From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : clloyd@khyberarts.ns.ca
Subject : B.C. firefighters face high temperatures, winds in battle with huge blazes
Date : Sat, 02 Aug 2003 14:31:34 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a good day. Woke up a bit late and made breakfast and coffee. Sadko and I traded catalogues and discussed our work. Drove into the main street with Sadko looking for plywood. After two attempts could only find quarter inch with a good one side—a bit too thin. Will have to figure something out. Stopped at the arena to check on the Internet connection and everything was working fine. Checked my email and wrote to Jen and Karina. Caroline gave me my first cheque and I went to the bank and caused a huge lineup. They cashed my cheque but didn’t understand that I wanted money orders drawn up; the line grew and grew as two tellers went looking for someone in the bank who spoke English. After a twenty-minute wait it was all figured out. I then went to the post office to mail money to Karina to pay our rent for August.
Wandered around downtown for the afternoon—I can’t believe how many art galleries and studios there are. Stopped at the Internet café to check my email again. Read one of Shawn’s recent blogs and it sounds like there is trouble at the Khyber already between Shawn and Andréa. I wrote them each an email and also asked Shawn if my website will be up and ready soon. I’d like to be able to start my own blog and use the Google translations in the project for the Symposium ASAP.
Claudine picked me up on the way back to the house and I had a shower and shaved before driving back to the arena with her and Caroline for the vernissage. It was mostly politicians and bureaucrats giving speeches, and all us artists had to pose for photographs, but overall it was OK. I met some nice people, a man who has been coming to the Symposium every year, and another who was telling me about how he had met his wife thirty-five years ago and fell in love with her and Baie-St-Paul at the same time—then he spilled red wine all over my shirt. No big deal: it happens to me all the time.
We had dinner at the Mouton Noir, a fancy restaurant with a nice patio and view of the river. Talked a bit—mostly en anglais, listening to Claudine, Dominique, Julie et Josée speak en francais. Talked more with Sadko about the artist-run and commercial art system in Canada. Walked home fairly early—for me—with Sylvaine and her boyfriend. Need to get up early tomorrow to get supplies and print some letters before noon.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : B.C. firefighters face high temperatures, winds in battle with huge blazes
Date : Sat, 02 Aug 2003 19:09:59 -0300
August 2 2003
Dear Jean,
It was another sunny day in Baie-St-Paul. I walked to La Compagnie Tremblay to look again for wood. I love that the store seems to have everything; old countertops, Xmas decorations, wood and vinyl flooring, kitchen appliances and hunting rifles. Lots of kitchy things too. The lady was very nice to me and helped me pick out a smooth pine planche, her boss cut it for me. I think they are brother and sister.
Still haven’t found an arts supplies store. Asked for directions a few times but I think I misunderstood and went the wrong way. I did find another hardware store with smooth plywood that is thicker than the wood at the Co-op.
It was fairly empty at the arena today, though still handfuls of people came through. Met a couple of the guys who are filming a documentary about the Symposium, and talked to Dominique and Margerie, the tour guides, about my work. Caroline let me use her computer in the office of the Centre d’Art to print my letters. I’ll have to go in every day to print the new ones. Shawn is not yet finished my website so I can’t do the Google translations just yet.
Have been emailing Andréa, answering questions she has about work. Have been emailing Jen as well, not so much about work, but about how little work we seemed to be doing while we were spending time together. Even now, while at the Symposium, my Metapet instincts are taking over. I want to go swimming in the river and spend time in the sun, not in a hockey rink. Though I have started a painting, the SARS/Mad cow one from the National Post on May 22. I need to find some gesso before I start painting with the guache, I think. Otherwise it will sink too much into the wood.
Am going to get a few more groceries tonight and get a phone card so I can talk to some of the folks back home. Will maybe try to read more of that French book.
Have to go; the arena is closing for the day.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Major B.C. wildfires rapidily growing, forcing more residents to flee homes
Date : Sun, 03 Aug 2003 18:47:53 -0300
August 3, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Met Sadko at the IGA yesterday evening after leaving the arena and he drove me to his chalet for beer and something to eat. We had soup and salad and bread and cheese and talked about art, politics and fascism. He drove us back to the Maison d’Artistes. I had phone messages so I left to get a phone card. Called Karina from a phone booth outside the large eglisse at the centre of town. Judy was there, and I talked to her a bit about what was going on with Karina and I, but then Karina and I got into an argument about the state of our relationship and I used up almost all my phone card time just trying to end the conversation on a somewhat good note.
Woke up early this morning and had a nice long conversation with Jen. Her life will start going back to normal now that all the openings, events, and parties have all finished and people like Cooper have gone away.
Picked up some more supplies from the Jean Couteau and am ready to make some art!
Shawn has finished my website and it is online. The URL is:
http://www.khyberarts.ns.ca/clloyd
I will be posting new letters as a blog on that site. I like the way he has set it up, except for the big ugly picture of me on the home page. The little animated office scene is nice though.
Didn’t make a whole lot of progress on my painting today. Started colouring in a sleeve. A small boy came by and was playing with my brushes and he smeared some crimson paint across the wood, but it’s fixable. Went to the Centre D’Art and printed a letter and Claudine showed me where the babel translating site was. On Tuesday I’ll start printing the translated pages tom accompany my regular ones.
Sadko has been helping me, offering tips on the latest drawing, which is still a little out of proportion. Will hopefully have it all fixed up by Tuesday.
Have heard back from Craig Francis Power; he and I are supposed to have an ongoing e-correspondence while he is on residency at Sruts Gallery in Sackville.
Tomorrow is a day off. Claudine wants to go hang-gliding but I think it is a bit expensive for so short a thrill. Caroline wants to go camping and fishing but doesn’t have a tent. I’m not sure what I want to do, maybe just explore the town a bit more, maybe go swimming in the river. Sadko wants to cook a “Bosnian Pot” for everyone in the house tomorrow evening.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Major B.C. wildfires rapidily growing, forcing more residents to flee homes
Date : Tue, 05 Aug 2003 11:11:50 -0300
August 4 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
It rained for most of our day off, sometimes quite hard. I had switched mattresses last night with one of the spare beds and had a better sleep; couldn’t feel as many springs, and there is not so deep a depression. Though I did dream about David Cronenberg’s The Fly, which was a bit weird. Made some breakfast and then Sadko drove me downtown. Checked my email and updated the blog. Bought an umbrella and another phone card and walked home. A six dollar umbrella will last a lot longer here than in Halifax: very little wind accompanies the rain. Played on the computer for most of the afternoon making a template for the baseball cards. It would have been quicker and less frustrating to have done it by hand. Drew over some postcards of Baie-St-Paul to send home to friends. Went for a walk to the quay; read a plaque about an English invasion of Baie-St-Paul in 1759. Read some art magazines. Sadko made his “Bosnian Pot” and almost everyone came to eat at 7pm; we moved the two kitchen tables together and were able to seat 14. It was a very lively and enjoyable meal, lots of wine. Talked on the phone for a while and then talked with Anne on the back porch while smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes before going to bed—early, again.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : 800 evacuees from southern Alta forest fire go home; 1,000 more still out
Date : Thu, 07 Aug 2003 10:51:23 -0300
August 6, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Another rainy day. Woke up early. Switched mattresses again and this time put it on the floor. The box spring was broken, the slats split. No wonder I was sinking! I also think this house may be haunted, the hair on the back of my neck often stands up late at night. Maybe it’s just the isolation of the basement that is freaking me out.
