from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 8:11 PM
subject Ottawa lève les sanctions contre la Libye; Exclusive Interview: Former PM Chretien on 9/11
Dear Stephen,
I am stil alive.
I survived the tiny Dash-8 and an overtired Rose, whose lungs work just fine, thank-you very much.
At home with my folks, exhausted. Might have just enough energy to do campfire in the back yard.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Sep 4, 2011 at 7:34 PM
subject Ottawa paye 200 000$ pour deux sondages similaires; Conservatives accuse NDP of violating Elections Act
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived MNOrawedding (the name given to the wedding of Darren and Nora). The Adair Lodge has an additional chapel / wedding space, so tent city this year was all along the lakeside. It was a late night, lots of drink, but no Hank the Tank. I guess he missed the flight. Not too much dancing, as the crowd seemed more into clusters and talking. No skinny dipping, either, which is almost a first for me and weddings I have attended.
Helped wash the windows of my parents’ house today, part of a collaborative birthday gift for my mom, who turns 59 tomorrow. She caught the ferry to Digby today with her friend who is cycling across the country on her own. Mom decided to accompany her on the southwestern NS leg of the tour.
Dad made steaks tonight and I cooked the corn on the barbecue. Rose was in bed early, exhausted from a day full of activities. I’m hoping to wear her out tomorrow morning as well, so she sleeps on the plane. Oh how I hope she sleeps on the plane.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 9:11 PM
subject Olivia Chow ne veut pas remplacer son défunt mari; 9/11 a defining event in their lifetime, Canadians tell survey
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
We survived the plane from YSJ – YUL. Rose was in a MUCH better humour. Only one minuscule thrashing screaming fit the whole trip, which was shortened due to a change of aircraft (upgrade from props to jet, cut the travel time almost in half).
Apartment was clean, but spent a good chunk of the afternoon washing laundry, unpacking, etc. Getting ready for the week. Ate Indian take-out, biked to Park Ex to get it, spicy yumminess.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 10:16 PM
subject Caucus du PC: aucune économie d’énergie à prévoir; Concern about terrorism higher than before 9/11: Poll
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived my first day back at work after Labour Day. Worked on humidity readings and Sketchup plans for Amentia.
Met Clo and Rose at the market after work, we bought fresh pasta and ate it with the pesto Claudine made last week. Spent the evening in my studio working on Bovinities sketches / paintings. Feels good to work. Work is good. I plan to move some of my things into the studio I now share with Stacy and Kyle. I also need to find a third roommate, to keep the rent low.
I also need to upload photos to Craigslist of our old ’50s-style Scandinavian couches. Our new couch arrives on Friday. Do you need a couch and matching loveseat? We’re asking $600 for the set, but we’ll take $500, maybe even less. They are in good shape, and look great, they’re just not very comfortable.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 7, 2011 at 10:15 PM
subject Ottawa ordonne aux missions étrangères d’afficher un portrait de la reine; Harper slammed for plans to bring back sweeping anti-terror laws
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived crazy-weird dreams last night about my grandfather, a french nature TV show, and some sort of political conference where I gave a lecture about Dear PM project, and ended up on the evening news.
In real life, not much happened. Work, floor plans, etc. Picked Rose up from daycare, we went to the market, and she ate a whole bag of dried apple snack before supper. François came over while we cooked sausages and we talked and drank wine. A lady had called us about the couches I posted on Kijiji but she never showed. Gave Rose a bath and we played and read together. I worked on Bovinities sketches. Claudine washed dishes and laundry and worked on her text. Now it’s time for bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 11:16 PM
subject Harper promet d’être «flexible» pour soutenir l’économie; Searchers comb B.C. border region for missing child, sex criminal
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the opening to le mois de la photo, at l’arsenal. Which is a huge, massive space, and also further away from where I live than I had thought, resulting in me being an hour late getting home to relieve Alex our babysitter. But she survived as well. I didn’t actually see a lot of the work, passing through the exhibition only to go to the washroom. I spent most of my time near the bar. I’ll go see the show in depth at a later date. Or not. Claudine won a catalogue through a random draw. I need to have a shower, I stink.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 8:35 PM
subject 11-Septembre: Stephen Harper déplore les 3000 morts; Missing B.C. boy returned home
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in St-Alexis-des-monts. I also survived swarms of blackflies.
