From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2003 2:07 AM
Subject: Coronavirus testing shows troubling results, head of Winnipeg lab reports» SARS screening may inconvenience airline passengers, warns McLellan» Man with distinct voice booked airline tickets, witness tells B.C. court
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Was at work early this morning in preparation for a meeting with Peter, our accountant, but he never showed. It was a tentative meeting, and with the busy tax season almost finished I imagine he was quite busy. I haven’t finished everything I need to before he reviews our books anyway.
Met with a Globe and Mail photographer this morning for a photo shoot to accompany the article they are running about me. We both didn’t quite know what to do; the initial shots were pretty lame. They were all quite contrived; me holding a sheath of letters, me sitting in a chair holding letters, etc. The best ones are probably of me just standing in the middle of the office.
Spencer came in and we went over a revised work schedule and a big list of things to do. I am going to phase myself into working only mornings, starting tomorrow. I am so far behind on paintings and getting the letters ready to be bound. Wrote a lot of email regarding the Mass Appeal show, which I am more and more excited about. Talked to Craig in the Club and for the first time I heard him talk about the Club going non-smoking, as early as three months from notification. To build a separate smoking room in a club that size is a bit ridiculous.
Karina missed her 1pm train. She is planning a trip to Saint John to visit her sister. Met her after work in the Club; we are both still smoking, though at this point it is just other people’s cigarettes. She headed off to Bayers Lake and Sarah and I went to get groceries and make supper. We went to the Chinese grocery on Queen Street and bought dumplings and soya beans and sticky rice and a few other items and came back to the house and cooked and ate and drank Sake and talked and gossiped about sex and relationships. We also talked about boring, repetitive, compulsive art that seems to have a Canadian flavour, and how bad it has become (I’m included in this). Work that has such strict parameters just becomes really dull. We joked about the sort of work I might be making if I wasn’t so involved in this project, which has as its one redeeming factor the new letters produced daily. Even if they are boring. Rebecca came home and joined in the discussion. New Order had it all wrong: we all seem to be living in a bizarre love octagon. We were going to rent a movie but by 11pm Karina still wasn’t home so we watched Gattica, which we have a copy of. Sarah is trying to watch “dark” movies (as in David Lynch, or movies where the film is actually dark) as research for the next show at eyelevel. The colouring in Gattica is actually fairly light and mainly sepia-toned, presenting a sort of nostalgic future. Sarah took a cab home afterwards and Karina continued to pack; she is taking her sewing machine with her to Saint John. Right now she is looking for her headphones. I think she is taking the bus early in the morning.
I picked up a Globe and Mail this morning; the picture of you on the cover is from an unusual angle, and will make a nice painting. I finally heard back from Ray and he liked my invite design, but we have to change the dates again. The show has to end a week earlier. No big deal. I bow want to make large photocopy posters at Wade Company of the invites; make them like big campaign posters.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, May 2, 2003 12:42 AM
Subject: Two new SARS cases in hospital workers as experts conclude discussions» B.C. appeal court overturns supreme court decision banning same sex marriage» Manley optimistic Canadians will be exempted from new U.S. border rules
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Happy May Day. Another fiscal year gone without filing my taxes. I actually want to do it this year, but can’t seem to find the tie to sit down and do it. Am sort of leaning towards the Homer Simpson method: throwing all my receipts into a box, taping it up and mailing it in; let the bean-counters and bureaucrats deal with it.
Slept in this morning; just couldn’t get out of bed on time. Had a shower but no breakfast. Went to the bank to cash my paycheque so I could pay rent. Didn’t get to work until 10:30 and curled up in the office with a coffee and The Coast. Shawn had cleaned the media centre thoroughly yesterday; the place was clean and uncluttered and inviting. Worked on some MASS APPEAL promo material, press releases and emails, then dove into some banking.
Mohanad came by and we talked about options for the house. With his somewhat sudden decision to move to Montréal next week I am thinking more and more about moving, though having another couple move in might work out as well. His idea that Courtney rent out our walk-in closet, and that we use our room as the living room, we move into the current living room and we rent out Courtney’s room probably wouldn’t work. We’re still not sure if Rebecca will move to Toronto in July or not.
Missed lunch, and then before I knew it it was time to go to the HRC@P Association AGM at the North Branch Library. Lucas drove Ifo and I. For an AGM it went quickly and painlessly. At the end of the meeting they unveiled the sustainability plan for the year; there is $6000 available for each site. We’ll most likely roll that amount into a larger CC or provincial grant. There was an odd situation at the end when the Street Feat site brought forward a complaint regarding last year’s funding; they didn’t get any. After hearing both sides it seems as though there was some lack of communication, but it was odd to have it aired at a general meeting. The issue centred on lack of access for software for the visually impaired. Rick, a blind member of Street Feat got up and spoke. I talked to him afterwards about Food Not Bombs and Activism and the death of the Left. He ate cheese the whole time. So did I, as I had missed lunch.
Karina managed to miss her train again today; VIA changed their schedule on her, and didn’t update their website. She was peeved, and is not sure if she is even going to go now or not. She was planning to come back on Monday.
Came back to the Khyber, grabbed some soup from Tim Hortons and began working on my own posters for my AGNS show. Ended up staying too late and accomplishing too little. The photocopier was getting low on toner so I didn’t bother printing out any more letters. Met with Andréa in the Club for a beer and cigarettes (I am still smoking, dammit) and talked about the kids art programs. Worked on some email PR and sent a few test samples of an invitation.
On a weird impulse (I was downwind and couldn’t resist; I swear, I crossed the road like a moth to a flame) I bought a pork kabab from Rocky’s on Blowers Street. So now it appears I have become a smoker and a meat eater; last night I had pork dumplings as well. My guts were feeling a little woozy today, but nothing too dramatic. Maybe I need to eat some meat to gain some weight; I haven’t been able to for the past seven years on a vegetarian diet. I’m getting a bit disturbed at how thin I am.
Karina received a somewhat disturbing email from her brother Robert tonight; he is becoming more of a misanthrope and hates people more than ever. She has been upset with him ever since our last trip to Saint John when he apparently ignored her. He doesn’t like it when people need him. He is starting to remind me of Crooked Finger from Antonia’s Line.
Finally finished A house for Mr. Biswas tonight. It was kind of tortuous; it begins with the ending, but the journey to the conclusion is so painful and achingly dull; almost too real and depressing. I need to read something a little bit lighter next time.
Am hoping to start my “afternoons off” tomorrow; Spencer seems to have a good grip on things. Next week the NSCAD Interns begin and the week after that we will be interviewing and hiring Khyber Kids staff. I think it will be a good summer.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, May 5, 2003 8:52 PM
Subject: Sparks fly on funding disclosures in otherwise tame Liberal leadership debate» Three fishing boats torched while in dock near Shippigan, N.B.» Three years after federal push to ease homelessness, progress tough to see
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Friday was a bit of a zany day. Karina woke up early to catch the bus; she woke me up to drive her. We arrived at 7:15 but the bus had left at 7. She has not been having much luck with schedules. My brother called before noon with news that Poppy was in town and wanted to have lunch with us. I had agreed to drive Karina to the bus station again at 12:30. While waiting outside the Khyber for her to come by I ran into Leah, who is back from Geulph for a little while. We chatted until Karina came by; this time we made it, and she caught a train to SJ. I took Rebecca’s mom’s car back to the house and walked back downtown to meet Trevor and Poppy at the Granite Brewery. It was a quick lunch; Poppy had to go and attend some regional health board association meeting. I was late for an interview with Leah from the Coast to discuss the Mass Appeal show. After helping Shawn move the furniture away from the bottom of the staircase I was able to take the rest of the afternoon off. Walked to Wade Co. and had some really large invitational posters photocopied; they look good at three feet wide. Now I just have to find a place to put them. Met Sarah and Spencer after work for drinks but Spencer was way too hung over to stay out late; he had been in a hot tub the night before for over four hours while drinking; I had heard that could be dangerous. Sarah and I split mussels at Tribeca and drank and talked about roommates, writing, art, sex—the usual.
So finally today I tackled some of the unfinished paintings that have been sitting and gathering dust in the studio. Whipped off 2 oils (“Bush has won, Chrétien tells ABC” and “PM to bush: hold off on war”), and am partially through a third, the big “PM introduces ethics overhaul”. The oils can definitely progress faster than the acrylics, though they aren’t as polished. And I’m not too fussy at the best of times; with less than 2 weeks before the exhibition, I just need to get a few more completed. Rebecca made supper for Peter, Courtney & Sarah and I; I helped with salad and salad dressing. Was in the studio all night except to watch Mulholland Drive with Courtney and Sarah. It is still one of my favourite films of the year; I love that it is so confounding.
