2023
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 14, 2023, 10:42 PM subject 087 – 1408
Dear Justin,
I’m back from Vienna, the project was a success I guess, and I am also back from a quick road trip to NB to drop Sol off with my folks. Had both CV joints replaced while en route, as Erika felt funny and I was worried. It cost $1200 and Sol and I had to spend the night in a random motel in Laurier Station but at least she feels safe to drive now. I’m going to see if my insurance will cover it, as maybe they were damaged in the recent collision. Anyway, I’m back to work and tired, but also I wanted to say I heard about your upcoming divorce while in Vienna, but I don’t really have anything else to say about it. Congratulations?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 18, 2023, 11:45 PM subject 090 – 1808
Dear Justin,
Sorry for the mixup in the numbering of my letters. I guess this is what happens when I take a lazy approach to this project. Anyway I’ve been working all week, took Rose to the airport on Wednesday, she flew to NB all by herself like a champion, we’ve barely been getting the show together but we’re getting there. Just watched Twister, Jess is away in Toronto and Barrie and Gravenhurst this weekend. Again, sorry for the lack of letters recently. I’ll endeavour to write more frequently with my complains about how your neo-liberal pro-capitalist agenda is fuelling the climate crisis, like the fires in Yellowknife, Kelowna, Halifax, basically everywhere.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 19, 2023, 11:51 AM subject 091 – 1908
Dear Justin,
I’m trying to lean into boredom, because I don’t quite know how to behave when I’m not constantly in motion, either working or managing the kids’ schedule. Everyone is away this weekend, I woke up early but don’t feel like doing house chores, so I’ve been looking for land on MLS since the property we looked at a couple weeks ago in Wentworth-Nord is sold. I’m also waiting for the Purolator store to open at noon so I can return that voltage convertor, which we didn’t need for the Vienna dance project. Well, we could have used it for Miguel’s router but he plugged it into the wrong output and fried it, and replaced it with a 220v one. Anyway I also need to return a dental appliance cleaner I impulsively ordered while in Vienna, a Zima dental pod which had zero cleaning effect on my crusty old mouth guard despite running it through over a dozen times. I’m not surprised, since nothing advertised on Instagram ever seems to work. Ditto for the cat litter mat. I also need to return a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter which I ordered rush from Apple the other day because I thought it was a USB-C to Firewire adapter. I have to get a USB-C to Thunderbolt adaptor which costs twice as much, and this is all so we can run the 8-channel sound 4-channel video installation from the same new generation MacMinis as currently one of the Macs running the sync is an older mac with the older Thunderbolt port for the Firewire but it lags and often can’t find one of the displays. Anyway, enough about work – we work too much, thanks Capitalism! I’m going in to test the new cable and also out of curiosity see if I can get the sync running on the Brightsigns, since I do not understand Max or all the patches Evan used to get the sync running. Of course, I don’t understand Brightauthor either. Going in to work on the weekend is ultimately a way to procrastinate from going into the studio. I think I might go see a movie later as well.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 20, 2023, 3:48 PM subject 092 – 2008
Dear Justin,
So yesterday I dropped that voltage convertor off at Purolator, then took the metro to Apple on Ste-Catherine to pick up that dongle, then walked to Vox where I tested the dongle and as well tried in vain to figure out how to get the Brightsigns to run a Brightwall or synchronized multiple video channel installation, as a backup or possible replacement to the more complex Max arrangement. I am completely null and lazy in the digital world, and can’t be bothered to lean. Instead I went to see Oppenheimer, and since that movie is 3 hours of brooding emotional and political heaviness I slipped into a screening of Barbie. I needed the colours and music of a more humorous approach to the damning critique of patriarchy. Anyway, today I slept in, and have been listening to a great anti-capitalist podcast called Upstream, while reading up on Oppenheimer and looking for property. But should we even buy a plot of land? Maybe we should invest in something more collective. I think I want to join a commune and focus my time and energy on building the Degrowth community. But, as with everything else in my life, I retreat to my own personal status quo of procrastination, and just keep working to make money to pay rent and buy food, participating in a system I hate but am too lazy to leave.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 22, 2023, 9:19 AM subject 093 – 2208
Dear Justin,
Another day at work, another day of participation in the crooked capitalist system. I got a call from Saila yesterday and went to meet him, he wanted to show me the polar bear he sculpted from that block of serpentine I picked up for him last month. It’s really nice, I hope he finds a buyer for it. The organization Open Door is supposed to be helping him secure an apartment in September but he’s currently living outside, so I gave him the small dome tent and sleeping bag and blanket from my Ex so he would be a bit warmer last night. The nighttime temperature is starting to drop. I forgot to give him the fly to the tent, not even sure where it has ended up. At least I remembered to bring the poles. After dropping Saila and his friend off at the base of the mountain I went down to the train station to wait for Jess to arrive. She has bad news, her dad has throat cancer as well as something as yet unidentified in his lungs. It was a hard night for her, and she begins her teaching tonight. And now here I am, back at work trying to teach myself basic Brightsign programming skills despite it being a backup plan,
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 24, 2023, 10:45 PM subject 094 – 2408
Dear Justin,
Before I do anything else today, including writing this letter, I need to have a shower. My feet smell bad! OK that’s better.
