse? Wanna watch the one with Jesse. She’s a sad girl.
I want to see the one where he’s on fire. He runs around, he’s gonna get her. (Hint: This one is actually a Pixar short)
Buzz Lightyear show

Some of these are obviously easier than others. Good Luck! Answers tomorrow.

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Trouble with Scissors

March 18th, 2008 · bridget

Do you know what the trouble with scissors is?

Two Year Olds.

We taught Bridget to cut with child scissors several months ago. She’s decent at it. She can hold the scissors correctly, and she can snip at the paper making small cuts. She can’t yet cut on a line, or curve. . . but she’s learning.

Once, not too long after she starting learning to cut, she accidentally cut her pants – she had the paper on her lap. She was devastated. . . until I patched them. For a long time she would talk about what happened to her pants every time she wore them, and every time she cut with scissors. She would tell me to be careful with scissors – not to cut my clothes. She seemed to understand.

But then, a couple of days ago. . .

Alas! At least it was an old, well-abused, shirt. I threw it away.

Now, she is not allowed to cut for a week. And after that she can only use scissors if we are watching her closely.

The thing is, she knew it was wrong. When I came downstairs she immediately stopped in her tracks and gave me the deer in the headlights look. Why is it that little kids defy the rules? Why do they have to see how far they can push you? This isn’t the only thing. She’s been crazy lately.

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Gratitude for Green Eggs

March 17th, 2008 · bridget

I typically don’t post more than once per day, but I wanted to share something funny that happened this morning.

Since it is St. Patrick’s Day, we had green eggs & ham and green milk for breakfast. We asked Bridget to offer the prayer. It started out pretty typically, but then she said, “. . .Grateful we can have green milk and it can be green. Grateful for our green eggs with meat in them. . .”

I don’t know why, but it cracked me up. Hopefully we can all be so grateful for green eggs & ham!

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St. Patty’s Day Dinner: Corned Beef & Cabbage

March 17th, 2008 · family, food

Growing up, it was a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal at my house. . . Corned Beef and Cabbage. Yum Yum!

What is Corned Beef you ask?
Well, I think its a traditional Irish dish. But I’m not Irish, so I wouldn’t know.
This is what wikipedia says:

“Corned beef (also ‘bully beef’ in the UK) is a cut of beef (usually brisket, but sometimes round or silverside) cured or pickled in a seasoned brine. The “corn” in “corned beef” refers to the “corn” or grains of coarse salts used to cure it. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the usage of “corn,” meaning “small hard particle, a grain, as of sand or salt,” to 888, and the term “corned beef” to 1621.^[1] The term “corned beef” can denote different styles of brine-cured beef, depending on the region. Some, like American-style corned beef, are highly seasoned and often considered delicatessen fare.”

I haven’t had it since I lived at home. And Dave has never had it. I’ve never cooked it. So I figured I’d try. It was actually really, really easy. So now its your turn. Go make this dinner in honor of all Leprechauns everywhere. And all Irish people too. And everyone else that wishes they were Irish. And all those people wearing green today. And. . . ah, never mind.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned Beef Brisket (I used the point cut, because it was smaller. A flat cut is also available)
Cabbage
Red Potatoes, halved
Carrots
Water
The Corned beef should come with its own seasoning packet. Put the brisket and the seasoning in a crock pot. Cover with water.

Add the potatoes and carrots.

Cook for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your meat.

Quarter the head of cabbage and add it to the crock pot. Cook an additional 45 mins.

Eat Up!

May you all have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. And may you find gold at the end of the rainbow. And may you kiss someone that’s Irish. And may you not get pinched. And may you also have green eggs and ham. That is all.

(Can you tell I’m feeling a little random? lol. One too many Girl Scout cookies maybe??)

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Tagged: 5 Things

March 16th, 2008 · a day in the life, random

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. Being a Junior in High School.
2. Hanging out with other thespians, performing in school plays, and going to cast parties.
3. Attending Utah Opera performances whenever possible.
4. Going to debate tournaments.
5. Driving my gray 1989 Dodge Omni.

5 Things On My To-Do List
1. Clean my computer room
2. Finish 37 video projects – at least it seems like that many
3. Book some more weddings. Consider doing a bridal faire.
4. Vacuum my car
5. Organize my iTunes library. (Well, my whole computer for that matter)

5 Snacks I Enjoy
1. Spinach Artichoke dip (Mmm. Maybe I’ll make some today)
2. Snickers with Almonds
3. Most nuts.
4. Rootbeer floats.
5. Popcorn

5 Places I’ve Lived
1. Long Beach, CA
2. Allen, TX
3. Herndon, VA
4. Rose Park, UT
5. West Point, UT

What I Would Do if I Became a Billionaire
Invest. Build a house with a photo studio, playroom, swimming pool, etc… Go to Fiji. And Italy. Buy some new furniture, and some camera equipment. Take flying lessons – and get a plane. Get a new car – hybrid or SUV, or both. Do things like leave $100 bills on the sidewalk and film people’s reactions – do they pick it up or leave it there? Do they keep it? Or turn it in? Pick up the tab at a restaurant of a complete stranger. Buy something nice for my parents.

