From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 1, 2004 6:26:24 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Security at Canada’s ports no better since scathing 2002 report: senator
Dear Paul,
Slept in again today. It felt great! I wasn’t even up too late last night; watched http://www.lynchnet.com/lh/lhscript.html Lost Highway, and spent time on the Internet looking at the TV ads to run during the Super Bowl today, and talked to Yang and Mary. I liked Lost Highway, but think Lynch dealt more effectively with the breakdown of narrative and the construction of character in http://www.lynchnet.com/mdrive/Mulholland Drive. Overall I like the how Lynch deals with the unexplainable and supernatural within storylines and settings that attempt to be naturalistic to our sensibilities of what film should deliver.
Had weird car-chase dreams, and sex dreams in a lingerie shop. Nice.
Today has felt almost like a day at school. Lots of reading and participating in debates on art, via email, and in discussion with Yang, and in essay forms. Nice! Without having anything to show for it, it still somehow feels pproductive. Claudine sent me a good link for an interview with http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/bhabha/interview.html Homi Bhabha. So needless to say I haven’t done any housework yet. Maybe I’ll get cracking on it, once I get dressed.
Oh, and good news on the financial front: my grandfather called yesterday and doesn’t need the loan, my tax return ASAP, so when it comes in I can use some as living expenses. And Colin has emailed me and is also keeping his eyes peeled for me for work.
Still no really cheap flights to Montréal, and I checked out the so-called 50% deal with VIA which turned out to be more like 15%. It is because they base the deal on the most expensive fare.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 2, 2004 5:01:43 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Throne speech promises billions for cities, environmental cleanup
Dear Paul,
I actually left the house today to run some errands. Had some things to print off at the KDMC so while I was there I volunteered to put up some posters at NSCAD. Was on my way to the school but got lured into the “everything for a dollar” store along the way. Spooky place. Who in the Canadian government had the bright idea to use nail clippers as a Canadian promotional device? Made in China? Ran into Duncan at the store, he was looking for whistles. On my way to NSCAD I ran into Scott, who backtracked and signed me into a film processing cubicle. I had some B&W film to develop. It had been a few years but my processing was almost flawless. The new reels really help. They have teeth.
Am grabbing a bite to eat and then heading back to the college. Duncan is giving a talk on his recent exhibition and travels in Brazil. Then I’ll pick up the film, run a few more errands, make a few more prints and maybe work in the studio later this evening.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 3, 2004 10:39:00 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Martin’s first day in Commons starts brightly, ends with angry invective
Dear Paul,
Tough day in the House today, eh? Get used to it. Your late-breaking ties with CSL are just too easy a target, even for the mainstream opposition parties. But this is part of the job.
I had a fairly productive day. The mild weather helped. It was warm enough to paint, so I finally finished those frottage paintings from the staples template. They turned out pretty much as I expected, in a manner that reminds me of the Shroud of Turin. Excellent!
Ran a few errands throughout the day, working on the roommate front. Gathered rent from the roomies and paid Lyndon, just in time for this three-week vacation in Costa Rica. Why do I get the feeling that our rent is paying for his frequent sojourns down south and across the pond? Probably because it is.
Did a little volunteering at the Khyber today—it was only right, I was borrowing a paint roller, and paint, to make the paintings—and came back in the evening to co-ordinate Scott Price’s artist talk. I really liked his wonky correspondence pieces. In one he mailed postcards to people with pictures of him standing in front of their house. His recent digital images feature him in multiples in a single frame, very nice, sort of like having your Id, Ego and Superego all together in a single place at a single time.
Borrowedd the digital camera to document some work tonight (or tomorrow morning, if the darn batteries don’t charge in time). I am going to document the adventures of a chair from the KDMC that I need to get rid of. It is a flawed design, and everyone who sits in it eventually careens over backwards. Today it was Sarah W., who just happens to be eight months pregnant. Final straw for the chair. For a second I was afraid the spill was going to induce premature labour or something. She was fine though.
I spent over an hour applying for EI online this evening. What a marathon form! And my claim is relatively easy, excepting the few months I was on leave this year. I had to type in every single bloody week. Couldn’t do it from start to end date, cummulative, no, that wouldn’t be clear enough. Anyway, it’s done. Tomorrow I’ll drop off the forms and then if there is no delay or problem with the application I should expect money sometime mid-March. Later is better than never, I suppose.
