From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 2, 2006 2:37 AM
Subject: Alberta should respect Health Act: PM; Stephen Harper entend faire respecter la Loi canadienne sur la santé
Dear Stephen,
Just a quick note before heading to bed. Actually, I was in bed
already but I seem to have picked up some insomnia. Have had trouble
sleeping the past few nights.
Jess worked what is normally a ten-hour shift for me, giving me a
little more time in the studio. Yes! It’s true! I’ve been working in
the studio lately. You might not believe this, but I’m a trained
artist and I have been known to make things once in a while. The push
is on now though: Peter Buckland is having a ‘young collectors’ show,
and I’ve told him I’ll have a couple pieces ready. It opens next
Friday!
We went to see the monthly Filmpix screening last night, this time it
was Water, by Deepa Mehta; a very nice film. I was surprised by the
ending and the Ghandi train. We went with Rich and Katie who came back
to our place afterwards for some wine and cheeses that Claudine had
picked up during her trip to Québec. Stepahn ie and John came over and
so did Jess; it was a fun, informal evening.
I mailed my red suitcase off to France; it cost a lot more than I had
planned, but there was nothing between “two months” and “six days” in
terms of arrival, so I had little choice; the exhibition at CNEAI
opens on March 18.
What are you going to do about Klein and his Health care announcement?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 3, 2006 1:32 PM
Subject: Mayerthorpe marks anniversary; Bush, Harper et Fox se rencontreront à Mexico à la fin du mois
Dear Stephen,
I’m checking the status on my suitcase recently sent to France for the
CNEAI show. I wonder why they listed “dispatched” and “sent” at the
same time?
2006/03/01 15:11 International shipment dispatched from Canada
2006/03/01 15:11 International item has left the origin country
Last night I worked late, after taking over from Jess at 8PM, and
after a brief meeting with Mike about the new e-zine he is launching
called CoalFish. It will be published weekly online and a bunch of us
are writing for it. I have to think of story ideas. Public art, Tim
Hortons and Norm McFarlane are all viable options.
Yesterday we borrowed the Element and drove to Home Despot. Claudine
needed to do some in-house research for her translation project, and
we decided to pick up supplies for the next cabinet we’ll be building.
There was an elementary school class there on a field trip. Why a
field trip to Home Despot? I’ve been trying to figure that out ever
since. I remember school trips to parks, monuments, museums, you know,
‘cultural significant’ sites. Is that what the Despot is now? Do kids
go on class trips to Mickey D’s as well? Do they learn how monopolies
work, about outsourcing, supply and demand and how 99% of the shit we
buy is made in China, or do they happily learn to consume, consume,
consume?
So on that note we bought a new vacuum cleaner at Future Shop. It was
on sale, a Dirt Devil, and it sucks real good. You should have seen
the cat hair! Degeulasse! Our carpets look brand new.
OK, off to get a few more hours studio / apartment renovations work done.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 5, 2006 7:27 PM
Subject: Kandahar crash claims second Canadian; Santé: Jack Layton estime que le plan de Ralph Klein doit être rejeté
Dear Stephen,
Today is my birthday. When’s yours? Ah yes I see, April 30, 1959. I’ll
try to remember it. I’ve had a full day already; continued work on the
cabinet, which I started yesterday, after a trip to the despot with
Judy. We were going to go to the Home Show, as we remembered having
quite a time at the one two years ago, but we settled on the Despot
instead. I needed more molding. Impulse-bought some lampshades that
once installed, aren’t so nice. I’ll probably return them.
I’m feeling all lucky and blessed lately. Claudine sent me through a
fun scavenger hunt this afternoon in search of her gift, which was a
snazzy new digital camera! C’est tres cool. It will come in handy for
our Tim portraits, as well as documenting artwork, and of course for
snapshots, everyday photos and travelling.
I met Judy and her mom Mary at the Tim’s down the street and helped
her back to the hospital; the afternoon sun was warm and spring-like
but the wind a bit chilly. Mary bought for me a gift certificate for
the Despot; I’m to save and bring to her tomorrow a piece of the
wickedly-rich chocolate cake Claudine baked for me this afternoon.
Last night at the bar Tim gave us an old amplifier which should only
require some minor repairs to be fully functional; we need one to hook
up Claudine’s turntable. At the end of the night I also received some
special cookies, which caused us to be up most the night. I won’t get
into it here; I refuse. Let’s just say it was a night of
intensely-vivid dreams.
Jess came over this morning for a brunch of crêpes. I made the batter
while Claudine expertly poured and flipped. Jess is off for New
Zealand tonight, by way of Quebec City, Ottawa and Vancouver. The bar
won’t be quite the same without her, though I know Claudine and I will
work well the weekends together.
We’re off shortly to have supper at Peter and Judy’s in the new
loft/apartment. Their renovations there are almost complete. We were
going to watch the Oscars but there isn’t cable hooked up. No big
loss; judging from past years I have a tendency to get sucked up in
the melodrama, spend too much time in front of the TV and it inspires
rants.