Sadko came this morning and we drove to Dominique’s chalet that she shares with Marjorie, Claudine and Caroline. The drive to Quebec City took just an hour. Dominique left to meet her parents and Sadko and I went to VU and met with André, one of the programmers there. Sadko had to discuss some details surrounding his upcoming exhibition there and André gave us a tour of the complex, it is quite amazing. There are eight buildings all co-owned by different artist-run centres, video, print, exhibition spaces, studios, workshops, and all newly renovated, thanks in large part to the provincial government. A far cry from the pitiful support we get in the Maritimes. Speaking of which, the PCs there squeaked into a minority government, the wankers. Don’t know many details at this point. Anyway, we ate at a nice restaurant in the complex, I had pizza with big hunks of sausage, then we went to the art supply store nearby to get some gesso and paint and brushes, then we drove back to Baie-St-Paul. The highway resembled a rushing river at times; the rain was really coming down hard at times.
Printed some letters at the Centre and worked at the arena for a bit. Anne, who works at the Centre, did a great job correcting the recent Babel Fish letter. Couldn’t update my Blog site, there was a problem with my password. Maybe Shawn changed it?
Julie made supper tonight called Paté Chinois, a traditional Quebecois family dish based on the meals fed to the Chinese workers of the Trans Canada Railway. It is layered ground beef, corn and mashed potatoes. It was yummy and filling. We ate fruit salad and tofu for desert. Drank some beer and red wine. We talked about the local reaction to the more ‘conceptual’ nature of this particular Symposium. Looks like I am not the only one to have thoughts that we may get run out of town by angry townsfolk. There have been some disparaging comments from those unwilling or unable to meet contemporary art at least halfway. It may seem a little different this year with such an absence of grand heroic paintings. Talked on the phone for a while. Apparently I have bought all the Globo phone cards at the local depanneur. More fodder for teasing from the ladies of the house.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Blast at Halifax grain elevator forces evacuation of neighbourhood
Date : Fri, 08 Aug 2003 11:11:03 -0300
August 7, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a good night’s sleep. Woke up early. The sun actually came out for a bit this morning. Stopped at the Centre to print some letters, and was at the arena by 10:30. Spent a lot of time today on the ‘Beef” part of the diptych, and accomplished a nice drawing. It has a very nice neo-classical look. Sadko wants me to leave it more unfinished but I’m not so sure about deviating from the current formula. Downloaded some Mickey Mantle baseball card images but I don’t know how far I am going to go with that project. Our next-door neighbour came by and corrected the ”Babel Fish” letter. Copied a G love and Special Sauce CD for Sadko. Checked my email and wrote some letters. Spoke with many people who came through the arena. One couple from Ottawa were on their way to visit the new museum in Shawinigan. I may try to visit there as well. There are some nasty comments in the book about the fact that us young artists have “nothing to say”. Someone isn’t looking very hard. Sadko jokingly put crude price tags on his paintings, an ironic play on the fact that the commercial arts play such a dominant role in Baie-St-Paul.
Picked up a few groceries and some wine after work. Today it is Anne’s birthday and she cooked a large meal, a couple chickens and a huge pot of rice. It was another full night at the house, very lively. Andréa called with some questions about payroll, perpetuating the notion that I am on the phone all the time. Ate some banana-chocolate cake that Claudine made. Washed some dishes and retired fairly early. Tomorrow we are going to the island directly after work at the arena for supper and the film festival. A bunch of us are staying overnight, so I probably won’t write again until Saturday.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : U.S. lifts ban on some Canadian beef products, but not live animals
Date : Sat, 09 Aug 2003 13:09:34 -0300
August 8, 2003.
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
It was another grey and overcast day in Baie-St-Paul. It felt more like fall than summer. Slept well, and am now using the computer alarm clock to get up early. Made breakfast and then Sadko picked me up to go and get some plywood. The guy at the hardware store made the cut but I had to buy both pieces. It was still a good price. A lot of other things seem to cost an arm and a leg here. Maybe I’ll make a great big painting of you especially for the Symposium.
Printed some letters at the Centre and then spent the day at the arena. I am close to finishing the two paintings. Christine, Josée and Vida gave presentations today, all in French but I think I got the gist of them. The slides helped. A Global TV crew came by with a bunch of Anglo Quebec kids; they have been following them throughout Quebec on different exploits, getting their reaction to different aspects of the culture. Contemporary art wasn’t really high on their agenda, though the kids did seem interested.
The whole lot of us headed out in four or five cars promptly at 6pm to go to the Ile aux Coudres for a Kino video presentation. Caroline and Claudine didn’t make the 6:30 ferry, and our car took a wrong turn but eventually we found our way to Le Crapet-Soleil, a fun mix of bar, restaurant and hostel. Caroline had made reservations and we had a long table set up on the stage. The food was OK, not great. The films were screened late, a mix of good and awful, but that’s the way it is with Kino. I liked the Wisconsin videos. Stayed out late, drinking and smoking and then dancing to salsa music. It was great fun. I spilled a full beer on Dominique. We probably didn’t need to order that second pitcher. It was surprising to me the amount of people that were out on such a small and secluded island. Shared a room with Herménégilde. The bed was comfortable, and even though there was still a loud crowd outside past 3am I managed to fall asleep quickly.
Woke up at one point in the night when lightning struck the back of the hostel. It caused a loud bang and a small fire with lots of smoke, but luckily there was a group of volunteer firefighters staying there. They broke into the store just down the street and took bags of ice and frozen vegetables to douse the fire. An old man drove by on a tractor and threw a pumpkin at me, but he missed.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : B.C. forest fire evacuees return to find charred wrecks of homes
Date : Sun, 10 Aug 2003 12:14:04 -0300
August 9, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
We drove around the Ile aux Coudres before heading back to Baie-St-Paul, since the island is so small. Stopped at a lookout and gathered bits of slate to make drawings on. The slate was turned up, like the crust of the earth had been thrust sideways. We were hunting for crooked pie and the crooked house. The crooked house wasn’t really that crooked, but the pies—les pates croches—were quite yummy. I ate three throughout the day. They are better warm than cold.
Jumped off the N.M. Joseph-Savard ferry on the way back to the mainland. I couldn’t help it; I have always wanted to jump from a big ferry like that. It was a good five-second free fall, though it felt much longer. The water was really, really cold. The ferry had too much momentum and couldn’t stop, but they sent a small zodiac back for me. The old guys on the boat gave me hot chocolate and a pair of ill-fitting overalls to wear. I couldn’t tell if they were mad at me or just thankful I hadn’t drowned.