I’m going to check out a few details with the Fesitiva tomorrow. And clean the house, I mean it this time. We’ve had a couple calls about the room, so I suppose I should clean it and make it somewhat presentable. It will be hard enough renting a closet, no matter how clean it is. I’ll gauge reactions, but i think the best course of action is to rent out the whole living room. No one in their right mind will (or shoudl) pay rent for the closet.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 4, 2004 9:43:39 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Defence minister checking report suicide bomber was son of Canadian citizen
Dear Paul,
I spent a few hours at the Khyber today working on some fun Photoshop images, heavily influenced by Scott’s work. Putting multiples of yourself into an image is fun! Also documented the Shroud of Chrétien paintings. I didn’t get a chance to do anything goofy with the office chair: someone had taken it away overnight. Ran a few errands this afternoon and missed the Protest March. The weather was crap at the start of the day, mild but rainy and windy, and i wasn’t in the mood for standing around. One of my rubber boots has a hole in it.
As important as they are for visibility, I don’t think protests accomplish much. A massive, co-ordinated cross-country effort of purposeful defaulting on student loan repayments might be more effective. Might send a stronger message to the banks.
The weather cleared up by mid-afternoon and suddenly it felt like spring; sunny and warm. A winter tease, to be sure. So the next cold snap will seem even more unforgiving. The mild weather caused a mild leak in our living room ceiling, leaving a lovely dusting of plaster bits on the pink couch. I’m showing the room(s) in about half an hour, to a friend of Tania’s. I cleaned a bit of the house today, and took some photos for Shawn’s new http://www.hotjanitor.com/ website. Hmmm…it’s been a big day for self-portraits, actually.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 5, 2004 11:24:56 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Former Bloc co-founder will help Liberals beat Bloc in Quebec: analysts
Dear Paul,
Well, it looks like I have indeed found a replacement for me for when I move out at the end of the month. Tania’s friend Xavier is going to to take my “closet” room, and start moving his workshop into the basement as early as tomorrow afternoon. He is making wooden pipes, and wants to get started on it ASAP. Apparently the success of the Lord of the Rings has translated into world-wide demand for “wizard” and “hobbit” and “elf” styled smoking pipes. He’s planning to make 3000 this month alone!
Almost sold the Fesitva today as well. Someone came by to look at it, we pushed it into the street so it could be boosted, to check that the engine still runs and the lights work, etc. He was going to get an alternator belt at Canadian Tire but also wanted to get a replacement headlamp guard, which they didn’t carry, so he went off to check in a scrapyard. Haven’t heard from him since, though he did seem really interested. He even helped me push the car back into the driveway. Poor Festiva!
Spent most of the day organizing files and packing some boxes. Judy emailed to say that Karina is coming by tomorrow to retrieve a bunch of her things. That should be interesting. We haven’t spoken to each other since September. She hasn’t even notified me herself that she is coming.
I went to Tania’s house for supper, she cooked a nice pot of homemade chicken vegetable soup. We drank some beer and sat in front of a cute little woodstove in her living room and watched the fire (better than TV!) and listened to music and talked about stress and art jobs. She lives in a great little house just off Gottingen, in a cluster of old homes that see forgotten by time. Even the nearby crackhouses and the visiting police pay no attention to them. A couple rooms in the house have floors that are just plywood, but a really high quality plywood, nice grain, full sheets, and they look really nice. Could be an idea for Mom and Dad’s bedroom floor.
I’m going to head to bed early. Walking to the North End and back in this frigid wind has tuckered me out. I need to get up early tomorrow to buy catfood, the little chubby little critters have gone through yet another bag.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 7, 2004 2:22:25 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Judge notes evidence of Chretien’s influence in loan scandal
Dear Paul,
Surprise! I’m in Montréal. Found a cheap Air Canada flight and booked a ticket a few days ago, Shawn lent me his CC#. Kept it a secret from Claudine right up to the very end. I was a little worried about how it all might play out; she was at the Buck 65 show at Club Soda with friends, and I had no idea what her plans would be afterwards. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.
So much hapened on Friday. Xavier moved in, I think, sometime in the evening, probably right after I left. And a tug of war broke out over the Festiva. I was late for back-to-back meetings at the Khyber, first with Larissa (publications) and next with Ben and Dean (crash course in Simply Accounting). While there Leah, the new NSCAD Intern, offered to buy the car outright. I hadn’t heard back from David, who had seemed really keen, so I told her I’d call her in the evening. And of course ten minutes after I called her David showed up, new alternator belt in hand. I paid him for the belt and apologized profusely, but I figured since he didn’t call or stop by for five hours after he said he would that he had lost interest. I feel guilty because he has a cute little baby girl, and having a really cheap car would have probably helped him out a lot. Then again, Leah has a little boy, and was super happy at getting the car.
So I zipped to Leah’s, signed the papers over, and walked back to the Citadel Hotel. Caught the airport bus, had a quick nap, and was broken out of my travel reverie at the security checkpoint. When asked if I had any electronics in my bad I said yes, a laptop, and reached into my bag to pull it out and was shocked to find it wasn’t there. I had left it at home. D’oh! I did manage to bring the power bar, monitor attachment and warranty, however. My flight was delayed almost forty minutes so I called home to see if I could have the computer taxied to the airport, but no one was home. I think I’ll get a roommate to send it to me on the bus; I can’t do any work or apply for any shows without it. I need to work on my Power Point presentation!
