From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2001 10:33 PM
Subject: Upbeat Bank of Canada expects to see signs of recovery this fall• Air Canada cutting 4,000 more jobs after losing $108 million in Q2• Tensions expected to escalate among unions, workers after Air Canada cuts
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had an upbeat day. Felt productive. Andréa and I hammered out a tentative plan to run a Khyber Kids Fall and Winter class. I found out today that Andy is moving out of his studio upstairs. That, combined with Becka, means there are two spaces, which we could partition into a Khyber Kids instruction zone. Risky, but it just may work. Have to bring it to the board tomorrow at the meeting.
Ordered the scaffolding and the materials for the initial phase of renovations today. They will be delivered on Tuesday. Towards the end of the week and the weekend I will call volunteers and get a good strong crew together for the unloading party. Try to draw up some plans as well. I want to draw them on the walls in the Ballroom after the Khyber Kids exhibit is down. Then the drawings will be sealed up like a time machine.
Talked with Sally for a bit after work today. The club was empty, there wasn’t even a small after-work or pre-bar staff group. She is going to come to work tomorrow or Friday morning to go over Simply Accounting with me. She is going to be doing the books in the Club for Craig. I am hoping she will be able to help me understand the program better. I haven’t touched it in weeks. I really need to learn.
Biked home and spent the better part of the evening cleaning up my email accounts on the computer. I don’t want to let the messages clutter up my mailbox. I talked to Sym and may rent half her studio starting this month. She is in the Propeller Building. I am going to take a look at it this weekend.
Karina is still at school. She is studying for her final papers and scanning some slides. Last night she watched 10 Things I Hate About You. I watched the last half with her. It is fascinating, how formulaic movies about high school dating can be.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 3, 2001 1:12 AM
Subject: Federal Health Minister Allan Rock tours Manitoba medicinal pot mine• Convicted pedophile will be released from prison, but will go to psych centre• Premiers make sweeping health-care funding demands from Ottawa
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Just came back from Planet of the Apes. It was a last-minute decision to go. Karina called and caught me at the Khyber just after the board meeting and before Randy’s opening at the Velvet Olive. She and Rebecca and Andrew were going, so I met them there. I had thought from the previews that the movie would have some merit, but it was actually quite stale. Boring, really. Some nice visuals, a taste of an interesting premise, but so formulaic it was mostly dull. Karina, Rebecca and Andrew are out on the deck discussion movies in general.
Busy day, leading up to a productive board meeting. I’m getting geared up for the renovations next week. Damn, I just remembered I left the Khyber while the mobilization for global justice group were still meeting in the Ballroom. I hope Winnie was still around after they finished up. I am really slacking off in my administration duties.
Going to meet Sally early tomorrow morning to go over the accounting program. Benoit and Alyssa are continuing with the cleanup in the basement storage rooms. We moved some furniture in the office today, we are in the process of moving the tools downstairs. The office is slowly becoming roomier and more conducive to a media centre. I see it as becoming more of a community resource room. Lots to do tomorrow, advance notices about the KDMC opening, I need to get in touch with the Coast and CKDU about publicity. We need to compose and print brochures. Aaaargh, so much too do.
Randy has put up some really nice paintings at the Velvet Olive. The best one, in my opinion, is the starry night painting. I don’t actually know if that it the title. It is worked, inky black background with transfers of crawling babies pasted over the surface. The stars are glitter, and looked really sparkly in the candlelight.
OK< tired now, must go to sleep. Had a computer fuckup which cost me precious time tonight while making your drawing. Screen froze and I lost the first version.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Saturday, August 4, 2001 1:15 AM
Subject: Provinces warn Ottawa against rejecting premiers’ health-care plan• Judge upholds Ontario’s law banning ‘squeegee kids’ despite Charter violation• Funding hike to First Nations hasn’t cured reserve ills says tax watchdog
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
A hot, hot, hot day today. Kept the lights off in the office as long as I could, but eventually it got busy, the computers were on, the lights were on, and the fan was doing little to keep us cool. I slowed down to a sluggish crawl in the afternoon. Started to go over some of the financial info with Sally but it just made me realize how much more I need to clear up. Glad I am meeting with the accountant on Monday.
I walked down to the college to meet Karina after work and help her carry some lighting gear back to the Khyber. I had called another volunteer earlier this week to take some slide documentation of the Khyber Kids exhibit but he hadn’t called me back. The show comes down after tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure we had pictures. I fell asleep on the couch while Karina took the slides. Jason was in the office tonight editing the last of the Khyber Kids videos and preparing them for dubbing this week. I worry about him locking up the office, but I guess I have to learn to let go a little.
We watched a couple movies tonight. Unbreakable wasn’t as good as I had heard, but it wasn’t bad. Karina had also rented a fluff movie, Blast From the Past, which, despite some horrific acting, was actually quite funny in parts, and Christopher Walken and one of the Kids in the Hall actors made great appearances. But our apartment is so hot it is almost unbearable.
We want to go to the Market tomorrow, and also have laundry to do. Want very much to sleep in, just for a few hours longer.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Saturday, August 4, 2001 11:10 PM
Subject: Caribbean cultural parade draws festive, but peaceful crowds to Toronto• Nova Scotia RCMP arrest five men, seize 2,500 kilograms of hashish• Provinces warn Ottawa against rejecting premiers’ health-care plan
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Was able to sleep in this morning – sort of. The phone rang at 7am and somehow I managed to stumble out of bed half asleep to answer. It was Krishna calling from London. He is about to get the computer from his work as they are upgrading. Whenever I talk to him he tries to get me to come to London. He is going to Trinidad in March for a few months. Maybe Karina and I will try to save some money and visit him in Trinidad. Karina is planning to be in Holland from January – May. She is starting to worry about leaving me home alone.
I went back to bed after talking with Krishna and finally slept in, until past noon, so we missed the market. Karina and I hung around in bed for most of the day, actually, which was quite refreshing. She had a bad dream through the night, another dream in which I am mean to her. I dreamed briefly of Caitrian last night, a simple chance meeting. I think Karina and I must share dream patterns or something. It’s entirely plausible, spending so many hours each night with our heads resting so closely together.
We decided to go somewhere different for an all-day breakfast today. We went to Mary’s Place on Robie St. It was a refreshing change. Prices are reasonable, the service was fast, and my poached eggs were made traditionally and served in a small side dish.
The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to washing laundry. Bought some toilet repair supplies from Pierceys for the broken toilet in the ladies room at the Khyber. Karina bought a fan for the apartment. The air has been so hot and stuffy lately. We need a fan to move the air around. It’s working great; I have it in the computer room with me right now. Coolest room in the house, it is. Karina also bought some CLR, that rust and stain-cleaning product that is advertised heavily on TV. She bought it to clean the tub but afterwards I ended up using the whole bottle cleaning the old Marin, which had been hanging in the pantry since winter. Parts of it were rusted solid. It actually cleaned up OK. We plan to take it to a bike doctor to get it working again. It needs a new clutch, cables, some odd parts, the bearings need to be repacked, and probably more. Karina wants to get cycling before summer is over.
