from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 10:24 PM
subject Le Canada inflexible sur les frontières maritimes; Canada’s access to information legislation among the worst in the world
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work during which time my damaged knee started acting up again (this from the paintball injury of last year). Then I survived supper with the family at VIVA! Then I survived taking the kids home and getting them to bed. Now I’m exhausted again. I can’t tell if I am exhausted or depressed or both.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 11:07 PM
subject Le juge Nadon, candidat à la Cour suprême, a comparu en comité; Save the chuckle. Government shutdowns a familiar story in Canadian politics
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived my knee hurting like hell all day, I survived walking from metro UQAM because the whole freaking metro stopped working (again) during rush hour, I survived work and sad news and yet another PHI position “abolished” and then making super (a mushroom and beef stew) and then walked to VIVA! but arrived too late and missed the performance. Survived the bus ride home.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 10:27 PM
subject Les détracteurs des sables bitumineux muselés, déplore Mulcair; Travel perks for MPs’ spouses topped $2.2 million last year
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived my first ever MRI today. Decided to go to the walk-in, got on their automated advance texting waiting service, which enabled me to shop for fabrics on St. Hubert for new frottages. The MRI took place at a clinic on Sherbrooke so off I went on the metro. Did you know that those things take about a half-hour? And that they are really, really noisy. Still, I managed to doze off during the process. It will take 2 days to get the results to my doctor (or the doctor at the clinic anyway) but the MRI tech thinks she sees tears in a couple ligaments. I have no idea what that will mean. Surgery? The test cost $650 which I hope is covered through my insurance at work. Lucky my cheques have come in from those three paintings sold last month in Saint John! Clo and Rose are on their way back from Viva! I know it is late but Rose seems to really like live performance, even though she probably prefers the style of Whoop-Dee-Do to anything tonight. I’ll let you know what she thought of it all. I watched 2001, and thought I was taking awesome screen grabs throughout but of course Apple has some sort of magic block that prevents that sort of thing. Aha! the girls are home so now I’m going to Viva!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 6, 2013 at 9:22 PM
subject Le NPD ne hausserait pas l’imposition des plus riches; Cities ask Stephen Harper for housing, infrastructure help
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a day trip with family visiting Sophie and Mathieu out in Val Morin (Rose had a blast playing with the kids) and as well survived date night with Clo at the final night of Viva! at le Bain st. Michel (we both worked the bar the whole night). Sol and Rose survived the night with new babysitter Romy, who is only 12 years old but did a bang-up job. She also slept over on the pull-out couch. As a result of all the festivities and driving (we survived a rainy drive home) I am exhausted. Am off to have a shower and then bed as the weekly work cycle begins again tomorrow. Gotta love it.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 7, 2013 at 9:26 PM
subject Le président des Maldives se plaint de John Baird; John Boehner: the man at the centre of the U.S. government shutdown
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday, but did not go to work. Sol had a fever and so I stayed home with him. Also had to have impressions made of my teeth to make my night-bite plate. Still no word from the clinic about the results of the MRI on my knee. Went to Home Despot to get some wood to build stretchers for the frottages that are still at Tuck. I am a full week and a half behind schedule. Off to fold laundry and maybe watch some Louis CK in bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 8, 2013 at 10:50 PM
subject Allégations d’espionnage: le PLC veut un comité spécial; New Supreme Court Justice Marc Nadon won’t hear cases pending legal challenge of his status
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day home with Sol. Even though his fever broke we decided it would be best if he was at home. Still, I took him for a walk to run some errands and a drive to get my goalie pics printed.
Tonight I survived a regional conservatives associations meeting; it was a quick one, with only about half the Montreal ridings represented, and most of the discussion was on the changes to the electoral map and what that means for ridings affected. Papineau was not very much affected. I may consider helping out in the Bourassa by-election, whenever you call it.
