DEAR PM vol.16
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 2, 2016 at 9:56 PM
subject Course à la direction du PCC: Kellie Leitch et les «valeurs anticanadiennes»; Prison no place for mentally ill Ottawa woman convicted of keeping teen girls as sex slaves
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived my first two days in Ottawa. I’ll tell you more tomorrow; I’m wiped out, falling asleep.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Sep 3, 2016 at 3:08 PM
subject Audiences sur Énergie Est: Trudeau esquive la question; Aide of ousted Egyptian president Morsi — held without charge for three years — returns to Canada
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. As mentioned last night, I survived the quick aller-retour à Ottawa to begin the on-call technican job at the National Gallery. I arrived late Wednesday night and made the mistake of partaking in a little pot, which kept me awake and paranoid and gave me anxiety and weird dreams all night, so I wasn’t exactly well-rested. You can go ahead and legalize pot if you really want to, I’m done with it. Also, I’ve decided not to get into too many details about the job itself, as I technically work for the government now – like you! So unless something really fun and exciting comes up I’ll try to focus more on the personal stuff. Like attending the opening party for the 30th anniversary of Daimon on Thursday night after work but then ghosting back to the Axnéo7 apartment by 10 to fall immediately asleep. And Friday I left the museum at 4 and was home, as in home to my apartment, by 6:10. Ottawa does not have a traffic problem as far as I could tell.
Gotta go: kids are tired and whiny and crazy. -chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 9:25 PM
subject Rona Ambrose en désaccord avec le filtrage des immigrants; The Trudeau effect? Canadians’ trust in government rising, survey suggests
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the Labour Day long weekend. What did you do? Are you still in China? Saturday we were invited to eat at Petit Alep by Tanya so the girls and Sol co hang out a bit, the food is so delicious that this time around I had some of the filet mignon. Sunday we went to JFK park and pool to join Sarah in celebrating her birthday, but within minutes of arriving Emily’s son Henry took a tumble off a low fence and hurt his back and the lifeguards were taking no chances and called an ambulance. They took him to St- Justine to check him over and he was back to join us in the final swim of the season. It cooled off quickly. Clo’s parents arrived that evening for the Hubert family picnic get-together today. Jo and the boys came over and we all walked to Jarry Park. The day was fun but exhausting: the heat, the tantrums that Rose and Sol were throwing, the heat. My mood has fluctuated a lot: I’m anxious about the job in Ottawa, about time away from Clo and the kids. The usual anxiety about my own abilities, artistic and workwise, as well as the usual mortality thing. We watched 2 movies this weekend that probably didn’t help: Sleeping Giant, a great first feature about adolescence, a great movie, period, but full of tension, and a horrific ending. Then last night was Mr. No and it was just terrible, way too long, stuffed with way too much information, as though the director just couldn’t kill any of his babies. Now I’m packing up, trying to burn audio CDs to no avail, the kids are asleep, I need to put my bike in the car, I have a long list of things to do in the evenings while at the Axneo7 apartment – almost like a real residency! I’ll be working mostly on applications, though I was tempted to bring some Tim Hortons paper and just paint in the evenings. Another time.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 6, 2016 at 11:08 PM
subject «Valeurs anticanadiennes»: Bernier en désaccord avec la proposition de Leitch; ‘Free the maple syrup’: In a Tory leadership race devoid of promises, Maxime Bernier leads battle of ideas
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the drive to Gatineau last night, but I missed the turnoff for the 50 and went an hour out of my way. I blame the detour though it is quite possible that I just spaced out. I wasn’t even listening to Infinite Jest on Audible yet, just The Signal on CBC. Anyway, work was good today, I started taking down and packing the Picasso prints. After work I took the car to a Canadian Tire for an oil change (5,500km already!) and had to make some new accommodation plans: Stefan had not realized that another artist was coming in tonight to be in the residency at Axe. I’m on the futon now, and will crash with Rose- Marie and Gilles the next couple nights. Also, our nanny has been unavailable due to hospital tests which is leaving Clo scrambling to find replacements. Hasn’t been a super-promising start the the commuting week.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 8, 2016 at 12:02 AM
subject Ratés du système de paie Phénix: IBM touchera 6 millions de plus; Object to Kellie Leitch’s focus on Canadian values, but not for the reasons her critics say
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work, finished packing up Picasso (la suite Volaire) and decided to stay at Axneo7 another night. The futon is quite comfortable and the company varied and interesting and inspiring. Long live artist-run culture!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 8, 2016 at 10:36 PM
