from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:14 PM
subject Ottawa pourrait moderniser le Code criminel; Christ meets Bigfoot: atheist ads to hit Cnd cities
Dear Stephen,
I finished the CC grant today while at work. Claudine, Iliana and Simon all helped a bit with re-readings and suggestions. I have a good feeling about it this time! Fifth time might be charmed! I am hoping to create a bunch of performances, sculptures, books and other documents into a body of work called the DEAR PM Archive. And I’m all geared up to apply for shows next year, starting with the Baie-St-Paul Symposium. Stefan is curating again and his theme is storytelling.
Does today’s defeat of the Bloc Quebecois motion to condemn your unilateral decision to make agreements with foreign powers concerning Afghanistan outside of Parliament, set a nasty precedent that further “commitments” citizens will pay for years and decades to come?
And what is this I hear of your advisor Flanagan touting assassination as a way to rid the world of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange? Is this really how you think this should be dealt with? How about being more diplomatic in your diplomacy’s, so when info gets leaked there wouldn’t be nasty repercussions? Assange has a weird world view, but in a way it makes sense: no more secrets. Honesty, as they say, is the best policy.
«As the anchor on the CBC news programme warned him that his comments were “pretty harsh stuff”, Prof Flanagan responded that he was “feeling very manly today”. » Wow, I wonder if he meant John Manley?
So in other news, I’ve signed a petition against offshore drilling in the St. Lawrence, against the changes to the copyright bill that makes it harder for artists to get royalties for their work, and promoted again the petition for Jean Charest to step down as premier over his refusal to call a public enquiry into the cesspool of corruption in the construction industry and government. I’ve also promoted articles about the ham-fisted way your Senate killed Bill C-311. Did you realize that in the entire history of the Canadian Senate they have only killed five bills, and each time after debate, public meetings, witnesses, the whole nine yards. We always knew you didn’t like the Senate but now you make a complete mockery of it and the parliamentary system?
And now my horoscope: “Although you present a fairly objective view of relationships now, you might be leaning toward taking a more subjective approach. Fortunately, you can see your current situation from multiple points of view, which gives you more options. Still, you would be smart to choose one path and then make the necessary changes that allow you to proceed. It’s the act of making a decision that propels you forward toward the manifestation of your dreams.”
Excellent! Bring on the dream-realizations!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 9:19 PM
subject Tom Flanagan devrait être accusé, selon Assange; Conservative ridings more likely to see tourism grants approved
Dear Stephen,
Had the past couple days off, yesterday was a family day, as Clo and Rose and I basically hung out for most of the day, or at least the afternoon, when Clo had to go to some work things. Today Rose was at daycare and Claudine at work and I stayed home and washed dishes, laundry and worked on my travel grant and some of the writing for East goes East, as well as the logo, which I am trying to paint in watercolour, and it is not going well. I made a paté chinois; we ate it tonight, with salad, and watched the last episode of Season 5 of 30 Rock to bring us up to date, more or less. Now we each have more work to do but we will also share a bath tonight, which should be fun. Tomorrow we are off to Claudine’s grandmother’s funeral. There will be a supper afterwards at St. Hubert – a family tradition. It will be the first time I meet some of the family from Clo’s mom’s side.
Horoscope: “Something needs to give as your professional and personal goals clash. You want to take care of relationship issues, but responsibilities at work could be stressing you out. Try not to push for an ultimate solution today. But, on the other hand, avoidance isn’t a viable strategy, either. Even if you don’t know the answers to your current questions, radical honesty could be the key that brings you peace of mind.”
Hmm, unless I am missing something, my personal and professional goals are not clashing, at least not at the moment. And I believe in radical honesty, which is why I support Wikileaks. And it does seem technically true that Tom Flanagan broke the law by calling for Assange’s assassination. I also support the Green Party, who called me twice today for a donation. I did have a very pleasant conversation with a Conservative Party supporter who called me a few days ago. Continuing my little game, I pledged anew $200, just to keep the mail coming in. I’m surprised there wasn’t anything in his files about me always pledging and never paying.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 11:18 PM
subject Ottawa présentera un plan antiterroriste cette semaine; Climate action no threat to oilsands, government told
Dear Stephen,
We’re back from our weekend in St. Eustache and Ile Perot. We decided a bit abruptly to stay with Philippe and Joanne after the funeral because our downstairs neighbours had notified us in advance that they were having party to celebrate the end run of Jeremy’s play. Bad move; Rose was so wound up from the day’s activities, meeting tons of relatives, and capping the long day with a boisterous supper for 30 people at the St-Hubert restaurant in St. Therese, and the fact that she wasn’t in her own bed or even her tent (which we had forgotten), that she tossed and turned in bed with us until 1am. So we probably got less sleep than trying to deal with a party downstairs.
