How'd they cut the power man? They're animals!

Saturday marked two years to the day that I met with Vicky for the first time in Person.  I had plans, but they had to wait as the weather inconvenienced a little. 

The local news TV3Winchester and local website Clarke County News warned us about a severe snow storm approaching over the weekend.

They were not wrong!

Here's Pepper outside 6am on Saturday:

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It doesn't show the severity of the storm, but these pictures will:

We left early and drove to Winchester, Vickys Sister wanted to borrow some films, and we brought back a poster she had loaned:

Returning home, we surveyed the damage to the garden, and to the road outside.


The road is a back way into the local school:

Fortunately, though the tree had fallen on the front porch, no major damage had been done.  But, the power was out.  Neighbours too.  Vicky phoned the Police, who told us to phone the 'Berryville Town'.  Equivalent of a local council.  Naturally they were closed until Monday.  I managed to google the contact details of someone who works in the school.  The driveway itself is owned by the school, and we and a neighbour are allowed to drive on it to park the cars in our back gardens.

Wrapping ourselves up a bit more, I made hot chocolate on the stove (thank god for the gas oven!), and we contacted Liz in Winchester to see if she was ok.  She had power, but a couple of streets nearby were cordoned off because of tree's falling.

After a couple of hours we made the decision to load up the car and stay with Liz until power had been restored.


There were ten people, and three pets all in the house together!  We ate home made pizza (which was delicious), and drank beer.  I also gutted out my first pumpkin!  I thought they were solid inside, and surprised they were not.

Earlier in the afternoon Vicky and I went out for a walk, and saw this:

 

 Sunday we all ate a huge breakfast of sausage, eggs and pancakes, before returning to a normal house.  I cleared some of the fallen tree from the porch, but we'll need help from Liz's other half, he owns a chainsaw!

One of my favourite early memories with my Wife is the day we stayed in and did nothing.  That day we watched Bambi, a film I had not seen since I was little, and yes I did have something in my eye, even before 'that' scene, (a scene which I call the 'psycho shower scene for kids').

As a surprise I purchased Dumbo on blu-ray, so we took over the sofa and watched it together.  Afterwards we watched the ghost movie The Others, a film I urge everyone to watch.  This was my first time.  Last thing before sleep was a new episode of The Walking Dead, a film quality (and budget) horror tv show.

Midnight showings and tests!

Yesterday was a very busy day for me.  Vicky and I woke up around 7.  I had a test to take at the local dmv (dvla).  For a few weeks now I have been learning Virginia's highway code, and on Saturday I took the written driving test.  On the way there we picked up breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, I had three doughnuts, a coffee and a sausage biscuit.  I normally pick up 6 doughnuts, but I had my mind on other things.  We queued up and I was given a ticket and told to sit in an area that looked just like Argos, and waited until my ticket was flashed up on the television above.  The test is in two parts, and it is done on a touch screen.  I had to answer ten road sign questions correctly before I could go onto the next part.  Had I got one wrong, I would have to re-take the test next week, paying $2.  Fortunately I passed this first part.  There was a young girl doing the test with me at the same time.  She was probably 16, and I felt a bit old.  The second part of the test is a 25 multiple choice question, to pass this you must get at least 20 correct.  I passed with 24/25.  I can't remember which one I got wrong, but I wasn't bothered.  One question did make me laugh.  'One 12 ounce can of beer is the equivalent of ..., and I chose the 'one shot of liquor' answer.

But if you can drive at 16, but not drink till you are 21 ...

I understood why the question was there, but I found it amusing.

I now have a temporary learners permit from the dmv, it is the same as the UK provisional license, I can drive straight away, as long as there is an experienced driver in the car with me.  The real license will be in the post next week, or later, and I will now look into taking lessons with a local driving school.

We got back in time for me to see the Newcastle game against Wigan, again the Toon was shown on normal telly!

Late last night I had the thrill of seeing a once banned film at the cinema with my nephew, at midnight!  My Wife mentioned to me a while ago about a showing of a horror film at one of the larger cinemas in the area.  Google 'imdb zombie (1979)'.  It was one of the films banned in England in the early 80's.  Something the Daily Mail termed a 'video nasty'.  The only reason this film is as well known as it is now, is all down to the UK banning it originally.  The saying any publicity is good publicity is very true here.  99% of the 70 odd films banned during this early 80s period are rubbish that should never have been giving the wide publicity as other films, but thanks to being 'banned', they create an interest that extends, and now thanks to the internet, and the cheapness of making the DVDs, all but one or two of them are easily obtainable on DVD now.  Zombie can now be bought legally in England with its uncut 18 rating, and is very tame now.

