English foods

Kroger made me so happy this week.

Heinz Baked Beans!

They have had the soup a few times but this is the first time I have seen Heinz baked beans. :-) Baked beans here are cooked in pork gravy and just not right.
So I have decided to forgive the Kroger people for putting sauerkraut, fajita mix, and tahini under the banner for the British foods along with aero and PJ tips. Though none of it is cheap (I'm not goig to say how much I paid for this little taste of home).
Of course, then on Saturday, I had to make ....

Full English Breakfast!!! :- 

Though I forgot to buy tomatoes.  But it was sooooo good. And I still have some of my brown sauce!  :-)

I will admit this made me absurdly happy! But I am feeling really homesick at the moment, with every going on at home and the things I am missing. So a taste of home helps.

I also decided that instead of working in my dining room, staring at the wall, I would work on my balcony. The weather is lovely at the moment, and if I have to work (which I do have to do), I might as well get some air.

Set up on the balcony

I am hoping to start doing more fun things as work will hopefully calm down. But with interviews (I had another one this week but still no luck on the job front), papers and courses, who knows when that will be? :-(

Fork and Cork 2015

I have attempted to go to Fork an Cork, a food and wine festival in Blacksburg, for a few years. Finally managed it this weekend. And to get wine. (I went a few years ago and never actually got any wine, the queues were that bad.)

I went over to Cait's first for mimosas and cake and we got the festival for opening time. It still took us a while to get in even though we already had tickets.

Start of the fun

This year it was over near the Corporate Research Centre on a grassy area which was great for still out in the sun. And we had packed a blanket for exactly that purpose. There were about 20 wineries and 5-6 places selling food (so more of a focus on the cork than the fork).

Filling up

Cait and I hit a few wineries for tasting before meeting up with her friends by the stage. They had music and later on some belly dancing. 

Chilling with the music

Belly dancers

The weather does look too great from these photos but it was sunny in parts. So much so I got a bit burnt. Oops!

As with every other year, they sold too many tickets for the number of vineyards, so the queues were insane. Still we had a bottle while we waited and gave us some time for photos.

Posing with Deb

Cait, Deb and me.

I don't have many photos as I forgot my camera battery so only had my photo and after the first bottle, well let's just say it was forgotten.
We got some food to add to the stuff we had smuggled in (no one bothered to check our bags) though it took ages and we ended up chatting to a couple a guys who knew us from the physics department. D'oh! And awkward when they ask what we think about other people in out department.
We sort of stumbled back to Cait's for tea and more cake before her husband thankfully dropped me home.
I'll admit I did not have the best night when I got home. Too much sun (though it was great to be warm) and too much wine (especially when I haven't had anything to drink in a while). And the joy of day drinking is you have fun, sober up and deal with the hangover all on one day. Which is good considering I have been working on a project which requires the use of a Stanley knife. :-) 

Chocolate Festival :)

Last week was long and filled with just work. Not very fun but my life at the moment.

However Saturday was the Blacksburg Chocolate festival, and thankfully this year the weather was lovely. It seems spring is trying to come to Virginia finally. (Though on Sunday it didn't feel like it once again.)

Spring

I meet up with Cait and some of her friends there. Thankfully they got there before I did and got me some tasting tickets (you can't get chocolate without them!) as the ran out a little while later. I seriously would have cried if I couldn't have chocolate.

Companies from Blacksburg and Christiansburg buy chocolate from a vendor and we get it from them with the tickets. So you end up getting chocolate from banks and lawyers, which is a little weird.

Chocolate from a Bank

chatting

Pretty soaps but not edible :(

 They were also tickets available for the saddest looking beer/wine garden I have ever seen. Set up in the parking lot of a rundown motel by the market, it cost $25 to get in. Very sad and oddly not very busy.

Beer "garden"

 They also haas some really interesting chocolates. I tried chocolate with rosemary, which I really loved. Though I wasn't so sure and the Beer bacon brittle. (I decided to skip that particular taste.)

Lots of Beer Bacon brittle left

 It was a lot busier than last year and it was so nice to be out int he sun for a change.

Not the only one whose happy

 And I thought I was remarkably restrained. I only got 10 tasting tickets. (The others were saying how they couldn't eat anymore chocolate - they obviously don't have my stamina!) And I didn't try to buy/run away with the giant teddy.

Giant teddy!!!!

sunny College Avenue

We had a wonder around and finished up our chocolate tickets. I did put a few in my bag for later (something I did regret as 2 melted) as we went for lunch. And instead of the depressing beer garden, we went up to the roof of a nearby restaurant to grab a drink (though I am being good at the moment so stuck to ginger ale). It was so nice sitting in the sun. After this winter, I am ready for warmth.
Sunday was shockingly working.
Now I need to go a get my laundry. Just as another thunderstorm breaks. Figures. It's impressive but So much for putting it in the drier! And now it's hailing. great! :(

Shooting with SWAT

On Friday, after a meeting with people from the athletics department regarding the issues with the football team and then doing the photography for the Physics Awards Day Ceremony (it was a busy day), I got a lift from a police friend out to the VT shooting range to participate in the range day with the members of the police department and ERT (aka SWAT) as part of the police academy. So much fun!