Today we visited Etienne and Sarah’s; they cooked a great brunch for us and then we walked to the Mile End for a kind of hipster design and art fair. Watched Jean Charest on Tout le monde en parle tonight; I still don’t believe or trust him. And now there is a documentary on about the Stastny brothers who played for the Nordiques.
Horoscope: “Although today may be your day off, you still retain a strong desire to know where you are heading in your chosen profession. Your general career path may be the topic of a hot discussion now. But don’t try to reach any final decisions or make a detailed action plan for what comes next. Instead, just give yourself the physical and metaphysical space to dream as big as you can, because nearly anything is possible. The greatest limitations at this time will arise from within your own mind.”
Cool – I talked a fair bit about independent curating today. Interesting.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 9:53 PM
subject Armes à feu: l’opposition dénonce la décision des conservateurs sur le marquage; Costs of language training for fed bureaucrats spike
Dear Stephen,
Too tired to write much. Horoscope: “Your co-workers may look to you for guidance today because your view of the future stands above differences of opinion and petty office politics. Maybe it’s because you are just being too vague to commit to one position or another. However, it’s more likely that your perspective is really quite cosmic and that you have chosen the moral high road. Don’t be goaded into taking sides. Instead, play out your role as someone who has integrity even in the midst of emotional drama.” This is what work is like for me everyday, except today there were no co-workers around. I mostly vacuumed and cleaned up a bit, then finalized some floor plans. Then there was a snowstorm. I can home and Claudine was cleaning, we made leftovers, stuff we found in the freezer and thawed, and got the recycling and garbage together. Played with Rose, gave her supper, gave her a bath. There was a nice article on the third space show and public art in general in the TJ this past weekend. I made my East goes East logo but realize I am really procrastinating from having to deal with a more in-depth curatorial text. There is no rush; the call for submissions for work to be burned only goes out Wednesday, after the board meeting. OK off to bed.
chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 10:38 PM
subject Ottawa poursuivi pour avoir ouvert aux minières une zone protégée; Audit harsh on government’s environmental leadership
Dear Stephen,
Today the snowstorm continued, and our office was closed. This didn’t really affect me as I had chosen today as a day off, as I will be working the rest of the week. I took Rose out in her sled, all bundled up, and we walked to Canadian Tire to pick up the car, fresh with new oil and with the winter tires on. Then I drove Clo and Rose to Lynn’s apartment for a lunch date, and did a big grocery shopping at our former Metro, near Cartier. They renovated it sometime in the last year or so, added an underground parking and expanded the store floor surface by double. We needed a few staples – lentils, beans, toilet paper, potatoes, onions, milk, etc. but I balked at buying much vegetables, as everything seemed to come from the ‘States. I have decided, gradually over the past few years, to try to buy local whenever possible, and ideally, local and organic. This is fairly easy to do at the Market next door, but I don’t understand why the big grocery stores look to California for broccoli; don’t we have local producers growing this stuff nearby? I understand that if we elect to buy avocados or bananas then they will be shipped from Mexico or South America but carrots? Mushrooms? Lettuce? Ridiculous.
I listened to the Habs-Sens match while making a bulgar salad and cleaning the kitchen, the cleaning the bathroom, then working on the texts foe East goes East. Now some mindless TV before bed. We have the TV in our bedroom now, maybe not the best idea; this is the third night in a row, but it’s no more than an hour or so. A few nights ago we saw the first part of a documentary on the Stastny brothers’ defection to Québec to play for the Nordiques. So its not all just CSI.
Horoscope: “Escapist behaviours can bring trouble today, so it’s best to look at your life through a practical lens. Although you are often easily distracted by your fantasies, you are now able to look past the enticing dreams and ephemeral visions. The greatest benefit will come to you if you keep bringing your thoughts back to the hard cold facts. The most pragmatic approach to life is currently the most successful.”