Am going to spend another full day in the studio tomorrow and then try to flour-paste some of the big posters up tomorrow night. Have to go to sleep; have been browsing the Internet for too long. Oh, Colehardour.com is back up and running, though it is now called coleharbour.ca.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2003 8:39 AM
Subject: N.B. crab fishermen tie up boats to push for reversal of quota cut» Nfld. premier encouraging illegal cod fishery, says PM, opposition» Kids make Mom’s Day cards as search continues for missing Alberta alderwoman
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Our computer at home is still showing that weird little question-mark-in-a-folder icon at the beginning of startup…not a good sign. Have to keep remembering to backup the letters in case we have a hard drive meltdown.
Had a weird dream last night about cycling in the snow on my way to a raucous public meeting held at some high school gym. Can’t remember what it was about.
Postering Monday night went swell. I hit the three blank billboards on Gottingen St. Mike Eddy came by and helped, and informed me that I was putting my posters up over the hand-painted stripes he and Valerie had made. I had the digital camera with me so was able to take some photos of their work before I slapped the big-ass posters up. Of course, the posters looked tiny on the billboards. Got carried away and put one up on the Cogswell Interchange as well. There will be some folks at HRM not happy with that. I couldn’t help myself; I started thinking about socialization and norms and public behaviour. Reacting against that (innate? ingrained?) feeling of doing something wrong; defining the wrong-ness of an act. It felt great slapping that poster up.
Had a busy day at work yesterday. Am supposed to be on half-days but so far it hasn’t worked out. Met with our design intern Jonathan in the morning and Mareike came by as well. Worked on timelines and went over goals and tasks. We fussed around with the Mass Appeal Coast ad (we hadn’t put their logo on) and worked on a larger poster for distro. Need to get some people to put the posters up around town today. I can’t stomach another dismal turnout for one of our openings. The article this week and the extra ads and posters should help.
Spencer and I worked on mailout in the afternoon. Karina came by and helped as well, and we got everything in the boxes before 5. Talked with Sarah in the Club about Ray’s draft essay for the show. She had some good comments, as did Dan earlier. He is writing it as if it is a letter, addressed to the gallery audience (or the reader). It needs some work; he hasn’t touched on the history nor trajectory of political portraiture that I think plays a part in the development of this body of work. Had a KDMC board meeting in the evening that went really well. A potential board candidate, Jerome I think his name was, sat in on the meeting. He had been involved with the Khyber back in the Bill Roberts / Phil Grauer days. It was a good meeting.
Set the fax up on my computer to send out PR all night, then had a drink (and yet another smoke) in the Club with Karina before heading home. Made some rice and curry for supper, trying coconut milk for the first time, which worked great. Was going to get groceries but we were both whipped so settled on just getting toilet paper from Shoppers. Was in bed before midnight.
Am hoping to only work this morning, but will take a lunch just in case.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Friday, May 9, 2003 12:31 AM
Subject: Nfld. bill attempts to renegotiate terms of union with Canada» Mystery alderwoman faces charges after lying to police, husband stands by her» Dar Heatherington known as tireless worker and volunteer
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Intended to write this morning but it didn’t happen. Was at work early; Karina has an 8:30 class Tuesday and Thursdays and we walk together, though this morning she was a little behind schedule and caught a bus. I continued walking to work with my mug of coffee; I have left all my travel cups and thermoses at work and so have been resorting to carrying coffee in regular cups.
Yesterday at about mid-afternoon I met with Stephan’s roommate Caroline to look at her computer which we may buy. I tested out the Keith Piper CD-ROM in it to make sure it works; we will use it for the display in Mass Appeal. The CD is quite layered, and takes a fair bit of time to sift through it all. It seems a bit dated now; it was made in ’99. Watched a few of the videos at home as well; the Jonathan Calm “Trigger” piece is quite intense. The dying dog part is hard to watch, yet he makes it entrancing by rhythmically synching the animal’s heaving chest with the soundtrack.
Worked in the studio for a bit last night and tonight; both fairly unproductive and mildly dismal affairs. Started the last oil painting but didn’t get far; sanded out the face on the “dark clouds” acrylic, and started sketching out “after the applause…”. I had some of Courtney’s “Navy” run tonight which burned my stomach it is so strong. That probably didn’t help my progress tonight. The pre-show jitters and stress is hitting me hard now. Still haven’t assembled the letters for printing into book format; at this rate it isn’t going to happen. Getting the lettering and unfinished paintings completed on time will be a stretch.
Stayed at work well into the afternoon and early evening today. Helped Spencer with the installation. We worked on the lighting even though I knew it was almost moot; Gwen Noah and Norman Adams were performing in the Ballroom tonight. I was still around when she showed up and of course we had to change the lighting. It doesn’t take long, though we have to re-adjust it tomorrow. We also set up the projector in the hallway outside the gallery for “Funk Lessons”. I am nervous about the projector being unlocked and exposed, but it is really high up and bolted to the shelf and we have locked up the ladders. Hopefully that will be secure enough.
Gave my Con Ed Mixed Media: Printed Matter class to Eleanor today. The class is supposed to start next Thursday and I haven’t been able to think about it; I can’t even get my head around my own show anymore. I hope Jaci doesn’t mind; she was out of the office until Monday. Ellie will be perfect for the class. I’m glad she was able to take over.
Some guy named James came by to look at potential space to rent to run computer classes. It is a bit weird; he is looking to have about 12 computers and a projector to teach very basic computer classes. He seems to be very flexible, to the point of being almost invasive. He’s considering everything from building boxes to lock the computers up in and move around from available room to available room, to doubling up in the KDMC. Lucas doesn’t think it will work. He and Shawn have their own expansionist plans in the works: the want to build an enclosed wood and Plexiglas room up on the top floor by the Closet Gallery and utility sink to use as a new media residency and exhibition space. It’s a crazy enough plan that it just might work. Shawn is bringing good ideas and energy to the building. He had a nice mini-amp that can be used perfectly in Nadine Robinson’s “Black Painting (Boom Box)” piece, and he fixed the mangled hole I was trying to make in the wall between the KDMC and hallway, to fish the S-video cable through.
Karina and I went to Sobeys to buy some groceries this evening and got into a typical yet mild argument over money. This often happens when we don’t have any, which seems to be a lot of the time. I have to borrow again to keep our phone and electricity from being cut off this week. And after making supper tonight she goes off to watch a movie. I became a little resentful, then she accused me of giving her a guilt trip, which sent me into a shame spiral…ha-ha, little Simpsons reference for you there. Haven’t watched an episode in a looong time. Anyway, she went to see X-Men and really liked it; I don’t really have any interest in seeing it so it all worked out for the best.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2003 12:17 AM
Subject: New Brunswick premier to call election for June 9: party source» Wayne says she regrets remarks about gays, but doesn’t apologize» Zundel should stay locked up until deportation hearing: government lawyer
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Met Jonathan at work early this morning and we talked for a short while about design philosophies. André from Galerie Sans Nom stopped by and we talked about the ARC regional meeting back in the fall and how to best form an Atlantic regional ARC group. Using APAGA as an umbrella group may work; ARCs could join APAGA and use the upcoming meeting in June as a starting point for defining how the group would operate. I can’t find the room to think about this right now.
Heather and Aaron called and picked me up to go to Bayers Lake. Used our Costco membership to get a DVD player and a small TV/VCR combo for the gallery. Nice additions to augment programming. Spencer was at work when I got back and we hooked up the DVD player to the projector, set up speakers and installed them in the hallway, adjusted the lighting in the gallery again, and installed the new TV on the arm on the wall located near the bottom of the stairs.
Dan O’Neill came by and we talked about the show, and doubt, and making art in general and self-censorship; I’m still unsure how to deal with possibly censoring people’s names or situations from the letters after they go on public display. He has some good insights about the show that help me feel better about it. His support helps and is important to me at this time because I sort of feel like I am losing control of the project at the moment. I am behind on my studio schedule and falling further behind my Khyber schedule and the two worlds, usually complimentary, are now tearing at one another.
Been fighting a throbbing headache since mid-afternoon, making it hard to carry on conversations or think clearly. I think I need more rest. A newly-instituted Friday happy hour kept me at the Club drinking beer and talking with Dan Walsh about the show and Babek about the perils of smoking (I still am, about 2-3 per day). Met Dan’s friend Amy Baker, who is visiting from Saint John. We talked about the Working Papers: Have a Good Time exhibition at the AGNS back in 1997, and Elsie Wayne’s most recent homophobic, rambling comments. After getting home I ate some leftovers before having a nap. Karina wanted us to watch X-Men on video and then take me out to see the sequel at the theatre but I had no desire to do either. Plus we’re broke again, and had to borrow money to keep our phone and power from being disconnected.
I’m supposed to email a bunch of letters to Caroline in Toronto for her to load onto the art website she and Kelly Mark are making, but all my letters are at work. Karina had cleaned off the computer in preparations for an overhaul and I can’t find the backup of the letters. I’m going to send her the last month or so, maybe the letters from March 20 onwards, that are still on-line in my email sent folder. Will leave the painting and printing of letters for tomorrow.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Manley-Martin feud over campaign donations fires up Liberal leadership debate» Premier Bernard Lord calls New Brunswick election for June 9» Tourism ministers’ meeting produces travel and tourism promotion strategy
Date : Sun, 11 May 2003 01:51:30 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up early (for a Saturday), had breakfast and headed to the Khyber.