This is from 2003:
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd5676@hotmail.com>
To: jean chretien <pm@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Monday, March 24, 2003 8:18 AM
Subject: Two more cases of SARS reported in Ontario; about 12 others
showing symptoms
…We hooked the cable up to watch the Oscars. A disappointing display
of American excess in solemn disguise. Steve Martin only made me laugh
once and I can’t even remember what the joke was now. I liked Adrian
Brody’s acceptance speech—no one expected him to win, and then who
would have thought he’d molest Halle Barry like that?—his demand for
more time, and his frustrated, almost nonsensical expression of desire
for peace. I missed Michael Moore. Decided to break with my own
tradition and tore myself away in the last hour. I always feel like
I’ve gorged myself when I watch the whole thing…
and from last year, 2005:
From: chris lloyd <chrislloyd@videotron.ca>
Date: Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:05:44 AM America/Montreal
To: pm@pm.gc.ca, martin.P@parl.gc.ca
Subject: Canada sends officials to U.S. for one-day lobbying effort on
trade, Le Canada suscite peu d’attention aux Etats-Unis, dit
l’ambassadeur sortant
…Sunday I worked on a painting all day and then met Claudine at her
place for supper. Her friend Mathieu had given her tickets to Lhasa
performing at the Corona theatre on Notre Dame. Both were amazing; the
theatre for its architecture and simple rejuvenated style, and Lhasa
and her band for their amazing synchronicity and magical sounds. We
got home just as the Oscars finished so I saved myself the frustration
of watching and yelling at Hollywood…
I guess I’ll save myself the trouble again tonight. Will enjoy the
evening with friends instead. Maybe find a bar on the way home that is
screening them. What’s the big deal anyhow? Do you bother to watch the
Oscars?
Hey what’s this I hear about one of your first priorities as PM will
be to build 12 new prisons? A client at the bar told me that last
night. What’s the deal?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 7, 2006 2:37 AM
Subject: Father captured in ‘horrific’ triple murder; Nicole Léger démissionne et pave la voie à l’élection d’André Boisclair
Dear Stephen,
Did you watch the Oscars last night? I didn’t. I was surprised at the
bar while stopping in to see if Claudine’s gloves were there, while on
our way upstairs for what I thought would be a dinner with peter and
Judy, only to have the lights spring on and thirty people jumping out
of the shadows with party horns and balloons, and lo and behold I was
in the middle of a surprise party! And surprised I was. A bunch of
people came, even Jess was there, and my mom, and it was all so
surprising. Drank some beer and later on peter drove us home, along
with our gifts and the am and the speakers that Tim gave to us.
So today was a recuperation day; I worked a bit on paintings, and
finished the cabinet, and visited Mary to show her pictures from the
party, and cooked wild boar spare ribs for Claudine at work, and went
to the Somerset to see Rear Window, and that’s about it. It was the
best turnout yet.
So what’s your take on the Guantanamo Bay prison? It seems every other
Western nation is opposed to it, yet Canada has remained conspicuously
silent or even approving of the questionable detention facility. Did
you know that 86% of the prisoners there were handed over by bounty
hunters? That Haliburton has a whopping $30-million contract to build
new facilities there post 9/11? The New York Times has written:
What makes Amnesty’s gulag metaphor apt is that Guantánamo is merely
one of a chain of shadowy detention camps that also includes Abu
Ghraib in Iraq, the military prison at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan
and other, secret locations run by the intelligence agencies. Each has
produced its own stories of abuse, torture and criminal homicide.
These are not isolated incidents, but part of a tightly linked global
detention system with no accountability in law. Prisoners have been
transferred from camp to camp. So have commanding officers. And
perhaps not coincidentally, so have specific methods of mistreatment.
So Stephen, perhaps you can understand that we ordinary Canadians
don’t believe in this sort of thing. Ask George to shut it down.
By the way, do you know that apparently Castro has cashed only one
rent cheque paid for Guantanamo Bay since coming to power in 2959? It
is a very contentious site with Cubans. Why are the Americans even
there? To keep and eye on and stop the spread of communism, of course.
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 7, 2006 7:24 PM
Subject: Military families stay strong after attacks; Mario Dumont met en question la rapidité de la décision sur le Mont-Orford
Dear Stephen,
Wow, parliament hasn’t even sat yet and already you seem under fire
from all sides regarding David Emerson and your refusal to meet the
ethics guy. Have you unpacked everything at 24 Sussex? You might want
to consider living out of boxes for awhile. Don’t get me wrong, I’m
rootin’ for you: I think you’ll make a great PM. Call me optimistic;
I’m assuming you’ll increase funding for the arts. And even if you
don’t I still want to paint your official portrait. I’ll send the
official proposal through snail mail shortly. Anyway I can’t write
much, I’m in the seventh inning stretch of a painting for the Peter
Buckland ‘Art of the Mixer’ event this Friday.
Check out my photos link; I’ve uploaded the hilarious Cocktail
surprise birthday party invitation that Jason and Claudine made. Could
help brighten your day.
