Liberals brace for release of Gomery report on sponsorship scandal, Ottawa préparerait un programme d’aide pour le secteur du bois d’oeuvre Inbox
chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca> Tue, Nov 1, 2005 at 12:51 AM
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
Dear Paul,
Happy Halloween. We didn’t do anything for it. No costumes or trick-or-treating. We were at the bar or running errands all day. Tonight was the first dry run at the bar. There are a few kinks to work out in the cash register but overall everything went fine. Jessie had class tonight so Karina filled in, though tonight was a smaller crowd. Didn’t seem to make much sense to pack ourselves the very first night. The place has good atmosphere and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Hopefully it takes off.
Finally dropped some pants off to be hemmed. They will be ready by Thursday.
-chris
French prime minister nixes Canadian trip to deal with riots at home, Alfonso Gagliano maintient son innocence et s’en prend à Paul Martin
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Wed, Nov 2, 2005 at 6:05 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
We had good news yesterday. The Honourable Percy Mockler, provincial
minister in charge of inter-governmental affairs and sport and
culture, stopped by the gallery with an entourage consisting of the
Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton and the mayor (who was a bit late as he
was lost in his office), Marie-Paul, the director of NB Arts
Development and a few aides and 3rd Space Gallery board members and we
were presented with a big fat cheque for $10 grand. Pretty sweet eh?
So now we can pay our artist fees and rent and really get cracking on
programming. After the “ceremony”, which was all very contrived but
fun in a wacky sort of way—I’m sure you’re quite used to these sorts
of things, posing for the camera, cheque in hand—we all piled
downstairs to celebrate with a glass of wine in the bar. And we kept
on having a good day, which started off with a nice visit to the
hospital where we met with Judy’s parents in the dining hall and
laughed and joked with some of the other wittier patients—and watched
Robbie eat and eat and eat—and the day just kept getting better with
the second night of the dry runs, which saw us cram about 45 people
in. Jessie and I were kept on our toes and moving all night. It’s
tight behind the bar but comfortably so. Cornelius and Anne were there
and we talked about a potential Hospital Artist-in Residence program
and also when the miller Britain painting will be returned to the
hospital. They moved it to the NBM for restoration while the hospital
is being painted, but word on the street is that certain folks don’t
like it and don’t want it to return. We’ve got Bernie looking into it
too. Supposedly. Anyway, aside from the REALLY drunk guy who stumbled
up to the window after we had closed and made obscene gestures to his
crotch—and then apparently stumbled into Lemongrass, harassing Meghan
until he left, went back down the street, climbed into Joanna’s car
and was finally hauled away in the drunk tank—well, aside from him, it
was a very calm and pleasant day.
How are things with you? The Gomery thing doesn’t paint a pretty
picture. And it seems Jack Layton’s patience is wearing out. Bit of a
pickle, isn’t it? What are your plans?
-chris
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
from: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
date: Fri, Nov 4, 2005 at 11:30 AM
subject: Jobless rate falls to 6.6 per cent in October, from September’s 6.7 per cent, Karla Homolka n’a pas violé ses conditions de remise en liberté
Dear Paul,
It has been a busy few days. It all started a couple days ago with a visit to CIBC to open a bank account for Third Space. Judy and I almost lost our minds in that strange, dry, vacuous environment CIBC refers to as an office. Poor Gloria, who was opening the account for us, has to sit in a sterile grey and pre-fab fake wood environment with only big advertisements for other CIBC products on her walls. No plants. No posters. No art. No decorations. No clutter on desks or cabinets. Absolutely nothing personal. Grey walls. Grey floors. Fluorescent lighting. No lamps. They are gracious though in that they actually ALLOW her 2 photographs of family. Oh how nice of them. Of course it probably fulfils some other corporate objective, like that their employees still retain the basic human ability to breed.
So the past few “dry runs” have been fun, not too crowded, we’re learning the systems. It’s fun working with Jessica, she’s got a great personality and I have no problems whatsoever with the close working environment. We’ve been having an odd assortment of people; artists, lawyers, politicians, young and older. It’s good to see the mix. Yesterday I did an interview with CBC about the grant and of course this morning it ran as a news item all focused on the awarding of the grant despite our tardiness in applying and of course pushing the whole Michelle Hooton involvement, ignoring that she’s been onside and advocating for the gallery since the summer when she first saw it in the roughest shape. But whatever, media and politics feed one another; each needs their own particular spin.
Jacob and the smallwoodenshoe crew arrived yesterday afternoon and set up quickly for their evening performance, which was under-attended but apparently they enjoy performing for a smaller audience. I hung out with them all afterwards as I was getting them set up in my bare bones, completely empty apartment, and we talked about their strategies and process, and now I’m looking forward to seeing the show even more. Perhaps they would fit with the Inter-arts grant I’m working on with Stefan in Ottawa to have a performance art festival in the spring with a francophone twist; we talked a bit about simultaneous translation, and even ways of acting through a sort of ‘lost in translation” scenario.
We talked also about how I can end this project. We all agree there needs to be some sort of big finalé, like a private dinner between me and you. We would both have to get loaded. It could come as some sort
of celebratory meeting after the budget for the Canada Council is doubled. Sound good? We’d need to get the media onside and do the thing full-out. I’ll think about it more before we start to push it.