5 Bad Habits
1. Neglecting house work in favor of spending time on the computer.
2. Social grooming. (I’d probably pick your nose if you let me. lol. Well, its almost that bad)
3. Not labeling CD’s. I have a stack of at least 50, and I have no idea what is on them.
4. Flossing my teeth with my hair. (Yes, I’ve actually done this – when I’m away from home and have no floss – I discard that strand of hair when I am done though)
5. Spending money on a whim for dumb/needless things. Usually random dollar tree item for Bridget.

5 Jobs I’ve Had
1. Christmas Tree Lot – Setup and sell trees
2. Playtown – Party host & general work
3. Macey’s – Deli, and later cashier
4. Iomega Corp. – Click! Disk clean room worker
5. WestHost Inc. – Quality Assurance Engineer

People don’t know about me …
I love playing pranks. I am a Star Trek The Next Generation fan. I like to clean house to the Dixie Chicks. I am half Mexican (Hispanic) – No, I don’t speak Spanish. I am the oldest of 7 kids, I only have one brother. I knew my husband in High School, but we didn’t date then. When I was a toddler my baby teeth were replaced with porcelain. I’ve never broken a bone. I suffered from Hypothyroidism as a kid – I still have a really mild case. I visited Paris once, I want to see the rest of Europe. I use a Mac – and I love it! I can do this weird thing with my knuckles. I have to have the sheets really straight on the bed before I can sleep – I throw a temper tantrum otherwise (just ask Dave). I also have to have the dishwasher loaded at night before I can sleep. I love to go camping. When I started attending USU, my major was Computer Science – then I changed it to Deaf Education. I ended up graduating in Family & Human Development with an emphasis in Deaf Ed. I basically do nothing with it now – sigh! I would rather spend money on other people than spend it on myself. I hate shopping. I love cooking. I can’t whistle or swim.

I tag: Livia, Katie, Michelle, and Tayli

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Code Monkey

March 15th, 2008 · Uncategorized

This is Dave. For those that don’t know, I am currently employed by DuPont Authentication as a software developer. Having a background in software development and writing code, I have a healthy appreciation for Jonathan Coulton’s song, “Code Monkey.” Click Here to listen/download.

I often consider myself a code monkey — particularly when looking at descriptions such as Wikipedia’s:

The term code monkey generally refers to a computer programmer or other person who writes computer code for a living. More specifically, it refers to a person only capable of grinding out code, but unable to perform the more intellectually complex tasks of software architecture, analysis, and design. In this sense, the term is considered to be mildly insulting, and is often applied to the most junior people on a programming team. “Code monkey” may also refer to a self-deprecating way of denying responsibility for a management decision, or of complaining about having to live with such decisions (e.g. “Don’t ask me why we need to write a compiler in COBOL, I’m just a code monkey.”).

Code monkey also refers to subordinate programmers who are required to produce large amounts of code. The type of code produced by those to whom this term is applied is usually simple and uninteresting. It is often used in a derogatory sense, but there are those who willingly apply this term to themselves—generally when they feel that their skills are being underutilized, and the work they do is suitable for a programmer with less skill or experience than their own. This is typified by the “I’m just a code monkey” usage referenced in the Jargon File.

Ironic self-deprecation by programmers who prefer to distance themselves from pointy-haired boss culture means that the term may in fact be one of approbation and in-group identification. In other words, sometimes the meaning can be completely reversed; it all depends on the tone and context.

I really do severely enjoy my job. Fortunately, I do quite a bit more than grind out code, as I am also the one tasked to architect the final solution.

There were two reasons I wanted to write a post titled Code Monkey: 1) The tune is so catchy (remember, you clicked on the link above to listen), and 2) Jonathan Coulton also wrote the song for the end credits to the game Portal (see my previous post and allusion to a future post about the game ending). That future post is still forthcoming, I needed this post as background — thanks for listening, er, reading. Tina pointed out both, since the song is something to hear and my ramblings are something to read.

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Visiting Teaching Survival Kit

March 14th, 2008 · a day in the life, random

Our Relief Society President put together these cute little “survival kits” for each of the sisters a couple of weeks ago.

I wanted to include the kit info here for those of you who may not be in our ward. It really was a cute idea. (P.S. Its also great for me to record it here, so I don’t have to keep track of the paper. I know, selfish. Sorry.)

Visiting Teaching Survival Kit

2 pennies: to give you the “cents” to realize how valuable you are
Stationary: to drop a note to a sister
Marker pen: to thank you for having a lasting impression on the sisters you visit
Lifesaver: to let you know you are appreciate a “hole” lot
Toothpick: to help remind you to pick out the good qualities in your sisters
A hug and a kiss: to remind you that everyone needs a hug or kiss now and then
Kleenex: to dry a friends tears
A picture of Christ: to remind you to “find the lost sheep and help them feel our Savior’s love.”

Each of the items listed in the survival kit were included in an attached bag. And she included the following quote by Sister Smoot:

“My desire is to plead with our sisters to stop worrying about a phone call or monthly visit, and whether that will do. And concentrate instead on nurturing tender souls. Our responsibility is to see that the gospel flame continues to burn brightly. Our charge is to find the lost sheep and help them feel our Savior’s love.”

– Mary Ellen Smoot – 1997

There you have it. I really thought it was a great idea. She put so much time into each one. We really do have a great RS President.

So there you have it everyone. Go do your visiting teaching! (And make a kit or two).

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