—
Chris Lloyd Projects
http://www.dearpm.blogspot.com
A Division of ADD Painters:
“we’re here to swerve”
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 9, 2006 2:40 PM
Subject: Gomery’s handling of case challenged; Québec distribuera des antiviraux dès l’apparition de la grippe aviaire
Dear Stephen,
Happy belated International Women’s Day. Did you do anything special
to mark the occasion? Neither did I. Did you hear about the latest
report from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development
on gender-based “institutional discrimination?” It Ranked 162 nations
based on indicators such as security of the person, civil liberties,
gender discrimination in the family and political representation.
Canada chugged into an embarrassing sixteenth place, just ahead of
Ecuador and Panama. Go girls!
Yesterday was a busy day. We rearranged furniture, swapping the living
room for the office. It appears much roomier. Claudine had finished
staining and top-coating the cabinet we built, which we brought
upstairs. We unpacked her turntable and Tim’s amp but we have no
speaker wire to speak of. I finished the painting for Peter Buckland’s
Art of the Mixer. It is titled “Threats lead to armed standoff” and
features portraits of a couple Tims and some police SWAT members.
Maybe I’ll send you a photo.
Did you hear that Tim Horton’s is looking to open a store in Kandahar
to service the troops? Apparently this is supremely Canadian. By the
way, I don’t think it is logical that if we hold a parliamentary
debate on what exactly we are doing in Afghanistan it will cause low
troop morale. That’s like saying parliamentary debate about health
care is making everyone sick. Sick about all talk and no action maybe!
Besides, with their double-doubles and apple fritters, the troops
should be happen no matter how many insurgents try to attack them with
axes. Or bombs. Maybe the doughnut and Tims “coffee” will bring peace
to that stricken part of the world; trading one addiction for another.
Today we drove Judy to the hospital for tests on her ailing back, then
drove to Hell’s Creation to pick up wood. Found some nice, reasonably
priced maple at Ritchies. Wanted to avoid the Home Despot. The wood is
to build the frame for the painting. Then turned around and bought a
couple Club chairs Made In China from the Stupid Store. Actually the
manager there was nice and gave us a discount on the floor model due
to slightly scratched legs.
Am heading out to meet Judy at the hospital and then Robyn at the gallery; he’s on duty today. He’s going to dismantle the shelves in the vault so we can finally turn it into an exhibition space; we already have a lineup, from Pat Schell to the McLeave Suitcase Gallery.
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 10, 2006 3:38 PM
Subject: Poverty most pressing issue: minister; SAAQ: le pdg Harbour explique que les hausses de tarifs sont inévitables
Dear Paul,
So are you still in a “loathe to cooperate” mood? Despite what you may
think of Shapiro, isn’t cooperation a sort of fundamental cornerstone
of our parliamentary system? Or is that highly optimistic of me to say
so? Anyway, I won’t go off on a rant now, I’ve got to have a shower
and get ready for work, we slept in this morning and I rushed to the
building and finished the frame (by drilling a hole through the front
of it, d’oh!), took it to the gallery, I’ll upload a photo of it later
but right now I have to go, go go.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 13, 2006 12:21 PM
Subject: Harper visits troops in Afghanistan; N.S. has funeral for fallen soldier; La bataille sur l’éthique prend une drôle de tournure à Ottawa, Harper livre un discours à près de la moitié des militaires en Afghanistan
Dear Stephen,
Sorry about my tardiness; I started a letter yesterday and never
finished it. So I see on the news this morning you made a surprise
visit to Kandahar. Or, as the ‘Post puts it, you went to War Zone. How
was it? Do tell. No alcohol, I hear, though you had access to Coke,
Diet Coke, and a king size bed. Important details.
Sunday morning I slept in past noon. We had gone to Melvin’s after
work, catching the very end of some bluesy cover band, time enough for
one beer. There was a big folk festival going on this weekend but of
course with our work schedule we missed it. Also the ticket prices
were fairly steep. Too steep for us. We both surprised each other with
sudden art purchases Friday night at Peter Buckland’s Art of the
Mixer. Claudine bought one of Meghan’s blue-bed paintings, while I
selected one of Colin Smith’s ink drawings. The only two sales of the
night; though the gallery was packed, everyone was there for the
Mixer, the beer and wine and cheese, not necessarily the Art.
Saturday we went to a new record/bookstore located beside Mesopotamia,
called Oryx, based on the Arabian species that is facing extinction.
It is a fun little shop. The couple that run it have just come back
from living in Oman.
“Facing extinction”—what a thought.
Ever think about extinction? Climate change? Fossil fuels? I hear your
environmental affairs minister will be in town this Wednesday,
presumably to look at the harbour, where we dump all our sewage.
Sunday was apartment cleanup and laundry and family day. Claudine and
I ate burgers and fish and chips at Churchill’s then came home just
before my folks arrived with Trevor, who is visiting from Halifax. We
had a nice visit and had beers and wine and ice cream. Family day.
Talked a bit about my grandfather, my dad’s dad, who we thought had
just had a stroke last week but it turned out it was a reaction to a
bladder infection. The larger picture, and more difficult question, is
what does one do when one collapses and is the one responsible for
your companion, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 15, 2006 1:49 AM
Subject: Afghan president thanks Canada; Québec met sur pied un “Fonds des générations” en vue de réduire la dette
Dear Stephen,
Went to the screening of “Wal*Mart: the high cost of low prices”
tonight. It felt long, used terrible music and was an editing hack
job. Still, the facts, if reliable, drive a wooden stake through the
black heart of a dark monster of our times. Even to hear CEO H. Lee
Scott talk is scary: “If we were a country, we would be the 20th
largest in the world. If Wal-Mart were a city, we would be the fifth
largest in America.”