I dared Jacob and Chad to go into the Tim Horton’s at the bottom of my street and ask if they had WiFi and Americanos. They are then supposed to throw an Upper Canadian Fit. I wish I could be there to film it.
Could use it as support material for the grant. Could this qualify as “artists and community collaboration”?
Anyway, back to the grant-writing.
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
date: Sat, Nov 5, 2005 at 2:40 PM
Cc: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
subject: Sponsorship judge believed a witness he called unreliable and unscrupulous, Harper promet un ménage complet à Ottawa dans la foulée du rapport Gomery
Dear Paul,
Yesterday was a strange, strange day. After working on the grant for most of the morning-and not accomplishing much-I took the smallwoodenshoe gang on a little sight-seeing tour. We watched the Reversing Falls at high tide for awhile. Then we grabbed some lunch in the market and met the Premier, who was in town campaigning with Michelle. Paul, Ame’s brother and the key driver for the crew, had a lovely moment as he watched one of Bernard’s aides turn over single issues of [here] to highlight the full-page ad of Michelle on the back. The aide got through close to a dozen before he realized that he could in fact turn the whole pile of newspapers upside down all at once. Another small victory for efficiency. If you happen to see Bernard at any point in the near future could you apologize to him for me? I shook his hand with seafood chowder on mine, which probably didn’t make for the most pleasant handshake ever. Unless he’s into that sort of thing.
So the gang and I ate at Lemongrass and then prepared for the evening performance, which was surprisingly sold-out. A full house. It is a fun show, with maybe a few too many moments with nothing happening, but overall quite entertaining. The flaming teabag trick is a treat, as was their a cappella version of Paradise City, and Ame is a great dancer. So was Cara, who wasn’t in the show but danced along to every song while in her seat. She broke my haircutting record a few days ago, by the way. Third haircut in a row by the same person; a first for me. I think I actually had a self-obsessed moment later on and we held a discussion on the state of my hair. Very weird.
So after the show I dumped a bit of the video recording on my computer and then we went back to my new apartment to polish off the rest of the beer, the last of my scotch, a bunch of pot and the wallpaper in the bedroom. We didn’t drink or smoke the wallpaper, just pulled it all down and then created a bit of a sound performance with it. This followed my improv contact dance debut, which came about due to the perfect comic timing of Paul’s recent girlfriend of two weeks. She called him just as he was describing her as being a bit psycho. The rest of us howled in laughter and made various crawling exits from the room as he tried to maintain a straight conversation with her.
The crew were leaving early this morning for Montreal so I left them by about 1 or 2, and then ran into Jeff on my way back to the building, and he offered me a beer at Sebastian’s. His restaurant is named after their cat, by the way. Anyway, you know me, one beer basically led to a bunch of flavoured shooters whipped up by amazing bartender Scott, as well as a very tasty espresso martini. I told them beforehand that I was to be cut off after one martini so the night didn’t end in violence or debauchery. I did have a very odd conversation with a young accountant about his ties. I was trying to convince him to wear a bow-tie. Why? I have no clue.
I took a cab back to the house, which is surprisingly and consistently cheap; $10, from downtown (I’m making a point of never referring to Downtown as Uptown, ever again, despite the marketing already in place) to Peter and Judy’s house on the west side. Same distance in bigger city? Easily double.I’ve become quite the chatty cathy lately with my late nigh cab rides. Though at the moment I can’t for the life of me recall what I’ve been talking about.
-chris
Stone carvers begin restoring names on huge Vimy Ridge war memorial in France, Des sculpteurs sur pierre restaurent les noms des combattants canadiens morts
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Sun, Nov 6, 2005 at 10:05 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Yesterday morning was a bit of a cleanup day at the house. Robyn was
coming over, and he’s allergic to dust. Judy drove me uptown so we
could return the chairs to the Arts Centre and we took a sneak peak at
the artist-painted chairs on display for the evening Charity Auction,
in support of an adoption agency. Had supper last night at Tops
restaurant just beforehand, after ripping a little more wallpaper off
the bedroom walls. When my plate arrived I had a Mary moment. The
plate smelled like hospital food and contained a healthy dose of
carrots. Normally I like carrots, but the thought of getting them up
to two times daily, well, that’s just too much. Then I thought of that
line from the performance Friday night, when Ame says that she is
“infatuated with the present moment”. I think I’ve always been. Or at
the very least, tangled and caught up in it. Caught up in spasms of
subplot. I read that somewhere, the spasms of subplot.
2 free drinks were included in the ticket for the auction. Of course I
bought at least two more; Crooks and Trickey were catering. Tim was in
fine form, he’s a great auctioneer. Though there weren’t as many
people bidding as there should have been. I was outbid on the Cheryl
Bogart and the Gordon Jennings, but landed a real sweet Jeneca cat
painting. I hope Claudine likes it; I was thinking it might make a
nice housewarming present. After the auction a bunch of us ended up at
Sebastians; I’m sticking to a one-martini diet. Safer that way. Last
night it was a Lemon Zinger. Yum. Talked with an old highschool
contemporary, Patrick, who used to paint graffiti on the old General
Hospital, and who has a wicked octopus tattoo. Took another cab home.