Needed to finalize a list of things for Andréa and Mareike to do and grab
the chequebook to buy that used iMac. Read through some mail; Elvira sent a
disturbing message: she can’t get a flight for the dates of her opening and
is asking we postpone the show. This is a problem, as it is a 2-person show..
Was home before noon and worked on suggestions for the catalogue essay for a couple hours before beginning a marathon painting session in the studio.
Only came up to eat (twice + a snack later in the evening) and to pick up
the iMac and drop it off at the Khyber using Roberta. Mohanad left the car
for Rebecca; he caught a train to Montréal this afternoon. None of us are
sure we want to keep the little Festiva; I don’t think any of us can afford
the insurance. Having a little car around is certainly handy though.
Painting was fun today, though the little one of you sitting on a couch at
24 Sussex Drive is still giving me problems. Hard to get definable features
when the head is so small. I started and finished one I hadn’t even planned
to have in the show, “Chrétien drops the axe”. Karina said it looks like a
wooden folk art statue. Have the lettering outlined on about half a dozen
paintings; just hope recruits show up tomorrow to help fill them in. Am
meeting Leah Sandals tomorrow to discuss the project for a short article in
the Coast. The Globe piece wasn’t in today’s paper, though there was a nice
overview of some emerging Canadian contemporary artists. Need to send some background info to Caroline for the website as well. Tomorrow I plan to go to the Khyber and copy as many of the letters as possible. Looks like the book isn’t going to happen; am just running out of time. The installation
can begin any time.
Heading to bed. Karina bought a new slip today at Value Village that is damn sexy.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Martin says Canada can’t let the U.S. push it around on softwooddispute» Political leaders stake early positions for New Brunswick election on June 9» Prime Minister announces June byelections in two Quebec ridings
Date : Mon, 12 May 2003 00:33:53 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up even earlier this morning, made a coffee, fed the cats, cleaned the litterbox and headed for the basement. Worked on “After the applause…” for a few hours and sketched out the lettering on a half dozen paintings. Grabbed some breakfast and headed to the Khyber. Spent all afternoon printing off letters. The re-formatting was taking much longer than expected. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation to fix some blatant grammatical errors in earlier letters. Hannah stopped by (she thought the KDMC was open) and worked all day on an application for a residency. I left her my keys and went home at 4:30 to meet Leah to discuss the Chrétien project but no one was home, and I had locked myself out of the house. I met Leah a few doors down (maybe she had the wrong address?) and we walked back to the Khyber and did the interview there; I gave her a bunch of letters to read over. I think it went OK; I tried to keep my rambling to a minimum. Stayed at the Khyber until 8:30 printing letters. Ate a bagel from Tim Hortons. Carried the letters home in a Kinko’s box to sort (one pile for hanging on the wall, another pile as backup or potential template for a book). Called my mom for Mothers Day; I had been meaning to call since the Gala but never got around to it.. Haven’t even answered an email she sent last week; I’m being a bad son. She and dad are coming down for the opening, and plan to spend some time helping Grampy at the cottage this weekend. I’d like to go too, as it would be nice to get out of the city and take a breather. I am getting more nervous about the show; it is steadily building. I am nervous about the reception, specifically to the letters. I just need time to think. This will be a busy week.. Wrote a statement for Caroline and surfed the web for a bit; I am way behind on my cursor.org readings. Am going to bed; am going to try to print off 3 more months of letters tomorrow morning, then they will be ready for hanging. And there are still last-minute things to be done for the Mass Appeal exhibition. I hope the opening is well-attended.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Martin’s blind trust glimpsed in latest disclosure; total passes$4 million» Tories takes southwestern Ontario riding from Liberals in tight battle» McCallum dismisses charges of political interference in helicopter bidprocess
Date : Tue, 13 May 2003 08:06:10 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Turned off the alarm without realizing it this morning, but still woke up on time. Mareike was a bit late and all I was doing first thing was printing off the letters from Jan-April 2001. Compiled a shopping list for the gallery (extension cords, keys copied, garbage bags) and headed home to get the car; grabbed some of the paintings and the rest of the letters to take to the AGNS. Met Don and Graeme and Zeke and discussed briefly the hanging, then headed to Canadian Tire. On a whim, went through the McDonalds drive-thru. Is it the car? My nerves? Where are my morals? Ordered a fish filet and fries.
The Khyber was bustling by the time I got back. The installation almost complete, and Spencer in charge, Andrew and I left to run more errands. Picked up groceries for the opening and the sign vinyl. Damn this spring Maritime rain. Made another run of paintings. Checked out the gallery and discussed columns and rows; it’s hard to gauge how many letters will actually fit on the wall without first knowing how many pages there are. Don will figure it all out. Andrew and I took a quick run through the galleries to see Garry’s Middle East series. The installation is crisp and sharp and the paintings look great; they throw off so much colour the rest of the gallery shrinks into shadow (the heavy purple only enhances the shrinking). The medal and ribbon paintings refer strongly to modern abstract painting, Newman in particular. Very nice.
Went back to the Khyber to assist with finishing touches, sign vinyl, labels, thank-yous. The gallery was finished on time and had a beer in the Club before the opening, which was overall well-attended though I think it could have been better, but at this point I’ll blame it on the rain. Lacklustre art students couldn’t wait around for an hour; filled up on ice cream and didn’t want to get wet. Chicken shits. Lots of new faces, though, which was good to see. Poor weather is a better excuse for the lower turnout than the other alternative alternative: that no one cares. Harsh. But I’m feeling depressed, and those thoughts come up.
Our DJ for the night, Canada’s Own D****ness Monster, backed out at the last minute, but Craig found DJ IV and Andrea M. to fill in. Good tunes throughout the night. After almost three days of abstaining began smoking like a chimney again. Drank enough to get drunk but my nerves are shot; every time someone mentions the opening I feel worse. Left the club dulled and sober. Still have seven paintings to go. With the Mass Appeal opening out of the way I should at least be able to get afternoons off this week. Left the club without paying my tab. Walked home with Scott Munn and his friend Norma, both from Saint John. Want to start using the phrase “pulled an Elsie” to refer to dumb 19th century conservative statements. Shared a pepperoni pizza slice with Karina and went back to Scott’s apartment to look at his portrait series and discuss “no fault” auto insurance and the new competitive entertainment supplement in the Daily News.
Watched a bit of Seinfeld when we got home and ate pickles. Jerry and Elaine may make light of the foibles of human sexual relationships; how they get conflated and inflexible and burdened and heavy; and we all relate because it’s true. Rationality doesn’t work with human emotions; the best laid plans… Love, lust, infatuation, feelings trump reason almost every time. Checked my email and read over Ray’s second draft; it is better. I’m still not sure of the letter format; it still reads as an essay, not as a series of letters.. But I shouldn’t complain; at least it is getting done.
My skin smells like smoke and I almost like it. (except the taste left in my mouth the next morning—yuck)
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Ottawa to decide on response to U.S. missile defence in two orthree weeks: PM» Remains found in Lake Ontario are those of missing 10-year-old girl» Altaalderwoman offered deal by Great Falls prosecutor to dismiss charges
Date : Wed, 14 May 2003 08:28:03 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Up early, walked to work but retrieved the car from a parking space on
Market Street; Andrew had left it there the other night and I forgot about
it. Parked it right beside the Khyber; the car is small enough that it fits,
and doesn’t block the sidewalk too much. It does block the Neptune Theatre
fire escape, however, a fact made quite clear to me by someone from Neptune
who came over to complain. He threatened to call the cops. I think he was
particularly upset because Jason may have told him to go f*** himself when
he asked about the sand. Spent the morning going through mail and catching
up on bills and email. Spencer brought me a sandwich for lunch; very
thoughtful of him.
Spent the afternoon driving in circles. Went to the AGNS but forgot to bring
the digital camera with me, so went back to work to get it. I needed to take
some digital images of some of the paintings for the Coast. Talked to Ray
for a bit. They had about thirty letters installed; lots more to go. Once
the math is worked out and the system is in pace it should go rather
quickly. Just missed the big bottle-drop on Hollis Street by disgruntled
recyclers. The front of Province House has been getting a lot of action
lately; NSGEU still on strike and making lots of noise, and now recyclers
dropping thousands of empty bottles in the street. Just by chance I drove by
and picked up Karina from school after she got off work. She needed to get
her loan form from the house, bring it back to school and then take it to a
post office. Stopped at the AGNS again and talked to Sophie and Renato and
Holly at the front desk and picked up some invitations to distribute.