Didn’t have a very productive day at the arena. Was a good hour late by the time I had changed and printed off my letters. I added some text to the “Beef and Chinese Soup” paintings—alternating the text, so that the beef text refers to the soup painting, and the soup text refers to the beef painting. I will add thought bubbles as well. The project is morphing all the time now. I have made a “missing persons” poster featuring you; if anyone sees you they are to contact me at the Symposium. I am thinking a lot about playfulness, of impishness, of court jesters. There was a musical performance in the arena that was nice to hear. Had a nice conversation with a young man about book publishing and Jeannette Winterson; now I want to read the Passion.
Came home and washed some laundry and had a long nap, then went for some groceries. Tomorrow night is Drawing Club at Le Maison des Artistes, and I want to make spaguetti. There was live music tonight at the église and the quai but I wasn’t really up for it, and went to bed early.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Mexico follows U.S. lead in partially reopening border to Canadian beef
Date : Tue, 12 Aug 2003 12:27:06 -0300
August 10 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a productive day at the arena on Sunday, despite the fact I was hit by a car on my way there. It wasn’t all that bad, my foot was just run over, and my shoes have steel toes. It is true that motorists don’t stop at crosswalks in Quebec; in fact, they often speed up, to get past the offending pedestrians who dare to venture into the domain of cars and trucks. What is really odd, however, is that motorists often slow down and avoid puddles so as not to splash pedestrians. The opposite is true in Halifax, where dousing pedestrians seems a sport, but the moment a pedestrian starts to even think about crossing the street traffic will stop.
Finished the “beef and soup” diptych and started planning out a much larger triptych of when Iran admitted that Kazemi was killed. Spoke to a local man about cynicism based on what I wrote to you after 9/11 and how it related to a recent comments made by an English sociologist; he said he would cut out the newspaper clipping and bring it back for me. Talked to many people throughout the day: actually, the arena seemed full of people. It made perfect sense, since it was raining again.
Made Spaguetti for supper and fed a dozen people just before Drawing Club. I managed to burn some of the spaguetti, but no one complained, and the sauce was well received. Drawing Club was fun; some really nice drawings were made. Josée suggested that next week we do a photomontage night, based on the photos that we are all taking. I’ll see about putting some of the drawings up at the symposium, though there is some disagreement over what to show and what not to show.
Walked to the Quai with Anne and Edith after everyone else had gone home or gone to bed. We walked way out on the mud flats. It was like a moonscape, the ground flat and pebbled and the horizon indistinguishable, the water blending into the sky. The tide was coming in really fast and it was fascinating to watch the water literally rising before our very eyes. Made some impromptu tape sculptures and walked back home.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Mexico follows U.S. lead in partially reopening border to Canadian beef
Date :
Tue, 12 Aug 2003 12:32:15 -0300
August 11, 2003
Woke up early this morning, washed some laundry (my pants from last night covered in mud from the river), and began working on my presentation. I think it will be a Power Point presentation, as there are lots of features I can use that include graphs and charts. I think it will be quite humorous yet also instructive.
Claudine came to pick me up and we drove to Quebec City. We decided to stop at the Cyclorama. It is almost indescribable. Over-the top kitsch comes to mind. I don’t quite know what relevance the huge framed puzzles of a Church and a Rembrandt painting had for the Cyclorama. To enter the panorama one takes a set of circular stairs to arrive at a balcony in the centre. The painting hangs about 12 meters away (a fact the man monitoring the painting—and renting binoculars—pointed out more than once. The ground portion of the painting is hilarious; sharp angles with earth and rocks painted overtop. Some 2-dimensional relief figures dot the foreground. A huge red tent-like awning fans out from the centre and acts as a ceiling. It looks like an Anish Kapoor sculpture or Anne Hamilton installation. There is a space-age looking consol in the centre, surrounded by speakers and lights. It resembles a mast. There was a small ladder leading up the pole and I couldn’t resist climbing it. The second balcony is like a crows nest. I climbed higher into the attic, where large support beams branch out to hold up the fabric. The top portion of the painting is actually much higher than one can see from below; the red ceiling blocks the view. It is mostly sky, so I guess they didn’t think that part of the panorama was as important. The audio tour is the corniest I’ve ever heard. It spends most of the time pointing out details in an attempt to convince visitors what a masterpiece it is. I managed to get back down the pole without the attendant noticing; I think he spends a lot of time trying to ignore what is going on around him. The soundtrack almost drove me crazy after listening to it three times in a row. The sound effects—wailing women, dramatic music—are just too much.
We visited the gift shop afterwards and I became overwhelmed and bought a cheap little porcelain Last Supper, some Jesus stickers, pendants, a Jesus/Virgin Mary hologram card and a book on the Cyclorama. The text is awful. I’m going to check out the website tomorrow.
The day in Quebec was fun. We returned the piano, then met Fannie, a friend Claudine’s, for lunch at a sushi restaurant. It started to rain and poured quite heavily for two hours, so we went to the mall(s). I was looking for a Foucault book in English but didn’t find one. Made some photocopies of the “Missing Person” poster and put a bunch up around Old Quebec, in front of the parliament and Chateau Frontenac. Claudine took some pictures, and then we had coffee and headed back to Baie-St-Paul. We stopped at the Quai and watched the full moon rise over the St. Lawrence. We had missed supper at La Maison des Artistes but there was some leftover soup when we arrived. Vida was going to make borsch but couldn’t find enough beets so made black bean soup instead; it was yummy.
Tomorrow is another day off but I think I will continue to work on my presentation and put up a bunch of “Missing Person” posters around town. If the weather is nice I’d like to go swimming.
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Ottawa announces $1-billion plan to fight climate change, but toughest decision
Date : Wed, 13 Aug 2003 11:21:48 -0300
August 12, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
The sun was finally out in Baie-St-Paul today. Cars filled the main road into town; the tourists are back. I Slept in a bit, then went to the bank. Tried to put money on Karina’s Visa but couldn’t, so mailed her a mandat de post instead. Went to the centre to print some letters and photocopy more posters. Headed to the arena to check email; there were a few for work, some personal. Gathered some drawings from Sadko and Yasuko for the Khyber newsletter but Edith was away and I couldn’t scan the work; I’ll do it tomorrow, when Anne will give me something as well.
Went home for lunch and packed some shorts and a towel for swimming then headed towards the highway. Tacked and taped about thirty “missing persons” posters up along the way. At one point a motorist slowed down beside me and asked what I was doing; when I told him he called it “BS” and drove off. Stopped at the Jean Coutu to drop off my two disposable cameras for developing and continued to the Hart shopping mall. Bought a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable so I can play music from the computer to the cassette player at the house. Continued up the hill past the golf course to the turnoff for the river. Claudine had given me good instructions, and I found the swimming spot OK. There were a handful of people sunbathing, some nude, some not. The French are so much more liberal about public nudity. The river was rushing quite fast, so I wandered along the rocks upriver. Found a few places to swim and jumped from the rocks where the water was deep enough. The waterfall and tall cliffs on either side of the river made quite dramatic scenery; I especially liked the moss covering one side. Sat for a while in the sun.