How much? You guessed it: Ten bucks. The consistency is slowly blowing
my mind.
This morning judy dropped me off at the apartment and the wallpaper massacre continued. My parents stopped by to help and we managed to get it all off the hallway, despite that stubborn first paper layer. Even managed to plaster some cracks and holes. That didn’t sound good, but how else would you say it? Came out to mom and dad’s for supper. Curling on TV. Kuan is adjusting better to life here; she now skulks around the whole house, not just the basement. She and Yaga got into a nice tussle. Tomorrow I start with the proposed two-week daily three-in-one routine; apartment renovations, grant-writing and bartending.
NDP withdraws support for Liberals; opens door to possible Christmas campaign, Jack Layton lâche les libéraux ce qui relance les rumeurs d’élection Inbox
chris lloyd <chrislloyd6627@yahoo.ca> Mon, Nov 7, 2005 at 11:42 PM
To: paul martin <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Cc: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
Dear Paul,
Had a fun day working on the apartment. I filled it with a fine blue smoke from stripping paint with the heat gun, and soft white dust from sanding drywall. There is a lot to do, and the longer I am there the more odd things I find to do. Like move the kitchen cabinets. Or disassemble antique locking mechanisms. Anyway, I did get back to the building for most of the afternoon to work on the grant. Then I was back at the apartment washing my first load of laundry and having my first shower. Haven’t yet decided on paint colours.
Smooth night in the bar tonight, an in-and-out crowd. My parents came and stayed awhile and hung out. We were all closed up by 9PM, a very early night. Came back with Peter and Judy for some CSI, though we watched Miami, and I can’t take it seriously. Worked on some digital images on my computer at the same time. I can’t take that seriously either.
-chris
NDP to lay out blueprint Nov. 24 for toppling Liberals, Si le NPD est sérieux le PC l’aidera à renverser le gouvernement dit Harper
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Wed, Nov 9, 2005 at 2:56 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. It was my first night in the new
apartment and I don’t have an Internet connection yet. I had hoped
maybe a neighbour would have a WiFi open, but no such luck. I had run
into a neighbour a few nights ago, fleeing from her abusive pimp
boyfriend during a bout of binge drinking. I gave her $5 from my
previous night’s tips; she called me an angel, then stumbled off to
Callahans.
Last night Jess and I stayed after work and drank some wine and talked
about our past and current relationships. I guess you could call it
bonding. We get along well, even though last night we technically had
our first “fight”, over some silly cash register serving issue. It was
a busier night, with folks staying a little later than usual. I think
tonight will be busy too. Hopefully. It will be nice to be done with
these invite-only nights; sales should improve when there is no free
glass of wine right off the bat.
Spent most of yesterday hanging out with Meghan, searching for a
studio. We started the morning meeting with Peter Asimakos from Uptown
Saint John to find available third or fourth floor empty spaces. Both
Jeneca and Meghan made him laugh once, while I managed to get him to
smile. He is known to be quite the dry individual. The conversation
turned into a broader conversation on “what if” we were to galvanize
the arts community and form a real art school, a viable centre with
artist studios and shops and classes and workshops and the whole nine
yards. Oh, and he also happens to have a large three story gutted
building with about 30,000 square feet of available space. Maybe we’ll
pitch the idea leading up to and at Colin’s artist talk. It would be a
big, big undertaking.
Worked a bit more on the grant but I’m starting to fall behind. The longer the apartment renovations keep me there the more I find to do. Today it was stripping more wallpaper (but from a hallway closet!) and dismantling another lock, and of course more plastering, and more caulking. I’ve bought silicone because around the tub is gross. The drywall was supposed to arrive today at 10Am but by 1 it hadn’t so I left. Tasted a couple more wines with Peter and now, finally, it’s back to the grant.
Supreme Court of Canada upholds mother’s child-custody appeal, Le duel Marois-Legendre marque le dernier débat entre les candidats du PQ
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Thu, Nov 10, 2005 at 12:53 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Hi there, I’m a bit stressed about getting things done, so this should
be short and sweet. I didn’t get as much done yesterday as I would
have liked, especially on the grant, as I met Judy and an old friend
of hers, Laura (yet another attractive, single girl in this town; it
is oddly unbalanced, it seems), at Lemongrass and we had some wine and
then we all whisked off to Peter and Judy’s for supper, he whipped up
some grilled lemon chicken, then I drove Laura’s car back up—downtown
for work. It was an odd mix last night, Judy almost had an anxiety
attack, paranoid that people weren’t enjoying themselves. The only
problem I noticed was that half of our speakers cut out (half means
one). Jeneca stayed until the end and we decided to stop at O’Leary’s
and check out Open Mic night with Brent Mason and gang, my first time
since being back. And not a lot has changed. Peter is still on drums,
we said hello but didn’t get a chance to hang out and catch up. I was
a little more preoccupied with the initiation into Jeneca’s world and
personality, finally getting a chance to talk and get to know one
another, and I think she and Claudine will get along famously. She has
a variety of dead birds in her freezer. How cool is that?