Earlier in the day I sent an email to John Papadimas but I spelled his name wrong in the address and so it bounced back. I have re-sent. Here it is for your viewing pleasure:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DEAR PM <dearpm@gmail.com>
To: John.Papadimus@pmo-cpm.gc.ca
Cc:
Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2013 10:58:00 -0400
Subject: Papineau
Hi John,
We met a couple weeks back at the Jason Kenny lunch; I am the President for the EDA Papineau. You said something about the upcoming convention but we didn’t have a chance to discuss. I can not attend this year and as far as I know there are no other delegates going from Papineau. Let me know if there is more you would like to discuss.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 9:25 PM
subject Ottawa a fourni des informations confidentielles à des entreprises; Choice between Jeffrey’s parents, grandparents should have been clear
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. Survived a day working at the PHi Centre on the Jonas Mekas exhibit. I mostly fiddled with some dubious iPods and then put up a poem and exhibition title wall vinyl. Not too strenuous. I have yet to hear back from the clinic about my knee and the results of the MRI, not have I heard from Great West as to how much (if any!) of the $650 said MRI cost me they will reimburse. Clo tried to drop Sol off at daycare but it turns out he had another fever and also something called Roséole, little pink spots. Luckily it is nothing to be too concerned with, Clo took him to work with her. Tonight was swimming lessons for Rose I stayed home and prepared supper while the little guy was unusually agitated. Still, he laughs like crazy whenever he sees me or his sister jumping up and down.
We’re all exhausted. I’m grabbing a shower and then off to bed. Am also thinking about going on Facebook hiatus for a long while. It does not aid my depression, and I even suspect it helps cause it.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM
subject Équipe de candidats du PLQ: pas de renouveau en vue; APEC gathering underscores Pacific Rim’s tectonic economic shift toward China
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. A little annoyed, as today I paid the $88 parking ticket I received while helping VIVA! set up a few weeks back, and came home to discover that we had forgotten to change sides with our car and received yet another ticket. This city drives me INSANE sometimes. There are leaves EVERYWHERE! That stupid street-cleaning truck did almost NOTHING to clean the streets, and on top of all that we pay another $52 because we have kids and each work and sometimes mornings are a little hectic getting out of the house on time, right? So tonight instead of going to the Jonas Merkas exhibition opening or the Thomas Demand lecture at the CCA we went as a family to the new poutine restaurant on St. Laurent and St. Zotique. Nice stained-steel décor and the food was OK – I had a butter chicken poutine. Now I have to hang laundry and unload the dishwasher and wouldn’t you know it, we forgot to put the compost outside again last night. Our memories are failing.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 9:29 PM
subject Rentrée parlementaire à Ottawa ce mercredi; Stephen Harper’s Conservatives look for fourth-straight election win
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survive another holiday Monday. Sorry I haven’t written in a while. What has been happening? Friday I had lunch with Thomas Demand and Victoria and Cheryl, that was nice. He’s a talker! Lots of stories in that guy. Saturday we went for a walk on the mountain and then had supper at Etienne and Sarah’s, and of course the two little BFF played like crazy together. Sunday Jonathan and Alexis came by and helped unload years’ of crap from the basement and carted it off to the eco-centre; they were making room for a bunch of VIVA! stuff, which in the end didn’t take up nearly as much space as all the crap had. Then Claudine’s family came over for Thanksgiving and to celebrate Rose-Marie’s 70th birthday. Later that evening our washing machine blew up spewing smoke all through the basement. We’re probably lucky that it only blew the circuit and didn’t set the house on fire. So today we did laundry at the laundromat. Not I am off to have a badly-needed shower. Tomorrow is work and then I am thinking of bringing Everyday Goalie to Ottawa to celebrate the return of Parliament and your throne speech. Oh, and I renewed my conservative party membership the other day, so I am good through to 2016. I even got on CIMS again and emailed a few recent lapsed members, but no response yet.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 15, 2013 at 8:57 PM
subject Discours du Trône: Ottawa écoutera-t-il Québec?; Consumer advocacy is a populist but risky gambit
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a super-long bout of insomnia last night, from about 1:30-5am. Ugh! I spent some time updating pages of my website and re-sizing images from the latest suite of roullage paintings, and also joined an online artist-print-selling group called Society 6. But now I am thoroughly exhausted. Also I have made the decision NOT to come to Ottawa tomorrow, as my knee is still completely f*cked. I finally received a call tonight about a follow-up exam on the 25th. I shall limp my way into the near future. Rose negotiated me to come back into her room to say goodnight in 7 minutes. Do I have time to do all my website / tumblr / facebook / twitter posts and updates in seven minutes? And get my pyjamas on and brush my teeth? Lucky the dishes are done. Rose and I went to the laundromat today because of course our washing machine went caput three days into having Rose go without pullups to bed, so far she is batting 2/3 (that is 2 nights of wetting). Also lucky we have the spare bed under her bunk.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 16, 2013 at 10:54 PM