Went to the IG for some groceries afterwards and ran into Yasuko and we walked back to the house together. Made supper and talked on the phone for a while. Worked on the computer until late and decided to go for a walk. Wandered around town for a bit, enjoying the quietness and the bright moonlight. Took a stroll along the railway tracks to the bridge across the river. On the way back I noticed a dark shape moving in the bushes. It was a dog, and it charged at me as I came near. I tried to avoid it but it grabbed my pants and held on with its jaws. I managed to break free and run for a bit but it attacked again and knocked me down, this time biting my arm. Luckily my arms are skinny; I think it got mostly a mouthful of jacket. I put it in a headlock and knocked it on the head a few times but that just made it angrier. It took all my strength to hold it down, but once I started petting it we both calmed down. Eventually it got so tired that we went our separate ways, both worn out. A few puncture marks, tears and bruises, but other than that no worse for wear. I never would have thought that poodles could be so vicious.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Accused Air India bomber’s son says he wouldn’t help pay dad’s legal bills
Date : Thu, 14 Aug 2003 11:36:40 -0300
August 13, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I was so tired this morning, but I was up early anyhow and at the Centre before 10 to print letters and photocopy more posters. Put up a few more along Rue St-Jean de Baptiste. Started a new project at the arena, inserting drawings of you into the front-page picture of Le Devoir. Today I added you to yesterday’s front-page photo regarding the discovery of some old MIG fighter jet in Iraq. I guess Bush and the Good ‘Ole Boys are still hunting for any scrap of evidence they can get to retro-actively prove a “clear and present danger”, and justify the war.
Other than that I copied some music CDs, checked and re-checked my email, started updating my CBC Zed website and continued work on the triptych. Scanned Sadko and Yasuko’s drawings and Anne took a digital still of a bowl of water and text installation to send back home for the Khyber newsletter. A woman asked for a copy of the poster and another man said he had seen one of them in Quebec City.
A photographer for Le Soleil came by to take pictures of four of us, including me. It was awful: the most contrived, awkward and obviously fake photo shoot I have ever participated in. I have to learn to just say no. Though I kind of hope that one of the shots of me holding the “missing person” poster works out and is used. That would be fun, considering I plan to poster other cities with them after the residency.
After work Claudine, Caroline, Anne, Yasuko and I drove up to the river for a quick swim. The water seemed colder than yesterday. We swam for a bit and jumped off the high rocks. Stopped at the IGA on the way back for chickpeas, tahini and pita bread; Josée was making Mediterranean food tonight. They waited for us to return from swimming before eating, which we felt a little bad about. The food was really good; she made roasted eggplant and zucchini with beef and cheese, a little salad on the side. Desert was amazing, blueberries, ice cream and brandy. Smoked some cigarettes and watched for falling stars, but I only saw a bat or a moth streaking across the sky. The moon was orange tonight.
I tried to call Karina but I bought the wrong kind of calling card and it wouldn’t work from either the house or the payphone. I hope she isn’t upset; I said I would call, but the store that sells the Globo cards was closed, and I can’t call collect. She leaves for Vancouver in the morning.
There were some younger people playing hackey sac in the Church parking lot and they asked if I wanted to join them. I’m lousy at hackey sac but felt good about being asked so I joined in. At least, I thought they were asking me to join them. It was going OK until I kicked the hackey sac a little too hard and it hit one of the girls in the eye. She started crying and the guys got pretty mad at me and started to curse and swear. I thought they were calling me by name and I kept answering “oui, je m’apelle Chris” but I think that made it worse. I fear it would have turned violent if two nuns hadn’t come by and broken it up. I really have to practice my French more.
Worked on my Power Point presentation when I got home.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Ontario slowly regaining electricity, but officials still urging caution
Date : Fri, 15 Aug 2003 10:31:34 -0300
August 14 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had horrible dreams about work last night. Dreamed of a board meeting gone awry, with yelling and accusations that made me so mad I quit my job on the spot, and bought a plane ticket to Newfoundland. Then I missed my flight and had a huge fight with a ticket agent at Air Canada.
Printed some letters at the Centre this morning and then met Claudine at the house to return some liquor bottles to the IGA and buy some Saki for Yasuko’s sushi night. Ran a few more errands before going back to the arena. Claudine pointed out an odd “green space” in the middle of the asphalt parking lot at the mall; some bushes, trees, benches and tables in the middle of the parking lot. Very odd. We may have to shoot some photos there.
Had a good day at the arena. Met a woman named Diane from Oregon who biked across the country a few years ago. She is on another biking tour right now. We talked politics a bit with Irenie, who offered to put up some of the “wanted” posters in Toronto when she goes back on Saturday. Uploaded more content to my ZED CBC account and checked email and worked on the newspaper drawings. At 3pm there was a screening of Graeme Patterson experimental video “Don’t Ride Shopping Carts” and another video by a Montreal filmmaker called “Snooze”, which was quite good.
Yasuko had made a fabulous spread for supper tonight. The first wave of us listened to the radio for news on the major blackout that was affecting 1/3 of North Americans, from New York to Toronto. Maybe it was Martians: the Red Planet is closer to Earth now than it has been in over 60,000 years. I think maybe it is just massive over-consumption—too many air-conditioners. Supper was great; drank lots and lots of saki. Talked on the phone for a bit in the living room and then watched Bad Ideas for Paradise, which I had successfully downloaded from the web earlier in the day. Finished the saki.
A police car with its lights flashing followed a Bronco into the driveway next door while I was on the phone. Two officers got out of the car really quickly with their guns drawn and began shouting; I couldn’t see exactly what happened because a big hedge separates the two properties. There was some sort of scuffle and commotion but no gunshots. Then one officer got back in the car and drove off, and everything was quiet. Seemed a bit strange—reminded me again of Twin Peaks
I am really enjoying Baie-St-Paul but certainly miss parts of Halifax; sometimes I feel so disconnected from the place, yet at other times I can almost taste the salty air on my lips.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Power restored to most of Ontario, Eves urges continued energy conservation
Date : Sat, 16 Aug 2003 12:47:29 -0300
August 15 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
I’ve decided to let the mosquitoes have their way with me; they outnumber us a gazillion to one, and are just way too persistent. The result is having matching ankle bracelets of itchy red spots, and I kind of like ignoring the urge to scratch.
It got really hot outside today; I walked to the Jean Coutu to pick up my film, and gained a fine film of sweat on myself in the process. The air in the arena was much cooler in comparison. I like it hot.
There were three artist presentations in the afternoon, Anne, Sylvaine and Edith and Julie, who had arrived with her boyfriend and baby girl—who is adorable. The presentations were nice but felt a bit long for me, probably because I couldn’t understand everything. Helped Sylvaine with the power point aspect of her presentation.
