The week has arrived. Starting this week, this Tuesday in fact, you can both a) Vote for president in a polling booth, and b) find my book and hang out with me at a book signing while eating cheese. Mmm hmmm.....

Excitement!  Now, the first source of excitement in terms of the book for me was getting the actual book deal. Then, there was a bit of stress, work, writing, eating, happiness and all that in between. The second step of excitement was feeling the above book in my hands. Yup, it's real. The third step was having the official publication date arrive. That means not only did I get to write the book, people are going to read it. This realization takes a little longer to settle in than one might think.

The feeling that this realization evokes is similar to the one felt when walking into your first candy store and realizing that someone has put thousands of candies all together in one room. For you. All in one room. In front of you all at once. Candy. It provokes a feeling of astonished bliss, and sometimes, because you don't know which candy barrel to run to first, you just kinda hang out in the middle of the room, immobile, with a smile on your face. It's excitingly nerve-wracking.

I will continue to blog about cheese, post recipes and interviews with cheesemakers here, but I'll also be writing a lot about the book and book events too. A blog, almost by default, gives you a little look into the life of the blog's writer. And I'd be lying if I told you my life wasn't all about this book right now, and trying to fit in a yoga and pilates class here and there to get the kinks out from writing. Dating? Hanging out with friends? I've heard of these things....

So keep posted for event info and special announcements here. And of course, some down and dirty cheese talk. Looking forward to posting about holiday cheeses and plates, new cheese recipes, gift guides, and more, too!

If you'd like to come visit me at a book event, scroll to the end of the post. 

It also feels important right now to address Hurricane Sandy and the devastation its brought to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, not to mention the havoc it has wrecked in the Caribbean. I'd of course encourage people to do everything they can to help those living in Sandy's aftermath, but because this is cheese blog, and we have friends who have suffered in the community, it feels especially right to talk about them here. If you're on twitter, however, consider following @occupysandy . It's great place to find out how to help.

We all know that parts of NYC were/are without power for days. People in Long Island, Staten Island, and probably New Jersey and beyond are still without power, and of course there are the hundreds of communities that have been drastically affected about which we haven't even heard. Well, it may seem small with all the problems people in the region are now facing, including injuries, death, lost family members and much more, but I also want to point out that people can make significant differences in various ways. One way is to support business and cheese companies in the aforementioned regions right now.

No power, no sales, means an incredible amount of food and cheese loss. Food and cheese without proper storage dies, and this means a lot of pain and financial hardships for cheesemongers, restaurateurs, and the people that work in food service establishments. Days without sales are devasting to the food industry, and we all know how important the food industry is to our well-being, and, economy. If you buy cheese or other foodstuffs via mail order, please consider buying from business who are coping with such loss- financial and beyond- as a result of Sandy. Many cheese companies ship. Check out my friend's blog, Cheese Notes, he lives in New York City and covered this subject too. Some of my faves just in NYC that ship (although it may take them a bit to get back to normal shipping schedules) are: Lucy's Whey, Bedford Cheese, and Artisanal, but spread the food love where you will, if you haven't already.

We're thinking of you.

 

 

And...  those book events I mentioned for this week:

The first two below include cheese and readings. The last include cheese and, me drinking wine (see, I can't read when I'm sipping because I need to hold the glass.). Hope to see you at one of these events!

Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building, Wednesday, Nov 7th, 6pm, with cheese from Cowgirl Creamery!

Book's Inc, San Francisco, Marina, Thursday, Nov 8th, 7pm - with the awesome Seana Doughy BLEATING HEART!!!

Book Release Party, Solano Cellars, Albany, Saturday CA, 3:30-7pm

More on the classes page tab.