Etienne organized a weekend getaway to celebrate Sarah’s birthday. Their friends Tracy and Rolando, and their little boy Felix, came as well. The kids played well together, the weather was perfect, the only thing not so fun was the quantity of blackflies. They swarmed us in droves, especially today, so a planned hike / spa day never materialized. But the food and drink and companionship during the weekend was great.
Now we are back home trying to get the apartment in order. Our new couch arrived on Friday. We installed it, but haven’t had time to sit on it yet. I plan to give it a good Christening shortly.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 11:07 PM
subject Le Canada rouvre son ambassade en Libye; Police cagey about Kienan Hebert’s ‘facilitated’ return
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived a last-minute CALQ grant application. Again, as with the Canada Council Art Bank application, it was Stacy who informed me that today was the deadline. I figured I have nothing to lose, so I threw something together on my lunch break. It is a terribly-written French text about my frottage paintings. I’ll let you know in a few months if anything so hasty can possibly be successful. Regardless, I plan to work on more large-scale frottages this fall and find a local commercial gallery to show them. Big plans!
Worked on bovinities sketches tonight. The apartment is a shambles; we still have the old couches randomly hanging around. Know anyone who would be interested in buying 50s-style Scandinavian sofas? I sent you the link to the Kijiji ad on Twitter, but here it is again: http://tinyurl.com/3jtm89h
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 8:44 PM
subject Le NPD accuse Stephen Harper d’avoir abandonné les Québecois; Suspect in B.C. toddler abduction arrested
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the tendinitis that struck my left arm again. At least, I think / hope it is only tendinitis; it could be nerve damage or, worse, some crazy thing that sometimes happens to people with really low body fat wherein the muscles graft themselves on to the bone. Owch! Today was my first cast-free day since 4am Friday. I also didn’t take any Advil today, either.
Still haven’t made it to the new studio. Am trying to clean and organize things here at the apartment. Also, we lent our car to Jason for the day. Do you find your free time after work gets really full, really easily? I picked Rose up from daycare and prepared supper, then we ate, then its bathtime, then bedtime, and after all that the kitchen needs to be cleaned, then the evening is almost over. How do you manage? It must get easier as the kids get older.
Tried again to upload my St-Luc Hospital video to no avail. I need to do it from the laptop, and the Internet connection keeps breaking. Will try to remember to plug it in to the modem directly before going to bed. Off to have a shower.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 9:31 PM
subject Harmonisation des taxes: un accord en vue entre Québec et Ottawa; Harmonisation des taxes: un accord en vue entre Québec et Ottawa
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived a half day at work, then Rose’s daycare phoned, and I had to leave at noon to pick her up. She had a fever and was crying lots. She’s out of sorts. She had a short nap at home then we went for a walk to the pharmacy for Tempra and cough syrup, then played in the park a good long while. Bought some fruit and veggies at the market, came home, made supper. She didn’t eat a ton, mostly just her eggs, and she went to bed early, though she has been sleeping fitfully, and still has a fever.
Spent the evening in a bad mood, then we tried to re-arrange the living room, straighten up a little, but I am losing my mind with all the clutter. It is creating an impasse, and I seem unable to take action.
I did manage to take action in response to all the Conservative Party mail I’ve been receiving this summer. Another letter came today, with a survey that I am super-stoked to fill out. I’ve scanned and posted the letters on the blog, so feel free to check out what Irving R. Gerstein has been sending me.
Remember, it’s the blog site: dearpm.blogspot.com, not the website, which is dearpm.ca and I haven’t done anything with in months. Remember those art-review letters I was going to send every week, then every couple weeks, then once per month? Even when I do find the time to see an exhibition I rarely have the time, energy or brain-power left over to write intelligently about it. I guess this is what they call parenthood?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 9:31 PM
subject Harmonisation des taxes: un accord en vue entre Québec et Ottawa; Assessment ordered for suspect in B.C. boy’s kidnapping
Dear Stephen,
Sorry about the confusion, the subject of the previous email I sent did not contain the English national headline, and doubled the French. The subject heading above is the correct version.