So my drywall arrived this morning but I haven’t put it up yet, just
finished priming the bedroom before heading to work. In a few minutes
I’m entertaining a high school art class in the gallery. Should be
interesting.
-chris
Tearful mother of friendly-fire victim places wreath at National War Memorial, La cérémonie du Souvenir rassemble 25 000 personnes à Ottawa
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Fri, Nov 11, 2005 at 2:51 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
I only have a few minutes before my shift starts, so this will be a
quickie. Sorry, I have a lot to write about as well. Last night we
were quite busy, the last of the invite nights. I met Paul Zed, the
local MP, who has one of my Chrétien paintings hanging above his desk
at his constituency office. Apparently Jamie Irving bought it for him.
All very weird. What was even more odd was that he told me to call him
and we could talk about ways I could wrap up this letter-writing
project, maybe by having you write me back for once. I’ll take him up
on the offer, but you know me; after five years, I want more than a
simple letter.
Anyway, after work I went to see Controller Controller at Tapps; a
much better performance than the last time I saw them, with Claudine
and Kate and last summer’s Baie-St-Paul crew in Montréal. And guess
what? Cuff to Duke is coming to Saint John for a Tuesday night show,
NEXT WEEK! I’m REALLY excited about that. They are one of my new
favourite bands.
And today also marks the less-than-one-week-away arrival of my love;
she arrives by bus from Québec City next Friday. I’ll be all pins and
needles until then. Especially trying to juggle this grant, the wine
bar, the apartment renovations and the arrival Sunday of Manu and
Kuan; they have overstayed their respective welcomes at Diane’s and my
mom’s. At the moment all four cats are with my parents; they should be
good and frazzled by Sunday. This means I must choose paint colours
and have the bedroom and hallway finished by Sunday. This means not a
heck of a lot of sleep between now and then.
Oh Merry Remembrance Day, BTW. Or is that Happy? Sombre?
-chris
Tearful mother personifies grief at Remembrance Day ceremonies, Une mère en pleurs symbolise le deuil aux cérémonies du Jour du Souvenir
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Sat, Nov 12, 2005 at 12:13 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
I forgot to tell you about a couple neat things from the past couple
days. First was how the high school visit went, which was good, though
they were all afflicted by the “I cannot dare to speak aloud in public
in front of my peers” syndrome, I guess it is called shyness, but they
seemed to enjoy the gallery and my meandering explanations of
curatorial practices, artist-run centres and contemporary art.
Friday morning Bill, my landlord, called and woke me up and actually
brought me fresh homemade coffee and a Montréal bagel with cream
cheese. I’ve never had a landlord be so…nice. It’s odd. Then he came
over and started hanging the drywall while I primed and caulked the
hallway.
And then I was at work and we were pretty much slammed from opening
minute to closing time; a very, very good night, though I was a bit
snarky and testy at times when both Judy and Peter were behind the bar
with Jess and I. It’s a 2-person maximum bar; it can get congested
quite easily. I think 2 bartenders can handle the busy nights if we
have someone bussing tables and washing glasses. We’ll see how it goes
tonight. It was a good night for tips, and Jess and I went across the
street for a martini after work. Just one. One of Scott’s amazing
elixirs.
Anyway, I’m off to get the shop vac and clear the apartment of drywall
dust, and pick up paint. My mom said the cats should be OK ’till
Monday so I have all day tomorrow to paint and get some things set up
for the arrival of Manu and Kuan. And the most important arrival in
less than a week.
Had breakfast at Reggie’s this morning. Ran into Walter Ball, pianist
and former city councillor, who, when he is not confusing me with John
Mazzerole, loves to tell anyone about how he first met me as a
teenager (actually I would have been 20 or 21 at the time) sitting on
the sidewalk with my pastel drawings. Anyway apparently there was an
article in the Globe yesterday or the day before about the gallery
receiving the funding. I wonder what slant they gave it?
-chris
All opposition leaders reach deal to force January election, Alors que son gouvernement est en jeu, Martin attaque Duceppe et Harper
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Sun, Nov 13, 2005 at 8:22 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Totally different dynamic in the bar last night; steady, but quieter,
not the crushing onslaught of Friday night, a little more comfortable,
a little more airy, more time to breathe. I was in a foul mood to
start the shift though; my emotions are a little frazzled at the
moment. But a nice patron, a young guy studying aeronautics, bought a
bottle of our Chateau Citran from ’96 and shared a glass with Jess and
I; it was heavenly. Red wine wrapped in chocolate, and humid and
smooth in the mouth. And I did get a chance to speak french with a
visiting Quebecois couple now living in Halifax. But overall I was
jumpier and testier than usual. I don’t know exactly what it is. The
anticipation of Friday; knowing she arrives in just a matter of days,
it has intensified everything. I woke up this morning with James Joyce
on my mind; I realize now it is all about the voyage, the ups and
downs, the moving through time and space. Only in this scenario I
would be Penelope and she Odysseus. Except that I’m not weaving a
tapestry (unless you count these repetitive and redundant letters).
And I seem to be experiencing more Sirens than Suitors, and of course
have seen no cyclops—though the last time I lived in Saint John (a
very Irish city, BTW), there was a wacky old guy that hung around the
market called popeye. And last month, just before I tackled that guy
in front of O’Leary’s, I did smash a lamp. That’s about where the
similarities end.