After cleaning the bike up we went to get groceries at the Superstore before it closed. Karina is unpacking groceries and cleaning out the fridge to make room. It is a sort of clean-up the apartment weekend. I am going to draw you a picture and then continue reading Dead Artists Live Theories. The author, Stanley Aronowitz, puts together some clumsy paragraphs and his ideas are a bit scattered, but he covers a lot of ground and I am finding it interesting. I have to read more, keep my mind busy with things other than fixing toilets.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, August 6, 2001 1:38 AM
Subject: APEC report topical in light of recent protests in Genoa, Quebec City• Provinces’ hefty demands not reasonable, but strategic: analysts• Clark defends premier demands for more health money, calls Dion attack dog
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Yay, a second day in a row to sleep in. It may be the last in a while. Rebecca, Karina and I set out for all day breakfast at Mary’s Place. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we tried the newly opened North End Diner, which was formerly part of the North End Pub. They had already stopped serving breakfast. We debated eating at Cousins on Agricola, but settled for another day at the Med. Afterwards, it was coffee at Stev-o-renos. I am really taking this relaxing on the weekend thing to the max. Spending the afternoon reading the newspapers over coffee, what am I thinking?
After coffee we strolled across the Citadel and stopped in at the Chicken and Goat Festival beside Highlife Cafe. An odd location, to have African fashion shows, drummers, musicians and dancers in the parking lot of Staples, but it was fun nonetheless. A perfect use of a parking lot, if you ask me. Courtney, Mary and her sister were there as well. I wanted to take a look at Sym’s studio, but no one was answering the door. I saw Ward and spoke to him briefly, but then he disappeared. More relaxing, yay!
After walking home I had a quick nap. The sun was hot today, and sucked all my energy. Then Andrew came over after he finished work and drove us out to Queensland Beach. It was dark and foggy when we arrived, but Andrew and Rebecca swam anyway. The atmosphere reminded me of the latest Robert Lepage film which Karina and I had seen last year at the film festival. We stopped by Video Difference on the way home to rent it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t remember the name of the film, and the computer system there doesn’t allow one to look for a film by director, which I thought was odd, and we couldn’t find it on the shelves, so we rented Shane instead. Our desire to see this movie again stems partly from an interview with Woody Allen in the New York Times recently. It was longer than I had remembered it, but then again the last time I saw it I was in grade school.
Have to get up early tomorrow to meet the window cleaners and Peter from Cambridge Financial. I don’t have my key to the office, so I hope that I can get in through the gallery without setting the alarm off. It all depends on whether the side door between the gallery and the office is locked. Could be an early morning adventure if it is.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, August 6, 2001 11:41 PM
Subject: APEC inquiry finds police conduct below standards in dealing with protesters• NDP’s McDonough blasts prime minister and Nfld. premier over bulk water• Long weekend turns tragic for some as busy highways and waterways claim lives
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I had to set off the alarm at the office to get in this morning. I had lent my office key to Jason on Friday and had not yet retrieved it, and had to go through the gallery to get in. The alarm is loud, and goes off right away. Glad to know it works so well.
Met the window washers, unlocked some of the rooms they needed to get into to clean the windows, then met Peter to go over the accounting books. I am learning more of the program, and am starting to feel a little more confident with it. It is almost fun.
Andréa and Alyssa came in later this morning to dismantle the Khyber Kids exhibit. I started taking the rotten wainscotting off the walls by the window bays. A suggestion was made to leave the walls between the window bays brick, but I wonder if that may be too distracting to the rest of the gallery. Right now it is just fun ripping the rotting wood from the walls.
Andréa and I went to Mokka for coffee, I had a bagel sandhich and we talked about the Khyber Kids fall studio series. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon repairing a toilet in the women’s washroom. It was much harder than I had initially thought it would be. A plumber I am not.
Decided to go home for supper and ended up napping on the front deck in the fresh air. Made supper and then watched some of the Track and Field on TV. Rebecca was saying that she thinks sports is like art. Or at least, that athletes are like artists in the way that both are individually motivated. The big difference is that sports is easy to watch. It is very understandable. The goals are clear and identifiable. Art is trickier, and you have to work a little harder at being a spectator.
Started to print off some of my emails to you from earlier this year and promptly ran out of black ink. Will try to remember to get refills tomorrow. Tomorrow is the big supply drop-off day. I hope most of my volunteers remember to show up.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2001 1:27 AM
Subject: Handful of MPs talk missile defence in thaw of right-wing relations• B.C. Liberal government will legislate end to health disputes• Toronto’s ‘heat emergency’ to linger, but wave to break across rest of Canada
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Went to work early to prepare for the arrival of the building supplies, which were late, of course. I was hoping for a delivery between noon and one, but the truck didn’t arrive until 3:15. I can’t really complain too much, as the lone driver was amazing with the crane. He parked the truck on the sidewalk facing traffic, then used the huge crane to lift off the piles of 2×4’s and plywood. The drywall was the wrong size so I’ll have to get another delivery next week. I can’t believe how obstinate motorists can be. We tried to block traffic from one direction so the crane could move around, but people were adamant about driving by. Both the little traffic triangles were run over. It was amazing that within about a half an hour he had everything unloaded and was on his way.
A few of the volunteers hadn’t arrived, and a few had come and gone, but there were nine of us; the two Craigs, Ward, Benoit, Brad, Pat, Randy, Brooks and me and we managed to drag everything inside and up the stairs in under half an hour. It felt miraculous. Tomorrow I’ll sort through the materials, get some work stations set up and develop some diagrams. Ray will help, he stopped by briefly today.
Had a coffee with Ray, Sarah and Greg while waiting for the Anna to open. Tashia had a video installation, and the printer in gallery one had some really nice work. Don was having a show in gallery two, a sort of survey of all the work he has done at NSCAD. Some of the work I remember from foundation classes we took together. A real mixed bag.
Biked home, had a brief nap, made some supper and then Rebecca, Courtney, Mary and I biked to meet Andrew and we all biked to Little Nashville in Dartmouth to see the Guthries. It was a good show, they were having it taped for a show on CMT to air later in the fall. Lots of cameras on moving dollies and cranes. It is easy to see how filming these things becomes a very smooth affair. Not much room for spontaneity. Ran into Christine and Bethany, it was Bethany’s birthday today. They were getting loaded. Danced for a while, then we all biked home. We didn’t really want to stay for the filming of the music video. Back over the bridge we cycled.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thursday, August 9, 2001 12:48 AM
Subject: National chief says Ottawa has full liability for residential school abuse• Tories, rebel Alliance caucus to discuss more formal alignment in the House• B.C. nurses walk out as government prepares to legislate a contract
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Judy called this morning with news that she and Robyn are coming to Halifax for a visit this weekend. They are getting a drive down with Sam and Kim. She is settling into her big new apartment on Orange street and her company seems to be doing well. I am trying to convince her to bring that big cruising bicycle and give it to me. She uses it as a interior decoration as the seat won’t adjust and the tires are flat. It’s a perfect height for me and it shouldn’t be a problem to get new inner tubes. It is big and heavy though, so I don’t imagine they will have room to bring it. She wants one of my paintings so I think we can work out a trade.
Spent most of the day at the office trying to keep Benoit busy, who seems to relish going through my lists as fast as possible. I can’t complain, as more gets done the more I give him to do. Filled out some forms, started working on a Purolator claim form from when Brandon’s work was smashed through their negligence, worked on the KDMC brochure with Randy, the usual sort of stuff. Benoit organized the building materials and so tomorrow I think we may begin setting up the frames.
