From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 13:41:19 –0400 (EDT)
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Martin extols quiet patriotism of Canadians as he marks nartion’s birthday
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write the other day. The pace of life picked up with a flurry of bizarre events and activities. First off, I was invited out on a date with one of Liz’s friends, Myra (whose name I thought was Marie), on Thursday night. She had free tickets to Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at Metropolis (show sucked; not my kind of music. Buddy had on nice slick shiny leather pants, and jumped around a lot with his guitar). But Myra is nice and we had fun.
On Friday I was back in Cote-St-Luc with Mohanad, for the absolute last day. Some final touch ups were required after the movers and mirror installers and locksmiths bashed up the paint job. We worked until 2pm, then re-grouped at my apartment. Courtney and Sarah were there, back from NYC. So was Ed, my long-lost friend from Nelson, BC, whom I hadn’t seen in 5 years. He’s been roving around the continent for the past month or so, and hitchhiked here via Peterborough, Toronto and NYC. I missed his call Thursday night and the poor guy had to sleep on the mountain. We let him sleep and zipped downtown to catch Spider-Man.
The movie was a bit of a disappointment; too sanctimonious, too preachy, weak dialogue, over-emphasis on thin, cartoon-like characters. There were some good naturally funny moments that played off the contradictions of the geeky, nerdy Peter Parker persona with the confident, agile Spidey–the scene in the elevator was pure gold. Needed some cinematic balance and so later in the evening saw Fahrenheit 9/11 with Claudine, Sarah R. and Ed. Great propaganda! Can a documentary unseat a President? We’ll see; the film is only playing on a handful of screens in Quebec (until more subtitled copies are made), and every screening is sold out. I had to stand for the duration of the film. Impromptu political debates were breaking out in the lobby afterwards. Quite inspiring, really. Went for drinks with Courtney and Sarah afterwards; they left early this morning to hitchhike back to Halifax. Ed left the movie early and disappeared. He caught a bus the wrong way, got lost, but miraculously found his way back to my place in the wee hours of the morning. I stayed at Claudine’s.
And so today I am washing laundry and plan to finish the final painting for the AGNS. I’m working tomorrow and then Sunday Claudine and I are driving to Baie-St-Paul. I’ll bring the rental back on Monday, hopefully in time for the first class of my 2-week intensive french class.
I missed out on scavenging for goods during Moving Day (Canada Day), but did find a couple decent outdoor lawn chairs on Thursday.
Kuan is back to hiding out in the bathroom in between her excursions outside. She peed in the tub again. Looks like I am going to have to have another talk with her. Either that or find a pet shrink. Any recommendations? Anything covered by Medicare?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun Jul 4, 2004 8:11:12 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Homesick Afghan boy undergoes heart tests in Ottawa intensive care unit
Dear Paul,
Oddly enough, I ended up at the gym yesterday morning with Mohanad. He had a free pass for me. It was fun, though of course now all my muscles ache, from head to toe. We were going to work in Beaconsfield but the plastering he had done the previous day had not yet dried due to the humidity. So I headed back home and actually finished the outstanding painting for the AGNS. I’ll send all four, plus the book, on Monday when I get back to Baie-St-Paul. So last night Mohanad and I introduced Ed to Sarah Fork and then left them to their own devices. I met Claudine and her friend Monika at a club on Mont-Royal. We’re heading out shortly to pick up the car from Discount. It’s another scorcher today, and I love the heat, even if you can only stand direct sunlight for a few minutes at a time.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 21:29:47 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>, chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Doctor concerned over Afghan boy’s lengthy travel for medical evaluation
Dear Paul,
Had a great first day at my 2-week french class today. The instructor is a young guy who recognized me from the symposium last year, and told the whole class about my PM letter-writing and PM portrait-painting project; information I usually tend to keep under wraps until I know people well enough. Sometimes I feel that announcing myself as someone who writes compulsive, diarist and unanswered letters to the supposed leader of the country is not the best form of introduction. Could lead to odd looks and suspicious whisperings. Or at the very least it could lead to me assuming that there are suspicious whisperings, and I can do without that, thank-you very much.
Spent my last borrowed $16 on my french text, which happened to come to exactly $16 after tax.
