From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 1, 2003 11:53:15 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Patience wearing for Nova Scotians without power; province offers limited aid
October 1
Dear Jean,
Had weird dreams last night about hacking into the Coast computers and messing with this week’s edition. Woke up a few times throughout the night confused about the time; not just hourly time, but monthly time as well. Is 2 months a short or long time?
Was at work early and finally swept the office. Continued work on the grants. Jen moved the eyelevel computer over to work in our office as they still had no power. The Coast was still dominating the media centre: their print deadline had been pushed back. It was really busy at the office: both Emily and Jessie were in, and Andréa came in as well, and Peter was in and helped with the catalogue mockup, and Shawn was in and out of the office as well.
Called and finally got through to a human about the laptop. Matthew was who I was dealing with but he was out until Monday; I was told to call back then.
Claudine called from France and we spoke for quite a while. She is really enjoying her travels. She will try to come to Halifax in November but she will have to fly to Montréal first. Maybe Caroline will help to convince her to come.
It was another sunny day, though we are starting to feel a bit of that fall bite in the air. Went to Pheilm’s delayed opening at the Anna; he was showing a large amount of paintings on paper, works created using spraycans through fabric as a starting point. Came home and had supper with Karen and Sarah, then spent some time cleaning up the studio. Read for awhile, had a short nap and then watched Family Guy.
Have been thinking a lot about privilege, wealth, debt and guilt, and where art fits into it all. Read a bit about Chinese performance artist/anti-artist Tehching Hsieh.
-chris
October 1
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:30
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: no
Bowel: 2
Coffee: 4
Lunch: tuna and pita
Beer: 0
Supper:chicken, potatos, salad
Reading: Artexte, the web
Evening activity: cleaned out the studio, worked a bit on a painting
Sex: self
Cigarettes: 1
Drugs: a tiny bit of pot
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 3, 2003 7:41:57 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Ontario voters reject ‘politics of division,’ reward Liberals with majority
October 2
Dear Jean,
Am fighting insomnia. Couldn’t fall asleep last night so went back downstairs to watch mindless TV. Saw a neat documentary about Love Canal, so I guess it wasn’t all mindless. And part of No, that film by Robert Lepage, on the french channel, so no subtitles.
Biked to Pierceys to get molding for the new basement gallery that Emily is working on. Spent the day in that usual vortex that is the Khyber building. People coming and going, film folks scouting locations, phones ringing, etc. Worked on the grants. Had lunch with Jen and Karen at the new Chinese place that opened last week on Blowers. It was good: No MSG, no fat, lots of spice and flavour.
Had an arduous board meeting; another one of those three hour jobs, complete with intermission; it was so long because there was so much catching up to do, and as a result many items were tabled and afterwards there were still some things I had forgotten to mention. David A. and Greg were invited to sit in as guests; they were lucky, and left at intermission. The basement gallery idea was nixed. Had a few beer in the Club with Heather G. and Briony afterwards. Watched a bit of Punkd TV with Karen when I got home: some crazy Asian Extreme Disqualification show.
-chris
October 2
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:48 (2xsnooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: no
Bowel: 2
Coffee: 3
Lunch: chicken, rice, spring roll
Beer: 4
Supper: leftovers
Reading: no
Evening activity: board meeting
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 6
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 4, 2003 1:42:18 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : McGuinty basks in welcome at legislature, then gets down to business
October 3
Dear Jean,
I apologize in advance for any misspellings: I’m a bit drunk. Just came back from the Lederhosen Lucil show at the Khyber. The place was packed, more than packed. She put on a great show, really captivating an entertaining and engaging. Saw lots of people and met some of Jen and Ryan’s friends from Ottawa.
Spent the day finishing the grants and dropped them off at NSACPC office in the WTCCO. Peter B. helped a lot with the final design work, and Pheilm helped compile the info. Emily and Jessie were both in working on their projects. I had to break the basement gallery demise to Emily; I think she really wanted it to happen. Andréa was in helping with the Ladyfest art exhibit in the Turret. Felt a bit stressed all day.
Had weird dreams last night, one about the next exhibiting artist at the Khyber. Also spoke to at least three people who told me I was in their dreams last night. Must be something in the air, or a parallel universe asserting itself.
Andrew C. stopped by the Khyber today; he is letting his hair grow out a bit and his tight curls look great. I wish he was still in Halifax and we could continue to develop the CSIS reports or some other such nonsense foe his radio shows. It sounds like he is getting into all sorts of fun trouble at Acadia.
Battled insomnia again last night; woke up at three AM, and again at six. Had a nap in the evening and Karen and Sarah woke me up for supper. We made spinach lasagna and salad, but ate the lasagna too soon, before it had a chance to set.
Have been thinking and reading a lot more of Tehching Hsieh’s work. I either want to invite him to Halifax to chair a panel discussion on time-based performance work or begin doing similar project on my own. There is something really appealing about simplifying existence to the bare necessities. It seems like we really clog our lives up with unnecessary complexities.
Am listening to the Rheostatics and feeling nostalgic for my NSCAD student days. Am feeling nostalgic in general.
October 3 Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:39 (1xsnooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: no
Breakfast: no
Bowel: no
Coffee: 3
Lunch: no
Beer: 5
Supper: spinach lasagna and salad
Reading: some Tehching Hsieh
Evening activity: Lederhosen Lucil at the Khyber
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 2
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 5, 2003 10:25:15 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Former Manitoba premier to head review of disastrous B.C. wildfire season
| | | Chrétien Letters | Inbox
October 4
Dear Jean,
Sorry I didn’t write last night; I have no good excuse. Watched a couple hours of mindless TV (I can’t even remember what we watched) with Karen, and went to bed just before 1am. Couldn’t be bothered to hook-up the cable and write.
Karen had woken me up late in the morning to go to the market with her. We visited Mary, who fed us free pork pies. She cried when Karen had to say goodbye; Mary said it was like saying goodbye to her daughter.
Karen and I went to the Khyber and had an interview with a Gazette reporter about the No MSG… exhibition. Checked out the Ladyfest group show in the Turret and then we went to the AGNS. The Colville show was OK, I was still drawn more to Cora’s abstract paintings. They are mesmerizing! There was also a show of paintings from the Beaverbrook collection by Jack the Ripper suspect
Walter Sickert and a few post-impressionist “masterworks”. The best part of that show was the gift shop in the middle of the gallery. There were more painting reproductions in the gift shop than in the actual show.
Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening cleaning up the studio and re-arranging my bedroom. Set up a small workroom in the walk-in closet. Finished the headline for the diptych I painted while in Baie-St-Paul. I’m submitting it for the eyelevel gallery fundraiser at the end of the month. Jen wants images of the piece for their website.
-chris
October 4
Vital Statistics
Arise: 11:22
Shower: no
Shave: no
Breakfast: no
Bowel: no
Coffee: 1
Lunch: pork pie
Beer: no
Supper: salmon and rice
Reading: Surrealist art and writing 1919-1939
Evening activity: cleaning up
Sex: no
Cigarettes: no
Drugs: no
————————————————————————
FREE* trial of MSN 8!
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 6, 2003 7:51:20 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : ‘Fallen heroes’ killed in Afghanistan blast return home to Canada
October 5
Dear Jean,
Had a nice quiet day. Organized some more and read magazines and books all day. Made crépes for breakfast. Made coffee in that old percolator I had bought from Gertie at her perpetual yard sale early this summer; it tasted good. It was the first time I made coffee at home since coming back from Québec; the espresso maker is busted.
Talked to Mohanad on the phone, he has work for me if I want it in Montréal. Very tempting, but I’d have to leave next week. He wants me to ship his bike there.
Rented the Decline of the American Empire and watched it after supper. What a great film. Except that this version was dubbed, which sucked so much life out of the dialogue. I’ll have to find a french only version. And those hairstyles! What were people thinking as they looked in their mirrors in the eighties? Watched Family Guy—it has become my new Simpsons—and a bit of that crazy new show Joe Shmoe. “Joe” (“Matt” on the program) apparently doesn’t know that the ‘reality TV’ show he is on is fake, and the other contestants are actors. Sort of like the Truman Show. I wonder if he’ll go crazy?
Gathered money together to pay Lyndon rent but he wasn’t home and I didn’t want to leave cash in his mailbox. We have to find another roommate for November. Know anyone who either needs a room for one month or wants to rent a whole house?
-chris
October 5
Vital Statistics
Arise: 9:30
Shower: no
Shave: no
Breakfast: crépes
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 2
Lunch: peanut butter & banana
Beer: no
Supper: leftover lasagna
Reading: Surrealist art and writing 1919-1939, Harper’s August 2003, Chronicle Herald
Evening activity: watched a movie
Sex: no
Cigarettes: no
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 7, 2003 7:49:21 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Community prepares to mourn dead soldiers; politicians bicker over equipment
October 6
Dear Jean,
Paid Lyndon his rent first thing in the morning on my way to work. My, he’s a pleasant fellow. Sarah G. and Karen stopped by the Khyber before noon and took me to the Med for lunch. I had my Alliance Français test at 1pm; I passed the written with flying colours but stumbled a bit on the oral. I’m considered to be between beginner and intermediate. The next class doesn’t start until January; I’ll have to read more and practice with Andréa and Caroline more often until then. Met with Susan M. from NSCAD and Jessie to go over her internship, then met with Dan O. and we went to Steve-O’s for coffee and talked about our lives, and art, his show at St. Mary’s in January, time, this city. Went home and worked on the computer for a while before supper.
Sarah G. had strung big Happy Birthday letters across the kitchen in honour of Karen’s day. She also made pizza dough. I cooked chicken and made roasted garlic and cut up veggies while Sarah G. assembled the pizza. Her friend Shaun came over; he looks like Ashton Kutcher. Very cute. There was a forgotten potato in the oven that started smoking something wicked; we saved it and shot a small video later where we tried to light it back on fire (candle wax helped keep it burning) and launched it up into the air to appear as a falling meteorite upon decent. It cracked open into many burning bits when it hit the pavement. I’d like to incorporate the footage into an animation that will also involve a four-legged ghost wandering aimlessly through a field. Had better learn Flash.
We went to the Khyber after Family Guy (new household tradition). Talked to Andréa and then got bored after she left. Luckily Karen and Sarah G. weren’t really into staying too late. Asked Nicholas if he would DJ a Halloween House party for us. Sarah G. and I have been talking about throwing a wild party and charging for beer or admission to raise money for our November rent, as we are short a roommate (actually short two, but that’s another matter). We could have a haunted house in the basement, it wouldn’t need much work to get the desired effect.
-chris
October 6
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:05
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: mushroom and salsa omelet
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 3
Lunch: Greek salad
Beer: 2
Supper: chicken pesto pizza
Reading: no
Evening activity: launched smoldering potato
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 5
Drugs: marijuana
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 8, 2003 7:36:21 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Thousands gather to honour Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
October 7
Dear Jean,
Had a quiet day at work; our email and web provider was down. It has been two days now. Andréa was in and worked on membership and mailout prep, I did some design, invitations, invoices and file organization. Will try to get our bills paid up by the end of the week.
Karen had an interview with Carmen Klassen from CBC then we went home for a lunch of leftover pizza. I picked up some cat food (the little critters eat a lot) and garbage bags on my way back to work. Just missed a phone call from Claudine while I was out but she called back later in the afternoon, just before boarding a bus to Spain. The weather has been turning cold here this past week: I wouldn’t mind being in Spain right about now. Anyway, she bought her plane ticket to Halifax so I will most definitely see her in November and I am happy and excited at that. Now I just need to figure out where exactly I’ll be living in December.
Played hooky on a KDMC board meeting; went out for a drink with Jen after work but stayed for three. We just got talking about life and art and relationships, and when I realized I was a half hour late for the meeting I just decided not to go. I’ve been out of the loop with the KDMC anyway. Shawn can handle it, he’s been doing a great job so far.
Went home and Karen and Sarah had ordered pizza from Alexandria’s, and a movie from Supervideo. Watched some TV—Mareike’s brother Dan came over for Family Guy—but I couldn’t stay up for the movie: The Transporter, a too-stylish action flick. Karen picked it up because of the famous Chinese actress/porn star who was in it.