Work has been nuts, go go go. And this morning I went to get Rose’s schoolbooks, then picked Saila up and we went and bought more stone. I also heard back from the director of Colbalt Gallery in Saint John and he offered to buy Saila’s bear, so I’ll bring it with me when I drive there tomorrow. I also managed to get into the studio tonight and bang off about 30 screen prints of the City of Saint John manhole cover for Tuck, as they are getting low on stock.
Been listening to more of the podcast Upstream, currently about Everyday Utopias, and really getting me thinking of living collectively, trying to escape the clutches of capitalism the best we can.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 26, 2023, 9:53 AM subject 085 – 2608
Dear Justin,
Made it to SJ last night, 8.5 hrs door-to-door. Always quicker when driving soli. Listened to more Upstream podcasts, plus downloaded the book Everyday Utopias, also listened to a bit more of Surveillance Capitalism, which is just hard to absorb, or maybe just not the kind of book for driving or washing dishes too. Had a lovely evening with Robert and Judith, catching up on all the drama, then watched Black Mirror the White Christmas episode with Rose. Rose has been staying here since Wednesday as it was easier to get to Rock Camp. Tonight is her showcase at the Imperial Theatre! I’m more nervous about it than she is.
On a more personal note, I made the mistake of cracking open one of my Dear PM books that is on the bookshelf here – they have volumes 1 through 5 (2001-05) sandwiched around Robert’s PHD thesis – and it gave me lovesick pains about my Ex. I do still miss her, despite having separated almost 5 years ago. I still feel betrayed. What exactly happened between you and Sophie? Did she finally realize that you are unwilling or unable to break free of the neo-liberal politician you so wholeheartedly embody? That you are all talk, and even that falls short?
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 26, 2023, 9:59 AM subject 096 – 2608
Shit. I just realized that the bear is all scratched up on one side. I had (foolishly) just placed it upright in the backseat on the floor where it inevitably fell over and then since my car is such a hideous mess it rubbed around on tiny pebbles and grit and grime. So I’m going to get some shoe polish to fill in the scratches so they are less noticeable. Darren from Cobalt gallery has already paid me the full $500, and Jonathan from Commun has already given Saila a $300 advance. Re-polishing should work, right? On va voir…
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 27, 2023, 9:37 PM subject 097 – 2708
Dear Justin,
We’re back in the land of never-ending construction and detours after a long but relatively painless drive. Rose was amazing last night, her band went on first and they played with confidence, as did all the bands actually. That Rock camp really rocks. What an amazing experience, she had so much fun that I think she’s coming down from the experience hard, especially with the harsh reality of starting school tomorrow. What a bummer. Anyway, she doesn’t want to be home-schooled and all the high schools pretty much suck the same, since school just sucks in general. Hopefully she’ll get some good teachers who can help smooth over the rough patches. Speaking of, the extra shoe polish did bot help fill in the scratches on the bear, and possibly made it worse. I dropped it off as-is, and am wholly expecting Darren to contact me to ask about it. What with the stress of the kids back at school and work and now the news that Jess’s dad has stage 4 throat cancer and likely some kind of cancer in his lungs, I can’t worry about the bear, not now. I’ll have to figure out a way to meet Saila to give him the rest of his share. Now to bed, so zonked from that drive.
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 29, 2023, 11:01 PM subject 098 – 2908
Dear Justin,
Is it already almost the end of the month? Jimminy Crickets rents are due! Good time as any for a rent strike. Also I hear that there is a teacher shortage in Quebec, probably caused by our racist government forcing Muslim women out of the profession. Anyway it was another bonkers day at work, trying out even more versions of projectors and background colours, swapping out the vintage Barcos for the laser Panasonics, swapping back a laser Panasonic for a vintage Mitsubishi and then replacing it with the new 4K laser Christie for Remi’s piece. Tomorrow we get to hang more projectors from interesting places on the ceiling or technical grids! And tomorrow I will try hard to NOT forget my lunch.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Aug 31, 2023, 9:40 PM subject 099 – 3108
Dear Justin,
Another day, another day traipsing around in the ceiling. Hung more projectors, also am getting the stitched image pretty close to perfect, and slowly working out some technical glitches during playback, and slowly cleaning up. Definitely on track to be ready to be open by next week. Rose came down to meet me after work, we went out to eat at Chez Bong, then biked up to the ccmp to see Saila and the new bear cub but he had sold it – good for him! I hope he can keep producing. He says he doesn’t have a bank account and is getting his cheque tomorrow so I may help him with that, and also setting up an account for him. I’m short cash myself this week, had to move some money over from my tfsa to cover rent etc. Isn’t that just like me?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
DEAR PM 