Had another lengthy nap in the afternoon; the humidity is knocking me out. Finally roused myself to action and scoured the apartment; washed all the dishes, swept, wiped, vacuumed, mopped, the whole nine yards.
Went to S&Ms for supper and worked on my french homework while Sarah worked on Adler. We made chicken wings and salads and entertained enquiries for the vacant room in their apartment. Now everyone has gone out for walks and Jazz Fest; I’m finishing some email business.
My bank screwed me over and ignored my request for overdraft protection; I just checked on line and found out my rent cheque bounced. I spoke with my landlord today; he must not know yet, as he didn’t mention it. I’m going to try to get the AGNS to hurry up with the payment and sort this out ASAP.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:43:18 –0400 (EDT)
To: chrislloyd@videotron.ca, paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Subject: Martin begins post-election shuffle in Prime Minister’s Office
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I’m really hoping that the AC power adaptor arrives soon. Courtney emailed the other day and said that the guy put it in the mail last week. How long do you think it will take to mail a small, slightly suspicious-looking electronic device from Texas? Care to lay any bets? I’m thinking there are at least four solid scenarios:
1. The package arrives via snail mail in regular cross border time: 3 weeks
2. The package is lost in the shuffle and re-emerges and is delivered in 1-2 months; broken, of course
3. The package is suspected as being a component for some sort of terrorist device and is held by US Customs, handed over to the FBI and the eBay seller is indicted on USA Patriot Act charges.
4. The package arrives next week but alas! Courtney ordered the wrong adaptor and it won’t work with my iBook.
Weird weather today. It was raining hard when I left for my class, which is going well, by the way. I have moments when I feel on top of things, the language is crystal clear, je comprend! And then suddenly I’m left behind in a cloud of dust, gasping and sputtering and looking blindly about, wondering what just happened.
Ed bought a ticket to NYC today, and he leaves tomorrow. Lucky for me he worked a few days this week with Mohanad and is helping me out with rent a bit (still haven’t heard from the landlord; maybe he went on vacation?) Ed and Mohanad had a scare yesterday at work when someone drove a car into the A-Team van that Mohanad had borrowed and parked by the side of the road. The car slammed into it while going close to 100 km/hour. The force pushed the van about eighty feet down the road. The driver and his wife were both hurt, but not critically, and were found wandering around in shock. Ed had just been kicked out of the house by the owner (for insulting him, though from the way both Ed and Mohanad spoke about it the situation was funny and just too sarcastic and witty for the owner to find the humour in it), and he had considered sitting in the van to wait for Mohanad. Good thing he didn’t.
Anyway, Ed is off to NYC tomorrow to continue his pursuit of his ex. On his way here he made her a cute (but slightly odd and disconcerting) doll of an androgynous human and a dog, which he was going to mail her as a gift. He started to embroider her address on a piece of cloth with which to wrap and send the dolls. Then he embroidered his return address. Now he is going to hand deliver it. She will have to cut it open or undo the stitches, as he sewed the “envelope” up. Ahh, the things we sometimes do with our time! He is hoping to find work and an apartment in NYC before the end of the month.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Elizabeth, who is in town for a quick visit. We made plans to to a Canadian Tire photo shoot today but Mohanad still hadn’t returned my digital camera so we had to put it off until some other time; September, perhaps?
I went to the MACM to meet Michael Eddy and Emi, who were in town briefly, en route to Ottawa and Toronto and NYC and across the ‘States and then to Vancouver and then Japan, where Michael is taking part in a seven month residency at some contemporary art centre. They are hitchhiking the whole way. I met Tracy in the lobby first, who just moved here last month from PEI. Small world, and getting smaller; Tracy attended NSCAD while I was there. We all visited the gallery (it is free Wednesday nights) to see the Histoires d’Ameriques exhibition. I quite liked it, overall. Makes me want to make models and maquettes. We biked to Cafe Esperanza afterwards (I had lent them the two bikes Courtney had left behind). The three bikes all have problems; the rear brake cable on the mountain bike is disconnected, the steering column on the BMX is missing some ball bearings and tends to freeze up, and I lost a front brake pad on my bike this morning in the rain. Time to do some repairs.
Still no word on the CC letter; Ray says they are often this slow.