Tonight it was homards for supper and Richard’s birthday. It was the first time I have eaten lobster in over twelve years. Had a short interview with Francoise and , the filmmakers who are making a documentary about the Symposium. It went well, Francoise asked good questions. I drank lots of beer and bought fireworks at the deppaneur (which you certainly can’t do in NS). The fireworks caused some anxiety for our neighbours to the back of the house when one of the spent rockets landed in their garden; they came out to investigate and retrieve the offending particle. I decided I wanted to swim in our other neighbors’ pool, but was too noisy—trying to climb the corrugated plastic wall around the pool was probably not a brilliant move—and was spotted and chased off the property. I jumped through a hedge, expecting grass on the other side but it was the street, and I scraped my elbow up quite nicely. A young guy who lives there and his girlfriend tracked me down and had words with me; I was very apologetic and overly friendly in a drunken way. Maybe some day I’ll start acting my age.
Hermenegilde had plugged his computer into the stereo and the night turned into a wild dance party. He has quite an eclectic range of music and we were up until well past two, maybe even three, dancing and singing along to French songs I didn’t know. Once everyone had left and we were finally drinking water I stayed up practicing my French with Anne. I attempt to speak more French when I’m drinking but I don’t know if I make any sense.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Ontario seems to avoid rolling blackouts; U.S. says blackout started there
Date : Sun, 17 Aug 2003 12:06:32 -0300
August 16, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had quite the hangover this morning. Woke up later than usual, went to the centre, printed some letters and headed to the arena. Tried to be productive but managed only to make adjustments to your mouth on the big painting in progress. My muscles ache all over but I can’t tell if it’s from the dancing or the leap over the hedge. Probably both.
Eugénie, one of the Fermiéres Obsédées, stopped by today. She said she saw you recently in Shawinigan, and that she spoke to you in a café. She was happy that more art festivals and events were happening in smaller towns and communities, bringing new life into them.
Grabbed some lunch from Maxi just before the forum. There were some good presentations, though I can’t understand everything that is said. It is difficult to maintain concentration for lengthy periods of time. Claudine read Gaston’s text for him, as his eyesight is poor. Herménégilde gave a great presentation, or so I was told. His was the hardest for me to follow, I think because he spoke more lyrically; it was less academic. Patrice was discussing quotidian practices as they appeared in Germaine Koh’s work, and brought up a few historical references to Joseph Kosuth, On Kawara and I think John Baldessari that I was pleasantly surprised to hear. I think I may add a few On Kawara comments to my power point presentation.
There was a reception at the Centre following the forum. It was announced that Herménégilde was going to have to leave the Symposium as he has just recently been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. I guess you know that since you spoke with him last week. Made tentative plans to go whale watching on Monday with Claudine and Anne. Postponed “Drawing/Photo-montage Club” to Sunday, as everyone wanted a low-key evening. Watched some Sadie Benning art videos and went to bed really, really early.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Hot weather puts heat on Ontario residents to conserve after massive blackout
Date : Tue, 19 Aug 2003 12:13:09 -0300
August 17
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up at 3:30 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I stayed up and worked on the computer. Got tired at around 7 but I wanted to get an early start on the day so I stayed up. Was at the arena before Richard, though he arrived shortly after I did. Re-arranged my letters and sent some mail. Got a fair bit of work done on the large triptych.
Met a woman who claimed to be your niece—though she said she doesn’t tell a lot of people. And another man took my website address (remember, it is http://www.khyberarts.ns.ca/clloyd) and said he knew a young guy who was in close contact with you and that he would try to have you respond to the letters. André from VU came by after he and his girlfriend went swimming by the falls. The dog that attacked me the other day came into the arena with its owner and growled at me. The dog, not the owner. Luckily it was on a leash, though you should have seen it straining to get at me. The owner is a little old lady; she was dragged part-way across the arena floor until Richard took control of the leash and guided her out. Julie and Edith let me hide out in their space until the coast was clear.
Gaston and Chantal called a meeting of all the artists this afternoon to discuss plans for Herménéglide’s painting; he wants us to finish it for him. It would consist of us each painting our profiles on either side of a dinner table, then filling the insides of our head with our thoughts on our work. Sounds like fun. We will probably start once Herménéglide answers the list of questions for clarification that we had.
Stopped at Maxi after work and bought some groceries (but no beer!) and made a big chicken curry when I got home. In the kitchen was swirling a bizarre array of smells; homards (still!), chocolate brownies that Vida was making, stir-fry and chicken curry.
After supper we had a Drawing/Photo-montage/collage Club. It was great fun, and we worked until close to midnight.
Off to see the whales on Monday.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Hot weather puts heat on Ontario residents to conserve after massive blackout
Date : Tue, 19 Aug 2003 12:13:59 -0300
August 18
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Claudine picked up the rental car from Simards and met Anne and I at the house. We were the only ones to go whale watching; the others went to the Gorge. It was a nice drive to Tadoussac, though we missed the 1pm ferry and there was a brief panic and rush to get to the zodiacs that are on this side of the fjord. Saw quite a few whales, some even quite close. It was a bit of a bizarre experience to be huddled on one of about eight zodiacs and two larger boats hovering around the expected visions of the backs of some whales. I wonder if we are as much of a spectacle for the whales? I guess not, as they haven’t organized an entire industry around ours. The three hours was definitely worth it; the boat ride was fun, saw lots of seals as well, the air smelled fresh and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Got a bit of a sunburn on my face. I needed the colour.
We stopped at a campground lake across the fjord in Tadoussac and went for a long swim in seagull-infested waters. Hitchcock would have been proud of the amount of birds sitting on the surface of the water; where there were no birds there were feathers. I’ve probably caught some awful skin disease from swallowing the water, and if I tried I could probably cough up a feather pillow. But the water was warm and reminded me of Tea Lake in Halifax. We had a picnic on the shore that was infested with large flying ants.
Had a coffee at a shop in Tadoussac before heading back. Stopped in La Malbaie to take pictures of a Jesus statue with what looked to be a bicycle rim on his head (his halo—with a neon light around the rim). Claudine let me drive from there; I enjoy driving the winding roads and steep hills. We took some fun photographs as we drove between rows of glowing pylons through a long stretch of construction.
Went to bed early.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Electricity regulator warns power demand is on the rise as Ontario heats up
Date : Wed, 20 Aug 2003 11:16:46 -0300
August 19
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
It was my day off today but went to the arena a few times to catch up on some work. Stopped at the Centre to print some letters. Headed out to Harts on foot to get some film developed and some reprints for Claudine. It was really hot and sticky out today. Took some photographs of the strange little “green area” in the middle of the parking lot at the mall.
Went back to the house for lunch and startled the locksmith. It was a good thing he was there as I had forgotten my key. He was fixing the lock on the back door. Yesterday our neighbour Mr. Simard had to break the little catch that was keeping the door locked—the regular lock broke over a week ago—to let Sylvaine in. hung around the house while the locksmith went to get a part from his shop.
Walked back to Harts to get my pictures but not many turned out, though they will be OK for Photo Club. Got a few good shots of a whale’s tale that Anne may like. Stopped at La Maison de René Richard. It is a quaint little place, sort of reminds me of Maud Lewis’ house, though not as small or ramshackle. There are way too many paintings by other people there. I like that one of the galleries was/is a bathroom.