Karina came home from school with a couple movies. I was home by eight o’clock and made supper while talking to my mom on the phone. We haven’t been in touch lately. She and dad have been busy cycling on the weekends. They are coming this weekend to take Anne and Lee to the airport, so we will try to spend some time together. It will be a busy weekend, as I already had plans to work on the gallery renovations this Saturday, and now there are two sets of visitors coming. And the Confidence Band is playing the Khyber Saturday night. And I have committee meetings Friday evening. And Karina has final projects due. And I want to relax for a bit.
We watched Snatch tonight. Piece of tripe. What a waste of my precious time. Like watching a slightly different version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which I actually liked, but Snatch was useless. This Guy Ritchie is obsessed with guns, MTV and swearing gangsters. A one-trick pony.
Oh, Tim sent me an email of a response he had received from you regarding the latest bombing of Iraq. Doesn’t your office even try to sound authentic with the standard replies? I mean, there must be thousands of different ways you can word a form letter, but it seems your office uses the same template each and every time. Another one-trick pony.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 10, 2001 12:24 AM
Subject: RCMP and U.S. Coast Guard caught in snafu over tanker investigation in Nfld.• Conservative leader calls for federal ban on cloning in Canada• B.C. nurses walk off job for the second day in fight with Liberal government
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
The hot weather continues. It’s great, though it makes working in the office a bit tedious. Slows everything down. Kept Benoit as busy as I could, but there was more downtime than usual. Still, he accomplishes a lot. A Khyber Kids parent who works at a post-production facility offered to dub our videotapes, so I took him the footage and our DV Camera today. We are missing an output cord, however. We may have to accept that it is lost and will have to buy a new one. It is nice that he is doing this for us, as Jason is going to New York for a week and just finished dubbing the tapes for his ConEd class today.
Had coffee with Karina at the Med during lunch, she was grumpy today because she was up early for her sculpture class. You know that she doesn’t operate well in the mornings.
Sarah came by later in the afternoon to help with the renovations. Pat was scheduled to come but he is experiencing an infection on his foot and hand. Dan was going to come as well but he didn’t show up. Sarah and I framed up one of the window spaces in the gallery, which took some effort as the sides are bowed and we had to hammer and hammer the frame into place.
Went home early in the evening to make something to eat but it is so very warm in our apartment I didn’t feel like cooking. We ate raw string beans and ice-cream sandwiches instead. Rebecca and I biked over to the Bloomfield Centre to look at Sheila’s studio space. It is a great size, and we are happy with the price, it would be about $75/month each. I’ll have to tell Sym that I won’t be renting her space now. There are lots of people looking for studio spaces right now so she shouldn’t have any problem finding someone else.
Karina and I watched Possible Worlds tonight, and I just came back from cycling the last few movies we have watched back to Video Difference. They were due tonight at midnight and I don’t want to be paying late charges. They already charge too much for renting new releases as it is; they have crossed the $5 line. It’s a mild form of extortion. I enjoyed Possible Worlds more in the theatres, though I do like to be carried along diverse and meandering philosophical trains of thought. I need to use my imagination more. I think we all do.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Saturday, August 11, 2001 1:43 AM
Subject: RCMP board tanker in Nfld. suspected in deadly mid-Atlantic collision• U.S. rules Canadian lumber unfairly subsidized, slaps on hefty penalty• U.S. duty on Canadian lumber carries $2-billion annual price tag: industry
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Today was Benoit’s last day at work. I had him repair the broken window in the Club. He did a good job, too, for his first time replacing a pane of glass. We all left the office early to have coffee at Mokka. It was another really hot day. Liz came by to discuss some of the possibilities for the C@P Site opening, and we re-arranged the schedule a little bit. I received a brief visit from Phil – I think his name is Phil, our regular heating system repair guy, and the only day he can take the heater out and replace it is Monday, so we have to have the long wall in the Ballroom framed up by then. I completed one section early this evening, which I hope is square and straight enough. There is a small team of volunteers coming in tomorrow, so we should have no problem getting two more sections made. There will be some finicky measurements, but the actual construction takes little time. Karina spoke to Judy today, after she had spent most of the morning cleaning up the apartment, and the visit has been called off again. Sam and Kim are not coming down, but Judy said she’d try to get down next weekend. Had a grant committee meeting this evening, Tonia couldn’t make it but Briony and Becka did, and we discussed the many grant possibilities, at least one deadline a month starting in September for various grants. I did a really, really stupid thing yesterday or the day before; I have lost the business chequebook. Winnie discovered it missing today, so I called to cancel cheques but what a dumb thing to do, I still can’t believe it is gone. I also feel like I am falling behind on the scheduled events for the fall. Must keep it together. Tonight I was going to meet Karina at the college after my meeting, as she was there helping Rebecca take some slides, and I completely forgot and biked straight home instead, Made some supper, then when Karina came home she rented a movie. We watched the vacuous romantic comedy What Women Want. Apparently all they want is to have highly paid, successful careers, their own fancy apartments, praised by Nike and wanted by Mel Gibson. A sensitive, caring Mel Gibson.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Sunday, August 12, 2001 12:15 AM
Subject: Canadian Mysteries: Early Arctic people lived lives full of art, spirits, joy and terror. Then they were gone.• Canada Summer Games begin Saturday with opening ceremonies in London, Ont.• Saturday’s winning numbers
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Karina and I had breakfast at Mary’s Place this morning, then I biked downtown to build wall frames. Dan and Winnie were there to help as well, and Drew came by a little later. We had all the remaining wall frames for the Ballroom Gallery built by three-thirty in the afternoon. They are all stacked in the centre of the floor right now. So everything seems to be happening on schedule, which feels a bit bizarre. We need a delivery of more stuff on Wednesday, and the real test to how things are going will come on Monday, when we take the heater and the electrical off. It’s going to look good in there when we finsih, I can feel it. Mentally, I still have my fingers crossed.
My parents and Anne and Lee stopped by today. My Aunt Anne and cousin Lee were catching a plane back to Ontario this evening, so they were only in town a short time. They went to some of the Buskers events on the waterfront and then we all went to Trevor and Tamara’s for supper and cards. Karina was working on her projects this afternoon and joined us for supper. Afterwards Mom, Tamara and Karina played some pet board game with Jessie and Sierra. I had a brief nap. Then we all played cards for the rest of the night, long game called aggravation. I started out quite poorly but ended the game in third place. I would have liked to go to the Confidence Band show at the Khyber tonight but the card game went on and on and I didn’t want to just get up and leave in the middle of it. Besides, I haven’t spent time with my folks in a long time. We may go to a beach or somewhere out of town tomorrow.
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, August 13, 2001 1:25 AM
Subject: Threat of legislation forces tentative deal in N.B. nursing home strike• Canadian Mysteries: Early Arctic people lived lives full of art, spirits, joy and terror. Then they were gone.• Welland Canal closed after fiery crash damages bridge, vessel
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a full day, a holiday of sorts, spent it with my folks and Trevor and Tamara. We drove out to Timberlea, where mom grew up. She showed us the first couple houses she lived in and we walked along part of the new Trans Canada Trail. The dogs had a great time running in the woods and swam in the lake. We hiked through the woods to Five Mile Lake, which is nice and secluded, and we spent time picking huckleberries to make pie. I’d like to go back sometime, maybe have a pic nic with Karina, maybe paint a picture of it.
Back at Trevor and Tamara’s we spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards, something I never do. It took awhile for me to grasp the rules and the strategy behind 45’s. Trevor and Dad are much more seasoned at it than I. They kept throwing the card-playing lingo around, like cards that were “boss” and winning the “tricks” and even getting into weird semiotics about partners. I can tell they play cards a lot. Trev said that he basically spent his first year university playing Asshole and when he moved to Fredericton he played a lot of 45’s. I’ll have to find some free time and practice. It is sort of fun.