Anyway, it’s getting late, I don’t want to think about money. Ed and I are at Sarah and Melissa’s but Sarah is in San Francisco for a half-marathon this weekend, and Melissa is helping Geoff paint his apartment. We stopped by to give pointers on edging and have Melissa take some digital pics of the paintings (that I still haven’t sent to the gallery. I’ll do it tomorrow, now that I have the pictures I have no excuse; except that I told Geoff I’d help him paint tomorrow afternoon). I’m hot and sticky from the humidity and the coffee (why am I drinking coffee this late at night??) and I want to go home and have a shower and go to bed.
Oh, before I forget to tell you: I almost booked an appointment with Algorythm for nest week, but a couple factors dissuaded me. One was the fact that I don’t think I would pass the “street drug” test (I need to wait 40 days, and it’s been less than a week). If I fail that I can’t do any trials for 6 months. But the other factor is more about the trials themselves; do I really want to be pumped full of some sort of antibiotics, or hyper-tension or stomach ulcer drugs, and then give twenty blood samples and go back for return visits? Are the risks too high? Do you think it is any worse than eating McDonalds or sucking back car exhaust while cycling? Have you ever participated in drug tests?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 20:28:57 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Some Liberals put Martin on probation; demand return of Chretien stalwarts
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I got into a fight with Sarah Fork and left her place last night without the power adaptor. I really, really hope mine arrives this week. The situation between Fork and S&M isn’t improving, in fact it seems to be degrading into a bad, melodramatic soap opera. I hope things work out; I hate being caught in the middle of these things.
Mohanad came over last night with a movie, Dead Man, which I have seen before but quite enjoyed, though this time around I had smoked a bit and the combination put me into a very, very strange head space. I didn’t watch the entire thing, I was far too paranoid.
Helped Geoff with painting his apartment yesterday afternoon, after my french class. I was hoping to practice speaking with him, but we didn’t talk too much; we were painting in different rooms, listening to more Pink Floyd at one time than I have in many, many years. I like practicing my french with him, as he tends to speak normally with me, so I find it very fast and therefore challenging.
Today I helped Melissa pick out some paint colours, and get the paint from Home Depot, and measure out and paint stripes on the two end walls of her bedroom. She treated me to lunch at Harveys and I painted until about 8pm. Melissa went out to meet some friends and Mohanad has come over. We’re going to meet them under the Jacques Cartier Bridge to view the fireworks. I really have to have a shower before we go; it has been a couple days and I smell real bad. I need to shave too.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 22:11:34 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: More than half of Canadians to take summer vacation in Canada, poll indicates
Dear Paul,
I missed the fireworks last night. Well, I saw and heard them as I was cycling downtown, but they were finished by the time I arrived near the bridge. I spent a great deal of time weaving in and out and navigating through the throngs of people, and through the magic of cell phones managed to meet up with Melissa. We went for ice cream and watched an old homeless guy assert his Alpha male status over his lovable Doberman.
Mohanad woke me up quite early; he crashed at my place overnight. Actually, he tried to scare me by calling at 1am, waking me up, while quietly climbing my stairs and letting himself in. He must have taken a key. We took the metro to his house in Verdun and then we drove to Beaconsfield, where he treated me to breakfast and then lunch. We assembled kitchen cabinets all day and I painted the entire kitchen, two coats, ceilings and walls.
Watched the Camping Sauvage CBC Radio-Canada special tonight, but was having trouble following it. The movie looks like a lot of fun and I’m hoping to see it soon.
Anyway, I just stopped by S & M’s really quickly to check email; I’ve got homework to do. Spoke to Trevor and Tamara on the phone; I am going to help Tamara with some designs for her dog-training company, Unleashed Pawsabilities.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 12 jul 2004 21:36:18 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Klein declares Alberta debt-free after caucus commits to paydown
Dear Paul,
I only have a few minutes; I’m going to an African DJ show by Daniel Feist at Club Balattou on St. Laurent (Melissa has free tickets). I’ve been repainting some of the stripes in her room; I mixed up replacement colours for 2 of the 3 colours she picked out on the weekend. The combination looks much better now.