-chris
October 7
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:09 (1 snooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: no
Breakfast: toasted pita
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 1
Lunch: leftover pizza
Beer: 3
Supper: fresh pizza
Reading: Art, Money, Value
Evening activity: TV
Sex: self
Cigarettes: 1
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 9, 2003 7:59:35 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Lorne Calvert drops writ for general election, Sask voters go to polls Nov. 5
October 8
Dear Jean,
Our work email and website (and also my own website, since it is linked to the Khyber) were still down. Supercity suffered a major power surge that fried the main hard drive of their server. Ouch. It was a quiet day at work. Jessie and Emily were in working on their projects. I went to NSCAD for a noon talk by Lani Maestro that doesn’t actually happen until next week. Put up some posters advertising my computer for sale. Talked to Paul in the MFA studios. Started work on the big operating grant.
Received an email from Tehching Hsieh, I feel like a giddy groupie. I’ve been trying to track him down to ask him to attend a performance art festival/symposium of some kind.
Am still debating whether or not to apply for a year-long residency in Roswell, New Mexico. I have to apply before the end of this week.
Trevor called and has made plans to rent a car this weekend so we can spend Thanksgiving in Lunenburg. Should be an interesting family get-together.
CBC added my hurricane story to their website already; you can check it out at:
http://artscanada.cbc.ca/artsNow/index.jsp?label=lloyd071003&uid=
I only sent them images today but I don’t know if they will add them, since they are “winding down” the arts Canada site and eventually replacing it with something else.
Went home early after work and researched Wichita, which is in Kansas (I had thought it was Texas). It seems a bit of a dull place, and I can’t understand why Jack White sings about going there.
Posted my computer on the Bargain Hunter and tried to set up an eBay account to no avail. I’m missing something somewhere.
Looked for apartments for rent in December but so far have found none. Am thinking of asking Lyndon if he’ll let me stay here at the house for 2 weeks in December if he can’t rent it. For a reduced rent, of course.
October 8 Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:05
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: toasted bagel
Bowel: no
Coffee: 4
Lunch: Rueben sandwich
Beer: no
Supper: curried chicken
Reading: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
Evening activity: TV, residency application, postcard art
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 1
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 10, 2003 7:51:03 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Corporal killed in Afghanistan given full military honours at funeral
October 9
Dear Jean,
Got the mailout finished and sent off in smashing style; no major problems. Emily and Jessie came in the afternoon to help with it. I impulsively designed and printed a run of stickers based on a Keith’s Beer promotion. Peter B. had found this “do not disturb” doorknob sign that featured the crosswalk drawing of a man and woman each holding a case of beer—symbolized with a “K” in a box. I couldn’t resist using it.
Our email accounts finally started working again by late afternoon, and luckily many letters had been kept “in limbo” while the server was down. I will respond to most on Friday. The website popped up later in the evening.
Oh, and I forgot to mention to you that the new photocopier, the E-Studio 28, came in the other day. Shawn had it hooked up to all the computers by the afternoon and so far it has been working like a charm. It’s fast and smooth.
Walked to the Superstore after work to get some pictures back from developing, then to Sobeys to get some groceries (don’t ask me why I didn’t just get the groceries at Superstore).
The apartment hunting/computer selling is going slowly: no bites yet on either front. Terra Consultants called me today and my iBook is in. They will have to accept payment in installments. Maybe I should have a yard sale this weekend.
Courtney and Sarah K. came by for a visit and filled out the rest of our Coast readers’ poll. We should get some sort of bonus marks for having every single category filled in. I spent the evening retrieving documents from the studio in the basement and drying out tax and art papers in the oven and chucking the rest of the soggy mess in the trash. A flood in the basement is possibly one way to cure a packrat of his packing tendencies.
-chris
October 9 Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:05
Shower: yes
Shave: no
Breakfast: boiled eggs and bagel
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 2
Lunch: falafel sandwich and fries
Beer: no
Supper: haddock and sweet potato
Reading: no
Evening activity: drying out five years’ worth of tax documents in the oven
Sex: no
Cigarettes: no
Drugs:no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 11, 2003 9:40:56 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : U.S. ambassador has no plans to testify on Arar deportation
October 10,
Dear Jean,
From an article by Daniel Akst in the business section of today’s New York Times:
“Internet music sharing represents a profound assault on the very idea of intellectual property. Today it’s music, but tomorrow it will be movies and then books, and the justifications will be the same. The implications should be obvious to producers of intellectual property, but the outcry has been muffled in part because universities have come to own and operate so much of the nation’s intellectual life.”
I am inclined to say, this is precisely the point. The notion of “intellectual property” is an egregiously bad one, and needs to be overturned. Congress will never, on its own, overturn the laws that define and govern “intellectual property”, because they get too many contributions from the industries that “own” such “intellectual property.” The widespread public feeling that there is nothing wrong with file sharing, and a public outcry at the spectacle of grandmothers and 12 year olds being sued by the RIAA, is the one thing that might cause a change in the laws.
Copyrighted material is not private property. The assimilation of copyright to property is itself deplorable; but the Supreme Court ruled, as recently as 1985, that copyright infringement and theft are two completely separate things, as I have already noted in these pages. The whole notion of “intellectual property” is an extension of this false claim that copyrighted material is private property. Indeed, it represents a massive privatization of what used to be a common good. As such, it is anti-democratic, anti-freedom, and benefiting big corporations rather than the great mass of people. The notion of “intellectual property” is incompatible with the freedom of ideas. Limited copyright – which emphatically does not mean property ownership – was originally instituted in order to encourage innovation, by giving creators financial rewards for such innovation. But the virtually unlimited copyright laws of today in fact stifle innovation, since they prevent the reuse of previously existing cultural material.
Akst notes (correctly) that “If you live on an academic paycheck – instead of royalties – then the free electronic distribution of your scholarly works is probably preferable to having a university press print 500 copies bound directly for the deepest library stacks.” This is indeed my own situation, which of course could explain why my own self-interest is not tied up with preserving draconian notions of copyright. But when Akst says that copyright is ” the legal concept that is essential to freedom and prosperity in the information age,” he is just engaging in doublespeak. He ends his article with a terrifyingly totalitarian view of how to manage the Internet: “Sooner or later we will need to know who everyone on the Internet is, and who confirmed their identities. Internet access providers who admit unauthenticated users will have to be shut out, even if that means shutting out whole countries.”
Preserving “freedom” for corporations (who have benefited for a century from the inane legal fiction that they are “individuals”) means denying freedom to all those individuals who don’t happen to be wealthy corporations.
Posted by shaviro at 12:32 PM | TrackBack (0)
October 10
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:06
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: french toast (on rye bread!)