Does this have to do with shovelling snow? Usually one has to shovel themselves out after a storm, but today I actually had to shovel a spot to park the car.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 10:40 PM
subject Bas-Saint-Laurent: l’heure est venue d’évaluer les ravages; PM tickles the ivories and party faithful with five-song set
Dear Stephen,
I took Rose to daycare in her sled, which worked fine until we got to the alley behind the daycare, which hadn’t been cleared of snow. She tipped a few times, but nothing major. The big spill came after I picked her up; she took a tumble and got her first whitewash. She cried a bit but didn’t mind too much; she started falling asleep before we even got home!
Worked on third space website stuff over lunch. Here is the call for submissions:
Third Space Gallery presents EAST goes EAST, a series of interventions, performances, workshops and gatherings featuring three visual artists, each investigating cultural norms and differences as they pertain to perceptions of the Far East. Karen Tam (Montreal-London, UK), Suzanne Caines (Halifax, NS-London,UK) and KitSum Cheng (Vancouver) will each be present to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Saint John, NB on February 3, 2011.
For her participation in EAST goes EAST, Kit Sum Cheng proposes a new twist on a family tradition of burning paper objects in dedication to the dead: an art-burning ceremony. A quick survey of the practice of venerating the dead leads one to conclude that offerings are often reflections of contemporary values. In researching this practice as a socio-political project, Cheng has come to the realization that art has rarely been included in this trajectory of giving.
Members of Third Space Gallery, the Saint John Chinese community and the general public are invited to submit artworks for exhibit during the month of January, 2011. These works will then be burned at a public ceremony hosted by the artist on Chinese New Year, February 3, 2011, at Market Slip.
Those interested in participating must complete the participation form and forward it and their artwork to the gallery office before January 10, 2011. Artwork must meet certain guidelines. The exhibit will open on January 15 at the in Market Square. The works will be burned on February 3 at Market Slip in a ceremony guided by KitSum Cheng. Participating artists will be in attendance. Exact dates of workshops, interventions and presentations by the other artists TBA.
Third Space Gallery wishes to acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts through the Artists and Community Collaboration Program, as well as the ongoing support of the Province of New Brunswick, the Telegraph Journal, Punch Productions, The SJ Multicultural Association and the Hardman Group.
And now, my daily horoscope: “You have regained some clarity about your plans for the future, yet it may be too soon to put your ideas into words. Anyway, your friends and associates aren’t interested now in what you have to say; they want to see tangible results. However, it will probably take a few days for your actions to bear fruit, so keep your expectations to a minimum. Don’t force resolution or you’ll only slow down your progress.”
There is some clarity regarding Claudine and work at Oboro, which I suppose has something to do with my future as well. And I imagine tangible results have to do with whipping the galleries into shape for the Christmas Party for 150+ people on Friday. I hear you rocked out at the Conservative Party Christmas Party. I simply plan on getting drunk and trying not to make out with any colleagues.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 9:59 PM
subject Élections Canada conteste des dépenses du Parti conservateur; Feds push ‘tough-on-crime’ bills before break
Dear Stephen,
Sorry I haven’t written in awhile. There was the Christmas party at work on Friday night to prepare for, which meant installing projectors, disco balls, lighting, electrical, audio and video cables, seating, tables, decorations, the whole nine yards. The party was considered a success and I didn’t get so drunk so as to make out with any coworkers. The presence of people’s spouses might have dampened that tendency as well. Saturday was a bit of a write-off, we were both a little hung over, but I went to the Winter Chill fundraiser at Skol for 3 hours and listened to folksy music. Claudine bought pre-cooked chicken and we ate while watching The Breakfast Club and then a french movie on TV, Un baisser s.v.p., or something to that effect. Today was Clo’s Xmas concert, I dropped Rose off at Etienne’s and Sarah’s, we hired a sitter to watch the girls and we headed t NDG on the metro to catch the concert. We came back to Etienne and Sarah’s for supper, bringing Caroline with us. We had stew that Etienne made and Portuguese french fries from the place on the corner of Rachel and Clark, Rotisserie Portugalia. We took a cab home.