Did you see the Cirque du Soleil performance last night? I watched it on TV; I figured I’d get a better look at everything that way. It would have been nice to be in the crowd though; there were over 200 thousand people crowded along Ste. Catherine.
French class was fun and informative, again, today. I think I’m learning, bit by bit. Ran some errands for Claudine afterwards, for her graduation requirements. Spent a fair bit of time at the EI office; I needed to fill out a form regarding the class that I am taking. Too many hours per week. The guy who helped me out was super helpful; he started changing my answers so they wouldn’t cause problems further along the bureaucratic path, then tore up the whole thing and passed my claim when he realized it was only a 2-week class. It warmed my heart, it really did. I cycled up to my landlord’s house and finally paid my rent. He and his wife were in upstate NY for the weekend. His bank charged him an NSF fee as well. Shouldn’t there be just one penalty? Now I’ve been dinged twice.
Anyway, I must dash off and change my clothes. I have some paint to wash out of my pants.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 13:42:43 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Two weeks into Liberal minority mandate Liberals thinking about the next one
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. After class I took a nap and then finished the stripes in Melissa’s room while washing laundry. I met up with Myra at the Forum to see a movie. We passed on the planned ´Dodge ballª excursion and watched Napoleon Firecracker, or whatever his name is, the geek movie. It was great fun. Sort of reminded me of some people I know, can you guess who?.
I’m on my way to Karen’s house to take a look at her concrete wall. I have no idea how to repair such a thing but I’m sure it can’t be that difficult. I’m checking my email at the main library on Sherbrooke; what a fantastic building. Do you have any idea what they are going to do with it once the new library is built?
Anyway, I had best be going, my time is short and I still need to check a few things.
-chris
PS in class today we had an exercise where we each pretended to be a secretary to the PM and design a days work. I don’t have time to recount mine to you today, but I’ll give it to you tomorrow. It was quite funny.
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Fri Jul 16, 2004 1:55:31 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Peterborough, Ont. residents swim in streets in latest severe flooding
Dear Paul,
Well, I’ve finally learned that trying to hang off the backs of trucks while riding a bicycle is not a good idea. The extra burst of speed that might get you to your destination a few minutes earlier can also unbalance you, sending you to the pavement. The bike is OK, I’m OK, and I learned my lesson. This happened after spending some time at Karen’s house yesterday, inspecting the cement wall. Her dad loaded up the extra couch they had planned to give me on top of his car and drove it over to my apartment. It’s much more comfortable and nicer to look at than the other couch. I rented and watched Turbulence de la fluides last night, and the couch was so comfortable I almost fell asleep.
Still no adaptor, but I took my computer with me to Karen’s house after class, and charged it up while I repaired and plastered the ceiling in the bathroom and kitchen. Her parents fed me again.
I just came in from visiting my neighbours downstairs. Val is a painter and she and Rob were celebrating the fact that she had finished a bunch of paintings and had some framed for a gallery in Toronto. Had an interesting discussion about art and real estate, and bathroom caulking and acrylic paint, and cats, veterinarians and cat insurance, and basement foundations and upper floor balconies.
Anyway, I really must go to sleep now. I have my last class in the morning, complete with tests and homework, and then in the afternoon I am taking the bus to Quebec City to meet Claudine. We are going to go see Camping Sauvage, a and we’re staying the night with Marjorie and her boyfriend. We’ll spend the rest of the weekend in Baie-St-Paul.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 10:43:04 –0400 (EDT)
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chrislloyd@videotron.ca
Subject: Judge declares mistrial in second-degree murder trial of Kelly Ellard
Dear Paul,
I’m having a fun weekend away from Montréal. I love the city and all, but it is nice to get out of it for short spells, to breathe country air, to feel earth underfoot, not just concrete and cement. Yesterday Claudine and I cycled to the old swimming hole and sunned ourselves (I, of course, gave myself interesting burn patterns by not applying my sunscreen properly) and swam in the cold river with the strong currents, until the tranquility was shattered by the arrival of a few large families; parents, kids, grandkids and teenagers. We then went to the Quay and flew her kite, bright yellow against the blue, like a flat goldfish against the sky. Took some fun photos; the previous night we set up a photo shoot in the house, comme Princess and the Pea, I piled up mattresses. Walked in the wood, saw rabbits and were almost eaten alive by mosquitoes. And it was only a quick walk.