Um, hello, but shouldn’t something that big be regulated by more than
shareholders and an unfettered market?
I thought I’d best visit the lion’s den and check Wal*Mart’s own
websites to compare notes, but their sites are all f**ed up, and links
keep re-directing incorrectly, and online forms don’t work properly.
You’d think the biggest retailer in the world would at least have a
properly functioning website. Maybe they obfuscate on purpose.
A woman spoke at the end of the screening about the Rothesay efforts
to stop a Wal*Mart from locating there. Did a little digging and
realized that my former high school principal is the mayor. In the
typical fashion there are more than two sides to the story. There are
those who believe the tax revenues will be a shot in the arm, and the
Big Box Giant will save time-strapped shoppers the heinous
fifteen-minute drive to the closest Wal*Mart in Saint John. The town
says only ten homes might have their wells affected and homeowner in
the area say more than 100 will be affected. Those same homeowners
will see an immediate decrease in the value of their homes. But hey,
people in the Valley will have better access to cheap shit made in
China and Bangledesh and students can slave away at minimum wage for
the summers and retirees will have something to pass their days as
Wal*Mart greeters.
I’ll bet you can tell which side of the fence I’m on.
Anyway, I did a bunch of gallery-related stuff today but I’m too tired
to get into it at the moment. It’s late and Claudine has been working
almost nonestop since 7am this morning; I think someone deserves a
backrub.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 16, 2006 6:39 PM
Subject: T.O. detective praises Bill Gates; Une ne reste plus qu’une chance à Rizzuto pour éviter l’extradition aux E.-U.
Dear Stephen,
What’s the deal with your former chef? I hear he is suing you over
wrongful dismissal. I also hear he was pulling down a salary of
$56,000 while you were living in Stornoway. You must have eaten well!
Today Trevor and I borrowed Dad’s car (Trevor’s was in the shop) and
we drove to Hell’s Creation to apply for jobs at Wal*Mart.
Unfortunately they didn’t have job applications so I will have to go
back with a resume. I did sign up for the monthly “Number 1 Club”
meetings, where shoppers meet over breakfast or lunch to talk about
the store. I want to infiltrate the store and see how it works from
the inside out.
The other reason for the trip to Hell’s Creation was to get a cat door
for Kuan and Manu so they can more easily venture downstairs. We tried
the pet store first but the little plastic door was $85! Of course we
went to the Despot and bought one for $25.
Claudine and I ate at Elwood’s last night. It was there first night
with the kitchen up and running. The food was actually quite good; pub
food with attitude. The decor, despite all the lovely re-finished and
revealed brick, and wonderful woodwork, still seems to be lacking
something, but I can’t figure out just quite what.
The Moneris Guy is here at the bar at the moment replacing our
terminal. This is our fourth. We still are experiencing the periodic
communication errors from debit card transactions. If this one doesn’t
work we’ll find a new company.
We’re heading out to the Imperial Theatre to see a play tonight with
my Dad and Trevor. The play is called Sight Unseen. In a non-linear
fashion it tells the story of some fictional famous visual artist who
is re-evaluating his life, or something to that effect.
Don’t you just love the internet? Porn and bibles page by page apart,
often only a mouse click away. Why, just now I was reading what I
thought was a political analysis of Canada’s “shift to the
conservatives”, and it ended up a tripped out Bible rant! Full of
exclamation points! Check it out!
“Their decline has already become evident in both economic and social
circles. Canada has become a nation full of sin—spiritual lawbreaking
(I John 3:4). Whether it is the breaking of God’s laws or the support
of things completely contrary to those laws, this nation has moved
farther and farther away from its Creator.
A “great shift” is not coming to Canada—it has already taken place.
Canada and all the Western nations have shifted away from the God of
the Bible. They are not swinging right in some kind of way that will
bring back morality and the “good old days,” as some claim. The new
government will bring the country more in line with its British and
American brothers—and, in turn, the rest of the world will see it as
part of the problem. (Much as America is viewed today.)
As such, this new government will not, in the long-term, change Canada
in any exceptional way. It will be business as usual—and that means
corruption and mismanagement of the country’s problems.
…There is a solution to the problems facing liberals and conservatives
in Canada: the development and implementation of a new government—one
not only ruling over individual nations, but all nations. A global
government!
But such a government will never work under men; human beings cannot
be trusted with such power. This coming system will not be ruled by
men, but by Jesus Christ. At His Return, He will establish a
world-ruling government that will take a completely different approach
than governments led by men!
In the meantime, Canada will experience certain small changes under
the leadership of Prime Minister Harper. However, these changes will
be nothing more than a “holding pattern” before the arrival of a final
government—God’s soon-coming kingdom! This Christ-led system will stop
all bickering, debating, fighting, corruption and greed. Peace and
calm will literally “break out” all around the world, and mankind will
truly experience the most positive “great shift” imaginable!”
