I started blogging with Blogger in 2005 and slowed down as I reached my blogging end in 2010. I have attempted to save all the blog entries in monthly archive pages. It's quite interesting to go back and see my novice, naive enthusiasm for music making and playing, as well as for travelling. I also notice that I used a lot of exclamation marks! I must have been excited. For a while, anyway... I note that I slowed down quite a bit from 2008 onward; the momentum of my first batch of songs—written, released, and toured—had worn off. Also, I was amidst my first real bout of homesickness—I was living in New Zealand at the time.
A couple things to note. Some of my spelling is American rather than British/Canadian (I'm Canadian). Regrettably, I note that I used the word "tits" a lot—for a while—without being conscious of how senseless, unnecessary, and thoughtless doing so was. Please take what you read with these grains of salt. Return to the root/index of the blog.
October 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Recipe: potato leek quinoa soup
This tasty, spicy concoction will warm you up and fill your belly... perfect for blustery times in windy Wellington! This particular potato leek soup is Indian-style, and the quinoa comes from my recently developed fondness for it.
Enjoy my loose measurements:
3 - 4 handfuls of small pieces of potato (skin on, do it)
3 handfuls of large pieces of potato (yes, skin is good)
2 handfuls of leek bottom, chopped
2 handfuls of leek green, in strips
1 - 2 handfuls of quinoa (organic, sure!)
1/2 - 1 tsp of ground cayenne, or hot chilis
1/2 - 1 tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp of cumin (whole), or 1/2 tsp of ground
1 tsp of corriander seeds (whole), or 1/2 tsp of ground
1 small nib of ginger, chopped fine
1 gorgeous clove of garlic, chopped fine
your favorite oil (ghee would be good, I used olive oil)
some extra virgin olive oil for serving
some salt
boiling water
Method:
saute leek bottoms in soup pot for a bit with cayenne, use enough oil to keep it liquidy
make room in center of pot bottom and add ginger, keep a nice saute going
make room in center of pot bottom and add garlic, ongoing saute (don't burn garlic)
make room in center of pot for cumin and corriander, get them popping/sweating
add small pieces of potato and cover with water
add turmeric, stir, and boil vigorously for 10 minutes, be sure to avoid bottom sticking
add leek greens, quinoa, and large pieces of potato, then add more water, then cover with lid and simmer (stir occasionally) until large pieces are cooked
you don't want too much water - the base should be liquidy enough to simmer, and thick enough (from potato starch) to be considered stew
add salt to taste
serve with tasty extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top, and fresh corriander would be great
Post your comments if you have variations or improvements! Or a picture - this soup has beautiful, warm color!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Friday night music in Wellington
I just got home from a cool night of music in Wellington! Met a bunch of great musicians and songwriters! All thanks to Coco Love Alcorn of western Canada for mentioning Reb Fountain to me.
There's a great venue here in Wellington called Happy. It's dedicated to being available for live music - I don't know how it makes money but I believe that the owners are more concerned about having live music than money, and can afford to feel this way. Happy has alcohol sales to create revenue, and is staffed by (I believe) volunteers. There is a great sound system in place, and a resident sound engineer is available for hire (who does a great job, by the way). Performers are in control of the door cover. The atmosphere is warm lighting and super-cruisy people - Happy is not a frequented club, it's capacity depends on whether or not there is a live show, and who is playing. I felt tonight's crowd was a great size.
Tonight I went to Happy to see Reb Fountain and her band perform, and it was a great show. It started with Sam Prebble playing the coolest folk set - in true folk fashion, he told a story from small-town New Zealand over approximately 5 songs. Next up was Vorn and his band, and wow I was smiling the whole set - crazy cool songs and very tight. Check them out! Following was a solo performance by Johnny Barker that included very solid vocals and guitar. Finally we experienced Reb Fountain and her band (which included Dylan Storey and Sam Prebble).
Reb is a solid singer and songwriter, and her band is again very tight - they rocked! A very memorable moment was Sam Prebble's accompanying violin, however I can't recall the song - he was playing some wild intervals and really shaking the notes. Did I mention that Reb is a fantastic singer? I am pretty exhausted. Reb's band has great energy and I hope to see them perform again. I also look forward to seeing Vorn perform again!
I'm off to bed. If anything, this journal entry serves to introduce some New Zealand music to my friends in Canada.
I have just experienced a very exceptional performance by New Zealand's legendary The Warratahs, recorded live by Radio New Zealand at Chow Cabaret in Wellington, in the evening of October 20, 2006, to a sold out audience of approximately 200.
I received a phone call from my new friend Andy, from New Zealand celtic band Jacky Tar, asking if I could help his friends load sound equipment into a venue (he was gigging out-of-town at the time). I said "absolutely"! Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call from Mo of The Warratahs and I met him, Barry, Alan and Lincoln at Chow Cabaret. These guys had a lot of gear and I received a work-out, but the guys were genuinely grateful and put me on the guest list for the evening.
My new friend Anjuli and I walked down to Courtenay Place early to take care of a mutual chocolate craving via Whittaker's Bittersweet Dark Ghana, then wedged our way into a fully packed Cabaret. This venue is an excellent setting - red curtain lounge with candle lit tables and a rear bar.
