Ding dong!
Who is it?
It's me!
Me who?
It's the second part of this post I promised you, silly. That's who!
Oh... uh... oh, yeah. I sort of remember... Well, come in all the same, you'll catch your death out there standing in the rain with it being this cold. What did you say your name was again? Oh, nevermind that, here's some nice hot broth to warm you up good and proper, we'll get to the bottom of who you are and why I'm supposed to remember or care about you being the second part of a post that I barely remember or cared about the first part of... Let me take your coat. You can leave your boots by the fire to dry them off...
Thanks Lady!
Now, where were we?
When I last left you (your fault as I recall) we had just "done" christ-mas. Which leaves "good news!, a quick "cats"up, a good book, and a resolute."
I had meant to write yesterday, but I got sick and slept all day up until the last possible second before I had to go to work. So to those people whom I worked with and waited on last night that I very likely innoculated with this particular brand of "sick", you're welcome. Daddy needs money though, and what's a cold really, but an infectious airborne illness capable of mass infection, and possible death?
Nothing when compared to $200...
But rest assured, faithful readers, for alas, you cannot catch a cold through reading a web post. Everyone knows that the only web based disease that's transmittable through the internet (besides Lameness) is AIDS, and last time I checked (10-15 years ago) I didn't have AIDS, so you can feel reasonably safe in that department. Although there was the whole "90's" thing... ah... you're probably fine. I would just get checked next time I went to the doctor if I were you...
Anyways...
So. I'm aware of the order I wrote the title in. I can read. But I'm also aware that once written, it's impossible to go back and change anything that you'd want to change. So although the title say's "good news" next, I going to deviate from that a bit for a more natural procession of events to take place pictorially.
I guess the best way to accomplish this would be to go ahead and introduce you to the newest members of our family, or, the "a quick "cats"up" portion of my title for those keeping score at home...
Lady and gentleman, I present to you (and don't worry Tom, they are directly food related),
Pipi, and Chorizo! (guess which one I named?)
Here's Pipi:
and here's Chorizo:
Yes they're very cute. And yes the kids love them...
And strangely, yes, Emily loves them too...
I'm sure somewhere in this vast, unexplainable universe we live in, our old cat Dez is glad that it took us so long to replace her...
Two more females.
Awesome.
That's 6 girls to one me...
But we like them so far, and we will eat them if they are bad.
And to deviate form the "plan" further (trust me here people, I have a plan) I want to mention a book that I'm currently reading.
I found it rummaging through the food section in one of my favorite book stores. It's called "Barnes and/or Nobles" I think?
Actually this is one of the few "real" book stores still around called Politics and Prose in Washington DC (home of the non-playoff making Washington Redskins, whom I still, for some reason, love).
Luckily for me, it's pretty much right across the street from Liz's brothers house in DC, so I get to go there when we're down there... It's great, and I highly recommend a stop by if you find yourself in the neighborhood....
But the book.
Yes.
It's called Everything But The Squeal by John Barlow.
And well... here's a picture...
The title pretty much sums up the book as a travelogue of his experiences in Galicia, Spain's northwestern most province, eating pork, two things that I very much like in this world.
So do you think I like it?
Yes.
Yes I do.
I recommend it to anyone whom is curious about the idea of Spain's less commercial aspects, and people who appreciate the quest that Pork is for some of us.
It's also pretty funny.
John Barlow is a good writer, unlike certain other books that I've reviewed, that in retrospect I was too kind to...
I'm not going to try and convince anyone here... This is a book that you can totally judge by it's cover. Either you see it and you have to have it like I did, or it's not for you.
For those of us in the former category, it's great. My dreams have been taken over by his descriptions of Galicia and it's rural charms. I now want to go to Galicia for so many other reasons than the initial few I thought I did.
Seafood and Santiago?
Sure.
But now there's so much "porky" more...
One word: Cocido.
Read the book, you'll understand...
In fact, reading this book has had such an impact on me, that it's become part of my New Year's resolutions. Or "a resolute" if you will...
I've "resolute-ed" to learn Spanish this year.
If I stick with it and can save the money, I plan on taking a trip to Spain where I hope to get to see the Northern parts I'm dying to get to such as Barcelona, Basque Country, La Rioja, and Galicia...
So, any advice or ideas for that trip, let me know. Yes it's still very far away in both theory and reality, but I'm sure by then I'll have enough readers and ideas to fill up the million day trip that I want to take...
And I'm sure I'll be able to afford it....
And be fluent in Spanish...
But, hey?
Why not?
Right?
With Obama taking office in a couple of weeks, we'll all be millionaires soon enough, won't we?
Worse comes to worse, it'll become one of the thousands of things that you can make fun of me for starting but never following through with...
It's better than thinking of how great it'll be to be a waiter for another year, isn't it?
So, dream away my sweet prince Me. Dream away...
Here's another photograph of the book (just in case I need to segue out of this and into another, final thought on this post...)
Yes, it is rather well it, isn't it?
Well that brings us to the "good news!" part of our "getting lengthy" little post, which is this...
Liz got me new lights for christ-mas!
This should really help with the pictures on my posts, and maybe, just maybe land me a spot on that "open to anyone" intangible dream called tastespotting...
Now I just need to cook something...
Until then I have a couple "old" posts I'll write to get out of the way and then it's all new, better lit post for old Gerloff...
Here's another picture of the lights (it's just so conceptual)...
But thank you Lizzy Claus, I'm super excited to get to work on some dope ass shit now...
And thank you, valued readers, for making 2008 a banner year for the old Leftover Foodie...
I hope that 2009 brings us all the shit we want it to, and that the only surprises are good ones...
Loves and (better lit) kisses,
n*