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 2
Lunch: smoked meat on rye
Beer: no
Supper: instant noodles, an orange, some peanuts, leftovers
Reading: no
Evening activity: drying out more stuff in the oven, cleaning the studio, throwing crap out
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 2
Drugs: marijuana
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 12, 2003 8:49:13 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Sergeant killed in Afghanistan given full military honours at burial
October 11
Dear Jean,
Spent most of the morning continuing with the cleaning spree that began Friday night. The studio is looking good and almost to the point where I’m considering it as an exhibition venue again.
Went to work because Andréa was installing at Dal and Jessie and Emily have exams to study for. Didn’t feel like I did much, though I guess reading and research for grants and upcoming programming must count for something. Talked to Hollenberg for a while on the phone; I’m glad she is speaking to me now. Received a confirmation of workable dates from Tehching, so now I am trying to plan the rest of this performance festival/symposium/conference to happen in the spring. I don’t even know if I’ll be around to see it come to fruition, though if I’m not I’d probably make a trip back just to be there.
Lyndon accepted my proposal for an extension of the lease; I figure it is easier to find 2-3 roommates than it is to find a decent place in a good location that isn’t too expensive and works for the cats. Plus it means I won’t be in a scramble to find a place to live on December 1.
Cut my hair with the clippers Jen lent me and did a better job than when I attempted the job with scissors. Biked to Jen and Ryan’s for a little get together; Caroline was there, and Scott and Yang, a couple of the MFAs. I think I may have told you about them: Yang always seems stressed about school, and is a bit skittish, and Scott has a wild energy vibe about him and is still living in his truck while he waits for apartment renovations to be completed. We had a good time and laughed a lot at the bizarre tangents Ryan and Spencer led us on. Those two are hilarious.
Drank on of Spencer’s Keith’s while biking home.
-chris
October 11 Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:05
Shower: yes (evening)
Shave: yes (evening)
Breakfast: toast and banana
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 2
Lunch: toasted bagel & cream cheese; later haddock, leftovers, pasta
Beer: 1, and about a bottle of red wine
Supper: turkey and all the fixin’s
Reading: no
Evening activity: visiting Jen and Ryan
Sex: self
Cigarettes: 2
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 13, 2003 7:40:36 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Liberal-friendly Assembly of First Nations a concern for critics
October 12
Dear Jean,
Kermit the Frog one day found himself daydreaming about owning his own luxury yacht. He fantasized about travelling around the world to such an extent that he could think of nothing else. The trouble was, Kermit had fallen on hard times as of late; it had been close to a decade since a successful Muppet Movie, and he and Miss Piggy had gone their separate ways long ago. For the time being, Kermit was living a very modest life. He didn’t want to ask his parents—who happened to be quite wealthy—or friends for money, so he decided to apply for a bank loan.
Kermit made an appointment at his local bank and showed up for a meeting with a loans officer. He was asked to wait in the sitting room for some time before his loans officer came to greet him and showed him to her office. She introduced herself as Ms. Patti Wack, and when she asked Kermit his full name he replied Kermit Jagger. “Are you related to Mick Jagger?” Patti asked, to which Kermit answered sheepishly, “Yes, he’s my father”. Well, Kermit and Patti continued discussing the loan and what Kermit needed the money for and he told Patti all about his dreams to have his very own luxury yacht with which to travel the world.
It soon came time to discuss the more intricate matters of bank loans. Patti asked Kermit, “Before we lend you this significant amount of money, you’ll have to put up some collateral. What do you have?” Kermit sat thoughtful for a moment, then began searching his pockets. He finally laid a small plastic elephant on Patti’s desk. “This is all I own” said Kermit. Patti was momentarily stunned, then picked up the elephant and said that she would need to speak with the bank manager.
When she located the bank manager Patti was unsure how exactly to describe the situation. “Sir, I have a frog named Kermit in my office looking for a sizable bank loan. He says his father is Mick Jagger but all he has for collateral is this plastic elephant. I have no idea what to make of it. What should I do?”
The bank manager glanced at the plastic elephant and said “It’s a knick-knack, Patti Wack. Give the frog a loan; his old man’s a Rolling Stone.”
Happy Thanksgiving.
October 12 Vital Statistics
Arise: 8:09 (1 snooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: no
Breakfast: toast and banana
Bowel: yes
Coffee: no
Lunch: pork sandwich (I thought it was turkey)
Beer: 1, and about a bottle of red wine, and three Scotch whiskeys
Supper: turkey and all the fixin’s
Reading: no
Evening activity: visiting with family
Sex: no
Cigarettes: no
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 14, 2003 7:35:31 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Liberal-friendly Assembly of First Nations a concern for critics
October 13
Dear Jean
It was actually a fun and pleasant twenty-five hours or so spent in Lunenburg with my family. The drinking started early Saturday and once again involved more people getting thrown in the pool. The best part was when my aunt Vicki’s friend Nadine managed to chuck Trevor in the pool—fully clothed.
My cousin Erin took some great close-up pictures of Dad, Vicki and Poppy, and also gave him quite a start when she honked the horn of his car—while he was snoozing in the front seat.
Spent early Sunday working on draft sketches for a tattoo for Aaron, then drove back to Halifax with Trev and Tamara. They had rented a car because they didn’t trust theirs to make the trip. They are looking for a new (used) car.
Continued my cleaning spree of the basement. Made a chart of all the September 11s since 1973 based on the first item to pop up on a Google search.
October 13
Vital Statistics
Arise: 8 thirty-ish
Shower: no
Shave: no
Breakfast: french toast
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 2
Lunch: turkey soup
Beer: no
Supper: smoked meat on rye, baked potatoes
Reading: Bitch
Evening activity: cleaning basement
Sex: no
Cigarettes: no
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 15, 2003 7:49:38 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Cars overturned, set on fire after punk concert cancelled in Montreal
October 14
Dear Jean,
Went on a rollercoaster ride at the carnival today. Went up and down, sideways, even upside-down a few times. The ride lasted all day. When it was finished I posed for a photograph with a giant transparent bear. The bear emitted a clear gas that almost filled the room. There was ice cream floats to eat. A piece of oddly-shaped Styrofoam floated to the ground later in the evening to discuss narrative to a dead hare. I spent the rest of the night pulling the legs of giant beetles.
