Failing twice

In one day last week, I discovered two new things that I'm not very good at doing.
1. Making fudge. I followed the Kraft Fantasy Fudge Recipe to the letter. I didn't have a candy thermometer, so I cooked and stirred constantly during the rolling boil of a hot sticky mess for the prescribed 5 minutes. Then I added the chocolate chips and fluff. Shortly after I poured it into the square pan, it turned hard as a rock. No soft, gooey fudgey-ness. Just straight to the trash can. Boo. So now I've bought a candy thermometer. Maybe the next batch will turn out ok.
Any tips would be much appreciated.

2. Photoshop. I didn't want to do anything fancy like change contrast or make beautiful art. I just wanted to arrange some scientific (boring, I know) figures on a page to insert into a manuscript. It's just not as simple as copying, pasting, pointing, and clicking. You have to make sure all of the figures are the same resolution (who knew?). And you have to know exactly what size they should be (who knows?). Why can't they make these things intuitive? Well, I've spent the better part of 4 days at work, just to make 4 figures. Fun times. I need some fudge.

I wish I had my camera!

I'm sitting in the coffee room at work, looking through the window wall onto the courtyard of cobblestones, taking a short break from paper writing, listening to glorious Classical Christmas music from my iPod. It's been the perfect soundtrack to the Falling Snow! It's absolutely magical outside. I love to watch the snow accumulate in the naked branches of the trees. Just a moment ago I was giggling as the cleaners left and were throwing snow balls at each other. I've never been so happy writing a paper. I never realized that falling snow does make a sound. It sounds exactly like some of the melodies from "The Nutcracker."

Boy am I glad not to have to drive in this, though! I'll take the walk to the bus stop over driving in the snow any day.

Back to the paper now.

What will they think of next?

Imagine my surprise when I read the sign that said this crazy tree was reduced to clear! And another upside down tree. Is there anyone out there who thinks this style is actually a beautiful one?

Redneck Decorating Inspiration

Doesn't that just make you feel all warm inside? You don't even have to water it. How long do you think it took him to drink all of that Mountain Dew?

Deja Vu

I don't get it. I'm really glad I found this channel. But I just don't get it.

What am I talking about? Well, I'm working in France at the moment. I thought that the only TV channels in English were CNN and BBC. But the other day I found a channel that shows movies in that I can understand perfecly. So either my French is getting really good, or I am actually hearing these movies in English.



The weird thing is... for the most part, there are no subtitles- in any language. However, when something is written that's important for the story, such as "U Can Save Her" spelled out in letter magnets on the fridge in "Deja vu" , there is a French subtitle. Or if there are people speaking a language other than English, then there are French subtitles.



So tonight I have the pleasure of watching Matt Damon in "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Now I just wish I had my DVR so that I can pause, fast forward, and rewind.

Bail me out... of this PRIVATE JET?!?

I'm no fancy schmancy economist. I know more about drug metabolism than the law of supply and demand. But I do have the sense that God gave a goose.

Currently the CEO's of Ford, GM, and Chrysler are begging the U.S. Congress to give them $25 billion to prevent collapse of the auto industry. They claim that they have a viable and successful busniness plan, and this is a good and necessary "investment" as the President-elect might call it.

The auto industry claims that it will be bankrupt without this assistance. Here is the rub. They miraculously have enough money to fly the CEO's from Detroit to Washington, D.C. on private corporate jets! They claim it's for security reasons. Yeah. Right.

The Democrats who are in favor of bailing out the auto industry want the money to come from the funds set aside to bail out the banks.

But the Republicans want these funds to come from the already approved government loans aimed at creating more fuel efficient cars. Why the auto industry won't accept this money is beyond me.

The governement's supply of money may be vast, but it's certainly not infinite. Furthermore, the government gets its money from taxpayers.

Now I'm not in favor of bankrupting the auto industry and putting millions of workers on unemployment. Regular people all over the country have been tightening their belts for quite a while now. I think it's about time that these corporate fat cats take a cue from the regular people who are the lifeblood of their industry.

Turkey Day

Next week I'm hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner at work for all of my friends and coworkers in England. This will be the second annual feast for us. I'll be making the turkey for the second year in a row. All of my friends need suggestions for recipes to bring. The traditional stuff that I would usually recommend includes dirty rice, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and sweet potato casserole. Do you have any tasty and simple recipes you'd like to share?

I think I love the Secret Service

I don't know about y'all, but if I were a lawyer, a senator, or even President-elect, I don't think "Renegade" would be a very nice code name. Check out the Merriam Webster definition here.

Other definitions here.

I'm guessing that whoever gave him that moniker voted for McCain.