Eventually we went out for supper to celebrate Trevor and Tamara’s two-year anniversary. It doesn’t actually fall until Tuesday, but mom and dad are heading out to Lunenberg tomorrow. Initially we were going to eat at the Shoe Shop but somehow we ended up at Salty’s, outside on the deck. It was a bit chilly on the deck, right off the harbour. Christian, one of the local graffiti artists, was our waiter, and Dad was crotchety with him. He did manage to get us seats inside fairly quickly. The food was alright and we talked mostly about movies. Movies are an effective leveling device for conversations.
Karina was at school all day and met up with us at Salty’s when we had finished eating. We drove to Video Difference to rent a movie. We chose Panic, a movie none of us had seen. It wasn’t half bad, though a bit predictable. I had a sense that patricide was going to be the only way out before the half-way mark. Donald Sutherland can play a mean old prick. Interesting watching a movie that was essentially about mid-life crisis and temptation in a room full of couples of different generations. I wonder if my dad ever wonders about his life; whether he is truly happy or just content, or for that matter, just playing at being content. I wonder if any of us are truly happy. And I wonder if that really matters in the grand scheme of things.
Karina has just told me that she spoke to the pet store guy about our goldfish. It has been swimming upside down for some time. The guy said that it is a common condition with goldfish that eat floating good. The air makes it unbalanced. He suggested feeding it a defrosted, frozen and peeled pea. Next week we’ll get some sinking food for it. Our fish is crazy.
Courtney said that some kids that were selling used ice cream containers door-to-door stole his bicycle seat quick-release today. We’ll have to make sure we keep the house locked. Dad put the Marin in his trunk to take home with him, he is going to work on it and replace some parts, see if it has any life left in it. Courtney brought his bike inside. Keep the teenagers away from it. Its raining out now, and its late, and I’m up early again tomorrow.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 1:05 AM
Subject: Ont. government to blame tainted-water crisis on dishonesty at local level• Operators of tanker suspected of ramming U.S. fishing boat launch protest• Less finger-pointing between feds, provinces needed in health care says Romanow
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I spent over a half hour at Pierceys this morning confirming the second shipment of drywall and other building materials. I was ten minutes late meeting Phil the plumber, who wasn’t at the Khyber when I arrived, and I was worried I had thrown his schedule out of wack. Luckily, he was also held up ordering supplies so it all worked out. Phil and his partner, I think his name was Ron, used a fancy sideways drill and had holes cut and the hose fed through the studs in almost no time.
Ray came with a bunch of tools and then left to return his truck. When he came back he told me I had the wrong kind of screws and left for Canadian Tire to get proper lag bolts. While he was gone I drilled holes into the braces to ready them for the bolts. We bolted the frames no problem, Alyssa came by and helped for the rest of the afternoon. A guy named Aaron, just moved from BC came by and lent a hand all afternoon as well. We spent most of the afternoon stacking and nailing the plywood to the frame, leaving only the row along the bottom open, as we have to wait for the electrician to come in to re-install the outlets. So far, so good.
Met Karina in the evening for a brief snack. We went to the Split Crow, but I really can’t think of a good reason why. Proximity, I guess. Karina was at school all tday working on her Tupperware casts for sculpture class. She had wings which she said tasted re-cooked, and I had fries that weren’t half bad. But the people that work there are in way too much of a rush, like it’s a race to get the next order. The ambience just wasn’t there today.
Went back to the office to try to catch up on some paperwork. It is piling up as I am spending so much time on the renovations. Randy is going to Kingston tomorrow and will be gone for a week. The KDMC brochure is only half done and it is all PC formatted so I can’t do much with is until Randy gets back. There are computer glitches galore already, I’ll have to make a list for Randy to go through on his return.
Still have a bunch of emails to send out, and it’s another early morning tomorrow.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thursday, August 16, 2001 1:58 AM
Subject: Federal workers warn that one-day strikes could grow into full walkout• Missing Alberta kids found dead, buried by sand they had been playing in• Rebel MP says colleagues have no mandate to negotiate parliamentary coalition
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I’m tired so this will be a brief letter. Just came home after helping Karina with her final project for sculpture class. She is making many plaster casts of Gladware containers, which will act as modular units in a large “wedding cake”. I arrived at the sculpture studio at 8pm, just as she finished her Gender and Technology class.
Spent all day at the Khyber. Ray was there most of the day as well, and did a lot of the measuring and cutting for the final plywood sheathing. The electrician showed up around noon to install the electrical boxes. Alyssa helped hammer. Winnie opened mail and kept the office humming, I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without her in the fall. She is so organized. I think I am learning to be more organized, but it is a slow process. It is not natural for me.
After everything was done for the day Peter came by and helped with some caulking, tore off some of the useless molding and repaired the window for the Turret. He works days and wants to help out in the evening.
Investigated the crawl space for a bit this evening. I had a suspicion that maybe all the junk we threw in there caused a leak in a pipe which has caused the water buildup at the bottom of the emergency stairwell, but everything seemed dry. Saw a few mice. They are still around.
I’m tired. Must have a shower before going to bed because I stink, stink, stink.
Big delivery tomorrow.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 17, 2001 12:18 AM
Subject: High-stakes battle waged between Ontario, Stan Koebel over water tragedy• Sailors negligent in navigating tanker that rammed trawler, complaint alleges• Tories to invite dissident Canadian Alliance MPs to join their caucus
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Karina wanted to get up at six-thirty this morning but I was so sleepy when the alarm went off that I absent-mindedly shut it off and went back to sleep. Luckily we woke up by eight, but then it was a mad dash to get up and get ready in time for Karina to get to school and set up her final project. Karina took the bike to school, and I walked to work.
Managed to get a fair bit of office work done before volunteers started arriving at noon. Drew, Dan, Alyssa and Aaron came earlier, and Peter came by as he didn’t have to work today. We did some odds and ends while waiting for the delivery of drywall. It came shortly after 2pm. Luckily the other Aaron, Heather, Winnie, Craig and Bradley were on hand just as the truck arrived, so it was a fairly painless delivery. The more the merrier. We brought the twelve-foot drywall in through the centre of the staircase, just as Don had suggested. After the drywall was in Peter started hanging it and managed to get the whole long wall hung. Liz came by to work on the computers and Peter, the guy who wants to have a zeroxed muscle-art show came by to talk about timing. Jamie came by and dropped off his shop-vac for us to use. It was a busy afternoon. The walls are looking good; they will be fantastic when they are finished.
Don came by as I was sitting in the Club after work with Peter and Winnie and seemed a bit upset that we had started hanging the drywall already. He is coming in tomorrow to help out. I think he is worried we didn’t do it right, but it looks good to me. There is still plenty for him to do.
Went to a lecture given by Paul Greenhalgh tonight on some Spanish artists, focussing mainly on Goya, Picasso and that famous architect. Name escapes me. Good, animated lecture. I swear Paul could easily do stand-up if he wanted to. Definitely has passion for the arts. He can be really funny, too. I should send him a letter asking him to give a lecture for us; he had offered to do one back in April.