The baggage was late and I just missed the 11pm bus downtown. The 11:30 driver was sick and there was no guarantee that there would be a bus until midnight. There was a cluster of confused Anglos wondering what to do next and I convinced a man to split a cab with me. He was an older guy, quite tall, from a small town (pop. 600) in Manitoba, visiting Montréal for the first time to attend a Skidoo trade show. I hopped out at the Square Victoria metro, got off at Mont Royal and walked to Claudine’s. I left my bag in her hallway and left her a message, then wandered to a nearby bar to wait.
While at Zinc, and on my third pint, James from CCA, whom I had met during the annual conference in Halifax back in November, approached me and invited me to sit with him and his friends Mark?/Mike? and Peter. I was beginning to think that maybe Claudine wasn’t going to be going home at all when she showed up, in her pajamas, and we had a most excellent greeting hug. We laughed and laughed, finished my beer and headed back to her place ASAP.
And the irony of it all? SHE HAD BEEN AT THE BAR NEXT DOOR THE WHOLE TIME! I had walked by three times! But it all worked out in the end.
We’re about to clean up her place as the AC crew is coming over to celebrate Claudine’s birthday (and her friend Anne’s is tomorrow), so it will be a fun and crazy evening. We’re going to Diable Vert after supper, and everyone is crashing here for the night.
Starting Monday I’ll be painting bathrooms for Mohanad, which should keep the telemarketing and clinic stays at bay for a few days.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 9, 2004 8:11:14 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Via service affected by derailment of CN train at Montmagny, Que.
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. It was a bit of an emotional day. The downside to surprising someone out of the blue emerged late Saturday night; I had, in effect, crashed Claudine’s birthday party. If I was a little more on the ball I would have recognized that fact earlier and made other plans; after all, I know how close she and the AC crew are.
Most of the evening was great fun, Kent and Anne and Eli came by and anne cooked a most amazing chicken paella dish and we had wine and beer and Kent and I watched and waited as the girls got ready for a night out dancing at Diable Vert. First time I can remember waiting in a lineup outside to get into a bar in a long time. Claudine and I left early, her friend Eric drove us home.
Hung out with Mohanad Sunday afternoon. We wandered around outside, rather aimlessly, talking about relationships and work and Francis Fukuyama and the Simpsons. His sense of humour and dry wit helped calm the sudden paranoia I was experiencing about my currently chaotic, somewhat fractured life. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Auprès de ma blonde and then did some shopping for a french workbook. I’ve really got to work on my french.
Had a restless night. Claudine had work to do on her thesis, and we went to bed really early and slept fitfully, waking up every hour on the hour. She was up again at 4am working on her paper. I’ve just been up letting my mind race.
I’m meeting Mohanad this morning to start work patching and painting three bathrooms. I’m looking forward to the work.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 10, 2004 8:33:57 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Former Quebec Liberal leader Claude Ryan dies of stomach cancer at 79
Dear Paul,
Had a productive first day of work with Mohanad. We are working on a couple of his brother’s apartments in Verdun. Met Mo at the Metro and we went shopping for supplies at a nearby hardware store. I spent the day on some light plastering and two coats of paint in a bathroom, and a coat of paint in a back foyer. Today I am doing a lot more plasterwork in the bathroom where Mo was ripping out tile and replacing wallboard yesterday. Should be fun.
I made chicken soup for supper then Claudine and I watched a movie—the Ice Storm—and went to bed early. Claudine was up again early, this time at 5, to work on her class. Passed another night where neither of us slept well; I’m starting to think that the bedroom has bad Feng Shui. It is either that or nerves.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 11, 2004 8:54:12 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : RCMP, Via Rail, Canada Post involved in sponsorship fiasco: report
Dear Paul,
Spent most of Tuesday plastering one of the bathrooms. My taping skills were a little rusty but it all started to come back to me after a bit. Ah, there is nothing like the taste of drywall dust. Taped up the ceiling in the jock’s bathroom after Mohanad had finished installing it. The guys that live there work night, and were having a football party until bedtime (which for them is about 3pm). Odd listening to the male jock in his element; sort of like watching an episode of the Wild Kingdom or something.
I remembered to call CRA regarding my GST return and spent about twenty minutes on the phone with a rep. They said that since the return didn’t “bounce back” automatically I have to get confirmation from the bank that the account was indeed closed as of the direct deposit date of January 23 2004. I called the Royal Bank and they confirmed for me that my only current accounts with them are my federal student loan (-$35,000) and RRSP ($6). I should be able to go into a branch and get something printed off that can then be faxed to CRA. I don’t know when exactly I’ll have time to do that, as I’m working all day again today and tomorrow. Maybe Friday.