I had arrived in Quebec City Friday night and met Claudine at the train station. Things started out on the wrong foot; my poor articulation of french, my slight fatigue and exhaustion frustrated her. Camping Sauvage was fun, but we had difficulty navigating our way back to Marjorie’s apartment afterwards. Things started to unravel; my silences, my inability to express myself adequetely in french, my lack of inquisitiveness (a basic trait amongst les quebecois et quebecoisses); really frustrates her. Saturday morning was rough; ma coeur a été cabosser, presque ecrasé par elle langue pointu. Mais, quand elle moi-dit cetait vrai. Tout de même, il a senti comme mon ventes a arraché de mon corps. Apres petit dejuiner, things got better. We each found something to buy from a second hand store; her, a valise blue, moi un serviette par un “syndicat des agents de la paix de la fonction publique”. It will replace the Brown Suitcase as my new attelier apporter.
Nous sommes bloqué par un gros orage, et <<took shelter>> avec une bizzarre melange des gens, sans abri vieux at jeunne, good company. Good immersion for me, though extremely hard to follow conversation. Afterwards we made a sign and hitchhiked to Baie-St-Paul. A friendly young couple picked us up; the girl knew Marjorie, and they dropped us off right at the house.
Las night was fun. We made a nice dinner, had some wine, and ended up with the giggles, trapped in word spirals. It is easy to fall asleep early in a small town.
I should be back in Montréal tomorrow. Marjorie is going and offered me a lift. It will be good speaking practice for the both of us.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Wed Jul 21, 2004 12:06:22 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Martin blends old and new, promises federal cabinet will get to work fast
Dear Paul,
Guess what was waiting for me when I returned to my apartment this afternoon? A letter from Canada Post: my adaptor arrived! I fed the cats, changed the litter and headed to the post office. Once the computer was plugged in I proceeded to download some new music (well, new to me anyway, Felix LeClerc and some Jean LeLoup).
Marjorie drove me back to Montréal today. We spoke in french almost the whole drive, which was really good practice for me. And last night Claudine and I had dinner with her cousin and his fiancée at one Le Maison Orange in Baie-St-Paul, and I the opportunity to practice some more. Her cousin is franco-ontarian, so I could understand their accents better, and they seemed quite comfortable switching back and forth. It was a fun evening; good food, good conversation. Towards the end of the night we were vearing into some exciting political/social territory regarding capitalism and the Left, but my french is still way too basic to engage properly in such sophisticated debate.
Oh, and guess what else arrived today? Ed, back from NYC. He had taken the train and had only eaten a donut and a muffin all day long. We wandered into Petit Italie and ate and at Caffé Epoca on St. Laurent. He wants to go to Halifax before he flies back to Vancouver at the end of the month.
I’m working tomorrow with Mohanad on a small job. He is disgruntled again with the construction/renovation line of work. It’s not the work that drives him batty, it’s the owners’ demands. He is threatening again to sell all his tools.
I’m still waiting for the AGNS to send my cheque. Maybe they forgot? I hope it comes in time for me to pay next month’s rent; this month is flying by already. Summer really does come and go.
Hey, do you want a couch? Now that I have Karen’s I need to get rid of the other one. Tomorrow Ed and I will take it to the sidewalk, so if you need one feel free to come by and grab it. It won’t be such a bad couch once it is re-upholstered properly.
It feels so good to have my computer back; access to my music, my files, the internet, my email. I can start applying for grants and shows. I can stay in touch better with people. I can research things of great importance, like how that Coors Lite TV commercial ends; the one where the kid builds a huge ramp and jumps over the roof of a house with his BMX.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Wed Jul 21, 2004 11:35:44 PM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Federal government committed to marijuana decriminalization: Martin
Dear Paul,
What a day at work. I did learn a new skill; how to glue down hardwood floors. I’m still picking glue off my skin; it looks like some sort of skin disease. The glue smells bad, and also made our faces turn red. That wasn’t the only thing that made us turn red; the owner was in and out of the house, and he was a real pain in the butt. A real perfectionist, down on his hands and knees regarding the cracks: “Can you make them smaller? Can you move this piece there? Do you really need more glue?”. We worked straight through until almost 8pm, finishing the floor and cleaning up in his over-priced condo. What drives the nouveau riche to live in such drab conditions? Do they actually like the cookie-cutter condos? The high rises? The manicured lawns? The pool? The endless strip malls peddling regularity? The heavy emphasis on roads? The underground parking lot stacked with BMWs, Saabs, Porsches and SUVs? Bah!