Came home and worked on the draft of the essay for a bit. Karina made a
curry, then Rebecca and I walked back to the Khyber for a newsletter
committee meeting. It went well; we are a month ahead of schedule, and
things seem to be on track. Hopefully this meeting will establish the format
a little more and help improve the content. Didn’t stay for long afterwards;
talked with Dan and Lisa and Heather G., who had stopped by for a beer. Dan
is going to draft a media release for me to send out today, along with my
digital invite. Came home and painted text. Had to repair a couple paintings
that had fused together face to face. Rebecca helped with the lettering on a
couple paintings. We worked in the living room while watching TV; Karina had
hooked up the cable and so we painted while listening to Seinfeld and
Voyager.
Am going to start perfect binding the letters, from Jan 1 2001 – today, at
Allegra today. It’s going to be a haphazard method; just the pages stacked
and glued along an edge, not stitched. Have to get in touch with Patti to
see if she can make a spine and cover before Friday. Yikes. Am on pins and
needles.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Holly Jones’s killer or killers ‘made serious mistakes,’ police say» Two CN Rail crew members presumed dead after derailment in McBride, B.C.» Marijuana use may rise if Liberals decriminalize pot, health ministerwarns
Date : Thu, 15 May 2003 02:06:11 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Almost finished the paintings, though I don’t think I’ll get the “Ottawa
failed Ontario over SARS” completed. I’ll be lucky if I manage to finish “PM
ups ante on financing vote”, which I hope to complete tomorrow morning.
Spent the day mostly focussed on the book; brought the pages to Allegra
early this morning to use their press for gluing, then visited on average
once per hour to re-coat the spine with glue. Hope it holds; it seems fairly
solid. I pulled on some pages and they didn’t come out. I dropped the book
off to Patti Kim later in the day; she is working on the cover.
The few times I was at work today I was more than useless, and often in the
way. Mareike seems to have the alternative spaces bookings under control,
and Spencer and Andréa are handling Khyber Kids and office management.
Heather came in today to write thank-you letters for the Gala. We’ll do
Khyber Kids interviews next week. There will be lots to do next week when
things return to normal. I did a quick radio interview for CBC 2 that is
supposed to air tomorrow morning. Oh, and I had a nice conversation on the
phone with Liz MacDougall, who is back in town. She is having a big party
Friday night; it might make sense to wander up there after the opening.
Karina came to get me for lunch and we walked home and cooked veggies and
potatoes and ham sandwiches. Next thing you know I’ll be eating bacon.
Marilyn Smulders is trying to track me down for an interview and picture for
the Daily News but I’m a little wary; I’m not a fan of the content of that
paper. I can’t stand the amount of Hollywood crap that fills the arts and
entertainment pages. I suppose it’s best to do the interview; better than
being ignored. Tomorrow I need to spend the afternoon at the AGNS figuring
out where to hang all the paintings. I have no system in place so it will be
decided mostly on aesthetic choices; odd. The pages look really good in the
way they curl at the bottom; some neat unexpected effects there.
Need to get some sleep.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject : Police search for missing clothes of murdered girl found in Toronto waters» Prime minister’s son Michel found not guilty of 3 counts of sexual assault» Easter sayshe’ll try to accommodate Ontario in federal sex offender registry
Date : Fri, 16 May 2003 02:35:07 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Woke up early and drove Karina to school. Having that car around is
certainly convenient; almost too convenient. Haven’t even touched my bicycle
this year. In fact, I’m not even sure where it is; I think maybe still
locked up in the “Bleak house” next door. Parked on Blowers St. and had
breakfast at the Med‹ate bacon, it was yummy‹before heading home to finish
work on some paintings. Mostly lettering and some varnishing.
Loaded the car up and drove to the AGNS; Zeke and Graeme helped me bring the
paintings in and up to the fourth floor. Did some arranging on the floor
with Ray and then Don and Ellie started hanging. I left to park the car (had
left it on the sidewalk), but couldn’t find a close space so I just took it
home. Cashed the remainder of my artist fee. Stopped in front of the library
on the way back and talked to Chalkmaster. On a whim I hired him to draw the
painting of you featured on the invitation. He said he may not get to it
until Friday, his birthday. We had a nice chat. Back to the AGNS to hang
more paintings. They are hung so arbitrary, mostly just to fill the two
walls. No system. Patti came by with the book; it looks great! Thick, like a
dictionary, and a bright red cover. Just need to find a good place for it.
I’m not sure if it will hold up to being cracked open; I’ll test it
tomorrow. By end of day one wall was up; it looks OK. Stopped by the Khyber
and had a slice of pizza and a couple beer with Elizabeth and Spencer and
bummed a few smokes. Met Karina and we headed home. She went off to get
groceries and I took a nap. Woke up at 9:30 and headed into the basement;
worked on the last painting until about 1:30am. It was a real tricky one,
and I’m still not completely happy with it, but if I fuss with it much more
it may end up looking worse. Still have to do the lettering but I am getting
really quick at it. Listened to Artsmarts on CKDU; it was odd hearing Ellie
and Sophie talk about the show. They had really nice things to say which
makes me feel better. My nerves are still a bit frayed. Once everything is
finished my plan is to have a nap in the afternoon, try to relax, collect my
thoughts, and have a few shots of scotch before the opening so I won’t be
too nervous about the speech (I shudder everytime I think about it). For
this opening the gallery is putting less emphasis on the food and more on
the beer, which is fine by me.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To : jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
CC : ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Subject : Same-sex marriage divides Canadians along equally passionate lines» Family, politicians remember former N.S. premier as courageous man» Quebec teen wins top honours, $50,000 US, at international science fair
Date : Sat, 17 May 2003 16:11:13 -0300
Dear Mr. Chrétien.
Was up early Friday morning‹had a hard time sleeping, my nerves were jumpy. Got the the AGNS by nine with the last wet painting and met Don, Zeke and Graeme. The cube truck was dead, and they were considering calling a tow truck but we decided to try the Festiva. It worked, and I took the car home and walked back down. Met Chalkmaster along the way; he can’t put the invite on the area in front of the library as it is a pathway. I told him that next week would be fine, when he has room on his regular space. The rest of the hanging went smoothly; Graeme and Frank did it all. Did a little radio interview with a reporter from CBC. Jeffrey suggested that we install an Inuit sculpture in or near the galley; a reference to when you used it to defend yourself against that intruder to 24 Sussex a few years ago. Talked to Ray about it in more depth later on; he is worried it may be too cute, and that it may overemphasise the “cheeky” element of the project. I am tempted to go for it, as it is one of the few key and highly-publicised moments I can recall of you being linked with art in such a direct fashion. If I want to defend the decision then Ray said I can take a look at the vault and pick a sculpture, but we agreed to do it after the opening. I went to the Khyber to print the PMO responses with red ink and pinned them up. I asked Frank to build a customised shelf for the book, which lays open flat without the spine breaking, Yay! Hope it holds out for the duration of the show. Then I went shopping.
I wanted to get a nice white shirt and a tie. Bought a couple funky patterned shirts and a red-dotted tie at Junk and Foibles, but couldn’t find any plain whites. Stopped at Ellie’s and no luck there either. Ventured into Duggers, thinking I met get a nice pair of pants as well. No pants I could see for under $200. Cheapest shirts were $98. I bought a pair of socks.
For lunch I fried up a thick steak Karina had in the fridge, it was so yummy. I’m not sure if I count as a vegetarian anymore; I’m really liking this meat thing. Had a shower and then went to get my haircut at Top Cuts. The hairdresser was in a bad mood because she is having lung problems but the doctors don’t know what is wrong with her. That reminds me, Karina went to a doctor the other day to go over her medication and to come up with a new, more customized formula. Her referral for more detailed tests is 6-8 months from now. Anyway, my new haircut is a Trevor-cut; short and spiky.
Went down to the Khyber, ran off the payroll and came home to nap, but it didn’t happen. Cooked for Karina, who had gone to Fabricville with Tamara, and shaved and got dressed. We both headed back down to the Khyber and crowded ourselves into the smoking section with Sarah, Spencer, Andréa and Jacob and the bike couriers: the Friday afternoon happy hour regulars. Drank three scotch whiskeys and a rye and ginger to steady my nerves before the opening. We left in a big gaggle, collecting people along the way, Craig P. and Mat and Sym and Sarah K. The gallery was quite full of people already when we arrived (half hour late, well within the realm of fashion). I was shaking hands and hugging all night long. My folks were there, Trev and Tamara, Nanny and Poppy as well and they had brought friends. Our old landlords, Mike and Dell were there. Mike complained that I wasn’t teaching the Con Ed course he had signed up for, and I told him Ellie would do a better job so he should stick with it anyway. After briefly trying to escape to the fourth floor (what a change! the ground floor was where the reception was held and it was loud and boisterous‹open bar, yay!–but the fourth floor was like a tomb, or library, in comparison. Heads craning at the wall of words), Ray sent the security guards after me‹damn those walkie-talkies‹and I was ushered back to the ground floor for speeches. Which weren’t nearly as bad or hard as I had feared (I was close to loaded by the time I spoke anyway; it is true it helps). I almost forgot to thank Karina for her unconditional understanding and support, that would have been bad. And I did forget to thank Sarah and Dan for their insights and suggestions in thinking and writing about the work. I think Sarah got over it but I didn’t see Dan afterwards and I hope he didn’t feel slighted. The Khyber board bought me flowers, as did Tania. We stayed at the gallery until 10pm; the staff started turning out the lights to get people to leave (which I thought odd; in bars lights going on means go home). Went with my folks and Trevor and Tamara to find a place to eat; ended up at the Press Gang. I found it to reek of pretention, though the food was quite tasty. We ordered mostly appetizers and shared. My folks drove us home to drop off the flowers and then to Craig Ferguson’s party. Kent Senecal was visiting from Cape Breton. Craig and Liz have a fabulous place; all wood floors, lots of exposed wood beams, really interesting layout and nice back yard. Very fancy. We didn’t stay too late, and walked home with Sarah. Stayed and talked with her for an hour, and despite the invitation to stay over Karina wanted to go home so we called a cab and left.