We both finally got a good sleep last night. When I came home from work I moved the bed back to where it had been over the holidays, so it is no longer directly in front of the bedroom door. Of course, the sheer exhaustion was no doubt a contributing factor. Claudine fell asleep right after supper. I worked on my french workbook for a little while, did the dishes and was asleep by 11. I was waiting to hear from Colin, as we had made tentative plans to hang out, but he never called, nor was he home when I called him. Mohanad has me worried about him.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 12, 2004 9:03:30 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Martin takes slap at Chretien and blames ‘sophisticated’ group for scandal
Dear Paul,
Had a bit of a redundant day at work. Mohanad’s brother didn’t like the yellow I had painted in the bathroom so I re-painted it brown. Now, brown wouldn’t be my first choice in a bathroom colour, but it had already been used in Mohanad’s bathroom, and actually looks quite nice. Well, one of the guys that lives there took one look and freaked out. I never would have guessed a jock would be so particular about colour. He said that even his seventy year-old grandmother doesn’t have brown. The colour is going to stay for now, as the first priority is getting the three bathrooms finished before the fourplex goes on the market. Jock-boy can re-paint afterwards, if he likes. Maybe a nice peach, like the kitchen.
Met Claudine at the bookstore after she finished work and we ate at the Ethiopian restaurant nearby, Le Nil Bleu. Good food, and of curse can still smell the spices on my hand. We stopped at La Boite Noir on the way home and picked up a couple movies. Watched The Thomas Crown affair, the first one, with Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen. Lots of fun. The over-use of the split-screen technique was quite in vogue in the late ’60s.
Went to bed early. We are both sleeping better. Maybe Feng Shui works?
So, are you going to resign now that deep-seeded Liberal corruption is boiling over? Must be a hard pill to swallow, after chasing the throne for so long, only to have it turn so…Nixon-esque. How could the Finance Minister not know where a hundred million dollars went? Especially one so hell-bent on erasing deficits by slashing programs? And on the subject of slashing social programs, I’d like to quote you directly, from something you said in the House of Commons yesterday: “The end never justifies the means”.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 15, 2004 11:10:39 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Seven American same-sex couples exchange wedding vows in Toronto
Dear Paul,
Happy Belated Valentine’s Day. Not feeling too much love these days, are you? The heat is on.
Sorry I haven’t written in a few days. Stephane came by to retrieve the keyboard he had lent to Claudine and so we are without. We stopped by a store on Friday but the keyboards available were not Mac compatible. So I have typed some of this letter on my laptop, and transfered the files to Claudine’s computer, as she picked up a keyboard yesterday.
We each had the day off on Friday. Stopped at a Royal Bank to get a printout of my accounts to fax to CRA. Of course, when I called CRA they wanted more information; the name and number of a person in charge at my previous home branch in Saint John. So I did that later on; my fourth phone call to CRA this week, and third to Royal Bank. I was finally told I might hear something in two weeks or so. Efficient! The process has only taken two and a half weeks already.
We went to the MACM to see the Dominique Blaine and Kamila Wozniakowska exhibitions. Blaine’s work is powerful, with a heavy interest in post-colonial issues running throughout each piece. The work doesn’t feel didactic, and there is a great range of materials and manipulations. Wozniakowska’s paintings are whimsical and slightly disturbing, painted in a deceptively simple style with great use of narrative and repetition. Almost makes me want to paint again. Almost, but not quite.
I have been reading Hopeful Monsters while going to and fro to work on the metro. It’s a great book. I see now why Jacob and Shannon included it as one of their “Five Important Books”. The narrators, Eleanor and Max, each have a better grasp on physics and psychoanalysis than I do, and they are only ten years old.
I am increasingly frustrated with myself for my inability to speak French, and it seems to be causing me to speak less and less English. Pretty soon I’ll just be mute. Have also been feeling a tad clausterphobic; the apartment is small, and it has been hard adjusting to the constant presence of another person; I think moreso for her than I. Then there is also that feeling of latent depression lurking below the surfaces of humour, stability and contentment.
On the other hand, there seem to be some great cheap apartments in St. Henri and Verdun and that has made me more excited about moving here. Mohanad has further contracts coming up, but I have to be back in Halifax to move before the 27th, which is when Peter is having an opening for “Young Collectors” at his gallery in Saint John. He is expecting some new work from me. Yikes! I have a few ideas, but most of my materials are in Halifax. I may use Mohanad’s workshop a few evenings this week and complete some frames for a couple new drawings on plywood.