subject «Forte probabilité» que la Corée du Nord ait mené un essai nucléaire; Charter challenge planned for killer who plead guilty after 18 months in solitary
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work and then an evening out with my inlaws, who made me supper and lunch for tomorrow, and some more food for us and the kids for the weekend. I picked up a few toys for the kids after work (Rose had said, “no books”), and spoke to Emily from Third Space about the upcoming New Chapter grant, we made a very brief To-Do list but I’m feeling less and less motivated by it. Is that from work? Having chips and beer and cigarettes for supper? We talked more about ARCs and the upcoming expo at Canada House (why does their online archive only date back to early 2015?). I’ve a few emails to respond to and then off to bed. I’m not getting much reading done.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Sep 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM
subject L’ex-ministre Kenney critique la proposition de Leitch sur les valeurs; Aggressive program aims to root out criminal infiltration of Canada’s transportation hubs
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day at work, slowly learning my way around the bowels of the NGC. Continued unpacking and packing some Chris Cran paintings. Got stuck in a mammoth traffic jam on the 417 leaving Ottawa. Christian at work had suggested I take Sussex through Rockcliffe to Aviation, which would help to avoid the jam of cars heading to Orleans. It worked, but almost immediately the 417 was backed up and moved at a snails pace for over half an hour. A lane had been closed for construction. I hit traffic again on the 40 in Montreal, and was a full 20 minutes late, as Clo was at La Centrale for the launch of the Powerhouse Prize exhibition (she had nominated Alexis O’Hara). Sarah from upstairs was watching the kids, who were excited with their gifts (a Paw Patrol Sky Spacecraft for Sol and tattoo markers and a Little Ty on a keychain for Rose), and talked over one another and then we played a bit in the alley and then a bath and then one more Paw Patrol video which was clearly one too many as Rose was exhausted and had a meltdown the likes of which I haven’t seen from her in 3 years, a real hysterical crisis about losing her new set of keys that Clo had given each of the kids. It took 45 minutes but I finally found them tucked between the couch cushions and she calmed down but then asked me why I had to work in another city, and how can I answer that? Because money is important, and as Emily Haines of Metric sings: “Drive this car to go to work! Go to work to pay for this car!” or even better, the Verve from way back when with “‘Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
You’re a slave to money then you die”.
Should I continue watching some more of Stranger Things or should i go to sleep? Clo has come home and crashed already, exhausted from so much work this week, from being solo with the kids and dealing with our Nanny. I hope next week is easier for her.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 7:19 AM
subject GES: Trudeau s’en tient aux cibles de Harper; Private medicine crusader operated, then left medicare system to fix complications, X-Men stuntman says
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the rest of the weekend, including an opening at Oboro on Saturday. Had terrible insomnia later that night: spent the day with the kids, shopping for a white board for their room upon which to write their activities, we played outside off and on but they really just wanted to binge watch Paw Patrol. They enjoyed the opening at Oboro, though it was very hot up there on the top floor. I was a bit late getting the kids home and getting them fed and then I fell asleep with Sol, then woke up hours later, which led to the insomnia. After Clo had finally arrived home from post-vernissage events, and after we re-connected, I watched a couple épisodes of Stranger Things, which certainly didn’t help me sleep. On top of the usual middle of the night topics I’m feeling anxious about work, and the NGC job, and of my ability to cut the mustard. True I have years experience at DHC but can a couple exhibitions per year really prepare me adequately for the rigours of high-end museological art-handling? We’ll see later today when the Vigée- Lubrun paintings start coming off the wall. Sunday was a home-based day with the kids, playing at a few nearby parks, Facetime with my folks’, whose birthdays I more or less missed earlier in the week, visiting the market, a bike-ride whereby we ran into our former landlord Tariq, in Montreal briefly – he looks well and seemed genuinely happy see us. Some grocery shopping then managed to eat together as a family and get the kids to sleep early.before watching a couple episodes of Get Down. Up too early this morning to catch the bus to Ottawa. I’m writing you from the bus via spotty WiFi. I will continue listening to Infinite Jest and maybe catch a bit more sleep.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 10:54 PM
subject Le gouvernement Trudeau veut contrer les effets du protectionnisme mondial; ‘Feminist’ Trudeau under attack for attending gender-segregated event at Ottawa mosque