Woke up a bit late this morning and headed out to Jane’s yard sale; Karina was hoping to get lots of neat fabrics. Rebecca and Peter came along and we ate brunch at the Granite Brewery. Picked up a Globe and Mail but the article wasn’t in. Maybe it will be mid-week? It has been over two weeks since I did the interview. Spent some time on the back deck reading and drawing in the sun. I am still working on some paintings; I’m thinking of putting some in the NSCAD Art Store. Checked my email; Peter in Ottawa is trying to get the show some exposure in the Ottawa Citizen, which would be nice. Am meeting Marilyn Smulders from the Daily News on Monday. The article Leah wrote for the Coast was quite good; I hope to refine the way I speak about the project so the most important bits still find their way into the articles. Plan to do some housework and laze around a bit today. We’re going to go see the Matrix: Reloaded later tonight. Heading to Ponhook tomorrow to visit Granny and Grampy and help out with cleaning and setting up the cottage.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>, ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 12:35 AM
Subject: FW: Chretien will remain prime minister until February, says PMO» Lethbridge alderwoman to appear in U.S. court for charges of lying to police» Cancer victim and anti-smoking crusader Barb Tarbox dies at age 42
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Had a restful weekend out at my grandparent’s cottage. The drive up Sunday was uneventful; we took a wrong turnoff, and stopped at a few perpetual yard sales (bought a coffee percolator for $5 from Gertie, just down the road from the Ponhook entrance on the #210). The sun was hot all weekend. Helped sweep the winter accumulation of pine needles and twigs and leaves from the cottage roof and gutters. Ate peanuts, drank some beer, watched the occasional boater go by the cove. My grandparents came by for a bit in the afternoon and stayed for supper Sunday. They don’t stay out for longer periods of time much anymore. Granny doesn’t remember most of us, though she seemed to enjoy the company. She and Grampy are even sweeter together; her trust and reliance on him is much more apparent. Alzheimer’s is hard, especially on those providing care and support. It must be terrifying to have your memory become so unpredictable, and cloud your thoughts. Went for a walk in the woods, had a nap, hung out by the fire, drank some wine, watched the stars come out. Very quiet. Talked about the history of the cottage; over forty years since it was built as a one-room cabin with an outhouse. We couldn’t remember in what year the indoor toilet was installed; sometime shortly after Aaron was born, which was ’81.
Today helped dad paint the trim on the windows and around the gutters in places. Trev and Tamara left early to visit Nanny and Poppy. Mom and dad drove me to Halifax. We stopped at Vicki and Peter’s along the way. They are re-flooring their kitchen in the middle of completely re-modelling it. I was supposed to meet with Marilyn from the Daily News but she postponed to tomorrow. Helped Karina with some laundry, picked up a paper and a magazine and read in the backyard. Trying to extend my relaxation period and the good weather. Made a quick supper of spaghetti—mom had given me a bunch of leftover groceries from the weekend—then Karina and I walked to Sarah’s to look over some of her clothes. She is downsizing in preparation for her move to Toronto, and putting a pile of clothes in the upcoming eyelevel yard sale. We are considering renting her place in the fall, though the building handyman is anything but. Her back porch makes me seasick it wobbles around so much. We walked back downtown, stopping at Kin on Gottingen (the owner Nicole is very friendly; bought a couple pins; she gave Karina a wallet for free) and again at the house to drop off the clothes Karina had picked out, and to have some wine. My parents had given me a bottle of home-brewed. A bit sweet for my liking but nice overall. Went to a movie, saw Down With Love. Cute bit of retro-escapist fare. An example of a post-9/11 nation yearning for those big heady post-war years of growth and commodities? Unfettered and unaware of global terrorism (No need to erase the twin towers from the skyline: just set the movie in the ‘sixties). Some nice double entendrés, but no references to suicide bombers. Ate lots of popcorn.
Am going to read for a bit—found this snazzy magazine called ‘smock’ on Karina’s shelf (fashion + art)—then get to sleep; tomorrow will be a major catch-up day at work.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 22:08:28 -0300
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>, ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Subject: Mad cow disease found on northern Alberta farm:government officials» Hundreds gather in Toronto neighbourhood to mourn slain 10-year-old girl» N.B. crab fishermen agree to end boycott and start fishing later this week
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Back to the grind, though today wasn’t much of a work day. Arrived early, caught up on some correspondence, prepared some banking (the RAW $ came in, which is good because Rebecca and crew leave tomorrow), went over post-gala figures (we actually netted less than I initially figured, which is a bit disappointing), went over newsletter stuff with Jonathan, and tried to get ready for Khyber Kids interviews. But the day steadily became booked up with arrangements to meet photographers and reporters to discuss the Dear Jean… show. Met Shawn from the Globe first, and with Frank’s help (he held the flash) we did a series of shots of me at the gallery leaning on or near the wall of letters. Next was an interview with Richard from the Ottawa Citizen; it was a really nice talk, he was very pleasant. Then Sarah Maloney came by with her NSCAD Foundation Studio class and I did an impromptu Q & A with them. Their overall opinion seemed to be that there are probably easier ways to get a direct response from you than emailing. Then I talked with Marilyn from the Daily News. I tried to get a bit of work done after all that but then Peter called from Ottawa wanting digital pics ASAP and trying to set up a photo shoot for the Citizen. It seems that since they got wind of the Globe article coming out tomorrow they want to have their piece come out the same time. So I went back to the AGNS to meet the photographer but at this point the gallery was almost closed and security wouldn’t let us stay late so we headed back to the Khyber for some shots. Digital photography has certainly expanded on the choices of images available for press; they must have taken forty or fifty shots each. It will be interesting to see which shots are picked.
Took a break for supper, went to the opening at Anna (a visiting exhibition of a Korean graduating class, very nice mixed media and drawing works, lots of textile practices incorporated into drawings and paintings), and had a great conversation about potential artist talk/performances with Graeme and Brandon and Zeke outside the NSCAD metal shop. Grabbed a slice of pizza and then attended the eyelevel gallery AGM. It wasn’t that bad, as it was kept to under an hour in length. Tamara and Brent’s opening of Razzle Dazzle in the eyelevel windows was held afterwards. Nice work, a mix of GNK-inspired block letter text and soft sculpture; enlarged jewels and a larger-than-life version of the Khyber Club chandelier. Walked home with Rebecca and Peter.