On Saturday we took the Metro to the last stop before Cote Vertu to get the keyboard, then had a nice lunch at a café on Parc. I went to the vernissages at the Belgo and saw some nice shows. Ran into Raphael and his girlfriend, whom I had met this fall when they were in Halifax for his exhibition at eyelevel gallery. Also ran into Marie-Christine, whom I had met at Baie-St-Paul this past summer. She said the for the Concordia MFA review process should be finished by this week. Oh, and I ran into Claire, who was visiting Montréal for the weekend with her boyfriend, as it was her birthday. Took the bus back up Parc to go to Home Depot to get some art supplies but I forgot that stores close at 1700 on Saturdays.
Claudine and I had a nice supper and then headed over to La Sala Rosa for a night of poetry and spoken word, part of the Voix d’Amériques four day festival going on. Some really good, entertaining readers in that traditional, Québecoise style, and a few different Native readers that were really good. Some elements of the show were a little clichéd, not so good, but that’s often the way it goes. We walked home after the show in the freezing cold—the temperature had dropped to –24! We kept ourselves warm when we got home.
Am (hopefully) running some “art” errands with Mohanad today. I need to see if I can do some work in his woodshop in St. Henri. I can get supplies as the stores are open today. Today is also Colin’s birthday, so I should try to hang out with him. He was supposed to meet us at Sala Rosa last night but didn’t show; or if he did, the show was already sold out.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 16, 2004 8:53:03 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Martin vows to resign if inquiry shows prior knowledge of sponsorship scam
Dear Paul,
Sorry, Can’t write much. Am getting ready for work. Had a good Sunday. Measured an apartment with Mohanad, it is a big renovation job, so I am going to stay in Montréal a little longer. Traveled around the city yesterday in the hunt for art supplies. Found some good items and ideas at Home Depot. Couldn’t get the info I needed from the library because I don’t have a card and can’t get one without a local address.
Went to the Sala Rosa again for another evening of Voix d’Amériques. It wasn’t as good as Saturday night, though I did want to hear Keigh Kealough, and he was really good. I had met him at the HOWL festival at the Khyber in Halifax a couple years back. Ran into Jacob W. and we talked about the Montréal apartment shortages. I’m still hopeful that I’ll find a decent place for a good price.
I stayed up until 2AM to check out Jetsgo, as there was supposed to be some $1 deals on flights from Montréal to Halifax over the next two months, but of course I couldn’t find any. DAMN LIARS!
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 17, 2004 11:21:35 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Liberal MP John Bryden quits party, criticizes Prime Minister Paul Martin
Dear Paul,
Had a good day at work, though it was a bit cold at times and cramped at other times. Painted the balconies of the two upper apartments but th paint took a really long time to dry as the temperature was below freezing. While waiting I helped Mohanad plaster the remaining bathroom. Came up with a time-saving solution to installing a new ceiling; we managed to get the ceiling fan installed in the existing ceiling.
Came back to Claudine’s apartment and packed some things; I am staying at Sarah Fork’s apartment tonight, and for the next few nights, to give her some more space. Talked to Colin on the phone and will visit him on the weekend. Picked up some groceries and then Sarah made her classic lasagna. She has a friend visiting from Halifax as well. They were watching the Anarchists Cookbook when I arrived. I washed dishes. Tonight I get Melissa’s room, Sarah’s other roommate. She is away for the night, she had to drive to Ontario to get her car fixed.
I am getting up at 5:30 in the morning to meet Courtney at the bus station; he is visiting for a few days. I think he is bringing Mohanad’s bike with him. We will go for breakfast before Mohanad picks us up.
Anyway, I’ve got to go, Sarah wants me to roll her a joint…
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 20, 2004 8:39:17 AM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Brutal blizzard forces Nova Scotia and P.E.I. to declare state of emergency
Dear Paul,
Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I haven’t had access to the Internet.
I met Courtney at the bus station a few mornings ago, his bus was on time, so I felt like I was practicing a stealthy exiting by cover of darkness, in anticipation for the move in March perhaps? We went for a dirt-cheap breakfast at Nickels. Doesn’t Celine Dionne own that restaurant? We were carrying around Mohanad’s bike in a box, as it was too big for the storage lockers. Mo picked us up from the train station and we were off to work after depositing Courtney at Eleanor’s so he could get some sleep.
The past few days at work have been all about the Meat people. The third bathroom is located in house where all the people eat is meat. I think their idea of the four food groups would be Pork, Beef, Bologna and Milk. Mohanad and I are both working simultaneously on the final bathroom renovations, he with the ceramics and I with the plaster and paint. We are trying to keep each other sane with humour and jokes and discussions about relationships and plans to open a café together. A café with a rado station and programming. Why do we need to be kept sane? Because the house of the Meat people smells disgusting! All they eat is meat. Meat and milk. Yesterday was a horrible day, as Mohanad was replacing their toilet, and with fate being what it is, the time to change it came ten minutes after Meat man had used it, and advised us to “not to go back in there for a week”. Then the toilet broke apart on Mohanad. Poor guy. A few days ago we ripped up two layers of vinyl tiles using acetylene torches to melt the glue; the effect was one of kneeling on flypaper. This job has been a tough one. And of course Meat people don’t like the colour either.