Biked home and made some supper and lunch for tomorrow. Watched the National on TV to try to unwind. Another early day tomorrow. Still no word from Judy as to whether she is coming down this weekend or not. There is a going away party planned for Thierry at Kent’s house on the weekend. And Tashia is having a sendoff at the Khyber Saturday night. It will be a busy weekend.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Saturday, August 18, 2001 1:41 AM
Subject: Alliance rebels and Tories downplay co-operation talks as positions harden• Timing of next budget linked to economic recovery, says Martin• Friday’s lucky numbers
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Karina has just woken me up from a late nap on the couch – it is almost one o’clock in the morning now, and I am well beat. I wasn’t planning to be at work late tonight, but circumstances kept me there. Don had come by today with his tools but just missed my arrival in the morning, then I was out again for a meeting at the bank and missed him again. He came by again later in the afternoon and started taping up the walls, but Winnie was at home today to work on her essay so I was the only one in the office, which was busy again today. So I wasn’t available to help Don until five o’clock. Some of the other volunteers didn’t quite come in on time today, but Ward will be in tomorrow and Jamie as well.
Judy called in the middle of the afternoon. She is not coming down this weekend, nor next weekend or the weekend after that. She is booked up. Kim’s band is booked into playing some gigs this weekend, which is why Sam and Kim aren’t coming this weekend. Hopefully Karina and I can get away the week after Labour Day to visit he in Saint John.
Karina came by in the evening and stayed late to help Don and I. At one point in the evening we realized we needed some 2″ drywall screws to affix some of the plywood, so I biked up to Pierceys to get some, only Pierceys was closed so I had to backtrack to Canadian Tire. Grabbed some pizza on the way back but forgot that Don doesn’t eat onions. Went to Pita Boys and got him a chicken pita instead.
Have mostly all the drywall up, tomorrow will be mostly cleanup and prep. Don wants to do the rest of the taping; he is a pro so best to let him tackle it and have it done right the first time. He will come in again Sunday evening. Tomorrow morning Karina and I are going to try to get out to the Mount early to check out their yard sale. The it will be work in the Ballroom until Thierry’s afternoon garden party/farewll party at Kent’s place.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Sunday, August 19, 2001 3:30 AM
Subject: Tories, Alliance dissidents agree to loose coalition in House of Commons• Liberals meeting in Edmonton planning on smooth sailing this fall• Metis groups seek to define status in negotiations with Ottawa
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a bunch of stuff planned for today but it was all moot. Slept in, a result of wearing earplugs. The leaking faucet is keeping me up at night. Karina says that I turned the alarm off, but I have no recollection of it. We slept until 11;30, so it was too late for us to go to the Mount yard sale. We grabbed breakfast at Mary’s Place, then caught a bus downtown.
Worked on the Ballroom, mostly getting the room straightened up a bit, organizing the tools. Karina and Winnie rode around on the top of the scaffolding and cleaned the pipes and the tops of the cornice. Then later in the afternoon Don came by to say that he would be by to work at 6:30.
I had hoped to go to Kent’s house for Thierry’s going away party today. It was to be a barbeque garden party. But Karina and I ran out of time and just had a snack at the Med before meeting Don back at the Khyber.
I can’t believe how long we were. We didn’t leave until past 2 am, but we accomplished a lot. First two coats of mud are on. I learned a lot about taping. Am tired, sore and stiff, and a little bummed about missing everything else today, but oh well.
Karina and I walked home with Don. He lives on Brunswick Street. We walked up to the vacant lot where I had left the bridge that Jeremiah and I built a few years ago. It is still there, covered in more weeds. I wanted to grab a slice of pizza on the way home, but Korka was closed. So I had leftovers at home instead.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 1:23 AM
Subject: Day hints he won’t stick around until December deadline for stepping down• Four killed in Alta crash between truck and car carrying 7, with two in trunk• Dhaliwal buys time in hopes of peace in Burnt Church, N.B., fishing dispute
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Merle the Electrician called this morning shortly past seven and wanted to get into the Khyber. I was still in bed, periodically hitting the snoze button. So I fed the cats, scooped the litterbox and was on my way. He is installing two new cicuits for the second floor offices so we won’t overload.
Got a lot of stuff done in the office this morning. Had a coffee and was fine until later in the afternoon. Maybe I should make this a routine. Get up really, really early and go to work, have a coffee and take a late lunch. Today Karina came by and we ate at, you guessed it, the Med. This time my fish ‘n chips wasn’t still frozen, hooray! Then it was back to the Khyber for a Curatorial Mentorship committee meeting with Sarah, Spencer and Becka. Then Don came by and added a second coat of plaster to the inside corners of the Ballroom. He’ll come by tomorrow to complete the skim coat of plaster. I have a shopping list to go through for tomorrow, as I didn’t get to it today. Called Ray, and he’ll help out with delivery. We may have to go to Dartmouth to get paper-backed corner-bead.
Am worrying more and more about all the upcoming grants that are due. Have to try to allocate more time to them. Still have to work on my drawing for Argyle. This morning I photocopied and enlarged a few of the photoshop drawings, but am still not sure of which one to do. Glynnis called tonight just as I was getting home and asked me to put a work in the eyelevel fundraiser. Of course I said yes. It is due in a couple weeks. Don’t know when I’ll find the time to do it.
Helped Karina load up a taxicab with her sculptures to take home tonight. The maintenance department had already thrown a bunch of stuff away, including her Belly Button sculpture and the plaster plaque to accompany her carving of a picture frame. But the Glad casts are now home safe and sound.
Watched a little bit of the Teen People’s Choice Awards on TV tonight. It is like the whole world gone mad. What craziness. What was Jennifer Love Hewett thinking when she had her hair done?
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 11:58 PM
Subject: Chretien says free trade applies to energy, lumber; trade complaint filed• Falling energy costs drag down inflation, set stage for more interest relief• All Canadians share blame for Walkerton water tragedy, Koebel’s lawyer says
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Was up late last night. Karina is worried about money. She has Citibanks collection agency after her. Rained today. Walked to Piercys, made an order, then took a bus downtown. Called Ray and he came down to get me. We drove to Coastal Drywall in Burnside. Picked up the corner beads. Drove to Pierceys. Picked up the order. Aaron was out front of the Khyber when we arrived. Unloaded. Heather came by, then Peter, then Don. Caulked the holes and cracks throughout the gallery. Don had the corner bead up in no time. Peter and Aaron built some of the portable walls for upstairs. I cleaned out behind the radiator and fixed it back in place on the wall. Swept the gallery. Don sanded lightly and started the skim coat. I helped. Karina called repeatedly to get me to come home early and watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The skim coat took longer than I had thought. Body Snatchers was one of the first movies I saw, and scared me half to death. It was the life being sucked out of the bodies that did it for me. The empty sacks. Brutal introduction to mortality. And not even real. I have no desire to see it again, even for its campy humour. Actually, I don’t think it was the original that I saw as kid. It was a later remake. Oh well. Had a phone call from SAW gallery in Ottawa inviting me to their performance symposium. Would love to go. It’s a busy time, the weekend after Labour Day. I’ll try to get it off. maybe stay with Jen and Peter, or Jeremiah. Will have to get in touch with them soon. Don’t know if Karina will be able to get it off. Don and I finished up and sat for a drink of coke in the club. Talked about urban development. A nasty business, filled with nasty people. Walked home. Stopped at a pizza place and ordered a small 9″, as there wasn’t any veggie slices. Walked home and ate the pizza on the way. The household is now watching Jerry Maguire. I’m hot and sticky and covered in plaster dust. Did I mention that it is really muggy outside? It is. I’m going to make your drawing, then have a shower, then maybe start working on my charcoal drawing. Have to meet Merle the electrician tomorrow morning at seven-thirty. He is powering up the extra circuits. I’ll take the opportunity to catch up on office work and emails.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 11:32 PM
Subject: Criticism of ‘in-your-face’ health officer said unjustified in E. coli crisis• E. coli cases still trickling in, but NB health officials say worst is over• Federal workers stage second cross-Canada walkout to press wage demands
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
It was an early, early morning again today as Merle the Electrician called me shortly past seven. It was raining out, so I caught a bus downtown. Along the way I saw a line of protesters blocking traffic going in and out of Stadacona. They seemed very well-organized.