October 14 Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:01
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: boiled eggs, toast, an orange
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 3
Lunch: “everything” bagel and cream cheese
Beer: 2
Supper: Karen’s leftover “instant” noodles
Reading: no
Evening activity: dismantling the tables that go back to Neptune
Sex: self
Cigarettes: 3
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 16, 2003 6:40:52 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Paul Martin suggests Tory-Alliance merger may not be priority for Canadians
October 15
Dear Jean,
Went on a wild goose chase to visit the Tax Man (actually, just an accountant). Got lost on the way: first had to chase the bus for a block (after waiting on the wrong side of the street for ten minutes), then ended up at the wrong mall. The three malls all look alike to me and blur into one entity. When I called to say I’d be late Peter answered and was kind enough to come and pick me up. Their replacement office is located in the basement and is the only store open; it resembles a dodgy travel agency. It is temporary until their roof is fixed: the hurricane blew some venting units through theirs. The meeting lasted ten minutes then I was back on a bus downtown; Colleen called not ten minutes after I was back to work with my taxes breakdown for 2000, 2001 and 2002: mostly good news, I have rebates the first two years and my taxes owing for last year are covered by my GST. There is still the matters of 1999 and maybe 1998, and the balance I already owe the Tax Man, but overall I should get some money back—yay!
Showed the room to a first year NSCAD student who walked all the way here from the North End in the pouring rain to look at it. His last apartment had the roof blown off in the hurricane and he’s currently living on someone’s couch, so he was quite keen on the place.
Went back to work after supper to paint the Ballroom. It will need two coats to cover the yellow.
Had a phone call about the computer but I think I talked her out of it.
-chris
October 15
Vital Statistics
Arise: 7:09 (1 snooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: no
Breakfast: smoked meat on toast, an orange
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 3
Lunch: no
Beer: no
Supper: pizza slice; pasta; garlic fingers Sarah G. made
Reading: Exercising Power
Evening activity: painting Ballroom; cleaning house
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 1
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 17, 2003 7:30:41 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Alliance, Tories announce merger plan, but hard part yet to come
October 16
Dear Jean,
Woke up extra-early to get some groceries before heading to work. Busy day: continued dismantling Karen’s show. Zöe volunteered to help paint and put a second coat on the big wall and finished the first coat everywhere else. Need to get more paint. Our next visiting artist Shelly arrived after noon and we went for lunch at I Love Sushi, then checked on the electronics to make sure her DVD played in our machine, and played with the projector placement, and hooked up speakers. Stopped at Mills Brothers to return the chairs that Karen had borrowed and Janet took us through the props room to look at mannequins and dress forms. She ended up loaning us hangers, a clothing rack and a standing mirror. She’s also going to drop the big stuff off at the Khyber Friday morning and help us take the last load of theatre props back to Dal.
Went on a Search and Rescue mission in the evening. Saw a museum display on the floor and a jolly man in heavy makeup and tuxedo doing a Puttin’ on the Ritz routine. Saw flags that filled a room and conjured wind when none was present, and a woman moving in slow motion to sainthood. Solid straight lines hovered above a blanket tent complex housing a tea party and a set of shelves emerged from a can of spray foam and climbed towards the sky, full of just about everything.
Ended up at the Tribeca in the former Café Mokka surrounded by my friends but feeling distant, tired and worn out.
-chris
October 16
Vital Statistics
Arise: 6:09 (1 snooze)
Shower: yes
Shave: yes
Breakfast: boiled egg, toast
Bowel: yes
Coffee: 1
Lunch: Bento Box A
Beer: 2.5
Supper: lentils and rice
Reading: no
Evening activity: exhibition opening at Dal
Sex: no
Cigarettes: 1
Drugs: no
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 18, 2003 10:04:07 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Tory activist David Orchard slams Alliance merger deal as blackmail
October 17
Dear Jean,
Experienced a nice little bit of serendipity early this morning. I left the house to catch a bus to the hardware store at 8am just as my grandparents pulled up to the house. They had dropped Nadine off at the airport and were killing time until Nanny’s pediatrics appointment at 9:30, so they drove me to and from Pierceys. It was a lot easier than lugging a five-gallon pail of paint around on the bus.
Janet came by before noon with the Mills van and Shawn and I loaded it up with the props to be returned to Dal. Dropped the props off and walked home for lunch. It was nice and sunny, but that fall edge is in the air now.
The installation of Shelly’s show is going through some technology growing pains. We’ve been getting a crackling noise through the speakers. I know it’s not the speakers, as they are new. Replaced the speaker wire but still not luck, so broke down and bought a new amp. Still the same problem, which Shawn now thinks is the result of incompatibilities with the DVD player and Shelly’s burned DVD. Everything else with the installation seems to be coming along OK.
Met Dan after work for Happy Hour. He’s convinced me to get rid of the ‘vital statistics’ portion of the letters. They are a separate thing, and bog the letters down. He also thinks they could make me more schizophrenic than I already am, so it’s probably a good idea to ease off.
Walked up to St. Mary’s for Gerry Ferguson’s opening of his exhibition Drop Cloth Paintings. I came fully expecting to dislike the work but it won me over; they actually look quite interesting, and the clash between found marks and manufactured marks is subtle and effective. It’s also just so damn cheeky to exhibit these big paintings in the Ab Ex heroic fashion that are originally just bits of fabric designed to protect more important commodities (i.e. floors, tiles, carpets, etc.) from the potential spills from the creation of other “paintings”—or the act of painting cabinets, doors, walls, whatever. I spent a lot of time by the food wolfing down spanikopita and Shelly accused me of being a “cheese-eater”. I couldn’t help it-I hadn’t had supper.
Walked back to the Khyber for the end of the Satan McNuggit Video Road Show. The films and videos were good but the turnout was dismal. It was the lowest Jonathan has experienced on his tour so far, and he’s been through BC, the Yukon, the Prairies and Newfoundland. His publicist just quit on him, which certainly didn’t help matters, and the PR I was sending out for the show happened just after the hurricane. Just something else to blame on Juan.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 19, 2003 10:55:42 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Tory-Alliance merger greeted warmly among Quebec Conservatives
October 18
Dear Jean,
Went to the market in the morning with Sarah G. (I’m going to refer to her as Sarah Fork from now on) and Jonathan, who crashed on the couch. Wandered around, picked up some broccoli and some dirt (potting soil for my plants). Ran into Lindsey and Marc, who just eloped last week. Jonathan wears a backpack with a small bald puppet named ‘Hugo’ sticking out the back of it. It’s kind of spooky, but the kids seemed to like it.