Today Judith treated Peter and Danika and I to a buffet brunch at the
Delta Hotel, then I continued with renovations. Peter came by and
helped hang drywall. Mom stopped by with Aaron after picking him up at
the bus station; he had just arrived from Halifax. Mom stripped paint
from the bathroom door and Aaron covered up the hideous fake gold leaf
decorative trim on the fireplace in the living room. I painted trim
and walls in the bedroom, and painted the hallway. Grabbed a beef dip
from Churchill’s and stopped at the bar to check my email and write to
you and sip a glass of wine. I had sworn not to come to the building
today but I need to fortify myself a bit before tackling the trim in
the hallway; it is a heavy-duty, high-gloss oil enamel paint, and will
stink to high heaven. Might as well have a bit of a buzz before I
begin.
Prime Minister Martin rejects opposition demands for February election, Martin rejette des élections en février; elles auront plutôt lieu en janvier
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mon, Nov 14, 2005 at 5:40 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
So I think I’ve figured out one of the reasons I seem to be so out of wack lately; full moon. Part of me feels like running of to the woods
and howling about. It actually takes concentration and physical effort
not to do so. And I don’t think it is just me. The crazy supposed poet
I gave $5 to last week after she ran out on her abusive pimp called me
last night, after 11PM, sounding stoned out of her tree and stating
she wants to be my new “casual friend”. Ummmm…is this odd? Is
everybody nuts lately? I’ve certainly noticed the many limpers in this
town (Jess’ favourite attraction), but today at the polling station I
noticed a lot more toothless maws than what should be considered
normal.
Anyway, I chalk up my own recent craziness to the full moon and the
anticipation of Friday. And tomorrow, with Cuff of the Duke, who I
have been listening to nonestop since yesterday and I am enjoying more
and more. But the anticpation is tempered with anxiety: all the “what
ifs” in the world seem to keep popping into my head in random play
order. “what if she doesn’t like the apartment?” “what if she meets a
better boy in Montréal, or Trois Rivieres, or Quebec City, or on the
bus?” “what if the bus crashes or is abducted by aliens?” “what if the
paint fumes put me into a coma?” “what if psycho-poet lady’s
drugged-up pimp boyfriend tracks me doown and shoots me with a
tranquilizer gun?” “”what if he uses a real gun?” “what if the ceiling
collapses at happinez?” the list goes on and on. I really need to
relax.
Speaking of polling stations, I voted Conservative today, for the
first and probably last time. Despite the fact that I think Michelle
would be the most effective candidate for the riding—heck, the PC
gov’t has already shovelled millions of dollars this way since the
byelection was called last month—I have a feeling she won’t win. Why?
Well, the desperation is fairly apparent, what with the fact the
Premier has been here more than he hasn’t this past month, and the
obvious showering with buckets of cash, well, most people shy away
from that sort of thing. Normally I would, but from what I know of
Michelle, and the fact that she would be onside with gov’t, as opposed
to the 14-year streak of NDP, I think a lot of good could be
accomplished. And we have the benefit of electing someone new in 2
years if she sucks. But also her campaign seems to have imploded; this
is a poor, poor area, with a smattering of wealthy folks, and lots of
small business owners, like herself. But she campaigns in poor
neighbourhoods in a pristine white full length coat trailing a little
poodle with her. That could cost her, considering that the Liberal
candidate, Doctor Doherty, is on crutches and feels comfortable enough
farting while on doorsteps (this actually happened, not to me but I
trust the source). Also, Michelle’s ads are often misplaced, and her
photos haven’t put her in the best light. Buying a ton of ad space
also reeks of desperation, especially the ones that feature her
daughters and the slogan “Mom can deliver”. Well, d’uh, of course she
can deliver, she delivered her daughters. Tying that in with campaign
promises is just a little too weird. Anyway, I’m sure in a few hours
we’ll see who the victor is. The election I’m actually more interested
in is the PQ leadership race, which will be decided tomorrow. I’m
rootin’ for Bosclair. See, that was another problem with Michelle’s
campaign: the whole “Rooton for Hooton”. Shouldn’t “Rooting” be
shortened to “Rootin'”, not “Rooton”? Now grammer is not my best
subject, but I’m quite sure that there is no such word as “Rooton”.
Maybe it was done intentionally, to draw more illiterates to the
party.
Anyway, the apartment is coming along nicely, I finished second coat
on trim and walls in the bedroom and actually set up some furniture.
I’m putting in some time on the grant but tomorrow will be the full-on
push to complete it. The Ripolin I’m using on the trim in the hallway
nearly knocked me out last night, that stuff stinks up a place real
good. Takes forever to dry too.
Anyway, I’d best get back to work.
-chris
Quebecers to pass judgment on Boisclair’s moral authority to govern: Liberals, Attaques à son endroit: André Boisclair n’a pas l’intention de répliquer
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Wed, Nov 16, 2005 at 7:15 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
About last night: What.A.Concert. Wow. Cuff the Duke were absolutely
fantastic; they played with poise, with confidence, with passion, and
they played so damn well, it was smooth, the sound was crystal clear.