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived Monday and today, moving and wrapping and crating various Vigée leBrun paintings. Greg and Julia are super-nice and have pretty much given me the second floor of their home. It’s very comfortable and they’ve cooked the past couple nights. I’m too tired to write more: I worked on Colin’s tattoo of a wolf but didn’t finish it, and sent a response to Nisk at the U de M gallery accepting the invite to participate in the performance festival jè-st’ bext year (even if the Everyday Goalie gear might be turned into brinze by then, I’ll work around it), and was about to watch some more of Stranger Things in bed (I have Clo’s laptop with me) but I might just fall asleep.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 14, 2016 at 11:08 PM
subject Le ministre Sajjan pourrait accorder l’aide directe de l’armée aux Autochtones; ‘They are absolutely huge:’ Why Canada’s richest uranium mining region is haunted by wolves
dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work, moving furniture and costumes, making a trip to the Museum of History and Library and Archives in Gatineau with Frank and then later to the airport and back with Louis to accompany artworks with a courier. Heard a great story this morning about your family cottage where apparently last year someone broke in and stole a bear skin that was hanging on a wall overtop Joyce Weiland’s Reason over Passion. The thieves left the quilted piece, unaware of its’ cultural and fiscal value. Not sure if it was that piece, since it is from the NGCs collection, why it was at your family cottage, or whether it was another similar piece, or a pice made in response to hers, I seem to recall that the title might have been Passion over Reason but that is another quilt work by Mark Clintberg and I don’t think you have it. Anyway, a funny story even if details are wrong. Anyway, it’s past 11 and I’m not sure if I can watch any Netflix or will just go to sleep. I vote for sleep.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 15, 2016 at 11:30 PM
subject Services aux enfants autochtones: Ottawa sommé de remédier à la discrimination; Travis Vader may seek mistrial in second-degree murder conviction over possible error by judge
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. Survived another day of work and some overtime tonight, coming back at 6:30 to meet two trucks dropping off works. During the day mostly moved works up from racks in storage to a gallery where tomorrow directors and designers will look at almost 20 4’x8′ colour swatches next to close to 30 paintings to decide what colours to paint the new Canadian Galleries. I was also helping to uncrate Joyce Weiland’s Reason Over Passion, which is huge! The framed textile weighs at least 400lbs I’m sure. The frame could use some TLC, and it could use a brand new crate, the work and crate are almost 50 years old.
OMG just realized today is a deadline for PAVED Arts in Saskatoon (for the Dear PM stuff) and tomorrow is my parents’ wedding anniversary. And today my mom emailed to say they are going to back out of the Ponhook cabin. So much drama! More later I need to get this application off.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 6:50 AM
subject Frais accessoires: des pressions sans précédent d’Ottawa; Black Piston members are criminals, but Ontario motorcycle club not a criminal organization, judge finds
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the weekend, including moving paintings around all day Friday and the drive back to Montréal with Caroline C. who also works at the NGC and lives in Lachine. She dropped me off at Angrignon and I took the metro home by 7:30, a bit too late for our taste. If we are going to survive this back-and-forth I need to get back home earlier. The weekend was fun, Sol and I made a Paw Patrol Air Patroller out of the blocks and pieces of Ethafoam, Coroplast and foamboard I brought home from work in lieu of buying gifts for the kids. Rose had a playdate with Mathilda and learned how to make bracelets with those looping elastics and stayed obsessed with that project for the rest of the weekend. Saturday night we hosted a dinner party with Pascal, Sarah W. and Alexis, which turned into a mini dance party after Althea came by with a couple friends and Claudine insisted everyone slow-dance to Harvest Moon. The kids were up late watching videos but we managed to clean up the kitchen and get to bed by 1:15 or so, not bad. Sunday we did Poubelle du Ski (Clo exchanged hers for another pair), Sol napped in car and stayed asleep for the transfer inside, we all hung around the house and yard and puttered. Clo and I watched Room last night, what an emotional roller coaster. I woke before my alarm this morning, I think Sol was having a nightmare poor guy. I’m on the bus again, had enough time to ride a Bixi to the station. Now I think I’ll doze off for a bit before work. You’re starting back at work this week?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 10:58 PM
subject Trudeau dénonce à l’ONU ceux qui exploitent «l’anxiété» pour des votes; Man charged with keeping $694K targeted for feeding children at impoverished First Nation reserve