Went to the Khyber and was there the whole afternoon. It turns out the technical problems we were having were the result of Shelly’s DVD itself, so I wired everything up and on Sunday we will attempt to re-burn her mini-DV footage onto a new DVD. Dierdre came in to help paint and fix walls and clean Plexiglas.
Had a long before supper then Shelly and I caught a cab to the Oxford Theatre and watched The Event. I thought it would be sadder than it was. A much better film than Wild Dogs, and Thom limited his on-screen appearance to a brief, hardly noticeable cameo. Good use of colour, warm and glowing in the flashbacks and cold and harsh in the present. A good exploration of the issue of assisted suicide and terminal illness, handled with delicacy and what felt like real emotion.
After a chilly twenty minute wait we caught a bus back home. Went to bed and read over my Concordia MFA application. It is very straightforward.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 20, 2003 7:35:32 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Finally a pause in storm after 800 evacuated in floods north of Vancouver
October 19
Dear Jean,
Had a mostly quiet and relaxing day. Slept in. Made an omelet for breakfast. Derek came by and unloaded a bunch of his stuff. That put me into a re-organization mode, and I spent some time moving all of Karina’s boxes and bags down to the studio, then moved all my books and magazines to the bookcase in the living room (soon to be my bedroom), then moved almost all my stuff out of my walk-in closet. Derek moves in on Wednesday and Yang on Sunday. We’re having a huge yard sale on Saturday.
Sarah Fork and her friend Emma baked cookies in the afternoon. I went to the Khyber for a little bit but didn’t stay long; Emily had things under control. The building was bustling with activity as Chris and Evan were busy installing. There isn’t anything we can do about the digital noise on Shelly’s DVD: she doesn’t have the original footage with her. The noise is hardly noticeable when the high end on the EQ is turned all the way down. Shelly ironed most of her clothes and then went to Value Village. I didn’t realize until later that the harbour ferry actually stops running at 6pm on Sunday evenings, so of course she missed it on her return. Luckily she was able to split a cab with a girl who also didn’t want to wait any longer for a bus. Something needs to be done about the public transit system here.
Sarah Fork made pizza for supper and her friend Jonathan came over and the whole lot of us watched old episodes of the Family Guy on the computer, which I had moved into the living room, then hooked up the cable and watched TV.
Went to bed early and read some essays from Mark Kingwell’s book Marginalia.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 21, 2003 7:59:53 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Rains keep coming as residents and authorities battle B.C. floods
October 20
Dear Jean,
Just past the third snooze this morning Alliance Security called and woke me up: a motion sensor had gone off in the bar. It was probably just a mouse, but I got dressed and biked down to check anyway. If they send the police and it is a false alarm we get charged $100.
The openings went well, the building looks good, the three shows look good, there was a healthy attendance, all the food was eaten and there were no technical glitches. Even Charmaine appeared out of nowhere, her young nephew in tow. Shelly’s installation is slick and minimal, yet the video is sort of cheeky and fun, vibrantly-coloured and balanced delicately with humour and sensitivity.
Spent the day running around on a few last-minute errands. Had lunch with Jen and talked about the Off Printing conference she had just come back from. Biked to the North End to get Shelly’s sign vinyl but it had already been delivered. When I got back to the Khyber the vinyl wasn’t there; it had been left at the Lord Nelson. When I got there the woman at the front desk seemed convinced that nothing had arrived; I had to have her check the room three times and she only came back with the vinyl after calling Eyecandy Signs herself.
Bought myself a small car model to start my new sculpture series—the “lack of direction” series—in my free time.
Went to the openings at Anna and then hung out in the Club for the rest of the evening. When Shelly and I were leaving Courtney and Sarah K. were just arriving to take the rest of her bags of broken old school desks away to various dumpsters. Sarah’s planned rides never materialized and so it becomes art that moves by the cover of darkness.
Flicked through the multi-channel TV universe repeatedly for an hour before going to bed. Probably went through each channel about six times.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 22, 2003 7:20:07 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Danny Williams’s Conservatives win majority in Nfld. election
October 21
Dear Jean,
Just came back from waiting for the airport shuttle with Shelly; it arrived almost a half-hour late. How can you run a successful company when your only service is to arrive on time and you don’t? By selling return tickets, that’s how. She was already cutting it a bit close, I hope she doesn’t miss her plane. The 5am shuttle just seemed ridiculously early.
Had a mildly productive day; worked on the grant for most of it. Andréa was in and helped with it as well. The office is getting colder; almost time to start up the furnace. The Club has a couple ceiling mounted electrical heaters that throw off some good warmth; enough to keep the fruit flies alive.
Shelly’s artist talk in the Club went well; not as big a crowd as last week but still respectable. Jessie came to help set up and introduce Shelly; she is quite good at it. Shelly speaks clearly about her work. I drank two Guinness’ and then left without paying: I think I am the worst D & D in the Club.
Shelly cooked a nice bean and rice dish with fresh coriander yogurt salad for supper. I chopped an onion that reminded me of the tear gas hut in the militia. We stayed up for a while and talked and then I spent some time with the Tehching Hsieh DVD that arrived in the mail. It consists of some exhaustive documentation of his one-year performances: a photo for every day he was locked in the cage in his studio; the whole six minute film of his punch clock piece; a fifty-minute documentary on the year he spent outside; a photo for every day he was tied to Linda Montano; and a question and answer session at the conclusion of his thirteen year piece. I spoke with both Michael Fernandes and Tim Dallett today (Tim on the phone from Saskatoon) about scheduling some sort of performance art symposium for mid-May. Fun stuff.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 23, 2003 8:39:15 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Martin asks MPs to cost out social spending before he takes office
October 22
Dear Jean,
Met with Heather first thing in the morning to go over our Charities Return; the forms can be quite tricky. I don’t feel quite so incompetent when someone is helping me with those sorts of things. I’ll get the GST66 form filled out at the same time as the Charities form and we should see a nice rebate in a few weeks.
Colleen called regarding my taxes; she’s heard back from Revenue Canada and everything is OK. I guess I don’t owe them money anymore. The last time I filed was 1997 so she has finished ’98 and ’99 for me. I won’t get my refunds—and five years of GST—for six to eight weeks. Just in time for Christmas. I’ll be able to pay my folks back then too.