Too bad it was a Tuesday night and raining; the audience was very
thin. I bought a girlie-T for Claudine after sharing a joint with some
random guy out back. I should get my own pot, from a reliable source;
this joint must have been laced with rat poison or Windex or crack or
something nasty; I could barely function afterwards, could hardly even
walk. It was a good thing Aaron was staying over at my house or else I
probably would have ended up passed out in a ditch.
Aaron helped me start painting the bathroom at the apartment today. We
had a late breakfast at Cora’s and then I had a staff meeting at the
bar early in the afternoon. I’m on my supper break at the moment,
typing with asiago cheese sauce on my fingers. Oh, I did manage to
finish up the grant on time and cabbed it to Staples to photocopy and
mail. Didn’t pay for any of the photocopies. The grant is a little on
the thin side but it is what it is and at least it’s in.
The next couple days will be the toughest, the waiting, running down the clock.
Anyhow, I had best get back to work.
-chris
GM cutting over 3,600 Canadian jobs at Ontario plants, 30,000 in North America, La Chambre des Communes se prononcera ce soir sur la motion du NPD
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mon, Nov 21, 2005 at 2:32 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Sorry I’ve been neglecting you. Things have been crazy at the bar;
crazy busy, and plus Claudine arrived a day early to surprise me, so I
think I’ve slept a cumulative total of sixteen hours since last
Wednesday night. There are a lot of reasons for this, none of which I
will get into here, just to say it’s felt a bit like traveling into
another dimension, stretched into a black hole and flung back,
something that’s equal parts mystery, tenderness, violence,
redemption, love and magic.
So today we are running errands, buying switchplates and lightbulbs,
screws and wood, little odds and ends, and tags for Tim Horton coffee
cups. Wazzat you say? Well, last night, after spending some time at a
brand new funky Clay Café on Union Street (we painted egg cups), we
had supper at D’Amico’s and Claudine landed upon a most brilliant idea
for what to do with our mutual obsession over the amount of Tim Horton
coffee cups that litter the landscape here. I’ll keep you posted.
The cats are settling into the apartment, somewhat. Kuan explores and
meows occasionally and appears to want and enjoy affection; Manu
spends her time either under our bed or nestled into a blanket in our
closet. There is the occasional growling or hissing but otherwise no
outward signs of aggression or violence.
Anyway, at the moment we’re at the Java Moose checking emails and
making playlists for the iPod, so I’ll let you go. At some point this
week I will visit Paul Zed’s constituency office to discuss this
project; he was at the bar Thursday or Friday and asked me again about
it. Though I imagine he’ll be in Ottawa most of this week, working
hard with you to keep the government chugging along.
-chris
Parliament Hill in election mode as opposition unites against Liberals, A quelques jours de l’élection, la vérificatrice présente un rapport “normal”
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Tue, Nov 22, 2005 at 10:52 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
We just came from a performance of Waiting for Godot at St. Max, put
on by the Lorenzo Society. It was really good. Put a nice finishing
touch on a day that started with painting the faux-tile in the kitchen
and bathroom that super high-gloss enamel oil paint, then shopping a
bit at Canadian Tire, then driving Aaron to the Moncton airport in the
deluge of rain and wind so he could catch his plane back to Vancouver,
then picking mom up at work, having a little supper with my folks and
driving back into town with my dad, who was reffing a game at St. Max.
And the cats? We switched them around today, trying to sway the
territorial wanderings, locking Kuan in the bedroom and giving Manu
the run of the apartment. She was hiding in the hall closet when we
left and when we returned she was underneath the easy chair in the
living room. Not only was she under the chair, but she was actually
inside the underlay. Little freak. Anyway, other than Manu’s slow
transition the apartment is coming along nicely, Claudine has a few
small contracts but is also feeling a little out of her element,
missing her routines, finding the city quite quiet, but we are getting
on really well. Looking forward to visitors. Unfortunately Judy hates
me at the moment, a result of the tensions between us during bar
hours. I really hope this gets cleared up; it’s no fun to have your
best friend so angry.
-chris
Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan after armoured vehicle rolls over, Un soldat canadien est décédé en Afghanistan après un capotage
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Thu, Nov 24, 2005 at 8:45 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Things are running smoothly. The machines are well-oiled. The
apartment is developing. Fences are being mended. Bridges are being
built. Corners are being cut. Music is playing. The lights are on.
There still remain a few trials but all seems bright on the horizon.
So I’m at work at the moment; it is a quiet night. Maybe it is the
weather; turning a bit cold, a bit wet, a buit blustery. Maybe people
just don’t go out in the middle of the week. Maybe we’ll get hit later
tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to leave early and catch Matt Mays and el
Torpedo at the 3-Mile. Maybe Claudine and I will find new and
inventive ways to pass the time.
This morning I spray-painted the radiator in the bathroom. What a
stink it made. But the radiator looks much better white than brown.
The cats are about the same. Kuan explores the basement and Manu stays
in the bedroom, though she is venturing a little more into the
kitchen. Neither fuss too much but Kuan is shedding fur, I can’t find
her comb, so we will shave her down soon.