Have been trying to track down Spencer all day; he needs to sign cheques for the artists going to Toronto as part of the RAW exhibit. He was probably at the beach all day. I’m going to make some late supper and read for a bit before going to bed. First I have to take the laundry in. We have about four loads hanging around on the line and on racks on our back deck; they’ve been there for days. I want to get to sleep early. Am supposed to meet Linda Kelley from CBC early tomorrow to talk about the Mass Appeal show. Then it’s Khyber Kids interviews.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Thursday, May 22, 2003 1:23 AM
Subject: Alberta mad cow may have come from Saskatchewan, says agriculture minister» Toronto trash halted at borders because of mad cow gets go-ahead into U.S.» Liberal president won’t back down in battle with Chretien over party financing
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
The RAW group had a bit of a rough morning. They were planning to pick up the van at 8am this morning. As of 8am this morning neither Greg, Spencer nor Larissa had dropped their artwork off with Rebecca. Larissa dropped hers off at 8:30, but no one knew where Spencer was; even his roommates hadn’t seen him in days. We were starting to worry about him when he called; he had been at the beach with Stacey yesterday and spent the weekend in Hubbards. We needed him to sign the cheques. No word from Greg; we took a piece of his, a wooden pallet, from the basement of the Khyber. It, along with his speakers, have been at the khyber for years. Drove Rebecca and Karina to Spencer’s, signed cheques, picked up his art—which he was cutting out on his kitchen floor—then picked up the van. Zipped back up to the Khyber to meet Linda Kelly to discuss the Mass Appeal show for CBC TV. Then began the day-long Khyber Kids interviews. The RAW group got a van with a flat tire and had to replace it; they couldn’t get the extra seats out of the replacement van and had to get a third. They were finally on their way by noon or so; way behind schedule. Andréa and I conducted six forty-five minute interviews for the Khyber Kids positions; I’ll let you know Friday who we hired. Choosing is difficult; it would be nice to hire everyone. The Globe article was in the paper today; the accompanying photo is really big. I look tired in it. Someone from Montréal has already emailed me about the article and wants me to collaborate on more politically-active, issue-oriented emails to you regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I’ll look into it more. Since I had Roberta downtown with me (I had forgotten about it and collected two parking tickets), I drove to the antiques store on Young Street near Julien’s and paid for and picked up a table Karina had laid away. It was bigger and heavier than I had expected; luckily, the legs screwed off and it fit in the Festiva. Came home, grabbed a light supper, had a nap. Cleaned the kitchen, set the table up in our bedroom, cleaned the kitchen. Moved the computer back downstairs to the kitchen. Courtney and I split on a pack of smokes and rented a couple movies: America’s Funniest Home Videos Uncensored (sucked) and Repo Man (gets better with age). Drank some beer and ate some of Rebecca’s leftovers. Judy called and we talked about the show and tentatively planned a visit. Sarah called; she is hitting a rough patch with Aaron and was drowning her sorrows with scotch and Spencer. Have to get to bed soon, tomorrow will be a busy day. Am meeting a photographer from the Daily News at 1pm in the gallery. Have to find a nice shirt to wear. First I have to clean out the kitty litter; it stinks real bad.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Friday, May 23, 2003 2:21 AM
Subject: Mad cow quarantine expands as 9 cattle farms linked to Alberta cow» Toronto plunged into new SARS crisis with four new likely cases» Key Manley leadership organizer resigns, warning campaign in trouble
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Watched a parade go down Barrington Street this morning. The HRM Police Chief died earlier this week and what seemed like the whole force was marching two-by-two behind a group of bagpipers.
Seemed a slow day at work. Couldn’t get the accounting program to run; a nasty-sounding error pops up. Lucas couldn’t figure it out either. May have to get Peter to re-install. I hope I didn’t lose any data.
Met with Scott, a photographer with the Daily News, at the gallery for a photo shoot. Just missed a Chronicle Herald photographer; I didn’t even know they were planning to do anything. Folks at work have been teasing me about the newspaper coverage so far. They’ll get a kick out of this: I am meeting with a CTV news crew tomorrow morning for interviews and filming. They want to start at the house, then move to the gallery. Playing along with the media is starting to cut into my work day. Tomorrow our new Khyber Kids co-ordinator is starting; she needs to compile the summer program course outlines, then work with Jonathan to get the info into the brochures.
Garry called; he wants me to give a talk to his studio class (which numbers close to thirty). He may also book a show for them in the Ballroom in between our regularly-scheduled exhibitions. Should be fun.
Took the car after work to Video Difference to rent the Matrix. Bought a few groceries at Superstore while I was out—needed toothpaste and bars of soap as well as some food. Took a bus to Sarah’s for supper and we cooked steaks; looks like I am sliding out of my vegetarianism at just the right time, what with Mad Cows and all. Grabbed a National Post earlier today; the two photos of you calming national hysteria by dining out on Chinese food and steaks will make a nice painting. I figure the next big scare to hit Canada will be the Fruit Fly Invasion; Sarah’s apartment was full of them. I’m sure I swallowed more than a few of them in my wine or from the salad. I feel bad for the beef farmers who suffer the most from all the hysteria, but they should really get out of the habit of allowing animal parts in the feed. Sarah and I watched the Matrix. If you can get past the infantile and unoriginal “saviour” premise then it is actually a very entertaining movie. She needed to see it before going to the sequel. One of her roommates went out to see the sequel for the second time. Her and her friends apparently dressed up all Matrix-like to attend the shows, sort of like Trekkies—but a little more styling. The walk home was uneventful.
Haven’t heard back from the RAW crew yet; I hope they arrived in Toronto with no problems. Their exhibition is supposed to open tomorrow night, and tonight was the RAW gala.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>, ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Saturday, May 24, 2003 1:04 AM
Subject: FW: New cluster of possible SARS patients numbers in the 20s, officials admit» Suspect in double murder at hospital found by police, shoots himself» 3 B.C. farms quarantined as mad cow investigators track Alta. cow’s history
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Took the morning off work to write a sample email letter to you for CTV. Had to re-arrange slightly the computer desk for TV reality. Might inspire me to rearrange the kitchen. Maybe I’ll ask Linden if we can install that back door to the porch this weekend; that would be a nice project.
The following was written while the CTV crew were at my house; they wanted me to type a letter while they filmed.
Have to get on my article for CBC Arts Canada. My deadline is today; I only started the essay yesterday. Since the topic is my letters to you it shouldn’t be too hard; I’ve over 45,000 words practice.
It would be really nice to get that kitchen door installed this weekend; have a surprise for Karina and Rebecca when they get home next week. I would also like to build a frame for our bed to get it off the floor. Reading Josey Vogels earlier this week has lead me to believe our bedroom is full of bad sexual Feng Shui; we have too many piles of things in the corners, and the bed is on the floor. It needs re-arranging, especially with the new addition of Karina’s antique table. If I can’t get the accounting program to work this weekend then I will probably focus on the house.
I should also try to do some re-arranging at the office. By next week there will be half a dozen total staff for the summer. We need to get a few more desks in the office, better filing systems, and a new office computer. I keep forgetting that I have access to a car and can pick supplies up at almost any time.
I feel I am going to have to apologise to the board for my lack of commitment this week; the media circus is keeping me away from the office and my thoughts aren’t really there either. There is a Music in Alternative Spaces grant for Canada Council due on the first of June that I’m not prepared to write. Lucas and I have to book a meeting with Liz to talk about KDMC funding opportunities and upcoming programs.
The TV crew is about to wrap up, then I think we are going to the AGNS. Ray has been posting the updated letters, so the show is staying fairly current. I’ve agreed to do an artist talk either on a Thursday night or Sunday afternoon.
Drove down to the AGNS with John from CTV and we talked and shot more video in the gallery. I hope that after all that footage they edit together something reasonable. With the larger media organizations I think there is a tendency to try to make the project seem crazier than it actually is.
Met an immigration lawyer from Ottawa today in the Club who had seen the show at the AGNS and tracked me down at the Khyber. He may want to buy a painting. I’m emailing him some digital pics. I asked him if he was a fan of yours but he said he was indifferent. He said he and his wife and his son really got a kick out of the show. Judy responded; she wants “Chrétien drops the axe” and “It was a beautiful day…”. I have to make travel plans to go to Saint John in the next few weeks.
Gastien from Baie-Saint-Paul emailed me yesterday about travel arrangements for the Symposium. He also asked if I would like to send a couple paintings ahead of time for a show they are doing in June. I’ll have to get working on the Sars photo from a couple weeks ago, as well as the beef photo from yesterday. Or I could work on a few of the older photos I didn’t get finished in time for the show. I was hoping to get a few more completed to put in the NSCAD art store this summer.
Ran into Caroline and her friend after work; they are visiting Halifax briefly. Both are working at the Baie-Saint Paul symposium this summer. They are going lobster fishing tomorrow and then heading back to Quebec. I am more inspired (and slightly freaked out at the same time) to attempt learning some French this summer, before the Symposium. I think Karina has some audio tapes I’ll try to find. Am going to listen to French radio whenever I can.
Had supper with Andréa at I love sushi, then we walked home and took Roberta and drove to the BLIP to check out Value Village. It was a poor night; not much selection. Loads and loads of stuff, it just seemed more junky than usual. Hung out at Chapters for a bit as well, debated getting a couple books by Derrida and Foucault I hadn’t heard of before, but figured I can get them at a library or on-line instead. We had ice cream from Dairy Queen and debated seeing a movie, but decided to pass until tomorrow when we’ll watch Matrix 2 with Sarah. We drove back to Andréa’s place and watched Carmen by Jean Luc Godard. It was hard to get into at first, then I warmed up to the dialogue and jumpy shots, but then got tired and fell asleep in the last five minutes.
Have been working on my CBC Arts Canada letter since getting home. Still no word from the RAW crew.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Monday, May 26, 2003 1:35 AM
Subject: Ontario reports eight probable SARS cases from mysterious new outbreak» Tests negative for Alberta herd at centre of mad cow disease scare» Liberals try to reassure critics as marijuana reform legislation nears
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Felt good to sleep in Saturday, though it was a phone call from a collection agency that finally roused me from sleep before noon. Mr. Martin was quite pleasant on the phone, and I played along with him. He was calling about an old Visa account that hasn’t been active since 1997. The interest has more than doubled the principle in that time. I wonder if the recent media exposure may have had something to do with this account being re-investigated? It seems a little out of the blue. Looks like it may be time to re-engage up my own little “art as credit” project, whereby I plan to offer my outstanding creditors paintings or other art to pay off bad debts. May as well have a little fun with it, and you never know, they might just go for it.