Worked in the arena for a little longer and then went home and took a nap. Had more leftovers for supper. Edith, Sylvaine and Anne went to a fancy restaurant for supper but I wanted to spend a quiet evening at home. I can’t justify a $60-$80 supper for myself. Talked to my dad and brother Aaron on the phone, and Rebecca and Karen—who is still waiting for her luggage to arrive from Montréal, even though she flew into Halifax on Friday—and was going to call Karina but the Globo card ripped me off again, this time by almost a full hour. Worked on my Power Point presentation for most of the evening.
Went for a late evening walk to the Quai and back. The crickets were out and loud and clear in the night air. Can still see Mars in the sky.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Straus to step down as CEO of JDS Uniphase as HQ moves to San Jose
Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2003 12:08:58 -0300
August 20
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Bought a bottle of water on my way to the arena this morning; the tap water has been declared unsafe. I heard something about a viral strain of meningitis in the water supply. I was drinking a fair bit of it yesterday, and I did feel a bit woozy in the afternoon, but it passed. Usually I would blame odd health symptoms—dizziness, hot and cold flashes, clammy skin—on the greenish hue and high pitched hum of the lights at the arena, but maybe this time it was the water.
Got a bit of work done on the triptych, and started the baseball card series. The cards will feature an image of you holding different art sculptures as bats—sort of a reference to that time somebody snuck in and surprised you and Aline at 24 Sussex Drive. Talked with Sadko about when to start on Herménéglide’s painting, and who exactly is going to start it.
After work most of us went out to Christine and Mary-Christine’s chalet for a couscous feast. There was so much food. We ate on the back deck overlooking out over all of Baie-St-Paul. It threatened to rain a number of times but we used the power of our minds to stave it off. Christine started a bonfire in the back yard and Marjorie had brought her guitar so the evening turned into a big sing-along—though most of the songs were in French so I just listened. I’m an awful singer anyhow.
Marjorie drove the last of us home quite late.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Thousands flee aggressive fire moving toward southern Kelowna suburbs
Date : Fri, 22 Aug 2003 11:54:57 -0300
August 21, 2003
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up late this morning. It looked cloudy out so I wore pants. Had a quick breakfast, went to the centre to print some letters. Gaston was up and about, he can see better now since his operation on Monday.
My day consisted of alternating between the Power Point Presentation (PPP) and playing Everquest on-line with Julie. It is funny that her space is right beside mine and as we were playing on-line in a virtual space I could here her shouting and recording parts of the game as one of her projects. The game was fun; lots of explosions and crazy aliens and spaceships.
Claudine helped with the translation of my presentation, and I created a few more maquettes of baseball cards. Basically spent the day on the computer.
Had my first visitor who claimed outright that my work was not “art”. He said this because he wrote lots of email for his work and he doesn’t consider that art. I said exactly, and that it depends a lot on context. Vida had someone write on one of her drawings a derogatory comment about her work. I think the natives are restless; some of the townsfolk aren’t too pleased with our work. If Christine and Sadko weren’t making paintings—he’s doing portraits of Prince William now—I think we would have a revolt on our hands. Josée had a nice conversation with a mathematician, and most discussions are going well, so things aren’t all bad.
Made supper and over-cooked my chicken because I was still working on the PPP. Broke down and bought more cigarettes and beer, then went for a long walk along the railroad tracks across the bay. A train came by, slow moving, just an engine and a couple of open cars. It was moving so slowly I thought I would hitch a ride, but once I got on it picked up speed and was moving too fast for me to jump off. It finally slowed down enough so I could jump off somewhere near St. Joseph. What a long walk home! It was nice though—the air was soft and warm, and I followed the light from the large cross on the hill.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Dogribs built businesses without land claim, learned development the hard way
Date : Sat, 23 Aug 2003 13:11:23 -0300
August 22
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Took another walk along the railroad tracks before heading to the centre and the arena. It is a really nice walk. Saw some cows and chickens.
Had difficulties printing my letters today; Caroline’s computer wasn’t sending information to the printer. I ended up emailing the letters back to myself and printing them from Claudine’s computer. It really frustrates me when problems like this arise and I don’t know how to fix them.
Worked on my painting and made last-minute preparations for my presentation for most of the afternoon. I added some slides of past work to start off the presentation but I don’t think I spoke about the work clearly. The PPP worked well though, and there were no technical problems. The laser pointer was a nice touch. Claudine is an excellent translator; Sadko played music throughout his slide show, but Yasuko’s was quite difficult since her English is not that strong. I enjoyed how she spoke about distance, closeness and empty spaces.
We started outlining the silhouettes onto Herménégilde’s painting at the end of the day. Christine and Richard had already added the blue glaze, and now we need to figure out what to do about the table. I like the idea of using a photo I have of the big table at the house during drawing club as a source. We want to downplay any ‘Last Supper’ motifs.
Walked to the Quai with Claudine after work; we were trying to nap but a swarm of mosquitoes located us and attacked with full force. We couldn’t kill them fast enough, so we gave up and came back to the house. Eventually we walked the tracks back to her chalet to make a late supper. We saw the Northern Lights streaking up from the horizon in long straight bands, and a really big red shooting star. The night was really clear and we could see so many stars, and the ring of the Milky Way, which made us feel really really small.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Six out of 10 Canadians satisfied with education system: poll
Date : Sun, 24 Aug 2003 14:24:53 -0300
August 23
Dear Jean,
Woke up fairly early and made breakfast-– eggs and bacon and toast—with Dominique, Marjorie, Caroline and Claudine. The view from their chalet is quite nice. They drove me back to the house and I gathered my things for work. Fannie let me into the office at the centre so I could print my letters. It is actually easier to print straight from Hotmail; I should have been doing it like that all along. I was late for work at the arena.
Just about finished the triptych; just need to saw off the unused portion of plywood. The lettering went well. The tape helps. There was another screening of the videos…
The group made some decisions regarding Hermé’s painting. We will leave the middle table-area for now, maybe do some collaborative drawing club-like work there first and maybe sketch in a table loosely at the end. All the profiles are sketched in; we just need to start adding our own works to the insides.
Stopped at the house after work to call Karina but she either gave me a wrong number or I copied it down wrong from her email; the number was disconnected. My excuses sound ridiculous; rotary dial phone, wrong numbers, forgetting the numbers, time running out on phone cards—but that’s the way it’s been. Dropped off some letters next door for Monsieur Simard for correction . He is doing a great job.