(From an article by BRADFORD G. SCHLEIFER, Real Truth Magazine)
Imagine that! So you’re just a precursor to when Jesus Christ takes
over? Will he be Canada’s 23rd Pm, or maybe the 24th? Will he be
democratically elected? Will he run as an independent or with the
Christian Heritage Party? Enquiring minds want to know.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 17, 2006 2:50 PM
Subject: U.S. clinic setting up in Toronto; Une ne reste plus qu’une chance à Rizzuto pour éviter l’extradition aux E.-U.
Dear Stephen,
The new Moneris machine doesn’t work any better than the previous
three. We can’t understand why it won’t work properly, and are at the
moment locked in a battle of wills with Canada’s largest processor of
debit and credit card transactions. They say the problem would be
fixed if we were to “upgrade”; we contend that the unit we have is
supposed to work properly. Their logic is like selling someone a car,
then telling the buyer they have to “upgrade” if they expect the car
to have an engine, or wheels. At the moment we have a real lemon.
Do you know about Moneris? Moneris processes more than 1.8 billion
credit and debit card transactions a year, for over 350,000 merchant
locations across North America. They have over 1,100 ‘dedicated’
employees (at least they don’t refer to them as ‘associates’) who
understand transaction processing. Although in our case they haven’t
been able to figure out why our unit doesn’t work properly. Maybe I
shouldn’t be so harsh on them; they’ve only replaced the unit four
times in four months.
I walked to the nearest Frenchies this afternoon in search of a green
shirt to wear at the bar tonight in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.
Nothing. Nothing my size, anyhow. Where do they get their men’s
clothes, from giants? Everything in Xtra Large.
On the way home I collected three bags full of Tims.
Claudine is making some pasta and then I must get ready for work.
What’s the deal on the American health clinic opening in Toronto? And
what’s with the gag order on your cabinet?
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Date: Mar 19, 2006 3:18 PM
Subject: Anger over Iraq spills onto the streets; Des centaines de pacifistes descendent dans la rue un peu partout au pays
Dear Stephen,
Did you take part in any of the anti-war (Iraq, George W. Bush,
Afghanistan, etc.) yesterday? Neither did I. Saturday is a sleep in
late and then go back to work day. Met Claudine and some of the Yogo
crew at Cora’s for brunch. We were going to go to Sebastians but they
have No Brunch! Tom told us that on Friday, unintentionally repeating
the Cape Breton sign: No Brunch! As you may no, Claudine and I swore
off Cora’s a couple months ago, as the value for money just isn’t
there, and the espresso is terrible, but we couldn’t agree on any
other place to go.
Claudine treated me to a nice supper at Taco Pica last night. Karen
Palmer was playing guitar and our food was really tasty. We had a few
busy moments at the bar but overall it was fairly quiet. Peter worked
and Claudine had the night off. I think a lot of people were a bit
‘partied out’ after St.Paddy’s. Did you do anything special, like get
completely wasted? O’Leary’s was charging a $7 cover and they were
still busted for overcapacity.
Anyway, I haven’t much time to write. Peter and Judy and Mary are
coming over for brunch (No Brunch!) and I am just starting to pack for
Chicago. I leave this afternoon. Judy starts a 40-day cleanse and fast
tomorrow, so this is one of her last big meals. Claudine is making
crêpes and scrambled eggs and bagels, the whole nine yards.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 21, 2006 3:25 AM
Subject: Angry farmers launch four-day protest; La députée de Taillon Pauline Marois quitte la vie politique
Dear Stephen,
Hello from Chicago! I love the windy city: the wide and clean
sidewalks, the stunning variety of architecture, the stylish people,
the L-train. I finished reading ‘In cold blood’ during my two flights
here, and tucked into ‘Slaughterhouse 5’ at the hotel. The Holiday
Inn. Andrea met me when I arrived by subway, sort of by chance, and we
went for deep dish pizza and wine. Very classic Chicago. The wine was
waaaay too warm.
Today we started the job; of course, things weren’t ready. The hotel,
at least the two floors we were wandering, were turned upside down:
tiling, plastering, electrical, carpeting, door frames, the whole nine
yards, all happening at once. The sloped ceiling we are to gild wasn’t
nearly as smooth as it needed to be, so we took a palm sander to it
and then added another top coat of paint.
Panels we needed for the bar weren’t cut the right size but some
helpful carpenters on hand cut us some. We primed those, then the day
was done. Showers at the hotel and then supper at a decent Italian
restaurant, nice wine, then a bit more work at the hotel, The James.
Or The Jams, as the burned out ‘e’ spells. There are nifty art
installations in the lobby. A stack of about thirty old suitcases
filled with the stolen remains of a motel room. Like, the whole room:
installation, bed springs, ceiling tiles, plumbing fixtures. Of course
towels and all; sort of takes that idea to the nth degree.
We stopped at the James bar for a nightcap and ended up for two; it
was ‘friends and family’ night, so we drank for free. A nice
tempranillo and shiraz; even the pinot noir wasn’t half bad. Took some
photos of the wallpaper design Andrea had made for each of the
elevator lobbies; all fifteen floors.