subject L’opposition critique le discours du Trône, Harper file à Bruxelles; Thin agenda plays to the Tory base
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a drive to Anjou for Rose’s swimming lesson and then supper at Burger de Ville, as Clo had a meeting at Rose’s daycare. Supper gave us gas, even though I chose grilled vegetables over fries. Whatever. I’m tired again from working hard and hardly working. Hard to believe it is a short week, the insomnia (happened again last night) is causing the week to drag on and on. Off to have a shower.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 11:07 PM
subject Pamela Wallin menace de contester en justice la motion de suspension; Compromises on both sides led to ‘excellent deal’ on European trade, Stephen Harper says
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived going downtown with the kids for an opening at SKOL. Odd coincidence, the artist David Court went to the same high school as me, as well as NSCAD. I hardly ever run into people from high school that are in the visual arts, I know a handful and that spans more than 2 decades. Sorry I didn’t write last night we were in bed by 9:30 and I kinda thought that if-when I woke up in the night with the kids I would be insomniac again and write you then, but even though I was up twice I was able to fall asleep again each time. Anyway, David’s show is good but very conceptual, obtuse, dense and minimal. I certainly don’t understand half of it but I enjoyed it. I did manage to forget Sol’s food and bottle so bought some purée from Pharmaprix and he had his supper at that weird café on the ground floor of the Belgo. Rose mostly watched videos on my phone. We were home not too too late but it took a long time for the kids to fall asleep. Then Claudine came home from yoga class and now it’s time for bed again. Big weekend ahead with the kids.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Oct 19, 2013 at 7:59 PM
subject Les conservateurs en guerre contre les médias; With trade deal, Stephen Harper plays a good card for maximum value
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a full day with the kids (yoga weekend). Rose had her dance lesson in the morning and we ate lunch in the street; there was an event on Castelneau celebrating the food trucks. We had chicken soup and fries. The rest of the afternoon fairly uneventful: naps, market, playground, supper, dishes, shower, bed. I’m in bed now in fact. Clo is reading bedtime stories. I am feeling a whopper of a head cold coming on. I’ve been sneezing and blowing my nose all day long. Fun!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 20, 2013 at 10:28 PM
subject Mulcair à la conquête de l’ancienne circonscription de Coderre; Philippines was Canada’s greatest source of immigrants in 2012
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day with the kids, laundry, a windy walk to Parc Jarry, lunch, a nap, cold medication, oil of oregano, Advil, Thomas’ birthday party, and supper at Pat and Bree’s. Yes, perhaps this was a bit much. Rose is suffering an earache and Sol just went down again, though he slept through almost the whole visit at Pat and Bree’s. I was hoping to go to Jacob Wren’s performance tonight of “every song I have ever written” at Casa but it started twenty minutes ago. Such is life. It is better for me to get to bed anyway, tomorrow the glorious cycle of work begins again. I am such a hard-working Canadian! I know I am paid fairly well for what I do and I really appreciate the health care coverage (the MRI was covered 100%, and all my upcoming dental work – the grinding plate, the gum surgery at 80%), but it still annoys me that I have been without a new contract since May and only now is my direct management (the layer above James) starting to discuss the beginnings of the process. This stinks of incompetence as the HR team said a written contract would be ready to view over 3 weeks ago. WTF? Is work over-rated? It certainly pays better than social assistance but really, I’m never going to get rich at this job, will not make enough for a down_payment of a house and it will probably still take another 6 months to finally pay all my debts (credit card and dishwasher). So why do it? I guess, what else would I do? Try to make art full-time? I’d never make enough $ to survive…
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 10:00 PM
subject Duffy affirme qu’Harper lui a ordonné de rembourser les 90 000$; Den Tandt: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s carefully constructed house of cards comes crashing down
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday (yesterday) but went to bed too tired to write. My cold is a bit better, but the knee still aches and is stiff and slightly swollen. Work was fine, some promising news but at the same time I feel bored and uncertain. I hear that the Conservatives are going back to CIMS and dropping C-Vote? WTF? This whole C-Vote thing was supposed to be the bomb, and I was just getting used to its admittedly stupid interface, but I never learned CIMS so now another learning curve ahead. At least I’ll be learning something new. I’m a supporter of life-long learning. Maybe someday I’ll even go back to school…
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 23, 2013 at 10:47 PM
subject Légalisation de la marijuana: le Canada visite le Colorado; Wallin says Tories are conspiring to destroy her Senate career
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work, though the knee felt worse by day’s end and my limping was more pronounced. Thanks for the reply from your office. In case you were unaware of the content it has not changed in the past six years or so. This is what it says:
Please know that your e-mail message has been received in the Prime Minister’s Office and that your comments have been noted. Our office always welcomes hearing from correspondents and being made aware of their views.