We rented a movie for the night and borrowed the projector from the centre to screen it. Drove up to the chalet with Anne, Claudine, Marjorie and Caroline. Had a nice supper of rice (Brazilian style), salad, asparagus and crevettes that Gaston brought over with him. Dominique came back from dinner with her folks and. Marjorie left to go to Quebec City for a TV screen test tomorrow. Drank some beer and we watched Adaptation, which I thought was really good; it was nice to have it projected. I quite liked it. A movie “just about flowers” that broke all the rules established in the opening sequence, and described its unfolding in a really interesting way. Found myself reading the French subtitles from time to time; it was fun. I think I’d like to watch more movies with the French subtitles on; maybe it will help me learn quicker.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Impressed Chretien tours fire-ravaged B.C., promises government support
Date : Mon, 25 Aug 2003 14:00:15 -0300
August 24
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Slept in a bit this morning. The temperature outside was still cool, but at least the sun was shining today. Had some breakfast and washed dishes. Marjorie was still in Quebec City with the car—she had just finished her screen test at 11am—so we walked into town along the railroad tracks. Saw some falcons, and passed a ramshackle farmyard that contained chickens and sheep. One of the sheep was on our side of the fence and came over to say hello to us, very friendly. We saw a tiny kitten as well. Caroline peppered me with pollen. It was all very bucolic.
Was only twenty minutes late for work; Anne and I stopped at the house and Francoise drove us to the arena. He and Stephan are coming again next weekend and they will shoot some documentary footage of me writing a letter then. Finished my letter to you and printed it at the centre; emailing the documents to myself and using the printer friendly version is much faster than transferring to Caroline’s computer. Saves me at least ten minutes.
It was another crowded and busy day at the arena. Later in the afternoon there was some world music by a group called Kabouche that had everyone up and dancing. Had another “but is it art” conversation with a librarian, though this time it was a more positive discussion. Had a strange encounter with a woman who wanted me to sign her copy of the Symposium brochure saying I was opposed to marriage gai; I told her repeatedly that I was in fact in favour of marriage gai, and so that is what I wrote in her brochure. She said that God put man and woman on earth to procreate and that it was unnatural for people of the same sex to be together. She thought it was contradictory of me to support marriage gai and to keep a miniature Last Supper sculpture in my studio. She said she would pray for me.
M. Simard came by with corrected letters and helped me determine your thoughts for the triptych. It is a mix of two French songs. I was thinking originally of the Clash—“Should I stay or should I go”—but Claudine told me that there was a French song with almost the same lyrics, so I used that. I added a small graphic of a daisy as well.
Sketched a small outline of Hermé into his painting, based on the photo of him that was in Le Devoir on Saturday. He looks very youthful and handsome, like a sexy crooner. He is the only figure looking out at the viewer, like Velasquez.
Made some CDs on the computer when I got home then went for a walk to the grocery store. It was a quiet night in the town, except for a lunatic motorist who was speeding down the 138 with a motorboat attached to the back of his Canyonaro. The boat was jerking this way and that and when he hit a big bump it became detached and shot across the street and through the IGA parking lot. It finally came to a rest up against an RV parked near the back. The guy in the Canyonaro pulled into the lot, re-attached the boat and drove off as if this happens all the time. Maybe it does.
Walked back to the house and made some rice and watched a short art film by Raoul Ruiz—nice use of still images and narration— with Anne and Edith. Tried to call Karina but there was no answer. Worked on the computer for a while and thought about the large collage I’ll be making this week.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Stress blows blood pressure off map in young B.C. firefighters
Date : Tue, 26 Aug 2003 12:32:47 -0300
August 25
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a vivid dream about Judy and her parents last night. Her father is not in good health and she is really taking it hard as she is so close to her parents. In the dream he kept trying to go down the stairs to the basement and we kept trying to stop him; I guess it was a dream about restraint and letting go.
It was another somewhat dreary day; cold and overcast. I slept in, and then worked on the computer for awhile. Had some breakfast and went for a walk. Ran some errands; dropped some film off at the Jean Couteau, checked my email at the Internet café, had a coffee at one of the restaurants and went to the post office. Watched some Andy Warhol films when I got back but they were so terrible—horrible acting—I couldn’t sit through them all. Went to my room and started my own screenplay. If Warhol can get away with it then I sure as hell can too.
Finally got though to Karina and we had a good conversation—we talked about Nadia and Danielle and their bizarre adventures in the lower East Side of Vancouver. It is an intense place to work.
Had a short nap and then Claudine came over and drove me back to their chalet for supper. Dominique’s boyfriend Sascha was over and she had cooked corn and the Mediterranean zucchini dish similar to Josée’s from a couple weeks ago. I drove back to town for more wine and then again for tonic water. Driving fast along la rue Capaux Rets was fun—until I almost crashed into the stone wall at the final turnoff. Luckily the little car handles well. Washed dishes, listened to music and played a written Cadavre Exquis on the computer.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Thousands of tired Kelowna fire evacuees allowed to return home
Date : Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:31:40 -0300
August 26
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up really early and made blueberry pancakes for the girls. Claudine and Caroline had to leave really early to get Gaston and prepare for an interview. The first pancake didn’t turn out too well—wrong pan, and it was too cold—but that’s always the way. Somehow Marjorie managed to burn hers. Sacha drove me back to the house, I made a lunch and then I walked to the arena with Anne. Called Peter at NSCAD as a recommendation for Andréa for a job but didn’t get through to him. Had an interview with someone from Radio Canada that seemed to go well. The arena was really quiet today. The sun was out after a 3 day hiatus, and kids were back in school. Left early to get ready for the party at Gaston’s chalet.
The party was fun, though the mosquitoes were really bad at first. Drank some of my favourite wine—the Wolf Blass cabernet. It made me feel really mellow and relaxed and a tad drunk. More than a tad, I guess: I ended up singing really loud (and quite poorly) when Gilles and Marjorie brought out the guitar and song book. We danced to Brigitte Fontaine , smoked cigarettes, drank more wine and left a huge pile of dishes and food for Gaston to clean up–oops.
Went to bed a little late and a little drunk.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Thousands of tired Kelowna fire evacuees allowed to return home
Date : Thu, 28 Aug 2003 13:13:29 -0300
August 27
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up early—a tad hung over from the party, but not too bad—and had peanut butter and banana toast for breakfast. It was my last day off from the Symposium so Claudine and I left for Quebec City with Yasuko. We dropped Yasuko off at the Cyclorama—it’s world-famous! She was going to take the bus back, after visiting the waterfall. Continued on to Quebec. We drove over the old Pont de Quebec —considered by many to be one of the eighth Wonders of the World (also world-famous!), but then got lost. We ended passed a town called Breakyville, and couldn’t resist stopping to explore. On the way in we ran out of gas. We had to hitchhike to the nearest gas station, and a farmer on a tractor picked us up. The guy working at the gas station was really nice and lent us a gas can and we walked back to the car. It was great scenery and we took photographs of old farm equipment and placed some of the “Missing Persons” posters up along the country road. Brought the can back to the gas station.
Breakyville was a fun town—very David Lynch. We walked along the main street; I think there were two or three in total. We kept seeing the same three youth everywhere; the town was very quiet, almost a ghost town. Many shops were closed. We stopped at a bizarre sports store that sold mostly badly-patterned sarongs and sunglasses. The owner/proprietor had tons of photographs of himself posing with well-known Quebec personalities (and one with Don King), including you. We told him about my letter-writing project and he became really fascinated and wanted to have a picture with me. We left him a poster to put up in his store.