Horoscope: “The Moon’s monthly return to your sign is often a bit overwhelming. Now, however, it’s your relationships that weigh heavily on you. Still, it’s not smart to make a decision that affects your partner while you’re under a lot of pressure. Your best strategy is based on objectively observing your own personal paradox. Try to postpone the most significant choices for at least a few more days.”
The biggest personal paradox I can think of at the moment is my incapability to make time for myself to go to a clinic and/or try to find a family doctor. I should really get my moles checked out.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:14 PM
subject Le gouvernement haïtien doit prendre ses responsabilités, disent Clinton et Cannon; Public health’s emergency plan needs repair, gov’t warned
Dear Stephen,
I forgot to tell you that we rented Inception last Thursday. I liked most of it, except I was annoyed by the amount of guns and needless gun play. For a movie that was supposedly about dreams there was an awful lot of sustained warfare and detailed armoured skidoos and soldiers. I had a conversation about the film with Marc at work today and dropped into a level three state of distraction. Since seeing the film I’ve tried to have more interesting dreams but they fade upon waking. Last night it was something about long lines of school buses, and a few nights ago there was an interesting metro station, but that’s about it.
I’m exhausted tonight, and my back is killing me, so my goal is to be in bed by 9pm. Horoscope: “A complicated emotional issue that’s been brewing within a group of your friends needs to be brought out into the open today. The expression of hidden emotions is a good first step in a necessary process, even if the revealed information isn’t pretty. But rather than fearfully withdrawing, be open to the rainbow of possibilities that might be out there beyond your current trials and tribulations.” Nothing to report here.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 9:02 PM
subject Tempête en Ontario: les 300 personnes coincées hors de danger; Entrepreneur mounts bid for AECL’s Candu reactor unit
Dear Stephen,
Ho-hum day at work, moved some furniture, switched out a lighting track (the return of Lloyd Electric, or, The Butcher), and made minor adjustments to floorplans. Clo dropped Rose off in the morning and I picked her up from daycare in the afternoon. Clo is out all evening at a choir rehearsal. My back is still sore and I have no brain power to work on proposals or grants or writing or even finishing this letter properly, I just want to go to bed and not think about the Christmas gifts I should be getting and mailing this week.
Horoscope: “Your self-esteem is boosted and you are more able to believe that you have something special to offer others, as the Moon returns to your 2nd House of Assets. Unfortunately, your confidence can run into a wall if someone openly voices doubt about what you are doing. Instead of allowing yourself to get discouraged by harsh words, put valid criticism to use by applying it constructively in your life.” Hmm. No-one openly criticized me today, and my self-esteem feels the inverse of a boost. Politics and the news is getting me down. Your man Moore is all happy about denouncing extending the levy on digital recording devices (so that the artists that create the music and films can get some royalties), he keeps referring to it as an “iPod tax”, and all his twittering just sounds like political grandstanding.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 12:33 AM
subject Les Canadiens prêts à se prononcer sur le bilan Harper, selon Ignatieff; Unnecessary surgeries costing $180 million: Study
Dear Stephen,
I wanted to write you while the evening was still fresh in my mind, before it fades the way dreams do, and most days, too. So tonight was the Oboro Xmas party. I took Rose to Île Perrot to visit Philippe and Jo for the evening, then stopped at IKEA on the way home to get some frames for Xmas presents, then got stuck in crazy, unnecessary traffic for almost an hour. I Tweeted about it, in case you want to look for my comments in that forum. Anyway, back to the party, where I talked to Jean, then François, then Pascale about politics, art and life, and realized that there seem to be a lot more people way more mad at you than even I. You have really managed to rub a lot of people the wrong way. It is depressing, to think that our system of politics might well be so entrenched as to not change, or at least not change fast enough to be reflective nor relevant to an entire generation or two of Canadians. Does this ever bother you? OK I am a little drunk, tired, and a little worried because yesterday my bloody stool friend came back and so now I think of nothing but fibre and whether I am getting enough.
Horoscope: “You are able to express yourself in a very practical manner today without wasting a lot of words. Luckily, you can handle many activities at once without necessarily appearing overly busy or too stressed out. Nevertheless, caution is advised; don’t try to sustain your current pace too long or it will begin to wear you down.” Yeah, there is no way I am going to spend this much time in the car in traffic.