We were both blown away at the exceptional skill of the individuals in the band, and the band's tight, cohesive performance! We stood behind Lincoln at the sound desk and saw the hard work it takes to mix a five-piece band to shimmering perfection. The fiddle solos were wickedly memorable, but each instrument (piano, accordian, drums, guitar, bass, vocals) was top-notch. The songwriting was also excellent, with uplifting melodies that make you want to take the group's CDs home with you.
These guys are a friendly bunch, and I have volunteered myself to assist with loading their sound gear into the truck in the late morning, so I better get some sleep.
Here's a rare moment... me in a suit! Anjuli took this picture in Wellington. I decided that I can't have my guitar case looking better than me... hence the suit!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
L.A. is the city of bling
On October 5 I spent the day in L.A. with my friend Chris. Chris saved me from a lengthy layover at LAX (airport) and gave me a grand tour of LA! I have a few pics here that sort of fit my story.
Mid-morning, Chris picked me up at LAX and took me to nearby Santa Monica Boulevard, where we had lunch and then hit the pier and the sand. Not very many were people at the beach in October, I guess the water is pretty cool and the air was likely only 20°C in the sun.
We drove from Santa Monica, through Beverly Hills and down Sunset Boulevard into Hollywood. Palm trees everywhere, especially in Beverly Hills - I was impressed with the plant and tree planning in that area. However, I saw a lot of green everywhere I went.
I think the hill is called Mount Olympus, I can't remember. But as you can see we got pretty close to the Hollywood sign, and I struck a pose.
It was fun driving up to, and down from, the sign - the streets are very narrow, steep and windy. The residences in this area (and Beverly Hills) eminated wealth. On the way back down, Chris and I stopped in Hollywood for a game of bowling (ha) and a walk on Hollywood Boulevard (the one where the stars are). There was a huge line-up for a filming of a Jimmy Kimmel Live episode.
Also on the way back down to Hollywood, we passed this cafe/diner - it's the one that was in the final scene of Swingers. Sorry, my car-drive-by photo technique needs work.
On our way out of Hollywood I managed to snap a drive-by pic of the famous Whiskey-a-Go-Go, too!
While cruising through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, we listened to a CD from Lemon Jelly - I think it was Lost Horizons. Really cool tunes! Check it out, it's fun stuff.
We drove up to Greystone Castle and I wondered how many people lived in it when it was still a residence. I'm guessing 30. Very cool view of the LA sprawl from Greystone! From Greystone we cruised through luxurious internal streets of Beverly Hills and took an after-work drive down Rodeo Drive. This is where the bling is. It was bling overload for me, but I was totally enjoying the tour!
We went back to Santa Monica Boulevard for sunset because Sheryl Crow had mentioned it in a song somewhere...
Chris had enchiladas (I think) and I had tamales at a mexican restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard, pretty tasty! Our server was all smiles, too, very cool. Dos Equis por favor!! Back in the car, we cruised the night-time streets listening to old blue-eyes Frank Sinatra. It was classy. As we drove the freeway to the airport, I could see a line of airplanes coming in to land. In the black night sky they appeared to form a new, bright constellation that was slowly shifting shape. But in terms of time and the universe, this shape shifting was relatively very fast - it was as though I was witnessing the DVD of The Universe Expanding, at 8-billion X advance speed. Don't go trying to find this DVD, I don't think it's released yet due to filming not-even-in-progress. Or is it in progress? None of us shall know.
I am so very grateful to my friend Chris for taking a day off and showing me his grand city! I look forward to returning the favor one day... that's if I ever stay in a place long enough to show it.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Jesse and Arnott's finally reunited
Folks, many people ask me why I went to New Zealand... Why am I in Kiwiland and Australia? I reveal the truth: I love Arnott's biscuits!
I have been in Australasia less than one week, but each day I have been here has been a day of delay... for today is the first day that I have bitten into a scrumptious Arnott's biscuit! Today's flavour of choice is Ginger Nut, oh so crisp, snappy and spicy! Yummy!
My other favorite is none other than the Scotch Finger, with or without a layer of chocolate. Speaking of chocolate, let's not forget Tim Tam Original or Classic Dark.
I have waited 10 months to salivate over these biscuits. I am a cookie monster. Send money!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Wellington welcomes me
Wellington, New Zealand welcomed me on Oct 7, 2006, with big gusty winds. It was pretty fun looking out the plane window, watching the water near as it appeared we would land in the ocean, while the the gale-force winds tossed us around like a leaf of lettuce in a salad.
Flying in I saw that the coast and hills that Wellington is based upon are very beautiful! Kyle and Tara picked me up at the airport and we went for dinner at Michelle's and Dan's house - yummy risotto and chicken! We crashed at Allan's and Joss' house and woke to breakfast that included Marmite on toast - yummy!
We went for a tour around Wellington and checked out the Te Papa museum, super cool. I saw a tui bird! We passed Peter Jackson's house and respected it's modest size and appearance. We had roast leg of lamb for dinner with Allan, Joss, and Michelle - I am now properly inducted to New Zealand.
The wind last night was relentless and cold, and led to a rainy stormy gusty morning today, with ocean water looking more frothy-white than green. But later this afternoon the sun broke through and warmed me from numbness. It's cold here!
Okay, it's time to get living in New Zealand! Stay tuned, however, for a journal entry with pictures from my day in L.A., California, with Chris! That was fun!