Thank you for writing.
Sachez que le Cabinet du Premier ministre a bien reçu votre courriel et que nous avons pris bonne note de vos commentaires. Nous aimons être bien informés de l’opinion des correspondants.
Je vous remercie d’avoir écrit au Premier ministre.
I guess I know now that you are still getting my letters. I think I will take the day off tomorrow to rest my leg and work on project proposals (there is a deadline for MST on Friday). On Friday I see the doctor at the clinic to follow-up from the MRI 2 weeks ago.
Off to bed, with fingers crossed that Rose will not have a demonic fit when we try to take her to the bathroom in the middle of the night so that she doesn’t wet the bed, as was the situation last night.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 24, 2013 at 10:31 PM
subject Suspension de trois sénateurs: les conservateurs fortement divisés; ‘Please do the right thing,’ Tory senator urges as he rejects plan to suspend Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a day home from work. My knee was far less painful as a result, as I mostly read stuff on the interweb, checked Facebook compulsively, and basically did no real work whatsoever. Well, I organized the studio a bit, and washed some laundry, which is a bit more of a challenge now that we are back to a laundromat. Oh, and I also spent about an hour on the phone catching up with Gerry, the Papineau CPC association’s treasurer. Picked up Sol, who had a fever, and some groceries and made a Pad Thai FROM A RECIPE which is something Claudine rightfully criticized me of avoiding. Tomorrow I am going to make progress on a project proposal to MST (also due tomorrow) as well as get some of the goalie photo prints mounted before sending off in the mail. I will not procrastinate tomorrow. I will not. The day off today rejuvenated me somehow. I feel less depressed. For real.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 10:50 PM
subject Harper n’aurait pas été mis sur écoute, selon un expert; What the senators (and others) are saying
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a day home with Sol, who had a fever of over 40 for the second day in a row. I took him with me to the clinic for my MRI results and had him checked out but aside from the fever and a runny nose he is fine. So I do not have torn ligaments, which is good, though one is stretched, but I have a torn meniscus, accumulated fluid, and bruising and micro-fractures of the top of my tibia. So now the search begins to find an orthopedic surgeon, and hopefully before Christmas. In other news, I think I have a plantar wart on the heel of my left foot, so now I limp both ways. I tried a freezing treatment tonight. Clo and I are about to spend a wild Friday night…watching a movie in bed. OH! But I followed through on my word and completed my application to M:ST and got it in the mail and then guess what? Later today they changed the deadline to November 8! Which means I really should re-write my proposal because it was the weakest part of the application…
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Oct 26, 2013 at 8:51 PM
subject Le retrait du droit de grève au fédéral inquiète; What the senators (and others) are saying
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived my first session of acupuncture this morning. It think it helped, though it is hard to say as results tend to be subtle and delayed. We shall see. We bought some pumpkins from the market in preparation for a little kid Halloween decorating and movie-watching party we have planned. Claudine baked some seeds already, though we haven’t yet carved the jack o’lantern. Rose fell asleep on the couch before I had a chance to read her stories, it was only 8:30 but she had decided not to nap this afternoon so was clearly exhausted. My plan now is to finish the dishes and then go to bed, maybe watch a movie. Last night we ended up watching a bit of Louis CK Live at the Beacon instead of a movie. Clo is out tonight at a performance at Hugues Charbonneau’ gallery, and then as a treat to herself, a movie in a cinema.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 11:12 PM
subject Demandes d’accès à l’information: les plaintes à la hausse; Paul Calandra: PM’s aide known for getting things done, being ‘a nice guy’
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived a Sunday lunchtime at IKEA with the two kids. Sol slept most of the visit and Rose played in the balls (they call the play area Smäland now) and then we had lunch there and Sol loved meatballs and mashed potatoes. This IKEA is now the largest in North America. It was full to capacity, if one could judge by the parking lot. Despite having lots of misgivings about its sheer size, the cheap goods made in cheap manufacturing plants located mostly in China, they do know how to efficiently handle the masses. I was there to get some frames for new drawings I will send to Judith, but of course ended up with a bunch of other random shit. Anyway, we had Femke and family over for pumpkin decorating and to watch the Nightmare Before Christmas but Louis stayed home sick, suffering a gastro or flu, poor guy. The girls of course got along famously. Capped off the night falling asleep with Rose on our bed after stories, carrying her into her room and then watching half of a Louis CK show during which Claudine fell asleep. Parents will doze off during almost anything.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 11:46 PM