Things that are bees in my bonnet today:

1. Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. All I have time to say right now is I just don't like her and don't want her to have any power at all. I wonder, though, if this would be better than Supreme Court Justice.
2. Some bigwig at GM says that they need help from the governement so that people will buy more new cars. Wait a minute. Can we please try and cut down on consumerism? We don't need the car companies telling us that we need new cars. Buying things that we don't need and/or can't afford is what got the world into this whole mess.
3. I'm glad George Bush is going to try to stand up for the "Free" Market. But are all of those Socialists in the G20 really going to take him seriously when they know that one of their own only has to wait in the wings for about 2 more months?

Brilliant!

On Slate, thefrogprince wrote this, and it made me laugh so hard, I had to share it.

HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK
1. Open a new file in your computer.
2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: 'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'
6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'
7. Feel better?GOOD - Tomorrow we'll do 'Nancy Pelosi!'

I also commented on the article about a request for the Obama campaign to stop e-mails requesting campaign contributions. I told the author of the letter that she may not wish to donate to Obama's cause now that he won. But now, we will ALL be forced to make mandatory and involuntary contributions to his cause via his new tax policies. 48% of the country now has 52% of the country to thank for opening our pocketbooks even wider for us. Just what we needed. Thank you.

Frivolity for Comfort

I've been living in a hotel for about a week and a half, and I'm really looking forward to going back to the UK for a wedding over the weekend. Since I'm by myself, I really miss my 2 homes: one in the UK and one in the South in America. The webcam with my boyfriend has been one source of comfort. But I've also been dreaming of my upcoming jaunt to the States for Christmas. There are lots of really important things that I'm looking forward to. Like visiting with friends and family.

But in my homesickness, I've become really eager to go shopping at the best store on the planet: Tar-Jay Boutique. A friend wrote about a great shoe find, and I just can't wait to go shopping.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the virtues of Tar-Jay Boutique, I thought I'd list some of the reasons why it's my favorite store.

1. You can get (just about) everything there, which makes for excellent one-stop-shopping. Clothes. Accessories. Food. Health and Beauty Products. Music. Electronics. Games and toys. Holiday Decorations. Umbrellas. Linens. Furniture. There is even a Pharmacy. I could go on. But if you want to know more, I just recommend the website.

2. Everything from Tar-Jay Boutique is reasonably priced.

3. They have lots of cute stuff.

4. It's not Wal-Mart.

5. They donate 5% of their income to the community.

So I've noticed that sweater dresses are fashinable this season, so I've been searching for one of my very own. Haven't made a purchase yet. Although I would like to have one before I get to America in December, I think I might find the best buys there. And of course I've noticed that Tar-Jay Boutitque has a nice selection of sweater dresses.

So what do y'all think of this trend? Have you spotted any particularly beautiful sweater dresses?

WHAT was she thinking?

Y'all, please forgive me for being catty. You know I'm no fashion plate in my jeans uniform.

But Oh my goodness! WHAT was she thinking. Surely she could have guessed that just about EVERY person in the free world would be seeing her. And she chose.... THAT? Did no one tell her how ridiculous she looks?

Let's hope someone will have the courage to tell her to CHANGE her inaugural ball gown if it looks that bad.

Audacity of Hope

One of my biggest hopes at the moment is that Barack Obama is not elected President tomorrow. I think it would be a travesty for our country. His position on abortion was the first reason I couldn't vote for him. But in his campaign, which I have witnessed through the biased, left wing eyes of the British media, I have gotten to know this junior senator. Not many knew him very well when he began. He didn't have very long legislative track record, albeit the most liberal in the senate. He doesn't have much more of a legislative track record a year or so into the campaign. But he has shown us who he is. The question is, do we have the audacity to believe him? He has a history of breaking promises: public campaign financing and the $250k magically becoming $200k in the super expensive Obama-mercial. He has said flat out that he wants to redistribute wealth. He wants the rich guys (including himself?) to pay for the handouts to those who earn less. He doesn't see a place for government to trust individuals to keep as much of their earnings as possible so that as individuals they can decide which charities should benefit from their donation. Under Obama's tax plan, I'm not going to have very muc hextra to donate to something like Birthright. What's more abhorrent to me is that my tax dollars stolen by Obama can go to Planned Parenthood, etc.
I've heard the disturbing news about Obama leading in the polls. I have the Audacity to Hope that he is not given the power to enact his agenda, which will Change America for sure.
I won't mind waking up in France Wednesday morning. I will mind learning that the elction went to Obama and that America will become as socialist, if not more than, France and the UK. I like working in Europe for now. I'm pretty darn lucky to have this opportunity. But I cannot support socialism in America.

Got any CHANGE?