Tomorrow will be another hectic day, but I like the work, the energy.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 22, 2006 4:52 AM
Subject: No new farm aid: Strahl; Le chef du Parti québécois entend siéger à l’Assemblée nationale à l’automne
Dear Stephen,
We just finished gilding a few of the panels for the bar in the
banquet room; this follows a three-hour voluptuous meal in the dining
room which included cheescake lollypops, filet mignon with a bone left
on it the size of your head, an ‘angry lobster’ broiled, sliced this
way and that and served all topsy-turvy over a bed of nails; the meal
followed a quick shower in our new room in the James Hotel, which is
snappy and could have crawled out from the pages of an upscale IKEA
catalogue; the room came about after checking out of the Holiday Inn
in the morning and working all day adding super thin masking tape to
the afore-mentioned bar panels. It was quite a day. Needless to say,
I’m exhausted and am just about ready to conk out. We’ll be back at it
in a few hours; our schedules are now determined by the drying time of
the oil size which causes the silver leaf to stick. Tomorrow we start
the sloped ceiling.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 23, 2006 3:50 AM
Subject: Richmond’s female firefighters leave jobs; Le budget a été particulièrement difficile à préparer, dit le ministre Aude
Dear Stephen,
Today was a particularly long day. Up by 7 or so. Grabbed a bit of
breakfast from the bar: Complimentary croissants, granola, yogurt. Set
about burnishing the silver leaf very close to the taped stripes
before pulling the stripes off. Very time-consuming, very precise
work, I like it, though a little hard on the back. Then there was a
bit of a crisis as a carpentry crew set up shop directly underneath
Andrea as she was attempting the first wave of leaf on the curved
ceiling. Umm, sawdust and tacky glue? Not a great combination when a
smooth finish is what is required. But there is such a level of stress
and disorganization—the hotel and restaurant officially open today, by
the way—has the decision-making people wandering around in zen-like
dazes. Unwilling or unable to make hard and fast decisions. Unfamiliar
with the conditions required to achieve the results they expect. The
other layer of decision-making hierarchy exists in NY resulting in
lots of phone calls and emails. All of it makes me more fascinated and
flabbergasted at how money flows and operates here. It’s like magic,
illogical.
I prepped the panels for the screen printing and we added leaf and
burnished the last bar panel. We moved hotel rooms, down to the ninth
floor, the task force floor, where the rooms aren’t quite finished. We
went for a walk to Millennium Park, took photos of the Giant Bean, the
Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, still not finished but almost, and ate a
very basic diner meal at the Artist café. Grabbed some wine for our
hotel room, changed keys again, then I was off on the CTA, the L
Train, to meet up with Jenn and Mellisa, who had just flown in from
Montreal, at a fun and swanky wine bar that Jenn briefly worked at. We
had great snacks and wine and caught up on travels and jobs and love
lives, then Jenn drove me back to the jams. The James, sorry. I’d best
get to bed; another early—like 5am—morning start awaits us. I’ll post
more photos tomorrow sometime.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 24, 2006 12:09 PM
Subject: Protesters say opposition growing; Québec s’attaque à la dette, mais néglige les baisses d’impôt
Dear Stephen,
Thursday was a bad work day: the screenprinting project is full of
glitches and trickery. There are so many obstacles I don’t know where
to begin listing them: the quick-drying oil-based paint, the
highly-toxic retarder, the copious amounts of paint thinner required
to clean the screens, the ease with which a slight blunder or bad pass
can add hours to the project.
Needless to say, I didn’t go see Dumas perform as part of Les
Francopholies, though Jenn and Melissa did and I’m sure they had a
blast. With the exception of a walk to the hardware store and an early
lunch/late breakfast at a fun place called Potbelly’s, and a quick
supper at the Mexican restaurant right next door, we haven’t left the
hotel.
We were in fact moved out of our room again and then promptly moved
right back in. The only change has been that now the wireless Internet
isn’t working, so I apologize that you’ll get this letter late. I
might just keep adding to it when or if I get the chance. I’ll be on
the screenprinting all day again tomorrow and might only leave to get
supplies. At the moment we have run out of rags, latex gloves and are
getting short on thinner and screen de-blocker.
As I am just about to pass out from tiredness I look out the
curtainless windows and I do believe it is snowing at this moment in
Chicago. Happy first week of spring!
None of the snow stayed down. I’ve had some sleep, borrowed an adaptor
that didn’t work and returned it to the front desk, and called
Internet technical support to get back online. Now I’m about to grab a
spot of breakfast and head out to get rags, gloves, thinner and an
elusive 2-part water-based epoxy non-scratchable varnish; the next
attempt at screenprinting will have to wait until the other
construction workers leave, which is around 2-3pm, or whenever Andrea
is finished gilding.
-chris
Chris Lloyd Projects
http://www.dearpm.blogspot.com
A Division of ADD Painters:
“we’re here to swerve”
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 25, 2006 6:10 AM
Subject: Protesters say opposition growing; Peacemakers se questionne alors que les otages libérés rentrent à la maison
Dear Stephen,
I spoke to Claudine today and she informed me that Kuan has fleas! She
took her to the vet to be groomed—i.e. shaved—and the vet said she had
fleas. Where did she get them? The basement? The apartment? The
previous tenants had cats. Did they leave their fleas behind? Anyway,
Judy gave us some flea stuff. She’s almost a week into her 40-day
fast. You can check her progress at http://www.judeloveslemons.blogspot.com.