Merle was waiting for me when I arrived downtown and I unlocked the electrical room for him and went for breakfast while he worked on the new panel. Went to The Med, of course. Wrote myself a nice long list of things to do. Cleaned up the office when I finished breakfast. The new circuits Merle had installed are up and running, so I removed the long extension cord that was stretched from the Refugee Clinic to the hall near the Ballroom, and helped Eva re-organize the wiring under her desk. Moved the extension cords in the office and that cleared up a lot of floor space. Lorena was moving some more of her studio stuff out and told me she would probably be completely out of her space by next Tuesday. That should speed up our progress in moving the office there.
Called a few volunteers to come help with prepwork today. Bradley, Jacinda and Rebecca came down. Bradley and Jacinda worked on the ceiling and Rebecca primed the baseboards and moveable walls. Don came as well to finish the skim coat on the corner and lightly sand the walls.
I met with Helen after work to discuss her progress on the mural for downstairs. Her research has been phenomenal, she has been digging up some great history of the building. It was seven o’clock when I finally left the Khyber to catch a bus home. My stomach was really hurting as I hadn’t eaten all day. Hopped off the bus at Black Street to drop off some grant information for Sara to look over. Was going to grab a slize of pizza from Korka on my way home but they didn’t have any veggie slices made up.
Don had left a message for me when I got home, he was about to hop in a cab to take his paint sprayer to the Khyber. It had long stopped raining so I hopped on my bike and zipped down to meet him. I was a bit earlier than he so I grabbed a slice from Venus and filled out a stupid questionnaire from the Scientologist about body toxicity while I waited. Don arrived with his sprayer; it is much larger than I had expected. A real heavy industrial piece of equipment. Looks like a big robot. The painting should go fairly quickly and smoothly, knock on wood. Don suggested we simply paint the Ballroom with primer, and continue to use primer for touch ups. A good idea, once you think about it. Primer is high-hiding, low lustre and when you paint small patches they don’t show up like an eggshell would. Why didn’t I think of that? I’m supposed to have some knowledge of painting. Now we have to bring back the three buckets of eggshell I have already bought and replace them with primer.
When I got home Karina was back from shopping. She made a salad and after we ate she cut my hair while talking to Judy on the phone. I’m off now to make a drawing for you, then going to bed early.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 24, 2001 2:22 AM
Subject: Quebec independence good for all of Canada, a chance for reform: PQ’s Landry• Albertans miffed at PM’s urging to share their wealth with other Canadians• Strahl gets second nasty letter about explusion from Alliance colleague
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Weather was OK this morning so I biked to work, was a little late and Jacinda was waiting. I wasn’t expecting volunteers to be so punctual. We went for coffee at Mokka and then went to work prepping the rest of the Ballroom ceiling. Pat arrived, then Bradley. We all set to work getting the room ready for painting. I called Ray and Mat but neither were available to drive the paint cans back to Pierceys, so I took a cab. The cabbie and I talked about how cars aren’t made like they used to be. The manufacturers definitely sell cars that will break down, be obsolete or require specialized dealers mechanics to repair, so that more and more people keep buying new cars. Perpetuating the cycle of heedless consumption. Bastards.
Didn’t get any office work done today. Randy had a proof made of the KDSC brochure but I didn’t have time to really look over it. Winnie was working on her invitation all day. I screwed up on the advance notice for Winnie’s show. I shortened the exhibition by two days to make room for Pop Explosion, because I had a vague recollection of talking to her about some such thing over a month ago, and Victoria had mentioned it to me a couple weeks ago, but there hadn’t been anything formalized and now everything is screwy. Have to try to fix it tomorrow.
Don started spraying the Ballroom around five, I moved him around on the scaffolding and made sure the paint levels were up. It was all done in a few hours, then waited a bit for it to dry, then hit the new walls with a second coat. The room looks great now, larger and brighter. It needs a heck of a lot of cleanup, though. There is plywood and tools and drywall and lumber stacked up in the hall, and a light coating of paint dust everywhere. I spent hours late in the evening cleaning paint from the fans I had borrowed from the bar.
Karina made a breakthrough today, she managed to get Norman to come over and finally fix the tub. He had the audacity to tell her on his way out to call earlier next time. We first notified him about the tub over a year ago! His memory sounds a lot like mine. But at least the tap is fixed, the noise was really starting to get to me.
Karina’s sister Loesje and Ron and the kids are coming to Halifax tomorrow, on their way to Clam Harbour. Karina is cleaning the apartment, partly for the visit but also because we are having a household yard sale on Saturday.
Spent some time on the Internet tonight looking up info on the new Spider-man movie. I had been thinking of Spidey the other day, wondering what was going on, and what would turn up if I searched on the web. The movie looks a bit cheesy. Bad computer graphics. Tried to view some 3-D images but the plug-in I downloaded had no effect. I’m feeling the Luddite urge coming more and more frequently.
My head hurts from all the activity going on, I am behind at work and feeling stressed about the Ottawa trip, and all the openings in the Fall, and getting close to burnout level. Right now it feels more like I’ve thrown the candle right into the fire instead of burning it at both ends.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 24, 2001 11:06 PM
Subject: Overseas Air Transat flights ordered to stay within 60 minutes of airports• Nervous Canadian passengers pray, think of loved ones in emergency landing• Lawyers agree to release foreign oil tanker accused in fatal hit-and-run
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Managed to get up early and on time this morning. Karina woke up early as she had a financial consultation meeting to attend. But first we had to attend to Yaga’s bum. S/he must have eaten something which disagreed with his/her tummy, as there were soggy clingons hanging from the fur in the area of his/her rear. This was accompanied by an unpleasant odour. I had to sit on Yaga to hold him/her down while Karina cut out the offensive fur. Yaga was so distraught s/he peed her own pants, poor thing. What a way to start the day.
I picked up some molding for the top of the new walls at Pierceys and taped the bundle to my bike frame for easy transportation. By this time I was really needing a morning coffee but I stopped by the coffee roasters store on North Street to buy coffee that I can make at work. I buy too much coffee to go.
Pat and Brad came by to help with the Ballroom today, and spent most of their time scraping and scrubbing the overspray from the floor. The humidity the past few days really caused the paint to stick to the floor where otherwise it would simply brush away. Hopefully there will be more people that will come tomorrow to help with the touch-ups and cleanup. I want to have Sunday off to go out to Graham’s Cove to see Sandy float his steel millstones.
I looked into airfare for Ottawa; a ticket is going to run over $400. I want to clear that with SAW before buying the ticket, though I’ll most likely do it tomorrow regardless, before the price goes up any further.