Spent most of Saturday washing laundry and organizing the studio, sorting through past projects and files. Might even get around to doing my taxes soon, who knows. Went into work to build a shelf for the projector, which had been rented out to Push Magazine, an all-girl skateboarding magazine, for a screening and launch in the Club Saturday night. Warren, the immigration lawyer from Ottawa, had called me at home asking for more detailed pictures of the paintings so I went back down to the AGNS with the digital camera. Ran into Dan W. on my way back and we talked for awhile. Sat with Sarah and Joe from eyelevel in the Club and discussed the history and future of the two artist run centres in Halifax, and how whether our close physical proximity was a problem or if it could be enhanced. Sarah and Eleanor and Andréa came over for supper; Sarah cooked, she had bought fresh scallops at the market. Listened to Eminem and drank beer, then Sarah and Andréa and I went to see the Matrix. Eleanor didn’t go; a friend of hers had said it had been a “waste of three hours of his life”. We smuggled some beer into the theatre and I ended up stealing a section of velvet rope barrier on one of my trips to the bathroom. Aside from the sanzzy special effects, extended fight scenes and overall stylishness of the film, it is quite vacuous. There is something really disturbing about the “greet white hope” and the whole “saviour” thing espoused throughout.
Had brunch with Sarah at the Danube café today; the French toast was OK but the syrup was weak and the coffee even weaker. Elissa Barnard’s review of Dear Jean… was in the paper, it was fun to read. She wrote the review as a letter to you, and it sounds like she had a lot of fun doing so. We also read over and discussed a bunch of her letters to and from Aaron in NY. They are quite good; a complex blend of histories, sexuality, art, economics and politics. I am sort of envious of the way they write to one another and their command of language. She is compiling some of them into a single text. I had her edit my letter for CBC Arts Canada, and she had some good suggestions. It started raining hard in the afternoon so I took Roberta and drove Sarah home and installed some software onto her computer and browsed webpages. I was reminded to have Lucas over for supper sometime this week to go over some of the more basic operating functions of our computer; I’d like to know a little bit more about how they work and how to better troubleshoot.
Spent the rest of the afternoon housecleaning and cooking. Didn’t do a big overhaul of the bedroom; moved a shelf and a mirror, but so much of the stuff cluttering the room is Karina’s sewing supplies and equipment and I don’t really know where to put it all. She can set it up after she gets back from Toronto. Still no word from the RAW crew directly; Courtney told me that the gallery space was moved and that a lot of the other art being featured was bad amateur paintings. Very heavy on the paintings. Hopeful the group found the trip worthwhile and a good learning experience nonetheless.
Made the mistake of setting up the cable TV tonight, and proceeded to veg out channel surfing for hours. Saw a bit of your exclusive interview on Global; moments of it were almost comedic, like when you likened sitting out of the war with Iraq to sitting out of a game of golf. Has golf been on your mind more than usual lately? Anyway, I have to go, it’s way past my bedtime and tomorrow will be a busy day: David Askevold is having a screening of his recent video work at the Bell Auditorium tomorrow night and the Khyber Kids instructors will be starting tomorrow. Lots to plan with newsletter texts, upcoming advertising and invitations, and board meetings. Back in the groove.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 7:05 AM
Subject: WHO puts Toronto back on SARS-affected list, but no travel advisory» Quebec shouldn’t be hurt by mad cow disease in West: Premier Jean Charest» Investigators using DNA to find mad cow source, cattle markets set to reopen
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Yesterday was the first big summer staff day at work; Nora and Rilla were there as our new Khyber Kids Instructors; Shawn was back from Regina and Calgary as the new Digital Media Technician (and janitor); summer NSCAD Interns Mareike and Jonathan were both in as well as Andréa. Had an impromptu staff meeting in the Club at 2pm. Everyone seems really keen and on track for a bus summer. The KDMC and office re-construction plans are underway and work will commence this week. The newsletter is coming along and I think will be the best one yet.
Met Sarah after work for a drink in the Club and we went to the David Askevold screening of his new videowork Two Hanks. It was a performance recorded at the Canada gallery in NY exactly one month ago. The video is lush and rapturous, viewed with night-vision cameras smoke curling from hanging sacks of dry ice, ghost sounds, the spooky-eyes of audience members and weird effects as David strums a bass guitar and conjures up the spirits of Hank Snow and Hank Williams. It was quite something. Stayed for a few of Jan Peacock’s videos but had to leave at the start of David Clark’s; it was fifty minutes long and we just couldn’t sit through it. Not after Two Hanks.
Had a few more drinks in the Club and talked to Greg about some great publicity and fundraising ideas. A bunch of us expanded on Shawn’s initial idea of making a sexy Khyber Staff calendar (inspired, he said, by him noticing in the mirror the bulging veins of his forearms while mopping the men’s washroom). The idea has turned into a full-fledged Khyber community and building calendar, complete worth a year’s worth of upcoming programming as well as historical anniversaries (thanks to info on Helen’s mural). I actually think we may be able to find some initial $ from the province or the city or both to fund the calendar as a comprehensive marketing tool. We’ll see how it goes; I’ll mention it at the board meeting tonight.
At the screening tonight we ran into Ray and he said the CTV crew were back to see him and that the interview would be on the 11 o’clock news, so I went home to catch it and try to tape it. Hooked up the cable but couldn’t figure out how to get the darn thing to record a channel. I can always get a tape of the broadcast from CTV, though after watching it I’m not sure if I’ll bother. Typical TV manipulation: an hour’s worth of footage condensed into some chopped-up and layered visuals with extracted “sound bites” strung together to fill a couple minutes. The political edge or focus on media was completely leeched out. And I should have shaved that day; just a day’s worth of stubble looks awful on TV. Oh well. Made some potato soup while watching and smoked a joint with Courtney and listened to Eminem and complained about media and tried to strategize for the next media sideshow, which may be a radio bit for Sounds Like Canada with Bernard St. Laurent. Hopefully that will go over better; I much prefer radio over TV.
Am getting up early to pick up a few things from Pierceys; some lumber for shelves and folding legs for new tables in the KDMC.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>, ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 12:54 AM
Subject: FW: Liberals move to lighten penalties for pot users, get tough on growers» Experts clash on impact of new pot law on youth; smokers take news in stride» Industry hopes Canadian win in softwood dispute could spur new talks
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Courtney and I are going to celebrate the new pot law by smoking a joint. We are still waiting for the RAW crew to arrive home; still no contact from Karina. Maybe they are among the 3500 quarantined SARS cases? Hope not.
Swung by Atlantic News today and talked to Michelle and Steve; she had clipped the Ottawa Citizen story on the Dear Jean… project. It was an OK article; I didn’t particularly like the “shameless publicity stunt” quote; it’s a little out of context. They also removed the word “succulent” from a line I had written in the May 20 letter; the day the bombs started falling on Iraq.
Woke up early this morning to go to Pierceys to pick up folding table legs. Finally bought a decent ladder; a nice ten-foot, sturdy fibreglass job. Anything is sturdier than the stepladder we are currently using. Shawn installed a hanger for it in the emergency stairwell. He is a go-getter; he tidied up the media centre again last night.
Scheduled an interview with Bernard St-Laurent on Sounds Like Canada for Thursday morning; you should listen if you get a chance. Hopefully it will provide an opportunity to engage in a slightly more detailed and expository dialogue about the show, and make up for the CTV spot. Also heard from Warren via email; he wants to buy four of the paintings. He sent me a great letter explaining his interest in art of this nature; it was really nice to read.
Jeff D. stopped by the office unexpectedly this afternoon. Hadn’t seen nor heard from him in over three years. He had married, moved to Toronto, became hermetic, recently got divorced and is back living with his folks in NB. He was visiting Halifax for the day. In many ways he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s taking a course so he can get a job with Irving in the chemical plant of the pulp and paper mill.
Had a pepperoni pizza slice from Venus for supper. By the end of the night I don’t think it was going over well with my intestines. I even avoided the Timbits during the board meeting. Every board member showed up, which hasn’t happened in a long while. We ran through business in just under two hours. The calendar project is still on the table, though it keeps morphing. The publications committee has control of it now. T-shirts are also a go.
Planned to get home early after the board meeting, but ended up staying for another 2 hours. Gordon and Spencer bought me my last two “stay longer’ beers. Charmaine was there, in town for only a day before flying back to NYC tomorrow. We talked about art stars and the business of being an artist.
Mr. Martin has called for me twice the past two days. I think I will call him back tonight or tomorrow and let him know I’ll take my chances on waiting this thing out; after all, doesn’t the statute of limitations ensure I can’t be sued? Don’t know enough information about. In terms of my debts my student loan and Revenue Canada are the top priorities; the credit card companies can go to hell.
Oh, and Chalkmaster stiffed me. He was working on a Wolverine/Teletubbies piece a few days ago, and I haven’t seen him since just after the opening. Maybe he’s really busy, and he’ll get it done next week. Maybe he’s waiting for the weather to improve. I probably shouldn’t have paid him in advance.