The main reason behind the midnight showing last night was to advertise the blu-ray release of the movie.

I did say I saw the film with my nephew.  He is only 14, but there is a strange law in America.  The film is an R rating, which means children can see the film if they are accompanied by an adult!  I think he enjoyed himself, and I hope the cinema has showings like this again.

I arrived home around quarter to two in the morning, our brave dog pepper decided to let me into the house before barking like crazy at the intruder, but only once I had got as far as the bedroom.  Thanks dog.  Perhaps smelling me first before waking up the house would be nice.

It's now half eight in the morning, and I'm up for the manchester derby on the telly.

I'll have a bowl of mini shredded wheat and a cup of Ringtons Tea for breakfast.

Next week, I'm supposed to be having my interview for my job at Oracle.  They've been putting it off for a while, but I'm 99% certain I will have the job permanently soon.  Vicky and Mom told me that there is a rule/law in America regarding temp agencys.  If I'm working for a company through an agency, and they want to employ me, they may wait three months before hiring me.  This way I can be given a free transfer, just like football!, Oracle would have to pay the agency a fee to release me earlier than the three months.

I've been told that as well as a proper interview, I had to also take part in a telephone interview with someone from another office.  This is to show there is no bias.

A sign from home

I have a few blog posts in mind, but these will have to wait.  Monday at work, as usual sucked.  But, arriving home, there was a parcel for me.  Forgetting I had ordered anything, I looked closer, and there was a North Shields address on it, and my Dads handwriting!!

I have a few local posters on the walls here, I'll show you these later on in the week.

THANK YOU DAD!!

Random pictures

Didn't they change their name years ago!  Food Lion, Berryville

 Doggy has such a hard life ...

Leesburg, Virginia

 Frogs Legs seen in Food Lion, Berryville

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Films Family and Rest

This weekend we had the nephews over to stay as the youngest Niece was having a friends sleepover for her Birthday.  My Sister in Law has four children.  Two boys and two girls.

Knowing that the boys are like locusts when it comes to food, I hid my english goodies in a higher cupboard (Mars Bars and Chocolate Hob Nobs) before they arrived.  Death would be too good for the child that ate my chocolate!

Saturday was a lazy day, the eldest and I watched Piranha3D on my new blu ray player, (I'll post pictures of this later), and as a family, the original Mummy followed by the Abbott and Costello version.  Mom cooked chicken drumsticks for everyone and we ate those during the films.  Before I went to bed, the eldest asked me about a film called Flight of the Living Dead (a cash-in on Snakes on a plane), a film so poor I am happy to not watch ever again.  I was surprised he also thought it was poor, a 14 year old not liking a zombie film, who knew!

Sunday, another lazy day, the children left early, and Vicky and I just lazed about watching telly and wasting time on the internet.  Later we watched Erin Brockovich, I had not seen it before, I was surprised that Julia Roberts won the Oscar for the performance.  That year must have been slim pickings for actresses!  But enough to want to see the Directors other films.

Later on was the inevitable 'getting ready for Monday' sadness.

I have more pictures to upload here, and there is my new boys toys to talk about too.

Hunting for Pumpkin ale

Vicky and I were on a quest yesterday, to find Pumpkin ale.  Sadly, we couldn't find the one that she previously liked, we ended up buying 14 different bottles.  We visited a place called Total Wine, in Sterling. We spent so long in there, it is now my favourite place for beer.

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and again click on the picture to enlarge them

Some bottles of beer I want to try out, especially the 'Brown Ale', and I just had to buy the Grolsh.

Toon

I don't want to get carried away, but we're 3rd in the league.  (I wondered whether or not to finish that sentence off with an explanation point or not).  This is Newcastle, so when is this wonderful run going to end?, and which team will it be.  At the end of November we play both manchester teams and chelsea.  But, could we reasonably expect us to pick up some points from those three games?

I am thoroughly enjoying this so far, but at the back of my mind I'm worried we'll slip up against a team below us.  At the start of the season I would have been happy with a mid-table finish.  But we're 3rd!

I saw the Wolves game on a legal stream thanks to www.fox.soccer.tv, I had to pay $20 for a months worth of football.  I have the option of watching any of the Saturday 3pm games today, and all the Premiership tomorrow too.  Most games are then available 'on-demand' for 7 days afterwards.

It's very expensive, but the option to watch a hell of a lot of English, Spanish, Italian and German football is awesome.  Oh, and watching Newcastle a lot, helps too.