Stayed at Sarah Fork’s place the past few nights. Sarah Fork was stressed about school and the fact that her best friend Anna was visiting. Sarah R. was playing lots of soccer and Melissa was dropping her broken car off in London ON to be fixed. We talked a lot the other night about pollution—from the train Melissa was shocked to see, with such clear skies, buildings so dirty with pollution, and she was wondering what exactly you are going to do about it?—and music (she is a journalist on the subject), and politics.
Went to an electro punk at a new venue, Le salon on St. Laurent a couple nights ago, to meet Courtney. He wanted to see a Californian band called Numbers. Courtney arrived a bit late, I left a bit early. Couldn’t write that night as Melissa was entertaining in her room, where her computer and the Internet are located. Stayed up talking with Sarah R., Sarah Fork and her friend Anna for a bit before crashing on the couch.
Had a date with Claudine last night. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant where she chastised me for my procrastination on learning French. It felt a bit harsh, but she has a valid point. We went to Barraca and asked each other confusing and complicated questions and had a nice talk and then went back to her place.
I would like almost nothing more than to sleep in this morning, and not have to work, but I fear Mohanad really needs my presence while he finishes grouting the tiles on the bathroom floor in the Meat people’s house. He says it is for his sanity. There are a few touchups I can do, maybe ten minutes work, but other than that the painting is done. I’ll call him in a bit. I very much need to get to a library today, and I need to get the Man For all Reasons poster printed somewhere so I can work on some frottage paintings this weekend, while in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue with Colin.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 21, 2004 4:00:31 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Curfew extended, N.S. remains under state of emergency as more snow expected
Dear Paul,
You know, after much drunken debate and discussion with various people in the Phoenix bar in Ste Anne de-Bellevue, I have decided that the sponsorship scandal is really bothering me. You know why? Because if the intention behind the program was to renew some sort of patriotic nationalism, and the government was willing to spend $250 million to do so, would it not have made more sense to just give every citizen a big fat cheque? We could have all been millionaires, just like you!
Ugh, this computer monitor is exacerbating my headache. Drank too much last night with Colin. He met me at the bus stop, and we bought beer on the way to his apartment. The commute was longer than I had anticipated, almost two hours from the Plateau. Claudine and I had spent the afternoon together, after I finished work with Mohanad. He had me do the grouting in the Meat people bathroom; he could not stand to enter the space again.
Claudine and I split a club sandwich and then wandered around, checked out a few shops and stopped by Gaston’s gallery for a vist. He is closing the gallery after next month; after fifteen years, he and his wife have decided a change is in order.
We went to the Concordia library to check on some of the back dates of the Globe and Mail that I needed in order to make the paintigns this weekend. I hadn’t realized that so much of the microfiche was available online. We could have done much of the research from her computer at home. We ended up using the traditional microfiche anyhow. Much more fun!
I have some laundry at the over-priced laundromat and have bought some canvas at the over-priced fabric store, so I am just about ready to start painting. Once the fog lifts from my brain and my eyesight re-adjusts itself. I think a good meal would help. The poutine-greek salad combo I ordered at about midnight last night from the bar didn’t cover all my nutritional requirements.
Claudine was making some very astute comments on aspects of my personality yesterday, while Colin provided for a detailed trip down memory lane. The two approaches, one an observance on myself as I «currently» exist, and the other a recollection of how I used to be, has given me lots to think about. I’ve always felt that I was a passionate person, but it certainly doesn’t manifest itself in food, clothing or appearances. I have few favourite foods, and rarely get excited or have cravings. Same for clothes. Same for music. Everything is neutral. So where do I channel my passions? From Colin’s descriptions of my wild teenage years, it sounds like it was invested in daredevil pursuits. Sometimes when he tells stories of the some of the things we did a decade ago I have no recollection of them, aside from an odd familiarity with the situation, like recalling a memory from a fly on the wall perspective. They seem to have more more more to do with déja vu than with the memory of actual events. I think that I have always had a passion for the opposite sex, the thril of the hunt, so to speak. A difficult thing to do while in the midst of a long-term relationship! And I guess a love of art was always there, but more often than not I just think up projects and rarely realize them (a true conceptual artist! Is it laziness born from lack of funds, or lack of funds born from laziness?) So where is my passion now? I fear I might be getting too dull.
Oops, library is closing…
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 22, 2004 1:30:10 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Ministers pressed Martin to reverse decision to call inquiry
Dear Paul,
Managed to not only recuperate from the hangover, but also wrestled some procrastination to the ground and am back on schedule to completing all the new pieces for the exhibition at Peter’s gallery this week. Spent most of the afternoon gluing string overtop the enlarged photocopy of the Man for all Reasons poster (sort of like macaroni art), then started the diptych. We walked to the grocery store in the early evening and I bought some food and came home and made pasta and salad. No alcohol. Kept working.