Found a really out of place crêpe restaurant. The chef was the only employee and he kept himself isolated in a screened in kitchen, to defend himself against marauding hordes of mosquitoes. The crêpes were really good; I never thought sausage and apple would make such a tasty combination. There was gouda in every choice; it reminded me of the Spam song.
We had a really hard time getting out of town. Every road (all three) seemed to be one way and kept leading back into the centre of town. Eventually we found our way out and headed back to Quebec for some shopping. Claudine wanted to get some CDs.
Had a good drive back to Baie-St-Paul; I really like driving. Took more photographs of the bizarre road signs and numerous orange and red striped pylons peppering all the construction zones. There is a lot of construction in Quebec. Stopped at a quaint little pub and played rock music on the jukebox.
Went to bed early.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Lives bouncing back as thousands more Kelowna fire evacuees return home
Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2003 10:51:41 -0300
Attachment : Août28CherM.doc (31k)
August 28
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up early and had a great breakfast at this petit little café; a fresh croissant and quiche poulet and a great espresso allongé. Went to the centre to print my letters and had such a hard time: I tried to use the slower office computer and it wouldn’t open my attachments and I got so frustrated. It was a quiet day at the arena and I think I got some work done; a couple decent Le Devoir drawings, and started a big 4-foot plywood panel based on an oblique sign I saw on the ferry to Tadoussac. When it is finished I want to mount it in a public space somewhere in Baie-St-Paul. M. Simard corrected a few more of the Babel fish letters; there are only about 4 left to do, plus the current ones. I’d like to make 2 different books of them: one comprised of colour copies of the corrections with the red pen, the other a properly typed version. Maybe I’ll work on it on the train ride back to Halifax. Copied the text from some of my letters into my silhouette on Herménégilde’s painting; I wrote out about four days worth.
Was going to make a red chicken curry at Gaston’s chalet tonight but we deferred to tomorrow; he was tired, I was tired, and a bunch of artists and Sympo workers are still not back from Montréal. Claudine and I had supper at her chalet instead. It was nice and mellow and we talked about family, art, travel, and worked on projects. I worked on my Canada Council grant and she made small photo montages for her silhouette for Hermé’s painting. Listened to good music and drank some wine.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Fire crews prepare for onslaught of blaze menacing B.C. city of Cranbrook
Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2003 14:04:56 -0300
Attachment : August18sent.doc (33k), Août18.doc (31k), Août29CherM.rtf (8k)
August 29
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up really early, but it felt really nice to do so. Had breakfast—peanut butter toast with banana and maple syrup, yum—but burned some of the toast. The toaster isn’t working properly and you have to watch it carefully, and I get distracted easily. I stuck a knife in it and mildly electrocuted myself. After I woke up my hair was standing straight up; I sort of liked it, and left it. Went to the centre to print some letters and received and wrote some emotional email from and to Judy. The situation with her father is worsening and I feel so powerless and helpless. I may try to stop in Saint John to see her on my way back, if things are running smoothly at the Khyber.
Had a good day at the arena. A lot of people commented on my hair; it looks like I have been trying to grow an afro. The Tadoussac sign painting took some interesting turns; I masked off the symbols, primed the board and started writing a Babel letter overtop in black paint. I’ll add the corrections overtop in red paint, then take the tape off, varnish it (I’ll need to buy some exterior varnish) then leave the sign somewhere in Baie-St-Paul—maybe along the path to the high school, by the cemetery.
I was really broke until money from a painting sale came through into my account, just in the nick of time, what with the long weekend upon us. Claudine brought me a lunch from the chalet, which was really good—crevattes and sausage and zucchini. I had a nap on the bleachers before the artist’s wrap-up meeting with Chantal and Gaston, which felt a bit long but that’s probably just my partial comprehension of the language. Some good suggestions were made about establishing a firmer web-presence, playing with the layout in the arena a bit more and keeping the forum engaged with the thematic concerns of the symposium but allowing for it to be more flexible and responsive at the same time. A critic in residence was suggested, which I think could be fun—or awful, depending on the critic.
There was a Kinö presentation in the evening at the arena so a bunch of us decided to go in on pizza. Edith bought it—from Mike’s, and it was good—and we ate on the floor watching the videos. It was a good presentation. I especially liked the animation of Bush, Blair, Charest and you singing—you can really hold those long notes—and the Mermaid from Outer Space. We’ll have to go to the Balcon Vert dimanche to see the conclusion of Mermaid; the filmmakers are shooting this weekend.
Marjorie and Claudine cut my hair when we got back to the Chalet. No more ‘fro.
-chris
From : “chris lloyd” <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Recent Dogrib self-government deal the start of agreements to cover the North
Date : Sun, 31 Aug 2003 13:28:18 -0300
Attachment : Août30CherJean.rtf (8k)
August 30
Dear Jean,
It felt like another one of those three-in-one days. Actually, it was a four-in-one.
First: Had a short but quiet breakfast. Helped Claudine and the girls pack and move out of their chalet: the landlord needed it for the long weekend. Gaston had to leave his chalet as well; either the landlord or the weekend tenants were waiting in the road for us to finish loading the car with his suitcases and bottles from the party. Now everyone is staying at La Maison des Artistes. A bit crowded, but nice too.
Second: Had a good day at the arena. Pulled the tape of the Tadoussac sign painting, then M. Simard came by with his corrections and we went over it word for word to make sure I had it right. Started adding the corrections to the painting in red paint. It is reminding me of the right/wrong painting I made while at school several years ago; I think I may have told you about it. The one I had hung in the hallway with red markers beside it, inviting people to write on the painting.
Third: Left the arena a half hour early to start preparing the red chicken curry for the final get-together. A tent had magically appeared in the back yard, and a great big propane hot plate for the big corn boil. The house was bustling with activity as people came and went, bringing food and drink, cutting vegetables and making preparations. We ate outside under the tent with the mosquitoes, then started a fire in the back yard. It took a while to get going but it was great when it did. Eventually the guitar came out and the sing-along began. I went in on a $50 bottle of 12-year old scotch with Francois. It was great, and I was mellow and happy throughout the night—no attempts were made to jump in the neighbour’s pool, and nobody was set on fire.
Fourth: Smoked a bit of a joint at the end of the night and after zoning out to some atmospheric Brigitte Fontaine I became Mr. Talkative. Couldn’t shut up. I tried to go to bed about six times. Each time a new thought would keep me up chasing tangents. Tried to answer some Big Questions about Art and Life posed by Francois and Stephan and Gaston. You know the ones: why should the public pay for art they don’t feel speaks to them or that they need, and why do artists feel compelled to do what they do? What is love anyway? Maybe it should be taxed—like cigarettes. Any product that promotes love—i.e. chocolate, flowers, plush toys, etc.—should be deemed hazardous to one’s health and well-being and have warning labels placed on them.
We left the house in a terrible mess.
-chris
DEAR PM 