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another Monday at work and then binge-watched the rest of Stranger Things. I found that the series started strong and then just devolved into a partial parody of itself, as holes in the plot kept enlarging and expanding. Then I survived re-enrolling on Tinder and started watching Inception and then another Tuesday at work and finished Inception and now need to work a bit – on the grants, the Dear PM exhibition(s), the bronze… but maybe not, maybe I’ll just watch more Netflix or read or whatever. Have you ever tried Tinder? I’m not sure I like it. I’m not sure I like writing grants, either. Or making art, except I love it when I get deep into projects. The Tim Hortons cups are fascinating me again, the whole new city, the geolocalising them, tracking my movements. Anyway, I’m about to watch City on Fire, a doc on Saint John about James Mullinger and his arrival in Saint John and the film he helped write (?) The comedians guide to survival. He’s quite the booster of that city.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 21, 2016 at 10:08 PM
subject Casques bleus: le Canada a tiré des leçons du Rwanda et de la Bosnie; Robbery, stunt driving, abuse: Report reveals bad behaviour by foreign diplomats in Canada
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the surprise snap interview for the term position this morning, but barely. Claude and Patrick wanted me to explain the process of moving a large Jim Dine heart sculpture to the front of the museum, and I’m sure I missed many crucial parts. If I don’t get the job I’ll be fine, it might even be better On Call, as I was able to reserve a week off in October to work on the BNL and also of course stay at home for more than a weekend with my family. Anyway, I also survived tonight my very first Tinder date, again not sure how successful I was or even how to gauge that. We met at a dive bar near Bytown market where a single blues musician was killing his guitar. She had to go off to work (with the homeless) and I bought a few very small, inexpensive gifts for the kids, biked home and then walked to the all-night diner on Elgin. I’m about to do some writing on the Dear PM project and then finish watching City on Fire before bed. I found from watching Stanger Things and Inception that either Netflix or HD in general has a much more artificial and “made for TV” look about them. They look slightly cheap.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 22, 2016 at 10:19 PM
subject Vente de blindés à l’Arabie saoudite: une décision «viciée», dit un groupe; Liberals fall into entitlement trap with spending missteps
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived a day of work out at the newish off-site storage facility, moving crates of art around. The space is huge, all the more impressive by the uniformity of the red NGC colour to the majority of crates. Specifically we moved a bunch of Liz Magor’s Production crates up into storage on racks 20-25 feet up in the air. Did you see her retrospective at the MAC in Montreal? Remember how the wall of newspaper bricks was all jagged at the end, like an unfinished cartoon brick wall might end? It was because they had forgotten to send the boxes of half-bricks! I liked that look, felt it was a good solution. After work I met an old friend Charles at the Manx on Elgin, Jenn was going to join us but she was called away on an assignment, and Peter is in NB as the current Irving Chair in Journalism at UNB. Anyway it was nice catching up with Charles, he’s very curious and knowledgeable about politics, but not working as much as he would like. He just had a quintuple bypass surgery and seems as fit as ever. Ran home in the rain, had a shower now I’m in bed trying to decide what to watch on Netflix (if anything), and whether or not to pre- book a ticket home on the bus tomorrow, the problem being I am doing a run out to the airport to get some artwork and if there are delays in customs or shipping or traffic, I cannot know for certain if I’ll finish at 4. If I don’t pre-book the bus might fill up. I don’t want to get home at 8pm tomorrow. What to do?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 11:29 PM
subject Des résidants de Fort McMurray reçoivent une facture énergétique salée; ‘A great loss’ to Canada: Award-winning Inuit artist Annie Pootoogook found dead in Ottawa
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived Friday, waiting for a plan to land and unload for 3 small crates, then leaving work early dashing to the bus station for 3:30pm only to just miss that and the the 4pm bus as they were both full, catching the 4:30 home to Montréal. Did manage to snap over a dozen Tim Horton cups while wandering the block. The bus was quick, and I caught a new Azur metro to arrive home by 7:15. The kids were happy to see me, Sol especially pleased with his Paw Patrol Robo-dog figurine. Rose liked her bracelet and necklace and enjoyed the book, The monster at the end of this book, which I had impulsively bought as I fondly remembered it from when I was a kid, but she expressed a bit of jealousy at these cool Paw Patrol toys that I keep getting for Sol. I put the kids to bed, read stories and after they were asleep quickly cleaned up the kitchen, had a quick shower and now off to bed; Clo is out meeting her friend Nicole, she and Mark are staying with us as they visit Montreal, he is playing as part of Pop Montreal. Did you hear the heartbreaking news that Annie Pootoogook was found dead in the Ottawa River earlier this week?