Karina was planning to have a yard sale tomorrow but the house isn’t quite ready for it so it is postponed until next week. She and Rebecca are going through the closets in search of things to sell. They are finding a lot of garbage along the way.
Courtney’s bike was stolen from our front entryway this afternoon. Apparently he came home to take a shower before work, and within a 20 minute period of time someone came in and took the bike. Rebecca and Karina were both home at the time but didn’t notice. Ironically, the police stopped the guy on Courtney’s bike, but it was just routine questioning and the bike hadn’t been reported stolen yet. I guess the kid (he’s only 16) is known to police. I hope they can recover the bike, Courtney just bought it this summer. It’s hard to believe this could happen on our quiet little street. There goes the neighbourhood.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Sunday, August 26, 2001 12:33 AM
Subject: Inuit hunting camp goes live from Baffin Island to the rest of the world online• Critics fear secrecy-loving feds planning to tighten federal access law• Alta Alliance MP criticizes fellow member for stinging attack on Strahl
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I bought my plane ticket today and will be in Ottawa on September 5. I take the train back to Halifax leaving the 9th. Are you going to be around that weekend? Maybe we can get together for a Photo Op.
Our new downstairs neighbours have moved in; they woke me up this morning by singing and playing guitar below our bedroom. It seems that only musicians or early-morning music enthusiasts can rent that downstairs apartment. It wasn’t actually too early, and I had to go to the grocery store to buy cat food this morning anyhow, so I didn’t mind. I just hope it is not a regular thing.
Karina and I walked to work today but aside from Jacob no other volunteers showed up. It must be a combination of the nice weather and the fact that it is the weekend. That and the fact that my current crop of volunteers are probably worn out. Or sick and tired of spending their summer in the stuffy gallery. I’ll have to go back tomorrow to finish up. We spent the afternoon scraping the last of the white paint off the floor, and the baseboards and molding have been primed and painted.
Karina’s sister Loesje and Ron and the kids were at the apartment waiting for us when we got home tonight. They had actually been in the apartment already, and used the toilet; Courtney must have left the back door unlocked when he left for work this afternoon. We all should be more careful, especially with what happened yesterday. He managed to find a beat-up BMX bike in the trash yesterday which he was fixing up today. No word yet on the status of his stolen bike.
We drove downtown, parked by the Citadel and walked to Pita Boys to get a bite to eat. We ate by the Ferry Terminal, then went on a brief tour of NSCAD before coming back to the apartment for tea. Loesje and family are staying at an Inn near Clam Harbour. Karina is thinking of going back to New Brunswick with them tomorrow, but is still not sure. We were going to try to hold our yard sale tomorrow, and even made up some posters, but we haven’t put any of them up, so maybe we’ll wait until next weekend.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, August 27, 2001 2:26 AM
Subject: Coroner’s 57 recommendations on improving water safety carry hefty price tag• No deal with Burnt Church as deadline looms in fisheries dispute• Federal workers block traffic at Vancouver-area border crossing
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Karina was up early to get ready to go to New Brunswick with Loesje and Ron. They came by shortly past 10 in the morning. I too a few bags of laundry to Mom’s and read an article on Robert Frank from an old Bordercrossings magazine. Didn’t dry any of the clothes, but rather hung everything up around the house. Save a bit of money and the clothes don’t get as much wear ‘n tear. Then I got on my bike and cycled to Dartmouth to watch Sandy Graham launch his steel Millstones into the water.
When I first arrived in Graham’s Cove, which is just a little ways past Lake Banook, I missed the group completely, but then I saw everyone quietly floating on their millstones in the middle of a small inlet. Thierry, dressed snappily as one of Manet’s gondoliers, wearing red pants and a blue striped shirt, and some tall guy in a sowester (sp?) and long slicker who was singing Maritime songs, were floating on a platform atop four millstones lashed together. Everyone else were on single stones. I watched for a bit from the shore and then Sarah came ashore and I took a stone for a spin. Ray had already sunk one, but the cove is very shallow, only about 3-4 feet deep all the way across. Some other guy sunk his while trying to stand up. If the weight goes off-centre they topple quite easily. To re-float a sunken stone they have to lift it up, turn it upside-down to drain the water, then lift it to the larger platform. I floated around for awhile, then went back to shore. Talked to Matt, Ray and Peter for awhile, then biked back to Halifax.
Winnie was at the Khyber when I arrived. She was working on the newsletter, and continued working on it all day and into the night. I put the baseboard and the molding on the gallery, painted some touch ups, and patched the holes in the Frame Gallery. Also filled some holes in the floor with Durobaond, and took the scaffolding apart. I’m hoping that Butler will be able to pick it up tomorrow.
Biked home and watched a couple episodes of The Simpsons, which were on late for some reason. A Halloween special and the Flaming Moe’s episode. Watched the News for a bit, then had a shower. Made myself some Sleepytime Tea and am now surfing the web for images to use in today’s drawing. I think I have give up on the Argyle charcoal drawing. I still have to come up with something for the eyelevelgallery fundraiser next week, plus all the Khyber stuff that needs to be attended too before I go to Ottawa. I have to prioritize.
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2001 1:14 AM
Subject: Coroner’s 57 recommendations on improving water safety carry hefty price tag• Tuition for arts students to rise by two per cent this fall, says StatsCan• No deal with Burnt Church as deadline looms in fisheries dispute
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
My goal to wake up early was shattered by the wake up call from Merle the Electrician this morning. I had slept through my alarm, after only four hours of sleep. So it was off on the bike to meet Merle at the Khyber. He was waiting for me on the front steps when I arrived. I asked him how his weekend went and he said terrible. He attended the funeral of a friend and another died on the weekend in a car accident. He made it to work on time this morning, though. Put the plugs in, capped them and the Ballroom walls c’est fini!
Mopped a couple times, and Brad came by to help move stuff out. Took the staging down and Butler came within an hour of my call to retrieve it. Patched the Frame Gallery. Heather came to help and scraped off some of the remaining paint. She put the sandwich sign together as well. Winnie was there today, working on the newsletter. I spoke to Craig about the crazy spring schedule. There are plays booked to start in the Ballroom at 11 at night, meaning that scheduled shows in the Bar are affected. Craig called Ken but I don’t know if he made any progress. Ideally they would strike those late-starting shows. Hopefully I’ll see Ken tomorrow and we can talk more about it.
Had a late breakfast at the Med with Andréa and Don. I had my usual. Don had French Toast, and it looked good. I have to try to remember to try the French Toast there sometime. After lunch Matt came with his van and he drove all of Don’s patching and painting gear home for him.
After work biked down to the Superstore to get some food for the opening. Bought powdered donuts, Wonderbread, cheese slices, cauliflower, mushrooms, veggie dip, Scottish mints and salted pumpkin seeds. There was a small but appreciative crowd. Now that summer school is finished at NSCAD there aren’t that many students floating around. The opening at eyelevel was small as well. Spoke to Garry for a bit. He is mounting a show at the Beaverbrook in a few weeks. He’ll be using the Finchwell stencils for wallpaper behind that big Dali painting they have. I’d like to see that.
Hung out in the Club afterwards with Don and Ray. Have to plan the office move which will occur the next couple days. It may be tricky building walls while the Fringe is setting up and having tech rehearsals. Talked to Larissa about the possibility of the studios moving around a bit in the Fall. She just came back from a visit to Santiago. She isn’t too pleased about the idea of moving. Neither was Annie, who gave me a mouthful the other day. My fault, really, for not telling her sooner. It is a complicated situation.