We were up early again this morning. Andrea continued gilding and I
ran for errands. It took me forever, or so it seemed. The Sherman
Williams paint store I took the CTA to didn’t have either the floor
finish nor the 2-part epoxy, but they gave me directions to another
hardware store, which was definitely not walking distance. Menards is
one of the biggest general purpose hardware stores I have ever seen. I
called a cab from there but it never showed, despite repeated
inquiries on my part. I went across the street to a Dominick’s grocery
for some fruit and soup and had them call me a cab.
The rest of the afternoon / evening / night was spent screenprinting.
It’s become smoother but is still very time consuming lots of prep,
measuring, masking registration marks, then of course the cleanup
after the 3-4 passes.
Despite feeling exhausted, sore in joints and back, and not seeing
much of Chicago or Jenn and Melissa, I am enjoying the job, the
experience is quite something. It is so art-like. And if nothing else
it is helping me to confirm that I never want to work with oil-based
products again.
Anyway, it’s late, there is a TV in the new room they put us in, back
on the tenth floor, with the minibar stocked, we cracked open the gin
because the bar downstairs had closed by the time we’d finished
working for the night. We have an early start tomorrow.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 26, 2006 6:36 AM
Subject: Tempers flare on first day of seal hunt; Les actions de la chaîne Tim Hortons grimpent dès leur mise en vente
Dear Stephen,
I can’t believe how long this screen printing is taking. By the end of
this I should be a pro. We’ve about two more passes and then the rest
is touchup; we quit for a late supper at the restaurant downstairs;
Stephane’s treat—he flew in this morning. He helped a bit this
afternoon, and I’ve been hard at it since 9AM. For the past couple
hours I’ve been re-touching by hand. It’s like painting a Chris Ofili
monochrome in pointillism.
All the methodical, careful planning and registration can all lead to
nought; a bad pass and a large section can be ruined. The setbacks
have been many. I feel like I’ve been here a month. As fun as it can
be to live in a hotel—especially one in which I would probably never
afford to stay if I had to pay—one grows tired of the stuffiness.
Cheerful as people are, it’s easy to see that it is all an elaborate
act.
The fumes are incredible. We have masks, which have left almost
permanent creases on my face. I can’t tell which is strongest: the
100% mineral spirits, or the cans of screen opener, which, as the
label says, “can have a narcotic effect.”
It’s no wonder we’ve been having giddy fits!
I’m back at it in a few hours; I’m sure i have more I could tell you
but I’ve got to get some sleep.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 27, 2006 11:42 PM
Subject: Freed hostage Loney returns home; Des opposants à la chasse aux phoques disent que leurs droits sont bafoués
Dear Stephen,
I worked almost straight up to the moment that I absolutely had to
jump into a cab in order to catch my flight home. I was re-painting
the dots in places where the registration was unclear or doubled or
weak. Blending the pattern into a more uniform state. Stephane was
quite good at this work. I hope he and Andrea managed to complete the
project, and that the hotel doesn’t screw her.
I slept quite deeply on the flight to Toronto and enjoyed wandering
around the brilliant and spacious redesigned Terminal 1, admiring some
of the great pieces of art and wondering about the validity (and cost)
of some of the others. Finished reading Slaughterhouse 5 on the flight
to Saint John and slept a bit more.
Claudine picked me up at the airport. She had rented a car for the
weekend to run errands, which included but was not limited to taking
Kuan to the vet to be shaved and returning a couple months worth of
accumulated recyclables. It was so nice to be home again and share
space with her. As a treat she had recently received a real sweet
billet de metro, a nice surprise we can both enjoy.
This morning we were up early and drove to Fredericton for my NB Art
Bank first jury meeting. Five of us reviewed just over a hundred
artists and had to narrow the group down to just over thirty for the
next viewing, which will involve seeing the actual work, not just
slides or projected digital images. We must have went through almost
600 images. It gets almost mind-numbing but I can think of much, much
worse ways to spend a day than to look at art all day!
Now we’re back in Saint John about to meet Katie and friends at
Elwoods to see some band. Tomorrow Claudine flies to Montreal and I’ll
dive into gallery and studio work, with a vengeance. I’m pumped to
make work!
Speaking of pumped, I heard that you were just in Saint John recently,
announcing a piddly $12 million toward our harbour cleanup. Whatever
happened to the $40 million Paul Martin had all but approved during
the election campaign? Can’t make the figures jive with your tax cuts
and day care giveaway? Or are you biding your time, hoping to gain
support and gain a majority next time, meaning you might not commit
more? Hell, take your time, various governments one after the other
have been “promising” to clean up the harbour for the last decade or
more. I’m sure the world’s largest natural toilet can take a few more
flushings. Besides, we’re all so much more intrigued with Briget
Bardot and Harp Seals and Tim Hortons stock to really care about
water.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 28, 2006 10:58 PM
Subject: Ferry union president blasts ‘armchair navigators’; Le ministère public demande une peine de pénitencier pour Jean Brault
Dear Stephen,
Just came back from seeing C.R.A.Z.Y with Judy. A better film for me the second time around, much richer, more layered, the imagery more potent and I really enjoyed watching Jean-Marc Vallee’s vision unfold in front of the camera. I mean, that sudden hollow smack when Zac is hit by the car? The slow-motion Christmas fight with Raymond screaming as he is tackled by his brothers, everything happening in slow motion, everyone’s facial expression telling a different story. The subtitles alos helped clarify a few things for me, little bits of dialogue I had missed first time around.