Thankfully the weather held off though it was really muddy and I was very glad I had brought some rough clothes to put over my smart "I am a photographer" clothes. 

I got there just as they were finishing the pistols and a shooter competition. :-( But I got to do the pistols later. 

Preparing the next lot of guns

Inspection

After the pistols there was a round robin with a shot gun, a AR something (an assault rifle but I can't remember the full name), and an MP5 (which was fully automatic - very cool and scary!).

Showing the shot gun

On the range

Aim and fire!

I stood back a bit and watch first. But Nicole was kind enough to take some photos of me while I shot to super big guns.
I was a little nervous about these. They had some kick, so on Nicole's advice, I started on the easiest one, the AR something.

Shooting

He could tell I was a little nervous.

I think they all realized I was a bit nervous as after one shot I was "ok I'm good". Thankfully they made me shoot some more. After all when am I likely to get this sort of chance again?
I also didn't realize until looking at these photos exactly how curly my hair is these days! (Who sees the back of their head? And no one had mentioned the curl extent.) So here I look like Little Orphan Annie grew up and got very/violently annoyed at the world. Think "Annie" meets "Die Hard".

Practicing holding the MP5.

I was even more nervous about the MP5 after hearing people talk about it. This one likes to kill birds. The barrel really pulls up and tries to escape. Not something that seems like a very good idea. But it was fully automatic (i.e hold down the trigger and it just keeps on going until the magazine is empty.) I regret not taking a little more time with it but seriously I was so scared of losing control and taking out birds, trees and possibly members of the ERT team and students. I imagine I would have a very hard getting another visa after something like that!

Shooting the MP5

The last of the big guns was the shot gun. OH MY GOD!!!! That kicked a punch. I have some nice bruises on my shoulder and my cheek (as you have to put your cheek on the gun to look down the sight - might be using a bit of concealer for the next few days to avoid awkward questions!)
It was crazy powerful and has some serious recoil. But it was very satisfying to see the paper target obliterate!

Aim ... 

Fire!!! (Followed by "Ouch")

As I missed the pistols, they were sweet enough to let me go afterwards with one other person who was also late. I asked Nicole to basically assume I knew nothing (which is a pretty good assumption). I think I am a pretty good shot. My second shot was just above the 'x'. I had a little issue with wincing and closing my eyes when I was about to shoot but sorted that out. And as you can see below, it was pretty good and nearly all hit the target and most within the center (and 5 in the centre circle). :)
Not exactly a sharp shooter but it was only my second try!

My target

Dead!

So the world really needs to realize I am dangerous and stop messy with me! :) 

An evening with SWAT

Well they are called ERT (emergency response team) here but same thing.
Last night I spent a few hours at a talk by the VT ERT team and at range safety. It was run by Detective Daniel Hardy, who was great at the presentation and funny. He showed us some of the equipment such as the bullet proof vests, battering rams, and lots of guns.

The shielding in the ERT vest

How to break down your door.

We could also try the gear on. I did actually wear it as there wasn't time for everyone but I did pick it up. Seriously heavy,  ~50 lb and thats not included all the other gear

Getting kitted out

Armed and ready

They brought along a bunch of guns. There were a few shot guns, a sniper rifle and some machine guns! I couldn't tell you the names though. He also talked about the types of ammo (such as the non-lethal bean bags) and other bits of kit they have such as flash-bangs and tear gas.

the guns

After the talk, we could all go up and look at the guns and equipment. Well, everything except the sniper rifle, which was super highly calibrated so he didn't want anyone touching it.

More guns and a flash-bang

top:shot gun, middle: another gun, Bottom: grenade launcher

And more guns

They also brought some of the protection gear in, the usual shield you see in films and a more flexible one called a Bat shield. Seriously. That's it's name.

the old riot/bullet shield

Testing out the newer BAT shield

BAT shield

I have only been around guns once before (despite having lived in the US for a while now), at the range where Caroline and I did a class and went shooting. And then it was cry much "always treat the gun like it is loaded". Not so much here which made me more than a little nervous. I know they weren't loaded but still.... They were pointing them anywhere and I really didn't want to do staring down the barrel of a gun, loaded or not.

I was a little nervous around all this

ERT vest

The best quote of the night: when explaining the sniper rifle, "We use this when we want to reach out and touch someone. And touch them in a very specific place." I guess that's one way of describing a sniper rifle!

"Ruby", the sniper rifle

The rest of the evening was on range safety. And there was not as much as I personally would have liked but I have a somewhat British dislike of guns. and really don't want to get shot. Ever.
But tomorrow should be fun. I have to turn up late due to a work commitment but tomorrow we get to shot the guns.