I had odd dreams last night; Ed was in them, acting as my Attorny, and I was Doctor Gonzo, driving a speeding convertible in a bizarre homage to Hunter S. And there was the recurring part where I sneak underwater to spy on submarines. Then a bunch of us were on a boat, watching strange and bizarre wild animals gathering on the nearby shore. I remember thinking that it was a good thing that there was good distance between us and the creatures, but then the image of the dream zoomed out; the boat was on a tiny lake, and we were actually just ants compared to the animals actually surrounding us. What’s that all about? Do you ever have your dreams analyzed?
Anyway, I’m off to wash some dishes before bed. Ed cooked tonight, and then we cycled to the railroad tracks to watch some of the fireworks. Mohanad drove me home after work and we also ate some of his mom’s homemade cooking; the grape leaves were to die for. My apartment needs a good clean but I’m going to leave most of it for tomorrow. Ah, the joys of procrastination!
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:24:40 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Police charge acquaintance in death of Cecilia Zhang; parents ‘crushed’
Dear Paul,
Hot! Hot! Hot! That was the weather in Montréal today. Those with heart or respiratory difficulties were advised to stay indoors. My apartment holds heat like an oven; indoors without AC on a day like today could cook a healthy person.
Fixed my bike up this morning, then wandered around with Ed, but became frustrated with the pace of shopping. We had a quick lunch at le Roi de Smoked Meat, then I cycled to Karen’s house and continued the plastering on the ceilings in the living room and bathroom. Her dad had done all the prep and had plastic over everything. I’m going to pick some colours out for them, and paint next week.
Made lettuce soup (from a recipe, big surprise for me there! And I hardly deviated), which is actually much tastier than it sounds. Karen’s grandmother had grown the lettuce in her community garden. I also cooked some fish on the barbeque.
Ed managed to spill a glass of water on my computer this afternoon, but it seems OK. Are my houseguests accident-prone when it comes to computers? Maybe it is the emotions; he is still quite upset about his Ex in NYC. All the relationship talk is making my head hurt, in part because it is making me think too hard and long about my own relationships. That often makes things seem more complicated than necessary. Interestingly enough, all the male houseguests that I have been having over lately (notably Courtney and now Ed) have had an interesting effect on the neighbours: they think I am gay!
I forgot to tell you about an interesting dream I had last week. I was climbing the stairs to a huge office building, and found a door that led outside. I had a wonderful view of a grand metropolis, sort of like the view you have from Montmartre overlooking Paris. Just outside the door was a huge ferris wheel, but when I looked down I realized that I was standing on a narrow plank leading away from the building to the center of the wheel. there were no handrails. I walked back to the building very, very carefully.
I called and booked a pickup from FedEx today, but they never showed. I was technically supposed to wait for them, to sign the packing slip, but I left all the required info on the package on the front step. I couldn’t hang about the house for eight hours waiting for them. I’ll get it done tomorrow, as I am planning on staying in the neighbourhood most of the day. Except to hunt for casting resin and some paint. And except to meet Ed’s friend Jess at Berri-UQAM, as she is driving in from Peterborough. She told me on the phone that the recent flood wreaked havoc with the arts community, as many studios, galleries and production facilities were located in ground floor or basement spaces. She and Ed are going camping for the weekend. I think I need some time alone to sort things out, workwise, artwise and lifewise.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Sun Jul 25, 2004 1:52:45 PM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Experts say Inuit lawsuit could cost Ottawa, revolutionize aboriginal law
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write the other day. Things started piling up and I couldn’t work it in. Spent most of Friday afternoon with Ed, waiting for Jess to arrive from Peterborough. We met her at the bus station and then she and Ed took off camping. Mohanad came over on Friday night and we had a great time, inventing “Top Ten” lists for the do’s and don’t’s of dating. Went hunting for a special plate up and down the middle of Beaubien but couldn’t find it; I think it is on ST. Zotique, and my memory is playing tricks on me. We stopped at Skyy for a beer. I don’t think I will become a regular. Came home and watched Bad Santa.