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 6:53 AM
subject La fin du formulaire court de recensement envisagée; Liberal government mulling long-overdue moves on military procurement file
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the rest of the weekend, mostly hung around the neighbourhood on Saturday, took the kids to the park and the market, cleaned up and started preparing the back yard for winter, sorting and organizing toys and equipment. The basement needs a good organizing too but it will have to happen another time. Mark and Nicole joined us for supper Saturday night, Rose fell asleep easily but Sol took a bit of work. He had a couple Paw Patrol crises over watching video but Sunday was better. We joined Michael and Emi and their friends and family in Jarry Park to celebrate both Yuri and Lowell’s birthdays. Yuri predicted his future, choosing a toy house so maybe architecture or real estate? The kids had lots of fun running and playing games in the sun. Sol didn’t fall asleep on the bike but he did fall asleep after we switched into the car, then I swapped him out and took Rose to see a movie, she’d been asking to go to the cinema all weekend. We saw Storks, in 3D, and she liked it. More important to me is how much she loves the cinema experience, and I loved spending that time with her. The rest of the evening was a bit rushed getting the kids and house ready for the week, so it didn’t feel like an enormously successful couple weekend. There is always next weekend. Going to try to grab a nap before arriving in Ottawa. I filed my EI report on the bus, not expecting any money but not wanting to stop filing just yet. Won’t get paid from the NGC until October 7 because i didn’t submit my timesheets in time, did I tell you that already? Might have to dip into my line of credit to stay afloat next week.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Sep 27, 2016 at 10:42 PM
subject Ottawa veut des garanties avant d’envoyer des armes en Irak; Federal Liberals plan to regulate vaping as a potentially less harmful alternative to tobacco
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived watching the first Trump-Clinton debate. Is that really what counts as a debate now in the US? Trump speaks like a deranged idiot, do you think he is in cahoots with Clinton, so he alienates enough decently-minded Republicans to ensure her victory? I also survived helping snug a lightbox into place for the Sobey show on Monday but today I was on a floater team and mostly moved tables and painted dollies. Tonight I survived another Tinder date, we went for a walk and then supper at an Ethiopian restaurant, it was all very nice. I’m back watching the World Cup of Hockey game between Canada and Europe. Yesterday I Googled the tournament to find out who had won, only to see it is still happening. I’m watching to help synthesize further my thinking and writing about the whole Everyday Goalie / Tim
Hortons / Canadiana projects. Should I incorporate The Hip as an audio element? I tried to get tickets for Gord Downie’s Secret Path show here in Ottawa on October 18 but only a few $1000 seats are left – a bit too steep for my budget. The work is based on the tragic story of young Chanie Wenjack, an aboriginal boy who died of exposure as he tried to return to his home from a residential school in 1966. White Canada has so much to do to decolonize. How are you doing on the 94 TRC recommandations? Did you hear about the Ottawa police officer who made racist comments about Annie Pootoogook’s death, which is now being treated as suspicious? So much racism. Oh darn Canada scored again, up 3-1, I feel bad for Halak, he’s made great saves and Team Europe has played well. What exactly is this World Cup of Hockey, anyway? Who invented it? I can’t seem to leave the TV until the game is over.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Sep 28, 2016 at 10:30 PM
subject Une facture salée pour les repas à bord de l’avion gouvernemental; EP 28 U of T professor attacks political correctness, says he refuses to use genderless pronouns
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day at work, taped out and painted a projection screen. Had supper with Julia and Greg, home from Victoria. Worked on the Dear PM / Third Space New Chapter grant. I had a bit more energy earlier to go on about things but now I’m sleepy, and off to bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 11:36 PM
subject Course à la direction du PCC: le premier débat devancé au 9 novembre; Princess Charlotte charming in start to royal tour duties, utters first public words
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the World Cup of Hockey, watching Canada make an unbelievable and anfair come-from-behind win over Europe tonight. I missed the first period as I cycled to Carleton University to hear Patricia Reed talk about her work at the art gallery; she is one of the smartest and most articulate people I’ve ever met. Very attractive, too. It was nice to see Heather, curator at the gallery there, as it has been a few years. Tomorrow I’m catching a ride back to Montreal with Caroline, which will ne nice to save on bus fare. Today while working on the Sobey install I was cutting out sections of drywall to mount shelving brackets direct on the plywood, and thought of Garry Neill Kennedy and I think I’ll try to mail him a section of paint layers, which would represent almost 30 years of paint on the gallery walls. In one section I signed the plywood with my “very nice” art opening guest book signature. This is a project I’ve been doing for years but it is all undocumented. Off to work a bit more on the New Chapter grant (yes it is advancing, slowly but surely!) and check Facebook (yes I am back but I limit myself to 10-15 minutes max per night).
-chris
DEAR PM 