Enjoy!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 9:35 PM
subject Le Bloc se choisira un chef en décembre; Exclusive: Most imported foods contains inaccurate nutritional info, inspections show
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
Rose is feeling better, but as she was still feverish last night we kept her home from daycare today. We had Alex babysit for the morning, then Claudine took the afternoon off to be with her. Clo went out to a movie and I was going to use the time to organize my studio, but I get disheartened just from going in. There is nowhere to put the stuff, so I will do it tomorrow, when I have the day off and can load things into the car and take them to the studio, le Frip-Prix Renaissance, or the eco-centre. I have too much stuff, and want to focus on the essentials. Tonight my essentials were a couple glasses of Bowmore single malt and a copy of the New Yorker.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 8:36 PM
subject Manitoba: un sénateur conservateur impliqué dans la campagne électorale; Harper downplays Dechert emails to Chinese journalist
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the big studio cleanup and move of 2011. Now both our old couches fit in my studio comfortably. I drove a carload of suitcases stuffed with art supplies and random crap, then borrowed the truck that Stacy had rented for work so I could move a few larger crates and some plywood. Managed to get it done, navigating traffic, freight elevators and missing keys (I had to Bixi down to the Plateau to meet Claudine to get the car keys), all in time to pick Rose up from daycare.
I’ve been researching a bit the film Redacted, by Brian DePalma. It was considered a commercial flop and critically either panned or praised, but the reason for my interest in it is that the final frame of the movie was a photo made by the American artist Taryn Simon, whose worked An American Index of the hidden and unfamiliar we will be presenting at DHC in January. The problem, for me anyway, is that our curatorial team really wants to show this photo, called Zahra / Farah, as part of the show. It depicts a the gruesome aftermath of a bloody rape / murder of an Iraqi teenager. You can see it here:http://tarynsimon.com/works_additional.php
Anyway, I am repulsed at the image and really don’t think it adds anything to the show. What would it have to do with disappearances, except in the most obvious, literal way? And how does a staged photo based on a true event that was actually discovered by the media and led to the soldiers implicated in the crime facing justice and now serving jail time: how is that a disappearance?
I know what is disappearing: funding for scientists to study climate change.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 11:34 PM
subject Le NPD annulerait un contrat avec une entreprise québecoise; Although tot returned home safe, questions linger
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive,
I survived the latest Oboro opening. Rose and I both survived. We met up with Stacy and went for Portuguese chicken and fries on the way home. Stopped at Divan Orange for a beer while waiting for the chicken. Stacy came back to our place to eat. Rose went straight to bed; it was already an hour past her usual bedtime. She was exhausted from running around at the opening, especially once Femke arrived. Those girls are really starting to play together.
Once at home, lots of art discussion ensued. Stacy left for another party. Still waiting for Clo to come home.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 10:53 PM
subject Droit criminel: le projet de loi conservateur sera déposé cette semaine; MPs trickle back to Ottawa on eve of fall session of Parliament
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the one-day street closure of de Castelneau (between Gaspé and Henri-Julien), as well as my first official evening at the studio. Also, I started a Netflix free month trial membership today, mostly because I was searching for the original Muppet’s Movie. They don’t have it, so I ordered a copy from Amazon. Did you know that there is a new Muppet’s movie coming out in November? Did you know that Disney bought the Muppet’s? Still, the previews look half decent, there is a good cast, it should be fun. Made me want to see the original from ’79.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 11:38 PM
subject Sondage Léger Marketing: François Legault loin devant; Tories waste time on crime while economy burns: Opposition
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived watching All the pretty horses, take-out from Bombay Mahal, and a studio visit after work. We now have a third studio-mate. His name is Guillaume.