Colin lost his wallet the night we went out to the Phoenix. It hasn’t turned up yet. Do you know where it is? If so, can you get it back to him? We thought it might have fallen out at the bar, or during one of Colin’s numerous spills on the way home (once he fell directly on top of me. He isn’t light. We both have scrapes and bruises as a result. A living example of “fall down drunk”). I had a dream last night that the wallet turned up in his bed, but Colin says he has already checked there. I have a sneaking suspicion that he might have accidently flushed it down the toilet. Or maybe it fell out into the snow when I was throwing the plant pots at the big icycle outside? (the icycle survived). Maybe he put the wallet in the jacket he accidently took from the bar, and so is still there (I returned the jacket later that night/morning after the bartender called looking for it).
Worked on the lettering for the dyptich until cose to midnight, then went to bed. Worked a bit on my french lessons this morning and tried out a few versions of the frottages of the Shroud of Chrétien. I am pleasantly surprised at how well they have turned out.
This afternoon may be the only time I can get in to use Mohanad’s woodshop to make some frames and stretcher bars, so we will head up to the train station after the library and check the schedule. I’d like to see Claudine as well; maybe she’ll let me stay the night. That would give me extra time to mail the art to Peter Monday morning, instead of spending an hour and a half commuting to work. It would be nice to check out some of the Festival Illuminaire as well.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 23, 2004 11:30:05 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : PM says he’ll act ‘very quickly’ to deal with ‘national’ sponsorship scandal
Dear Paul,
Finished up my work on the paintings yesterday afternoon and hopped on a 211 bus downtown. Met Courtney and Mohanad across from the McDonalds on Notre Dame after getting off at Lionel Groulx. We walked to Mohanad’s woodshop in St. Henri, which is located in the first RCA factory building. I put the boys to work, and we built frames and stretcher bars. The woodshop Mohanad shares with two custom-furniture makers is quite well-equipped. It was a fun little work session.
Met Claudine at her place for supper, she had cooked a couple kinds of fish. We rented Chicago and went to bed early. Had frantic, anxiety-ridden dreams about the Khyber all night long. Mathew’s opening was scheduled for tonight. I hope everything went well.
Started the demolition job on Cartier this morning. Started the day early photographing the paintings before packing them up. Spent the morning and early afternoon smashing walls apart and scooping plaster into dozens of heavy duty garbage bags. Breathed in a lot of plaster dust. We finished a bit early so I went shopping for underwear. Some of my pairs are at that point of no return. I think men have a tendancy to wear underwear long after the garment has oficially become decased. I had a long shower. My hair felt the consistency of dry straw, and was coloured an almost pure white, and standing straight up. It was almost impervious to water. The snot from my nose could have been used as drywall compound. Washed a load of laundry at the Mont-Royal laundromat and then prepared some supper for when Claudine got off work. She doesn’t mind me staying the night again, even though she is still procrastinating on her thesis.
Am going to read for a bit but first have to soak my hands in peroxide as some blisters have turned black with plaster dust.
Hey, did you pull any strings to help Colin get his wallet back? It still hasn’t turned up, but I spoke to him on the phone today and he told me that there was an unexpected amount of money in his bank account. Possibly a bank error in his favour? Or did you have anything to do with it?
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 24, 2004 5:51:53 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Crown heads roll in sponsorship scandal; Gagliano to testify at committee
Dear Paul,
Another fun-filled demolition day. I quite enjoy it. We have almost ripped out all the walls that we had planned to, and we filled four A-Team vans full of plaster and wood. The apartment is very light and airy and almost clean at the moment. Today was much easier on the hands; the work gloves helped.
Had a quick shower at Claudine’s, and am about to join the throngs of rush-hour commuters on their way to the West Island. I can’t help but wonder what crazy stories Colin will have for me today. Tomorrow after work I am dragging him to the free night at the MACM.
I hear heads are rolling. What about yours and Jean’s?
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 25, 2004 5:34:59 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Gagliano gets delay in appearance at sponsorship scandal probe
Dear Paul,
Had a rough night. Missed the 221 express bus to Ste-Anne’s and then had the unfortunate experience of sitting behind a bickering couple the whole way. When I arrived at Colin’s he was already in the bag with a couple friends/goons, who were communicating in a weird language that resembled english in that they were using english words, just not neccessarily in an order that obeyed any rules of grammer. There was a drawn-out attempt at deciding what to do about food, some short tetris matches on a cheap hand-held gizmo, and a brief walk with the dogs before settling on pizza. The breakfast of champions. I had a fitful sleep, waking up every hour or so, twisting myself up in knots in the sleeping bag. At one point I could swear I felt someone walk past my ear, which was a bit freaky. Maybe the place is haunted? Do you believe in ghosts? Unless I actually see one I usually just chalk up that prickly feeling one gets at the back of the neck as nerves.