I need to practice my french. I’ll dig out my text books this week while Claudine is in Montreal. I drove her to the airport early this afternoon in the rental car. We had slept in a bit but not not to the point of being in danger of missing her flight. I blame the Akron Family, the band from NY who played at Elwoods last night. They put on a good show, a little too introspective (drug-induced navel gazing?) in some points, and blistering present in other moments, but generally fun and inventive. Had a long talk with Meghan about establishing priorities and making time and room in her life to make art.
I should follow my own damn advice!
I went shopping today and bought myself a new spring jacket and shades. Figure since I didn’t buy anything other than socks in Chicago I could treat myself a bit here. But oh how I wish I had gone to the John Fluevog show store!
Then again, I most likely would have balked at spending $250 or more for shoes.
Anyway, Jude and I are heading out to the Three Mile of all places to see Hedley, some glamourpuss Juno-nominated band I’ve no recollection ever listening to. If there are five hundred screaming fans we’re leaving or I’m getting loaded. Jude can’t drink; she’s on day 9 of her 40-day fast. Drinks nothing but lemons, cayenne pepper and the occasional shot of salt water. For flushing.
-chris
From: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 30, 2006 8:18 PM
Subject: Canada predicts jump in Chinese visitors; Harper et Bush parleront bois d’oeuvre et passeports, évidemment
Dear Stephen,
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. When I came home from work and a quick
beer at O’Leary’s my computer battery died and I had left the charger
at work. Hanging from the grill of the beer fridge, as the new Moneris
machine is now occupying the last bartop elecrical outlet.
It was actually a decent Wednesday. Not too quiet. Not too busy. Just right.
Travis helped out in the gallery yesterday and today. We’ve dismantled
Nadia’s Scar Project, boxed it up and patched the walls. Today we
spent more time outside, as the sun was out and it truly feels and
looks like spring. We talked about design and flipping houses,
something he wants to do as well. He doesn’t seem too confident that
Saint John is a big enough city to support what he wants to do, which
is a damn shame. He studied in Korea and seems super-keen to do
things. I told him to build up a portfolio.
So I never really did fill you in on my night out with Judy to see
Hedley at the 3-Mile on Monday night. Well, for starters, we felt like
the oldest people there, excepting the bouncers and a few of the
bartenders. The place was packed with screaming 19-year old girls and
sullen, baseball cap-wearing 19-year old boys. Then Hedley hit the
stage like an MTV-inspired psychic hit-and-run. By the third song the
frontman had lost his shirt and Judy and I had lost our patience and
all interest. She had also realized at this point that she had thought
Hedley was another band.
I’m grabbing quick bite at Lemongrass before returning to work and a
Coalfish story meeting. Happinez has become our meeting place of
choice. The online magazine is up, first issue polished off, a big
improvement from the previous test versions. Check it out:
wwww.coalfish.ca.
-chrisFrom: chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: pm@pm.gc.ca
Cc: christelle alin <alin@villa-arson.org>
Date: Mar 31, 2006 5:06 PM
Subject: U.S. demands Canadians use passport; La rencontre Harper-Bush-Fox débouche sur un Conseil de la compétitivité
Dear Stephen,
Saw a really fun and zany and wigged-out show at Elwoods last night
after work, by a fellow named B.A. Johnson
(http://www.justfriends.ca/ba/indexx.html). First bit of wacky
performance art I’ve seen at a licensed establishment since missing
the Jud and Adam Show perform at Callahan’s on New Years Eve. Bought a
CD (recorded and produced by Stephen Kelly and the infamous Miss Darla
Kitty, old friends from Halifax), but I haven’t listened to it yet.
Work was actually busy. There is a tourism conference going on so at
about 10:30 thirty delegates streamed in the front door. Almost
nothing looks more hilarious than thirty men and women in business
attire ducking down one after the other streaming through our hobbit
door.
Next time you are in Saint John to toss some Federal Spare Change into
the giant toilet we locals call the harbour, perhaps you too can duck
down through the hobbit hole.
So how’s Curious George and Mr. Fox? Nice photo ops on all the papers
today. Sounds like you stuck a good one on George. Does wearing your
cargo vest make you feel any tougher? Only the Post noted you were
wearing a repeat outfit that Paul had worn during his last visit with
those other 2 amigos.
Anyway, the bar is about to open so I’d best get going.
-chris
PS I’m growing a beard. I’ll send pictures when I figure out why my
photos aren’t transferring from my camera to my computer. Technology
giveth with one hand and smacks you upside the head with the other.
DEAR PM 