Claudine and I have taken to having nice little breakfasts in the
kitchen on our new $25 table, which was a solid buy, along with the
futon frame (also $25) from the secondhand store on the corner of
Union and Coburg. A fun but bit of a dodgy place.
You and a whole slough of St. Johners were featured on the front page
of the paper today. Definitely worthy of a painting. I wish the print
quality of the Telecrap Urinal was at least half that of the Globe; it
would be easier to copy. A low-res JPG would be easier.
Claudine treated me to lunch at taco Pica and supper at Ming’s. She’s the best. We also went to the cinq à sept at the new ARCF building, only to get sucked into an AGM for the new francophone radio station.
We made quite the commotion while trying to leave quietly. But her business cards are now printed and she already has some contracts to work on. Right now she and Jess are taking a break for some dessert.
I’m standing here eating nuts like some sort of weird bird. I’ll surf the web until my battery runs dry or we get busy or I run out of nuts, whichever comes first. I need to bring better reading material.
These pretzels are making me thirsty.
Wanna know what’s in rotation on the happinez iPod? Lauren Hill, Beck, the Stars, Feist, Arcade Fire, Cuff the Duke, Thievery Corporation, Air, Antônio Carlos Jobin, Brigitte Fontaine, Bright eyes, Boards of
Canada, Postal Service, Eryka Badu, Elliot Smith, New Order and much, much more. Fun, funky, groovy stuff. You’ll have to stop by here next time you are in SJ.
I’ll talk to Paul Zed and see what we can do. I think a well-publicized meeting and art-exchange is in order, rather than just a response. This isn’t really about a response any more, if it ever was.
Maybe we need a live DJ or musician down here? Some nice Spanish
guitar? Banjos? Bongos? I really must start working on events.
Like the much-anticipated Pants Off Party.
OK, I’m going to go clean something.
Critics cry foul over tough rules for P.E.I. plebiscite on voting reform, Le nombre de Canadiens victimes de violence est stable depuis cinq ans
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Sat, Nov 26, 2005 at 3:41 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Claudine and I visited Mary and Burt in their new room at St. Jo’s
yesterday afternoon. It was nice to visit, but Burt has taken a turn
for the worse. Almost immediately after we left his breathing problems
increased, he can’t swallow food, even pureed, and Judy has been there
almost ever since. It’s hard.
The bar was busy last night but not insanely so; it was comfortable.
Claudine went to a sushi party at Jason’s apartment and yoga studio,
so I met her there afterward, when the party was dying down. She had
fun. We are getting to an almost nocturnal state; I think we were up
past 4Am last night.
So this morning was the obligatory greasy-spoon breakfast at
Reggie’s—her first Reggie’s experience, BTW—a good breakfast. And now
we’re at the building, working on emails and new playlists for
happinez. And hopefully Peter and I will hang the new coat rack this
afternoon; he’s had a heck of a time drilling the holes through the
steel bar. Gone through two drill bits for two holes. One more to go.
-chris
Grey Cup party on in Vancouver, Paul Martin se dit préoccupé par le sort des otages canadiens, en Irak
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Sun, Nov 27, 2005 at 6:32 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Judy’s dad passed away yesterday evening. He had been on oxygen since
Friday. It was quick. She’s been at the hospital almost constantly,
morning noon and night. She’s exhausted. As for us, we had a busy, but
not crazy, night at the bar, and afterwards Claudine and I stayed
late, talking, eventually wandering partway home, then hailing a crazy
cabbie, who stopped for pizza for himself along the way, and then we
made grilled cheese sandwiches, further enhancing or new nocturnal
schedule. Today after getting up, having some breakfast and a bath, I
went to the hospital to visit Mary and Judith. It was a good visit; it
felt peaceful. Mary is remarkable. Debbie was there and Karina
stopped by with flowers and tea and of course a small Tim Horton’s
coffee with milk for Mary. Judith gave me one of her dad’s hats, of
which I am quite honoured to wear.
-chris
Efforts to free Canadian hostages in Iraq continue under veil of secrecy, Le gouvernement Martin devrait être défait par les trois partis d’opposition
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mon, Nov 28, 2005 at 8:59 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Had an oddly normal day. What is normal anymore? And what is odd? Well
of course we slept in, past the alarm and the snooze. Mom called and
finally roused us just before 10. We had a quick breakfast and then
Claudine was off to the building to work on contracts—she had a couple
due, plus her test for google, so she’s been hard and steady at it all
day and evening. For my part, I painted the trim and windows and doors
in the kitchen, using that amazing Ripolin paint. Smells like heck,
but boy what a glorious finish. Once sufficiently high and
light-headed I swung through the market, picking up lunch for Claudine
and myself, then paid some bills, then picked up a few groceries, then
headed to the hospital. Witnessed a car accident along the way; a car
slammed into the driver’s side of a small car driven by a smaller old
lady, her airbags popping and her head snapping back and forth, her
car driving straight ahead and up the stairs and over a railing into
the front door of a house before sliding back into the street. Aside
from a sore neck and a burn on her hand from the airbag, she seemed
fine. For a minute I thought her car was on fire, the interior filled
with smoke she couldn’t smell—her sense of smell worse than mine—I
think she might have been deaf, too, or at least hard of hearing—but
the smoke was from the airbag. Are they supposed to burn up after
ejecting, like spaceship re-entry vehicles? And just what is it with
resilient old ladies? Mary herself was in a bad accident a couple
years ago and emerged without a scratch. We had a nice visit, ate some
of her fruit platter and whipped cream (another difference with the
St. Jo’s cafeteria is that most of the desserts come with whipped
cream) Judy and Maggie were there for a bit. I’ve been asked to be one
of the pallbearers at Bert’s funeral on Thursday. Robyn came over
after school and we walked home together and I showed him the
apartment and we had a nice chat. Then I made some paté chinois and
Bill came over to crackfill and I brought supper to Claudine. Tonight
we plan to attend the Bedouin Soundclash show up at Tapps.