Have to check my email, draw you a picture and then drag my weary arse to bed. I was thinking, while on the way home on my bike, that I may be burned out already and not even realize it. Just a thought.
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, August 29, 2001 12:38 AM
Subject: Swissair investigators want tougher wiring tests, ban on flammable objects• Pilot who landed plane off Portugal says he only thought of passenger safety• Bank of Canada cuts rates amid gloomy forecasts; Chretien says economy OK
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had an alarm snafu this morning; it just didn’t go off. I slept in until 10 o’clock. A treat, in some respect, but I had wanted to get up really early to put a painting on the bus for Judy. Called Ray to make sure he hadn’t already been to the Khyber, but he was moving slower this morning as well. He hadn’t even been to Burnside yet. Made myself a quick breakfast and then cycled to work, dropping the painting off along the way. There is another bus that leaves around noon.
Worked on PR for the gallery and the KDMC, and with Randy for most of the day. Ray was in working on the Frame, getting it hinged and the locking rods in place. It still needs a bit of work but it is coming along. I had hoped that Lorena would have all her stuff out of her space today but there were still a few paintings and odds and ends left in her studio. She did phone me back to say that it was OK for us to go in and clean up the space, which was good because Lucas had come by and wanted to help out. Scheduled the painting to occur after supper and actually biked home to eat. Boiled corn and fried lentils with rice.
When I got back to work Randy and Lucas had already moved Lorena’s stuff into the office, patched the holes in the walls and started painting. Winnie came by and painted for a bit as well. We put 2 coats up in a short while. I even found some red floor paint in the basement which was enough for a coat on the floor. The fumes made me feel woozy. I had a coke in the Club and listened to a funny jazz band, Fear Four, who were doing great covers of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Nirvana songs.
Tomorrow is a moving day. I hope to move the office equipment into the new space, maybe build some shelves in there? And move the computers in the KDMC to make room for the building of the wall. It is all happening at once.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thursday, August 30, 2001 12:56 AM
Subject: Civil servants prepared to step up strike effort after three, one-day pickets• Jean Chretien names former national chief to head Indian Claims Commission• Details on aboriginal agenda are scant seven months after throne speech
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Alarm worked this morning, and I was up early enough to make a lunch. Winnie arrived at work just after I did and zipped through the Press Release procedures, printing the labels and stamping the envelopes and running them to the post office. She’s a real pro, and really has her shit together. I can only dream to be as organized and clear-headed. When Randy arrived we started moving the office equipment into Lorena’s old studio. Lorena came and collected the last of her stuff, and early in the afternoon Lucas and then Rebecca came to help. I fixed the broken booth in the Club, but we should really order some specific bolts to keep them in place. We built a shelf to fit in the back corner of the new office. We all took a break at the Med. Everyone ordered Shish Touk except me. I had a Falafel sandwich. Once all the KDMC equipment was moved out of the way we built the frame for the presentation wall, moved it into place and bolted it to the wall. Lucas biked up to Canadian Tire to buy new #3 Robertson drill bits, as the one we were using was worn down and useless. Lucas stayed and helped me put up a few sheets of plywood. I left a message with Merle, so hopefully he will call me tomorrow morning and come down and take out the existing outlets and extend them. I can cut the plywood to fit while he is there and then maybe he can set the boxes in place so we can hang the drywall before the Fringe shows start. I talked to Dave tonight and the late-starting show for the night of the Buck 65 show has been moved, which helps us out tremendously. There may still be some sticky overlapping of Fringe/Club programming, but the Buck 65 show is big, and would have been a big problem if a Fringe show was starting at 11pm. One less thing to worry about.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 31, 2001 4:35 AM
Subject: Teenager snatches and kills small girl in London, Ontario while chef saves metre-long lobster. Burnt Church heats up again.
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I awoke before the alarm went off this morning. Was leisurely making myself breakfast when Merle phoned, just leaving Burnside. I biked downtown to meet him. It didn’t take him long to take the outlets off the wall and re-affix them to the new frame. Just after he left Brad showed up, so he helped me cut and attach the bottom plywood. Brad asked me for a reference for a cashier job at Superstore and then left. I continued with the drywall, then Randy showed up and helped. Managed to get a coat of bond and a coat of mud on the tape and the screws today. I’ll settle for one more coat tomorrow.
Jeremiah called me back this morning. He said I could stay with him but only for a couple nights, as he has roommates and works throughout the week. I must remember to email or call Jen and Peter to see if I can stay with them a couple nights. It was nice to talk to Jeremiah again, and I look forward to seeing him next week.
Got the hallway cleaned up in time for the first Fringe performances. The Ballroom Gallery lock is broken, I discovered it this morning trying to let Kevin in so he could store some large bouncy props. Picked up some stuff from Canadian Tire on my way home. Had supper and then a nap. Was woken up by the music from the downstairs neighbours. Our bedroom must have a really, really thin floor.
Biked back to the Khyber. Primed the plywood for the new media centre tabletops. Added more bond to the floor. Cleaned up a little. Sanded. Primed the two recently-built shelves. Painted 3/4 of the floor in the KDMC. Will finish the job tomorrow night. Stopped by Sobeys on my way home for a few groceries. Didn’t realize that it was this late. It will be a quick drawing tonight, then bed. Must stop with these 12-15 hour days.
-Chris
From: karina van der linden <kvanderlinden@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, August 31, 2001 11:58 PM
Subject: Anguished parents tell of grief after murder of their five-year-old daughter» Manning says medical research on embryos may be morally acceptable» String of bad economic data raises concerns that recovery is long way off
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Slept in until almost ten, had a shower, ate breakfast and made a lunch, then biked to work. Stopped at Pierceys to get plastic dropcloths to cover the computers for the sanding of the wall today. The floor in the KDMC was still a bit tacky when I got to work. It needed about another hour or two to set. I laid some dropcloths overtop so we could walk on the floor without our shoes sticking. Added the last coat of drywall compound while Randy painted the tabletops with a cream-coloured alkyd paint we found in the basement. Winnie was having big troubles with her invitation, she couldn’t make a PDF nor would it print correctly at Allegra. We moved “Bob” (her nickname for the iMac) into the office so she could print a version on our inkjet. After some fiddling we got it to work. Didn’t get nearly as much accomplished today as I would have liked. Moved a few more files into the office, had a locksmith come in to repair the Ballroom Gallery lock, and towards the end of the day put a coat of paint on the new wall in the KDMC. Will need to buy more primer from Pierceys tomorrow. Painted the new shelves. Built an extension on an older shelf to make room for Randy’s stereo. By the end of the day Lisa at Allegra had come through for us; Winnie’s invitations and posters, as well as the KDMC brochures and the newsletters, were all printed and cut for us. We need to get a folding party together this weekend. I folded some tonight. Karina called me this evening. She is back in Halifax. She got a drive with my parents. I biked home and we visited in the kitchen. Drank sambuca with my Dad. First time drinking alcohol in a long time. Karina didn’t mind until I cracked open the wine my parents had brought after they left. That’s where I stopped. Am now a combination of buzzed and really tired. We are going ahead with the yard sale tomorrow morning, even though the forecast calls for rain. It will be an early morning. I spoke with Peter tonight; I can stay with him and Jen for the Wednesday-Thursday part of my Ottawa visit next week. That’s a load off. It will be nice to see them again. They want to see slides of my (not so) recent work.
-Chris
DEAR PM 