Woke up super early this morning to catch an early train into downtown but just missed the 6:44 by a hair. The 7:09 still got me to the Plateau in time to have a quick coffee and chat with Claudine before starting work. I picked up some croissants on the way. I fear I could very easily become a croissant junkie. I guess there are worse things I could latch my addictive personality onto.
The apartment is just about ready for construction, we took out the remaining walls and cleaned up a lot today. Mohanad is worried about the placement and number of supporting beams, but I’m sure it will work out. We’ll most likely start re-building the ceilings tomorrow.
Colin was going to meet me downtown to go to the MACM with me but he is feeling a little “under the weather”, and elected to stay home. I’m going to go shopping for some shoes. My army boots can no longer fit the duel purpose of work boot and regular shoe: they are ingrained so deeply with plaster dust that the colouration has turned to grey.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 26, 2004 7:09:54 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Quebec police task force deals severe blow to Hells Angels drug network
Dear Paul,
Had a nice night. Claudine and I went out to eat at a somewhat mediocre Indian restaurant after she finished work. since Colin wasn’t coming in to go to the museum Claudine invited me to join her for a couple movies and spend the night. We only got through one, Lucia Lucia, a fun and somewhat zany Mexican comedy. The shifting identities of the main character was a nice touch.
Good day at work today. A little more demolition, then Saif and I started construction on some walls, then we hauled another A-Team vanload of grabage out of the apartment. Devan and Mike joined the work crew in the afternoon and started construction on more walls. The place is coming along, slowly but surely.
Am just now waiting to hear back from Colin, whether or not he is coming downtown, before I head out to Ste-Anne’s for the night. I’ll give him until six thirty. I have exhibition proposals, power point presentations and french lessons to work on, so I can certainly keep myself busy.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 27, 2004 8:59:20 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Olympic hero Bedard willing to testify in probe of Liberal ad scheme
Dear Paul,
Met up with Mohanad for a quick beer before heading back to the West Island last night. We went into a nice little café bar in St. Henri called Bistrot Culturel Le va-et-Vient, and ended up having three pints apiece while listening to a really hot afro-cuban jazz nine piece jazz band called El Rumband. We talked a lot about relationships. Caught the 211 to Ste-Anne’s and stayed up late talking with Colin about motivation, time, smoking, drinking, sanitation, art, politics, literature, health issues and much, much more. I’m a little worried about him. I was up early this morning, packed up my things and spent the commute back downtown in a drowsy daze; couldn’t even read. I’m currently at Max’s recollection of the Spanish Civil War in Hopeful Monsters.
Had a productive morning at work, built up another wall, but in the afternoon my productivity slipped as I had difficulties in levelling the ceiling. Quit for the day early and spent the latter half of the afternoon with Claudine, as it was her day off. She was showing off some really nice snazzy new red nigh heel shoes she bought for herself last month.
Am about to head out to Sarah, Sarah and Melissa’s for the evening. They are having a party. Rebecca is coming down on the train from Montréal and she and Mohanad and I may go out for drinks with Elizabeth G., whom I finally got a hold of. I’m feeling exhausted and should really have a nap.
-chris
From : chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
Sent : February 27, 2004 8:59:20 PM
To : pm@pm.gc.ca
CC : chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com
Subject : Olympic hero Bedard willing to testify in probe of Liberal ad scheme
Dear Paul,
Met up with Mohanad for a quick beer before heading back to the West Island last night. We went into a nice little café bar in St. Henri called Bistrot Culturel Le va-et-Vient, and ended up having three pints apiece while listening to a really hot afro-cuban jazz nine piece jazz band called El Rumband. We talked a lot about relationships. Caught the 211 to Ste-Anne’s and stayed up late talking with Colin about motivation, time, smoking, drinking, sanitation, art, politics, literature, health issues and much, much more. I’m a little worried about him. I was up early this morning, packed up my things and spent the commute back downtown in a drowsy daze; couldn’t even read. I’m currently at Max’s recollection of the Spanish Civil War in Hopeful Monsters.
Had a productive morning at work, built up another wall, but in the afternoon my productivity slipped as I had difficulties in levelling the ceiling. Quit for the day early and spent the latter half of the afternoon with Claudine, as it was her day off. She was showing off some really nice snazzy new red nigh heel shoes she bought for herself last month.
Am about to head out to Sarah, Sarah and Melissa’s for the evening. They are having a party. Rebecca is coming down on the train from Montréal and she and Mohanad and I may go out for drinks with Elizabeth G., whom I finally got a hold of. I’m feeling exhausted and should really have a nap.
-chris
DEAR PM 