Saturday I went cycling with Sarah R. and Jen, down to Parc Jean-Drapeau sur l’Île Notre-Dame (124,7226 hectare(s)). Stopped to admire The Habitat and took some photos. We also stopped at a yard sale and bought old-fashioned bathing caps (2 yellow and one pink, for $1.50, including a polaroid of us wearing them). It was nice to cycle rather aimlessly around in the sun. I found and stopped at Plasto on l’esperance but they were closed. The casting resin at Omar de Serres is a bit pricey for the amount; I’m sure I can get better selection and prices from an industrial source.
Last night I went to a party with Sarah R. that her new friend Marc (pronounced “Mars”, so as not to confuse him with her previous boyfriend Mark) was throwing. It was in Westmount and he had to close off access to his backyard at midnight due to noise complaints. I think the police actually came by twice, but it wasn’t a very loud party at all. There were never enough people to even fill up the apartment (which was huge and gorgeous, as were most of the people there—big jocks and tall super-modelish people. A bit of a freaky environment, actually. Some as dumb as posts, but others not so much. It was funny when one of the few petite femmes acted as bouncer and managed to calmly eject a half-dozen teenagers who had crashed the party). I had a fun time, and talked with lots of people, even with the only two french girls in the whole anglo-party. It was my turn to take care of Sarah R. (returning her favour of rescuing me from the Vatican a few months ago), and so at about 3:30 I piled her into a cab, and along the way we dropped off another girl (who claimed to have just had surgery to remove a lump in her breast the day before—can you attend a party and drink and smoke and dance until late the day after that sort of surgery??).
Today I’m feeling a little tender behind the eyes (which I attribute to all those vodka Kool-Aid®™ shooters Marc’s roommate was perpetually serving up). But today is a major painting day, and I had best get cracking—the day is already half gone.
Oh, and Ed is back. The camping didn’t work out; Jess is on her way back to Peterborough. The two pees in the pod didn’t quite get along. He’s off right now to retrieve my bike, which I left at Vendome Metro.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:42:43 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Canadian soldiers brace for increasing levels of danger in Afghanistan
Dear Paul,
I picked up some casting resin this afternoon. I’ve built some molds but am a bit hesitant about using the stuff; you should hear some of the warnings on the label:
“Vapours, if inhaled may cause irritation of respiratory tract, drowsiness, nausea, headache, fatigue, narcosis, and dizziness. Contact to skin or eyes may cause irritation. Ingestion may cause sore throat, abdominal pain and vomiting. If inhaled, remove “victim” to fresh air. If breathing stopped (?!!) administer artificial respiration or oxygen as indicated (as indicated where? On the oxygen bottles? Where do I get me some of those??). Seek medical aid.”
I’ll tackle the job tomorrow, after work with Mohanad. Yep, we’re going back into the lion’s den, the designer kitchen in Beaconsfield again. Last day for sure, and I think Mohanad is hoping for a final blowout fight. I think he wants me there as a witness, under the auspices of painting. I’m actually buying some of his tools, now that my AGNS $ has arrived. I actually had a gleeful burst of endorphins as I logged on to my bank account and paid some bills, what a release! And we found another Festiva for sale online, so I’m toying with the idea of buying a car. Could come in handy for work, as well as getting out of the city once in a while. I just worry about maintenance.
Ed and I just came back from watching The Bourne Supremacy (neither of us had seen the first installment, but I don’t think it mattered). Before that we had a spontaneous supper at La Belle Province; I felt Ed needed to be introduced to Poutine. I’m trying to keep him distracted as I am wearing thin at hearing about Billie, the mysterious ex from NYC.
So all things considered it was a fun day; the sun was shining, it was warm, I cycled around a lot, and felt much better about things. Amazing what short-term financial stability can do for the psyche. I wonder how long it will last?