What is up with the Obama-mercial? Y'all please correct me if I'm wrong. He spent a ton of money to speak to America for half an hour in prime time. He got that money because he broke his promise to use public campaign financing.
Is anyone else thinking that Obama should take some of his own medicine? I mean, wouldn't all that money be better spent if he REDISTRIBUTED it to all of the needy people in America, or even the world? And since he wants the government to control how a major portion of my hard earned money is spent, I think it's only fair that I should be able to tell him how he spends his millions. But wait a minute, individual freedom is sacrifieced for the good of the collective in his socialist-in-democrat's-clothing-ideology. So what I think doesn't really matter.
And getting back to broken promises, how did the $250k salary threshold magically change to $200k?
What other campaign promises will he break? Maybe he'll decide to reduce the size of the government. Maybe he'll make sure that people who have worked hard for their success are not punished financially. Maybe he will appoint judges to overturn Roe v Wade. Maybe he'll make sure that we stay in Iraq to help stabilize the country until our presence is no longer needed.
But the way I see it, he has proven that he is a professional campaigner who cannot be trusted. The United States will have him as president at the peril of the American Dream.

Racist?

Recently I was called a racist (tongue in cheek, I think) because I support a white candidate for president and not a black candidate. All joking aside, I thought this was a pretty serious issue. I support a candidate based on his or her stance on the issues. I would never vote for someone based on the color of his or her skin. I think that the racists are those who do vote for someone based on skin color. And anyone who would vote for someone just because they are a man or a woman is a sexist.


But I want to get beyond the name calling. The bigger issue here is THE ISSUES. People need to think through the issues and choose an appropriate candidate. I wish the perfect candidate existed. No one person has a platform with which I completely agree. I'm completely behind McCain when it comes to abortion. And I like his suggestion that the governement should get out of the banking industry once the economy has stabilized. But do I really think that he will do that? Even if he does, it's a bit like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.

When it comes to Obama's health care plan, I'm completely against it. But I don't think McCain's plan is very good, either. Paying for the $5000 credit by counting the employer's contribution to health insurance as taxable income doesn't seem like it will end up helping people to pay for health care. In the end, it's as socialist as Barack Obama's 'Spread the Wealth Around' mantra. The people with higher incomes that include the money paid by their employers will be funding the hand-out, uh, I mean tax credit, from the government.

So in the end, I'm left to make my decision based on what I think is the most important responsibilty of governement: to protect it's people. Especially those who can't protect themselves.

Why do I support him? and her?

Earlier this week I began a heated discussion with some friends about the upcoming election in the United States. I wrote this explanation of some of the reasons I have chosen to support John McCain and Sarah Palin.Hopefully we can keep the discussion going.

There are lots of reasons that I support John McCain. I’ll frame them in light of an essential American Document.

The Declaration of Independence establishes that one duty of government is to secure at least three unalienable rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

My support for John McCain is quite simple. He stands for the Right to Life of an unborn child. So does his running mate, Sarah Palin. Barack Obama does not. Nor does Joe Biden.


For the purposes of a short discussion, let’s take liberty to mean an individual’s freedom that extends as far as any other person’s freedom. I’m a Republican, which means that I believe in small government. Big government that Democrats including Barack Obama want infringes on the liberty of individuals. John McCain believes in reducing the size and scope of government.

On the issue of Pursuit of Happiness, government should protect our right to make ourselves happy. The government is not responsible for making us happy. Everyone does not have the right to own a huge house with all of the modern conveniences with a brand new SUV and a sports car in the garage. People who work hard to earn a salary to afford such nice things are free to buy them if that’s what makes them happy. It is not the responsibility of government to give handouts in the form of welfare to people who won’t work. John McCain believes that welfare recipients should be required to work 40 hours per week. I believe this, too. It’s not right that I should work hard, spending time away from my family and friends to pay income tax that is funnelled to people who refuse to work. I work hard for my money, and so should everyone else who has the physical ability to do so.

I believe that John McCain and Sarah Palin are the best option for the United States of America. I believe that Barack Obama and Joe Biden will erode the principles of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness upon which the United States of America was founded.

Welcome

This is the first blog I've ever written. It's taken me a long time to join the Blog universe because I haven't had that much to say semi-publicly... until now. Also, in the past, I had a dissertation to write, so that kinda took precedence over rambling on the inter webs. Now I'm still as busy as ever, but maybe I'll take advantage of some down time to share my thoughts. We'll see how long this lasts.
Not that I expect anyone will find my thoughts terribly interesting. I've been inspired by the blogs of two friends, Lipstick at the Mailbox and Domestic Kate. I think that their posts are really good. And if anyone has any comments on my posts, I'd love to hear what you think.
So, why have I called this thing "Girl in the Yella Coat?" Well, I've been wearing my bright yellow trench coat recently. You can't miss me when I've got it on. It really is like a ray of sunshine, which we can often use in Newcastle. And I've purposefully misspelled yellow to reflect my Southern accent, because y'all know that's how I really talk. Especially when I'm around my close friends.
Some people have themes for their blog. At the moment I have no theme. Maybe I'll come up with one. But in the beginning, you might notice that I'll discuss the upcoming election in the United States. That's what I'm fired up about at the moment. And that will probably change in a month or so.
So please leave your comments. And for all of you seasoned bloggers, please forgive me if I make any blogging faux pas. I'm a newbie. I'll try to catch on. So here goes.