How was your first day back at Parliament?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 9:39 PM
subject Criminalité: le gouvernement Harper dépose son projet de loi omnibus; Critics slam Tory crime bill as costly, ineffective
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the feasibility meeting at work for the next show. Looks like full steam ahead! I also survived picking Rose up from daycare after she had no nap. What a poor little bundle of exhaustion she was! The day-trip picking apples must have been too exciting for her, or there wasn’t a proper place for them to nap. She was practically inconsolable when she came home, napping fitfully.
I’ve also survived the past couple nights of visitations by our new nocturnal friends, the mice.
And tonight I survived a full-on attempt by a fundraising member of the the Conservative Party to get $500 from me (the maximum allowed under party fundraising rules). I was a little taken aback on his insistence and intensity. I tried to reason with him: the Conservatives have a “strong, stable, national, majority government”, and the “next election is four years away!” but he was really into it. I said maybe next month. Now I can expect more letters! But really: what’s with the urgency? Doesn’t the party have $17-million just sitting in the bank?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 11:30 PM
subject Harper réitère son opposition à la reconnaissance de la Palestine; Mother of Olson victim remembers dying husband ‘haunted’ by child killer
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived a monotonous day at work ridding the server of duplicate files, then I survived a three-hour SKOL board meeting, then I survived making a frottage painting on Drolet. There was 2-way traffic and of course I had selected a patch of road right in the middle of the street. Luckily I had run into Jon at Nouveau Systeme (I was hungry) and he slowed the odd car so I could at least get out of the way. It is a nice one: white paint on black ground. I would send you a photo but my phone battery had died.
Tomorrow night is the free outdoor Arcade Fire concert. I am totally stoked. We lucked out and found a babysitter, Emily, who has worked with James in the past as well as DHC, so I know she is good with kids and trustworthy. She is going to the AF show tonight at Metropolis.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 12:49 AM
subject Les conservateurs rejettent deux initiatives de l’opposition sur le bilinguisme; Canada moving away from ally on climate change
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the free outdoor Arcade Fire concert at le Quartier des Spectacles, with what appeared to be about 75,000 people. A highlight for me was when they brought Paul Farmer on stage, who then spoke, in excellent French and Creole. As I tweeted to you, I had heard about a discussion happening between Dokta Paul and Régine from the band at noon at UQAM, which I was lucky to attend. I’m inspired by his dedication, commitment and energy. The band was great, with a spectacular video and light show that matched their level of intensity.
We were lucky to find Emily to babysit for us tonight, and Rose reacted really positively to her. They share a good energy. In lieu of payment, we lent her our car for the weekend. She had made plans to go to Toronto for a film shoot but her vehicular plans had fallen through. So we are happy to help her out.
I hear that with your new omnibus crime bill, marijuana growers will face more jail time than child rapists. This doesn’t sound like it makes much sense.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 8:18 PM
subject Le NPD en meilleure position avec Mulcair; Quebec voters in search of a political saviour
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the Marcel Dzama film presentation and talk, as well as supper at Nyks, and the opening at the SAT. After all that Stacy and I biked home, liberating more than a few bixis along the way. Had a nightcap with him in the park next to his apartment. Survived that, too.
Today I survived Puces Pop, though I threw my back out lifting Rose onto my shoulders. I’ve been in constant pain since early this afternoon. I think I will have a bath and go to bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 8:27 PM
subject Loi omnibus: les conservateurs forcent le bâillon; Alberta girl who killed her family deemed ‘low risk’ and ready to re-enter society
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived an evening of frottage painting last night. I found a nice spot close to the studio and used the 10’x12′ drop cloth. Turned out sweet!
I also survived the projector transfer and installation at Le National for the Sigur Ros film presentation tonight. Stacy and I set it up, it worked perfectly from their projection booth. Neither of us really had a clue as to how the HD Betacam Deck worked, but we got it all working anyhow.
And our car survived the journey to Niagra Falls and back. I saw it on the street after work today. Emily had dropped it off this morning after we had left for work.