Have to get to bed; am meeting Peter at 8:30 tomorrow morning to try to resurrect the accounting program. Lucas and I are meeting with Liz M. afterwards to plan our new media summer.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 10:59 PM
Subject: WHO raises concerns about how Toronto’s SARS cases are counted» Two more SARS deaths announced as Ontario pledges money for health workers» Ralph Klein says he will not step down and plans to run for re-election
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Met Peter at work early this morning to fix the accounting software, which he was able to do without losing any data. Entered some data but didn’t have time to tackle the Revenue Canada accounts. Met with Lucas and Liz to discuss an upcoming New Media week. Liz must have once taken an idea pill that just doesn’t stop sprouting. The week of discussions, workshops and artist presentations will culminate in an New Media Cabaret. We’re going to host an Outspoken lecture as part of the fun. Talked with Shawn about having him donate his old PC to the Khyber, which will help with the accounting.
Saw you on the cover of the Globe today, very casual. Now I can’t decide if it will be the SARS, the mad cow or today’s photo that will be the painting I send to Quebec in advance of the residency at Baie-St-Paul. Should probably book my train ticket soon. Have been listening to French radio but it isn’t helping. I’ll get Karina to dig out those tapes for me and maybe by mid-summer I’ll have Andréa help me out.
Used the brand new ladder to finally remove the paper that had been covering the sprinkler heads in the gallery since the renovations in August 2001. We just couldn’t reach them before. I can almost touch the ceiling using this ladder. It was almost odd to be on a ladder that doesn’t want to walk away while someone is on it.
Warren has confirmed that he wants to purchase four of the paintings from the exhibition. The ones he likes all deal with your perceived relations with the US. He’s sending a cheque for half up front, which will come in handy as I realized today that I still owe the Khyber almost a full paycheque from prior payroll advances. There is no way Mr. Martin or VISA is going to get any cash out of me, regardless whether they think it is “my best interests” to contact them.
Stayed at work until almost 7pm, and unexpectedly met the RAW crew unloading the van at the house. They seemed to enjoy the trip and the experience, though it was definitely a strange clash of cultures. They said that almost all the work in the rest of the festival/tour/ was like an amateur painting club. Lots of painting. Their exhibit was certainly the most striking of the lot. They took part in a lively panel discussion but overall felt that their work and artist-run culture was mostly misunderstood and/or ignored. A subtle clash of artistic ideologies: the artist-run approach that uses criticism, community, dialogue, history and place to situate artwork, and then the approach that views commercial viability as the key criterion of the quality of a work of art.
Made Karina supper and we talked about the trip and my media coverage and she showed me fabric and ribbons she had bought and we settled into reading in the living room (she is reading Wicked and I just started Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister—both by the same author). The crew had brought back a flat of Steamwhistle beer, which is quite tasty.
Have to read over a few letters for the radio interview tomorrow to find which ones best sum-up the project, or which ones will sound best in a thirty-second clip. I did a pre-interview with a Sounds Like Canada producer named Chris this afternoon. It went OK, so even though tomorrow it is live I don’t really feel all that nervous. I almost feel like I can handle the “So, exactly why do you write letters to…” question. So now it flips to the other end, from being afraid of sounding dumb to afraid I may sound too cocky. Did media interviews ever get to be habitual or routine or easy for you?
Oh, had I mentioned to you yet that I’ll be giving an artist-talk at the AGNS on June 12?
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Friday, May 30, 2003 1:06 AM
Subject: Canada to start discussions with U.S. over missile defence plans» New SARS outbreak may have peaked, official suggests; 33 probable cases» Western ire rises over Ottawa-Ontario reaction to mad cow disease
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Dropped Karina off at school and took the van back to Discount with Rebecca early this morning. We gassed up at the little station on Inglis Street. Did a telephone interview with the Telegraph Journal in NB, a “where are they now” type of article. Walked up to the CBC building and met Jack Julien who took me into one of the sealed sound-proof production rooms in the depths of the building. It felt very isolated and quite, almost meditative. Especially when putting on the the headphones and hearing my breathing and swallowing and twitching all amplified in my ears. The interview with Bernard seemed to go well, had good flow, but felt somewhat unresolved.
Spencer was in the office for the afternoon. Picked up the car and errands with Shawn. Picked up his PC and an extra monitor and some plants from his apartment. Bought some nice 3/4″ oak plywood at Pierceys for the new media centre tables. Stopped at Robertson’s computers to get a CD-drive and drooled over some fancy CPUs and flatscreens. It would be nice to outfit the centre with some upgraded gear. Have to work on some budget stuff with Lucas first. Spencer took me out for lunch at a Korean fast food place in Park Lane mall; the food was actually quite good. I never think of going to a mall for good food. Back at the Khyber and met Tim, head curator at the Mackenzie art gallery, who is visiting Halifax with his wife who is part of the big humanities conference going on. Conducted a KDMC interview with Lucas and Shawn. Was in the office until past six; Dan W. came in and rescued me, whisked me to the Club for a beer. Garry came by and confirmed dates for my artist talk with his studio group the day before the AGNS talk. He was with Sherry, an art and philosophy professor at the University of Ottawa whom I had met at the DOP conference a couple years ago. She is in Halifax giving a paper debunking a theory held by an author of a book called Art and Knowledge. According to this author most avant garde art is not really art because it does not contribute to knowledge. There are so many ways to argue that weak premise. We stayed in the Club chatting for well over an hour. Eventually Karina came by and we went for supper at the Shoe Shop, meeting up with Dan and Lisa and their friend Scott, also in town for the big academic conference. Had a Portobello burger and shared bizarre high school stories. Picked up cat food on the way home. Read from the newspapers, as you were on the cover of both. Quite a furore over your remarks the other day. Marilyn’s article was in HFX today; it read OK. There was also an article on Sally’s latest project on the same page. She is performing tomorrow night at the Jest in Time space with Chris Church and her friend Holly from Toronto. Karina is going to be making costumes before they take the piece to Newfoundland in August.
Can’t believe how late it is already. Have to get to bed; newsletter text deadlines tomorrow and I’m hoping to make some significant headway on the bookkeeping.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: ray cronin <croninr@gov.ns.ca>
Date: Saturday, May 31, 2003 9:37 AM
Subject: Front-runner MacKay plays it safe in speech to Tories on eve of Saturday vote» Mulroney gets hero’s welcome at Tory convention; slams Chretien» Bankruptcy possible if Air Canada, pilots don’t reach deal by Saturday midnight
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
Sorry I didn’t write last night. Had to go to bed early, and Karina and I needed to spend some time together. Have hardly seen her much since she came back from Toronto. None of the group have mentioned SARS, by the way. Took a bath first and read the recent Power Plant newsletter. Such a contrast in funding!
It was a long day yesterday. Had KDMC media kids instructor interviews scattered throughout the afternoon. Helped Rilla and Nora with some media releases and computer tips. Had a meagre Tim Horton’s lunch. Worked on newsletter texts. As per usual, our deadline came and went without word from Craig, the 2 other artist pages, the review or any submissions for the Khyber Passes, the short shotgun-style reviews. I should do one.
Karina and I went to Sally’s dance performance Homeland at the Jest in Time Theatre space last night. She was performing with her friend and former roommate and collaborator Holly Treddenick. Chris Church did the music, though it wasn’t live last night, just pre-recorded. I find it hard to let go and not think while watching dance. The performance is a work in progress, intended for another showing in Newfoundland in August and then a more site-specific showing in Pier 20-22. Karina will be working on their costumes over the summer. Holly and Sally are coming over this morning so Karina can take measurements, as Holly is flying back to Toronto this afternoon.
Am probably going to go into the Khyber for a bit today, even though it is my day off. Need to find a few volunteers to help run the Yard Sale tomorrow, and I need to prepare for a Gala de-briefing barbeque at Heather Gibson’s place. Also need to collect some images and complete some texts (and some reminders!) for the newsletter. At some point today I need to get some more plywood and start working on the new paintings; I need to finish at least one by the middle of the month.
Warren has emailed me a couple times suggesting I submit a work to the Canada Council art bank this year. Apparently he knows the director and has been raving about my work to her. He (jokingly, I think) said I will have to raise my prices if he is going to be my agent.
Ran into a couple guys from Montréal who had seen the Mass Appeal show at MAI and seemed really interested in the Khyber; actually met them twice during the day, first in the galleries and next in the Club. One of them had a work purchased by the Art Bank last year and he said it really helped his exposure. I suppose if a work gets into a prominent location it can be good; I also imagine that there are all sorts of great work buried deep within bureaucratic offices. Like the remaining paintings of mine from the Landmarks series, hanging around the cubicles at the Service NB offices, where the same dozen or so government employees don’t even see the work anymore.
We need to get groceries today; the fridge is almost empty except for a bad smell.
-chris
DEAR PM 