Jesse Rivest Music

I had a craving for chocolate tonight... a craving that soared beyond regular confectionaries sold at the local supermarket. Only something truly ancient would satisfy me tonight - I wanted to create a drink of near-Montezumian significance!

I strolled down to the supermarket and found:

• bars of 100% pure chocolate, no additives. The ingredients simply said "chocolate," which I interpreted as pure chocolate mass, perhaps with a bit of extra cocoa butter included, who knows? It was completely bitter and unsweetened, intended for baking use.
• pure, unpasteurized honey
• 1% MF milk

Montezuma would likely have had the following heated and frothed in his molinillo, and poured into his goblet: ground cacao beans, vanilla, a fermented maize concoction, honey, and spices (including chillis). I didn't go that far tonight... I didn't have any fermented maize concoction, or any sorts of alcoholic spirits. I also forgot to buy vanilla. And I didn't have have any spices. Next time I will get a bit more adventurous!

I made a double-boiler on the stove and melted a cube of chocolate in a splish-splash of milk. When the milk chocolate became homogoneous-looking, I added a couple tablespoons of honey and stirred it around. The result was a thick, rich, and sweet chocolate syrup that was rapidly transported, via spoonfuls, from bowl to mouth. It was great! It wasn't quite Lindt 70% Cocoa, and it wasn't quite ancient or Montezumian, but it was naturally sweetened and very fun to make!

Next time, perhaps some vanilla and spices. And a bit more fluid to elevate it from syrup status to drink status. At the liquor store I saw some vanilla flavored cognac, called Navan... And maybe I can get my blender out of storage to create froth!

I went to a photo lab today to print this picture, I've always been curious about how it might look. I am a bit disappointed that I didn't wait longer between my exposures (to get more distance between the moons), or that I didn't make it simply one exposure. But it's still cool as it is!

This is a picture that captures the event of Staircase to the Moon, in Broome, Western Australia, during the latter weeks of August, 2005. I was living in a tent at the MCG, which is adjacent to Town Beach (Roebuck Bay). When Staircase to the Moon occurs, all the crafts-people come out and set up a night market at Town Beach! Many tourists come down to the Beach to see the staircase phenomenon and to shop at the night market! This is not a typical staircase picture, where you will see the moonlight reflecting on miles of water pools in the tidal flat - I will explain why I think this picture is cool.

There is a ridge of rocks to the left of Town Beach, where all the tourists set their chairs, and stand, to see the moon rise over Roebuck Bay. I was among them on this ridge, with Barnaby and Zoe, Dan and Chloe, and with my camera and tripod. As the moon began to rise, EVERYBODY started taking pictures with their little snap-and-shoot cameras, and their digital cameras, each one of them with a flash blasting the darkness of the night. Here's a secret everyone, write this down - you probably won't be impressed with your moon photo if use a flash! I thought this was funny, so I went onto the flat behind the ridge and waited for the moon to rise above the ridge, silhouetting the tourists with their flashing cameras! You can see one of the flashes firing on the left of the ridge.

I hope you can see the people on the ridge, I suppose it depends on the brightness of your monitor. It could be a better picture, but hopefully you get the idea. Seeing this picture reminds me of Will-the-fire-juggler-from-Dublin and Trumpet-Dave who busked during the night market. I had a serious flu and didn't join them. It also reminds me of Cormac from Tullamore, Kelly from Adelaide, Jess from Albany, Aaron and Fionna who made and sold fire staffs and poy, Kamali and his home-on-wheels that included a kiln for firing his clay flutes, Mark (?) with the didg and Joy, Jana and Viola who missed the whole thing, and so many other great people. Broome is such a wonderful memory for me!

See my August posts for more on Broome.

Coming from a musician, this might sound really weird... but I can't stand smoky venues. I imagine that this reads to you as "wha wha wha, cry cry cry" which I hear is typical of musicians. Regardless, I am me, and me is I - and I have a natural and real aversion to cigarette smoke. It makes my eyes and nose sting, it reeks, and I hear it's highly unhealthy. It causes an abundant production of phlegm in my bronchi, and causes my vocal chords to tighten up. It sucks.

I think I'm not alone. This is an exaggeration, I'm sure, but Calgary is the last city in Canada to ban smoking in public houses and restaurants! Get this, a couple years ago Calgary passed a bylaw saying you cannot smoke on the outdoor patio at a pub... you have to go inside and smoke! I actually understand why, yet it still seems absurd. Vancouver has been smoke-free for years! I hear Calgary will pass a banning bylaw in 2008. I think I'll be long gone by then. Dare I say, "mark my words?"

I went to Spadz Bar & Grill last night for open-mic night, hoping to impress the manager and procure a gig. I sat in a smoky-choke-haze for nearly half an hour before I left - without performing, without asking for a gig. Forget it. The amount they pay for an all-night gig is hardly worth the choking, wheezing, phlegming, and throat tissue damage.

This coming from a guy who is in need of more income. Health matters - gotta do what's right for me!

I don't want to forget these links, so I better eternalize them here. You might be interested in checking them out, as they will lead you to cool music. I have only touched briefly on their music, thanks to my friend Kelly Robinson!

• http://www.rawdidge.com
• http://www.ashgrunwald.com

I was browsing through my friend's music collection when I found this CD and instantly became delighted! I remember when I first heard this CD, it was probably 1998, and I don't think I've had it in my hands since. Naturally, I instantly put it into the CD player and listened to the entire thing!

This CD really inspired me, I remember I went through a couple years recording incomplete and moody songs at home using a four-track casette recorder. I think this CD is brilliant because it is so stripped and basic... hardly produced at all. Well recorded, though. It's the songs that made me fall in love with it so quickly... Hayden is a unique songwriter, with a unique voice.

My favorite songs from this album include "We Don't Mind," "Skates," and "I Almost Cried." And of course, track 16 gets funny at about eight-and-a-half minutes, when Hayden enlightens us on the procedures for preparing BLT sandwhiches and Kraft Dinner.

Finding this CD really made my day.

• http://www.hardwoodrecords.com/