-chris
Last Canadian troops leave Camp Julien, Duceppe est légèrement indisposé par la position de Charest contre le Bloc
chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Wed, Nov 30, 2005 at 4:47 PM
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Dear Paul,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I imagine you would have been quite
busy anyhow, what with the dropped writ and all. You must be quite
pleased with it all; you’ve spent the time since the last election
showering the country with cash and distancing yourself further from
Chrétien and Gomery. Meanwhile the PCs haven’t done much to advance
their case. Are Canadians going to turf the governing Liberals just
because? Just for “a change”? Yesterday I overheard Mary-Lou Finley
interviewing Steven Harper. She asked him what his vision was for the
country. He said it would be forthcoming (i.e. his speech handlers and
policy wonks hadn’t prepared anything yet). How could he not be ready?
The opposition parties have been pushing for this moment for the past
month. What gives? Maybe this will pave the way for a significant
increase for the NDP, typically the party of conscience, but now
poised to fill the gap between those who are sick of the Liberals and
still fearful of the Conservatives.
Anyway, enough political ruminations.
I have two major complaints for you today. The first concerns the
Telecrap Urinal and the other, Aliant and Rogers.
OK, so Judy’s father has passed away and she wrote his obituary and it
ran in the paper yesterday and today. She included a nice photo of
him. Guess how much it cost? Almost $700. Isn’t that disgusting? And
ad or a classified the same size would be a fraction of the cost. What
gives? Is it because the paper basically has the client by the balls?
What kinds of assholes actually sit around and decide to price-gouge
widows and widowers and mourning children? Assholes I’d like to meet
in a dark alley while I’m carrying a very, very big stick.
So Aliant and Rogers: Last week Claudine went to an Aliant dealer to
get us a WiFi Internet account for the house. She was told it would
arrive by mail this week. It came yesterday. A basic modem; nothing
for wireless. So I called, and was told that the wireless modems were
a SPECIAL PROMOTION geared only at STUDENTS back in SEPTEMBER and that there were NO MORE wireless modems in stock. Isn’t Aliant like, the
biggest telecommunications provider in all of Eastern Canada? How
could they be OUT OF STOCK? So after hanging up in disbelief I called
their biggest competitor for Internet service, Rogers. The first
person I spoke to DIDN’T BELIEVE THAT WIRELESS MODEMS EXISTED! I was flabbergasted. I felt like I was suddenly living in Superman’s
parallel universe, Bizarro-land, or whatever the heck it is called.
Finally, after navigating through those PAINFUL voice-activated menus
(the telecommunications companies answer to Lewis Carroll, as
maze-like as they are), I finally reached someone who said I could
just buy a wireless modem and hook it up to their high-speed modem.
Then I was abruptly disconnected while transferring to another sales agent.
Now, I like to think of myself as a PATIENT person. I’m usually a good
listener. I feel I can deal quite adequately with setbacks, delays and
long waits. In fact, I usually don’t mind waiting at hospitals,
doctor’s offices or at the dentist (when I go). It’s a good time to
catch up on reading. Public transport is also generally a peaceful
experience for me.
However: dealing with morons and assholes sitting in a call centre
halfway around the world for giant, monolithic telecommunication
companies DRIVES ME INTO FITS OF UNPARRALLELED RAGE. I feel like going postal. I would ENJOY spending time in prison if I could only find a
comparable method of revenge for their COMPLETE WASTE OF MY TIME, such
as BLOWING UP THE BUILDING or lighting BAGS OF POO ON FIRE then
ringing the doorbell and running away. It would have to be DONKEY KONG
POO or KING KONG POO for it to be truly effective. Where the heck am I
going to find that much poo? Aside from the streets, where other
morons feel content to let their human-sized dogs crap freely on the
sidewalks. Is it the chlorine in the water or the bleach and sulphur
in the air that turns people here into limpers and toothless idiots?
Anyway, despite my tone, yesterday was actually a nice day. Claudine
and I visited Mary in the morning, then Jess picked Claudine up for a
girl’s half-price day spa adventure to Sussex. I ran into Judy
unexpectedly and drove her out to the valley to go over funeral
arrangements and we ran some errands, which included a hilarious visit
to Sears. Bill came over in the evening to crackfill and I puttered
around the apartment putting things together and taking other things
apart.
I’m about to clean the big green rug in the living room. I actually
had a dream about it last night. Spray foam and vacuum just sounds
like so much fun.
-chris
DEAR PM 