Damn, there is a melted tootsie roll stuck to my ass. How gross. Where the hell did it come from? I remember Ed buying some at the movie theatre…
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Thu Jul 29, 2004 8:53:24 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: First Nations leaders want end to ‘health-care discrimination’ against Metis
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. Tuesday was Ed’s last night in Montréal so we went out for beer (and much more relationship discussion, but we talked a lot about art and the art world and art relationships too). We went first to Luba Lounge and then to Ste. Elizabeths.
Yesterday I spent much of the day finishing and packing the paintings I was sending to Peter. The casting worked out OK, though I was a bit over-eager and poured the second coat/layer too soon. The first layer had dried, but it was still giving off a lot of heat (some major chemical reactions going on there). So the second layer on the flag cracked, and the second layer on the small Electro-matic rubbing caused the whole thing to bow up at the corners. Both seem to work OK though. I think the flag may ruffle some feathers, but I blame CTV. It was on a CTV news story that I heard about the four things you shouldn’t do to the Canadian flag, so of course what do I have to do then? 1. Cut it (check) 2. Draw on it with marker (check) 3. Stick stuff to it (check) and 4. Sit on it (um, does pouring resin over it count? I was going to make it into a pillow but I can’t sew for shit.) You should have seen the bizarre package that I eventually took to the bus station, it will probably take Peter a day or two just to figure out how to open it.
Last night Mohanad and I went out people-watching, splitting pitcher after pitcher of beer at Shed Café, overlooking the sidewalk. We stopped at Bifteck afterwards and played pool until late. I think he won every match, but I was rusty and haven’t played in a long while. He also had way more consistent practice from his bartending days. He wants me to write my last letter to you already, but to do it live in some manner, and make it a party or an event of some sort. Could be fun. I’ll give it some thought. Currently I’m excited at the prospect of writing my own replies from the PMO, which are full of hilarious potential.
I’ve got to do some major apartment cleaning, the place is a sty. In a few hours I’m catching a ride to Baie-St-Paul with Daniel, one of the artists with the symposium this year. He needs someone to drive the van back to Montreal, and you know how much I love driving.
Gotta go wash some laundry. That’s my first priority.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:54:55 PM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Subject: Premiers push Ottawa for multibillion-dollar national pharmacare program
Dear Paul,
Had a good trip to B-S-P yesterday/today. Met Daniel at the Discount on Papineau. I thought he was renting a van, but it was a truck, a good sixteen-footer, diesel. His paintings were fairly large, as were some of Dominique’s, another artist whose work we were taking with us. After the two studio stops, and the quick stop at Canadian Tire for a tent and sleeping bag, we were on our way. I tried to speak french most of the trip, and Daniel mostly responded in english. Good practice for the both of us, I guess.
The arena looks good, the new design of having the artist spaces in filling up the centre of the arena works well. Everyone there was working late to finish up before the openings today. Claudine and I pitched the tent in the backyard of the new chalet/house that a bunch of the Sympo workers are staying at. I left early this morning to get the truck back for noon.
I actually had a really good day. I walked along Mont Royal and did a little shopping, bought some underwear and a t-shirt. I’m thinking of getting my hair cut, at a shop, and not doing it myself. I just don’t do that good a job. Met up with Mohanad and Melissa in the afternoon, and we walked for gelato. It was hot, hot, hot again today. I love it. We debated going to a pool but Mohanad and I ended up cleaning and re-arranging my apartment. We switched the couches, and arranged them a bit differently, and put some pictures on the walls. It looks much better now, and is even starting to feel like home. I need to clean up my work room tomorrow, before Shawn and Caroline arrive.
Just watched La face cachee de la lune, it was a lot weirder than I had expected it to be. Less dialogue, more fanciful images, and it seemed to lose track of itself. Maybe it’s just me. It reminded me a lot of the childhood fascination I had with rockets and astronauts and outer space. Did you ever want to go into space? Who knows, maybe by the time you retire from politics there will be money to be made in intergalactic shipping.
We had heavy rain and lightning tonight. It soaked some of the laundry I had hanging on the line, but it’s nice because it has cooled off a bit. The cats are doing nothing but lying fully stretched out on the wood floors.
I’ve got to go. I’m tired, the tent was actually a tad small, and we slept cramped up a bit, and kept waking up throughout the night. I still have other email to write, as well as an artist statement explaining the work I sent to Saint John. Yikes!
-chris
DEAR PM 