subject Mike Duffy aurait reçu deux chèques des conservateurs; Blatchford: Killer granny seeks standing at inquest
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday. And a short day at work, as I had to leave early to visit the dentist and get my mouth guard. It needed very minor adjustments. Afterwards I met Clo at the acupuncturist for a laser-wand session for Sol and Rose. Sol had a giant caca and Clo had to go buy diapers as she had forgotten the diaper bag from home! Then we went to The Bay and bought winter boots for Rose. Clo made a risotto for supper and then after putting Sol to bed we made paintings with Rose, then I installed a blind that I had bought at IKEA yesterday (and finally painted the wood trim around the dining room window). And in about 20 minutes I should be able to download the rest of Reflektor, though I may be in bed by then. I should be in bed by then, if I avoid Facebook…
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:05 PM
subject Harper admet que le PC a remboursé les frais d’avocats de Duffy; Former social worker’s conduct was disgraceful in Jeffrey Baldwin case
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work. Got the adtecs all set up and running properly for Rad Hourani, the fashion gong show happening at the Phi Centre. Also interviewed a potential tech for the upcoming de-install and maybe future projects. Have a couple more to look at too before the end of the month.
I also survived an odd phone call from John Papadimas tonight, your regional communications advisor. He was wondering if Papineau could help sponsor him to go to the National Convention. Ha! I had to tell him the truth: we have maybe $500 in the bank, and owe the Party about that much for our use of C-Vote (soon to be reverted back to CIMS). So unfortunately there will be no representative from Papineau at the convention. Hope you have fun anyway and are able to clear up this Senate mess!
Have listened a couple times now to the new Arcade Fire album, Reflektor, and it is damn good. However, equally powerful or perhaps moreso, is this footage from a show in 2005, that could have been at the Corona Theatre in St-Henri that Claudine and I balked at paying $80 apiece for scalped tickets (it was apparently shot in San Francisco but is fairly representative of the kind of show we would have seen, had we not been so poor then!):
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 9:56 PM
subject Sénat: jeux d’échecs pour se débarrasser des suspensions; Stephen Harper’s government spent over $50 million on ads in 2012, say records
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work and afterwards, a drive to Anjou with Rose, arriving a few minutes late for swim lessons. It was her seventh class so i enrolled her in another 7 ($115 after tax) and she received a badge after the class tonight as well I was able to watch her swim a bit. Had pasta and veggies for supper and fell asleep with rose after bedtime stories. Now I’m up just to get ready for bed. Have no brain power to do any real art or writing or anything except a bit of Facebook and then some sleep, hopefully. My knee still hurts and throbs throughout the day and I have not yet heard back from the clinic about the pre-op consultation. I meant to call today but was actually busy at work. Surprise surprise!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 10:17 PM
subject Sénat: les conservateurs repoussent le débat sur les suspensions; Documents on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s friend Alexander Lisi describe small-time guys with a weed problem
Dear Stephen,
I am still alive. I survived Halloween 2013. I survived the rain and the many kids trick-or-treating. Kim and Jean-Michel came over for supper so that Thomas and Rose could go door-to-door together. I stayed in with Sol. Tomorrow we get our new dishwasher; I have to be home all day as of course the delivery could happen at any point between 9am and 5pm. I have a meeting scheduled with Stephanie from SKOL and our program officer at the CAM to discuss results at 14h30, so the washer had better be delivered by then. In the evening we have Jon Knowles’ opening to attend en famille at VOX. I am telling you all this now as I may not be able to write tomorrow, or forget, or run out of energy. Good luck with the Keynote at the Convention.
-chris
DEAR PM 