I’m still obsessively listening to the Arcade Fire recording of the concert from last week. Is this an obsession? It was just so good. I need to find some new music to listen to.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 9:11 PM
subject Un droit de faire flotter le drapeau canadien? New Brunswick’s Ferguson is Canada’s next next AG
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived a day of drafting new 2D floorplans for the layout of Phoebe’s personal art collection.
I also survived picking Rose up from daycare, some fun at the park, making and eating supper, playtime, bathtime and bedtime. Then Rose woke up at 8:30 and so we watched facebook photos together.
Do you bother with Facebook, Twitter or the like? And what’s with this supposed flag law all about?
«Quand les conservateurs ont aboli le caractère obligatoire du formulaire long du recensement, un de leurs principaux arguments, c’était de dire que c’était épouvantable, que c’était coercitif parce que ça pouvait amener à une peine d’emprisonnement», a rappelé le député néo-démocrate Alexandre Boulerice.
«Alors je trouve ça assez ironique qu’ils prévoient une peine d’emprisonnement dans le cas du drapeau canadien», a-t-il fait remarquer.
So what’s the deal?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 9:52 PM
subject Taxe harmonisée: Québec recevra la compensation réclamée; Bear-baiting: Conservatives bashed Russia to boost electoral support, says ambassador
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived the sudden downpour of rain while biking home. I pushed that Bixi as fast as I could but was almost immediately drenched to the skin. (In case you were womderoing, I am still liberating the Bixis, but usually only the ones I ride). Stopped by the apartment to get Rose’s rainjacket and galoshes before picking her up from daycare. She played in a puddle for a little bit before demanding to be carried home.
She ate an ice cream sandwich for supper. Long story. Suffice to say, I’ll be walking home a different way in the future, to avoid walking past the ice cream store. (She also ate some pasta in tomato sauce).
I hear your Omnibus Crime Bill is going to committee after a rushed “debate”. Here’s what Elizabeth May had to say about it (in case you weren’t listening or paying attention):
“Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking and this debate is closing far too soon for those of us who believe that we are on the verge of a very large, serious mistake that future parliamentarians will have to struggle to correct.
First, let me say to the hon. government benches and the members here where we agree. I would happily vote for the Victims of Terrorism Act. I would vote to change the Criminal Records Act to replace the word “pardon” with “record suspension”.
However, I will be forced to vote against this legislation if it comes packaged with sections that would cause this country nothing but grief.
I wish to say to all hon. members on the government side whose talking points have repeatedly forced them to say that those who question the flawed premise of mandatory minimum sentences have somehow sided with criminals against victims. Nothing could be further from the truth. Members of my family are involved in law enforcement. People close to me have been murdered.
It is not as though we side with criminals when we recognize a piece of legislation is so egregiously flawed that this place should say “no.” We look at all the evidence from criminologists, not just one or two, but all of them. We look at evidence from our own Department of Justice that studied this matter in 2002. We look at what is happening in the U.S., not only at the fact that its prisons are full of people but its prisons are full of people disproportionately low-income and black.
We also look at what could happen in this country. We have seen the report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the report on the Commission on Systemic Racism in the Ontario Criminal Justice System. We know that with this legislation, without a lot of changes in our system, we would disproportionately fill our jails with people who should not be in jail.
We also know that this legislation would cost us billions, which has not been fully costed. Yet, at the end of the day, it may actually result in weaker sentences for those who deserve higher sentences because we would ruin the opportunity for judicial discretion.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.”
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 9:15 PM
subject Planification familiale: deux autres députés du PC s’attaquent à une ONG; ‘Thank God he’s gone’: Clifford Olson, serial killer, dead at 71
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive.
I survived an afternoon of interviews at SKOL, five in all. A bit long, but overall quite interesting, and good practice for my French.
I received a letter already confirming my “pledge” of $500 that I made to the Conservative Party fundraiser on the phone back on the 20th. Your party sure works fast when it comes to going after money.
“Oh we know the culture war,
we don’t know what it’s for but
we’ve lived your southern strategy.
You know its never gonna last
so keep that shit in the past.”
(from Culture War, the Deluxe version of the Suburbs, by Arcade Fire)
-chris
DEAR PM 