Went home early for a nap and supper. Made some rice with the fresh Spanish Saffron that Claudine sent me in the mail; the package arrived today. Derek has been moving in all day; he is very quiet and keeps to himself. He seems to be surprised if anyone speaks to him. Maybe he just needs to get used to us (especially Sarah Fork: she takes a bit of getting used to). I moved a bunch more of my stuff into the living room/my room. Went back to the Khyber to photocopy some posters (still trying to sell my computer but not getting enough posters up), and picked up some dowel for my closet. Knocked the dowel off after I had hooked it up and gave myself a bruise on my forehead. I think I’ll like the new room; it is warmer, and cozier, and I think I’ll get more reading done. Started Anil’s Ghost last night.
Transplanted some houseplants. Went to bed early.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 24, 2003 8:29:25 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Manley promises balanced books, despite analysts warning of slow growth
October 23
Had dreams about travelling, displacement and Mhotels last night. Might have had something to do with moving the rest of my room into the living room and sleeping there for the first time (not counting the couches). Or it might have been the joint I smoked, which always puts me into a weird headspace. Makes me very thoughtful, introspective and very little fun to be around, since I lose most ability to communicate properly. Poor Derek must think he’s moved into a madhouse; the living room switch came as a bit of a surprise to him, and we were still moving furniture around at 11pm. The living room has a bit of an odd layout but it will work. Sarah Fork’s bed fits perfectly in the walk-in closet.
Had a good day at work. Emily and I came up with an idea to have an extended yard sale store on the third floor; maybe we’ll finally clear out a significant amount of the junk and clutter from the basement. Briony came in to go over the grant so far. I worked on tax forms and the grant and emails. Finally mustered up the courage to delete the four thousand email in my inbox.
Had a beer after work with Jen and we both bitched about working in NPOs, grants, the CC, and the inside life of politicians. She grew up in Ottawa and spent time with many MPs kids. Apparantly Mulroney’s daughter had already been ‘deflowered’ when the Frank contest was launched.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 25, 2003 3:38:23 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Canada’s premiers look to era of healthy co-operation with new PM
October 24-25
Dear Jean,
Happy anniversary. You’re all over the news today in your bare feet and Sikh headdress.
Had a runaround day on Friday. Went to work early to unlock the basement storage rooms so the Braemar Pest Control guys could get in, then went to the AGNS to meet with Ray about possible acquisitions. He had to skip out on another meeting (he hadn’t caught the email) to meet with me. He selected a few paintings and we worked out some prices, including a Red Book, for the acquisition grant. He’s having someone take some slides next week of the cluster. I need the new slides for upcoming applications.
Received a call from Royal Bank student loans; my 30-month interest free status is up. Now I go on some sort of special relief, but I couldn’t find the section I was referred to on the website and I was told the local branches don’t carry the forms. Guess I’ll wait for another phone call.
Gave a brief (very brief) introduction to the Khyber to Michelle’s writing for the arts class. Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m talking too much or not enough, and prefer to err on the side of caution, and say little. My accountant called and my returns were ready to be signed. Since it can take 8 weeks to get the returns I took a bus to the Village Mall after lunch to get the papers signed and on their way. It would be nice to get the money before Christmas.
Worked on the grant for the rest of the afternoon but left work early and didn’t even have a beer during happy hour. Treated myself to a new CD from Sams: Glenn Gould’s 1955 and 1981 recordings of the Goldberg Variations. Made supper and stayed in all night. Haven’t had a cigarette in a number of days. Cleaned the house a bit. Organized my room some more.
Went to Supervideo with Sarah while putting up yard sale posters and we rented Anger Management. It was the first movie in our new living room. Derek joined us even though he had seen the movie before. It was good for a few laughs but was overall a mediocre film. Read from Anil’s Ghost before going to bed.
Was up early on Saturday to prepare for the sale. I realize that the word “big’ on the yard sale sign was a bit of false advertising; it was really a small sale. And it was really cold out. My coffee was getting cold before I had a chance to enjoy it. Visitors were few and far between. Sold a few things; enough to get some groceries to tide me over for the week. And maybe a bottle of wine for Andréa’s get-together later tonight. We’ve left all the junk outside with a note asking customers to ring the bell. It’s sunny out, but too cold to just be standing or sitting around.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 26, 2003 11:10:38 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Leaders prepare for debate in Sask. election race that is too close to call
October 26
Spent the day alternating between reading, sleeping and drinking water in an attempt to work through a painful hangover. And let me tell you, reading a book with a subtext about horrific war and graphic descriptions of surgery and forensics does not help in keeping food down. Napped off and on throughout the day—the extra hour was helpful. Felt a mixture of depression and anxiety all day; the usual worries about work (am I doing a good job?), school (where to go?), relationships (?), art (what next?) money (?) and just life in general (what’s the point?). Do these worries subside with age and experience?
Nanny and Poppy stopped by on their way to a birthday party and left cookies and apple pie—yummy. Yang moved his stuff in, it took about fifteen minutes and then he was gone again, and hasn’t been back since. We had a Drawing Club scheduled for tonight but no one came; Andrew called in sick, and everyone else on the old email list is out of town. Drew a picture of a cat watching TV while watching some TV.
Last night Trevor and Tamara took me to the Haliburton House Inn for supper. The restaurant is called Stories, and is very swanky. I had part of Bambi’s mom: very tender. They had an ‘entertainment’ card that gives discounts on various restaurants, car rentals, cruise lines, etc. It expires at the end of the week, which was one of the reasons (probably the main reason) for the dinner. That, and they have just bought a new (used) car, and Trev just finished his first week at his new job, so a bit of celebrating was in order.
Went out to Andréa and Tashia’s apartment for a party. Was the first to arrive and among the last to leave. Went to another house party with Greg and Swintak and didn’t know anybody; I think it was a farewell party for one of Greg’s co-workers. It was very surreal: arm-wrestling, loud boys with their shirts off and writing on their chests, a keg, someone named Dwight Yoakam (really high or really drunk) kept lying down (wrapped in a blanket on the living room floor or at the curbside out front), some wedgy/wrestling action happening in the kitchen. After probably making an ass of myself I left that party and went to the basement performance space below the old And, looking for the rest of the crew but most everyone had left. Talked with Geordie for awhile—at least I was trying to—and then managed to walk home, even after somehow ending up in the wrong direction. It wasn’t pretty; the inevitable result of mixing drinks and smoking and drinking too much.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 28, 2003 7:35:02 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Chief of Labrador Innu asks for help in treating gas-sniffing children
October 27
Dear Jean,
Felt much better today, even as everyone else seems to be getting sick. Andréa had to go home early as she was feeling dizzy. Plowed through on the grant stuff, worked on section B and C and continued amassing support material for section D. Went to the Med twice, once with Andréa and then again later in the afternoon with Jen. She has been crazy busy with the eye-opener planning and confusion going on and trying to get the big grant done too. In a few minutes I’m going to try to record a bit of BT that they are featured on.