The Habs stopped their losing streak at 3 with their win over the Bruins tonight.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 8:48 PM
subject Larry Smith nommé sénateur; Bell Canada fined $1.3 M violating do-not-call rules
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. Just not in the mood for writing. Had a good weekend, with Rebecca and her sister Sarah visiting, ate a great meal last night, and did mostly homey, re-organising and even some Xmas shopping. Was stuck in traffic a few times last week, on Thursday and Friday on my way to and from Île Perrot, and I have carried a residual annoyance at the city, the highways, traffic in general, humanity, etc. ever since. Read a depressing article in the New Yorker recently about energy efficiency and the Jevons Paradox. Horoscope:
“You may have too much to do at home today, but you’ll need to set all that aside so you can meet your obligations in the outer world. However, you may find it difficult to concentrate at work because you’re unable to take your mind off personal matters. You could work yourself into a frustrating state of mind unless you consciously decide to leave things unresolved until you have the time to attend to them with the full commitment that they deserve.”
Nope, I was fine at work. Mostly re-wound cables and tidied up the Bunker. More to do tomorrow, and then it is vacation time, and only then will I stress about things to do at home.
Can you fine Bell Canada for sending me junk mail every month? They are constantly trying to get me to buy a cable package.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 10:15 PM
subject La cérémonie pour le départ de Michaëlle Jean a coûté 82 000 $; Canadians ‘sensitive’ over security, sovereignty during Vancouver Games: WikiLeaks
Dear Stephen,
Last day at work today. Spent the day obsessed with the comments on the Globe and Mail website about the logger who mistakenly thought a public art sculpture was a stack of firewood. Yes, it WAS a stack of firewood, and he did ask the University if he could have it, but they thought he was referring to something else. Another pile of non-art logs, perhaps. Anyway, you know how twisted up in knots I get when the only art debate we ever seem to have in this country is when public money is used to pay for something that Joe the Plumber doesn’t understand as art. Let’s see what my horoscope says about the situation:
“Hiding your feelings is not a healthy long-term strategy, but today may unfold smoother if you can bite your tongue for now. Although you may need to keep your guard up to prevent from slipping and saying something you’ll regret, remaining quiet still may be the best thing to do. One lesson you can learn from this Lunar Eclipse in your 4th House of Home and Family is that you don’t need to disclose your personal business to others unless it directly concerns them.”
Hmm, maybe I should hold back on some of my own snarky comments. My tactic has been to urge naysayers to become artists themselves, seeing as we all land $5000 “easy” jobs all the time and live on mounds of money. Or maybe this could do with my slight apprehension about spending the next five days with my in laws in a cabin in the Laurentians? Actually, it is more the culture of gift-giving that drives me nuts. Can’t we just have the holidays without the gifts? No, it is more that I feel ineffectual, listless and without motivation. In any case, my lips are sealed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 9:04 PM
subject Les députés passent moins de temps au Parlement; Patients to surgeons: ‘You’re too tired to operate’
Dear Stephen,
I am back from our holiday vacation at the chalet in St-Agathe-des-Monts. It was a lot of fun, but not as relaxing as we had hoped. Holidays with a 4-year old, a 1.5-year old, and a 1-year old will rob you of most “alone time”. Reading became a challenge, except for bedtime and maybe on the toilet or in between crisis. But it was really lots of fun, we managed to go snowshoeing, off-trail cross-country skiing, and crazy carpeting. We had fires, we ate well, we didn’t drink too much, we even went to a little United Church in St. Adele for Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we celebrated Rose’s birthday with a chocolate cake for breakfast. Yum!
Horoscope: “Arguing with your boss or your partner isn’t necessarily your idea of a good time, but you may feel pushed to stand up for yourself now if someone gets in your way. Unfortunately, whoever is trying to stop you from accomplishing your goals can wield quite a bit of power. ”
Don’t know about that. I’ve just started getting back into some writing for East goes East, a travel grant and some curatorial writing, but I’m not at work-work until January 5. On the last day of work last week Phoebe had everyone gather round and she and Penny gave out individual hockey jerseys for the Phi Group street hockey team. I am number 36. Practices start in January. I am hoping to play goalie, naturally.
And from the diary of Samuel Pepys, whom I discovered from my Christmas book, At Home by Bill Bryson, I leave you with this: “I to my very great content do find my accounts to come very even and naturally, and so to supper and to bed.”, from December 29, 1667.
-chris
DEAR PM 