Had a quiet night, made supper and worked on some of my own digital files. Listened to some music and read some old Border Crossings. Watched a bit of TV later on; the end of the Shattered City series (looked oh-so typical CBC/Canadiana—with a bit of an American-style courtroom drama thrown in for good measure), and then Family Guy. Finished rreading Anil’s Ghost. It’s one of those books that demands a second reading.
Went to bed early but didn’t sleep well—again. Weird dreams (about photocopiers, how exciting) and waking up every few hours.
It’s raining out again, and I have to take some paintings to work—I want to shoot someof my own slides while using the copy stand for the grant documentation. Our basement smells like sewage; I’m going to have to call Lyndon to have a look.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 29, 2003 7:45:16 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Commons passes anti-cloning bill; no guarantee Senate will follow suit
October 28,
I can’t believe it is almost the end of October. Where does the time go? Into grants and alcohol, that’s where it goes. It gets lost in the rain, which was heavy in the morning and then tapered off to drizzle and then became nothing but warm air. It’s raining again this morning but I left my rain pants, raincoat and even my umbrella—which I had retrieved after getting caught in rain again after going home for lunch—so I don’t know what to wear this morning. Garbage bag? Time gets lost in those spaces between phone calls with relatives; my mom called to catch up on things, always has a good story or two. Played email tag with Judy all day, quick little one liners, sentences punctuating a day full of grant writing (hoop jumping). Shot some slides at the copy stand at NSCAD; four years since I have been a student there but still managing to gain access to facilities. Is that because of Khyber? There is no written agreement, it must be something more casual, more congenial. Set up Eleanor’s security camera to monitor the gallery more closely; time passes with each of those grainy black and white corners of Shelley’s nine and a half minute video projection, caught behind the still clothing rack, the occasional shadow of someone passing in the hall. Beer after work with Jen, complaining about work, then back to work to help Kenny set up for his artist presentation in the Club, dismantling the projector and DVD player, figuring out the cable situation. Left Jessie in charge of it all but stayed for the first little bit of Kenny’s talk, crashed the personnel committee of the board meeting, then off for more beer with Jen (Guinness this time, having skipped supper). Complaints turn to rumination on work, life, art, relationships. Stuff with no real answers. Grabbed a slice of pizza from Alexandria’s (right around the corner from home) and watched something on the history channel with Derek. Rebecca sent me a letter in the mail and included a nice ‘zine based on the Family Circus (lovingly renamed the Family Suckass. Very crude. Very funny. The cover features Billy running holding a long worm, a big smile on his face. The title: I Found it in my Urethra!)
-chris
PS What’s a thalidomide flipper?
rom : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 30, 2003 7:43:38 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Chretien hints at early retirement, plans to meet with Martin
October 29
Kuan is becoming almost unbearably cute in the mornings; she kneads and kneads my pillow and purrs loudly. It’s all very cute except that she starts doing it at 5:30 in the morning!
Had a busy day at work, but it seems the more I work on the grant the more bogged down it becomes. It is like that expanding hallway that appeared in Poltergeist and has since been recycled in numerous TV ads; the faster you try to get to the end of the hall the longer it gets
Had lunch at the Hungry Chili; Sweet Hot Beef. It was sweet and it was just on my threshold of acceptable hotness.
Took an excursion in the afternoon to Dartmouth. My bank branch is there and I needed new cheques. Stopped at Valu Village for a minute to look at some pants and sweaters but the items I tired on were ill-fitting so I didn’t get anything.
Went home for a quick supper (leftovers) and then back to work to help Jessie prepare for the panel discussion. There was a great turnout, about fifty people or so, and the discussion moved along briskly. It was really just the tip of the iceberg, but the economics of the art word—despite the fact that so little money actually filters into visual arts—is still a big topic with a lot of potential ground to cover. Stayed for a little while afterward but not too long; talked with Peter a bit and Angella and Jessie.
Went to Sobeys before heading home and stocked up on some heavy items: cat litter, clothes detergent, apples, cat food, bananas, etc. Took a cab home. Started to fall asleep on the couch while talking to Sarah Fork and so went to bed around midnight.
Still have yet to see Yang in the house; he comes home later than I doand I leave before he does.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : October 31, 2003 9:54:57 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Sea King helicopter fleet severely restricted after two aircraft lose power
October 30
Dear Jean,
Chugged away on the now bogged-down grant most of the day. Pheilm came in for the morning and helped out. Heather had good suggestions about the budget. Dan stopped by later in the day to review more of the texts. Went home for lunch, and guess what? I finally took the rental computer back! They wouldn’t let me pay for the new one with a cheque, and my debit card has a tiny daily limit so I’ll have to get them a certified cheque or money order. Matthew offered to transfer my music files from the rental to the new computer for me, which was nice.
Stayed a little while after work for a fundraising committee meeting that was fairly productive; a plan of action emerged: Mugshots in 3 weeks with a big rummage sale in the studio room, and a three week raffle on Elizabeth’s GAP shirt encased in Plexiglas. I know I’m buying some tickets. Went home to shower and change before the Eye-opener. Had three bids on work before finishing my first beer; ended up winning on two. Picked up one of Gerard Choy’s small plaster spoons (to match the blue bowl) and a scrappy wall-mounted sculpture by Graeme Patterson called “Pig Headed”. Perfect. You have to love battery-powered art. Stayed past the close of the auction and enjoyed the wicked warbling of Mitch and the Motorhomes, then Swintak, Greg and I sneaked into the Khyber without paying cover. Proceeded to enact bizarre table dances that were probably viewed as some sort of cryptic heckling of the band; but they were actually quite good, whoever they were. We laughed a lot. Because of the Pop Explosion the special events license was in effect and the Club didn’t close until 2am; as a result, I’m a little behind schedule today. Even Kuan couldn’t wake me up before 8am. No waking up at 4 or 5, either.
-chris
DEAR PM 