2023
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 2, 2023, 12:34 AM subject 100 – 0109
Dear Justin,
What a weird day. I met Saila at noon and cashed his cheque for him – $1298, I gave him 1000 because that is all my bank lets me withdraw in one day. I went back to work, then met up with Jess afterwards and we went to Ville St. Laurent to pick up a compost bin that she found on Marketplace. Ours current one is full. We were back home watching Youtube when the doorbell rang and it is Saila, and he says he lost his money gambling. He also says some guy is after him for money he owes, so he wants to avoid downtown. I considered offering him to stay in Ramsay but Jess was not d’accord. In fact she is rightfully aghast, as I in my naïveté didn’t think that giving Saila our address could lead to others coming by – such as this nasty person Saila allegedly owes money too. In my desire to help Saila did I inadvertently put my own family at risk? But also why do we think this way? That even how we can help people is structured in a way that doesn’t really offer help. Shelters are closed at this hour. His tent and blankets are at the CCMP, which is in the neighbourhood he is trying to avoid. He says he hasn’t slept in 2 days. How to help? And Jess feels completely unsafe now. I hate that this is what the world is like now, all of us each competing for our own little individual safety pods. Should I have done more or less? Am I making things worse?
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 2, 2023, 11:23 PM subject 101 – 0209
Dear Justin,
So by some coincidence or act of some fairy godmother Saila ran into Bogdan from the shared housing initiative on the metro after leaving my house last night, and was spared running into whatever sketchy guy he owes money too, and was given a place to sleep for the night, and breakfast and shower in the morning. He called me while I was cycling down to Vox, avoiding my studio, since those projectors will not solidify themselves. I gave Saila the remaining $300 of his cheque, as he promised to pay the guy and also to give up drugs, start a new day. Every day can be a new day, right? A chance to start over, to do something different. Bogdan has a new idea, a separate rent strike with the goal to turn private rental apartments into public housing. Ambitious and most likely impossible, but theoretically sound, if one believes housing to be a human right. Why should individuals profit financially from charging other humans “market value” rent? Why don’t renters, who effectively pay an owners mortgage, eventually own their apartments? We can and should change this rotten system of property investment. And workers should own the means of production. Happy Labour Day weekend.
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 5, 2023, 9:45 PM subject 102 – 0509
Dear Justin,
While listening to an Upstream podcast about Capitalist Realism a guest they had on, who is a host of another podcast called Hit Factory, which is about nineties films, spoke about a writer named Aaron Thorpe and his thoughts on Hauntology, Retroism, Nostalgia and Futurelessness, and she brought up Matrix 4 Resurrections, and so then I listened to the episode her show made about it, and then downloaded the movie and started watching last night after a day of cooking, making hummus and sushi, getting the kids, also working at Vox a couple hours just to get the galleries in shape for Marrianne who was on-site today as Myles and I hung her beautiful paintings made with shotgun and rifle bullet shells, and now that we are in another heat wave and the kids are in bed, fans are going in all the rooms I will have a cold shower and then finish Matrix 4 and enjoy its meta-commentary on Capitalist Realism, and then once in bed I’ll continue reading Autonomy, a novel about a not-so-distant future with AI in our ears and the US having taken over Canada and rolled back abortion laws. It could happen.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 9, 2023, 9:42 PM subject 103 – 0909
Dear Justin,
I’m such a bad son. I was busy with the Vox install and forgot to wish my mom a happy birthday. I ended up wishing happy birthday to both my mom and dad yesterday, on my dad’s birthday. 73 and 71, so not big milestone years, but still. Yesterday I stayed at work mostly to hear Marianne Nicolson speak about her show at Vox. There was a really good turnout and she spoke so well about her work, the history of her community and the difficult position many First Nations are faced with now, trying to return to the land and traditional ways of life but surviving in twisted, late stage Capitalism, which commodifies everything, including trauma. Anyway I avoided going to the opening launch of Momenta Thursday at the Darling and last night at Gaspé, not really wanting to run into my Ex. I feel tired of pretending everything is fine. Tomorrow Jess and I are driving out to Grenville-sur-la-rouge to look at an 8-acre property. The asking price is 99K, but the property has a hunting cabin that looks like it could be habitable even in the winter. Probably need a snowmobile to get in though. Haven’t I always wanted a snowmobile?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 11, 2023, 3:02 PM subject 104 – 1109
Dear Justin,
Jess and I drove out to Grenville-sur-la-rouge yesterday to look at that property. The cabin is insulated and possibly comes with one of those old-fashioned wood stoves that have an oven and reservoir for water. There were other folks looking as well so not sure if we can low ball the offer, and we’re waiting to see exactly what the zoning of “villégiature” means in terms of building or renovating structures. The agent said that we couldn’t build anything new, and only build on the footprint of the 15×21 foot cabin already there. Anyway I decided to take the day off and spend it mostly catching up on emails and waiting on hold on the phone for various reasons: insurance, medical appointments, the usual mind-numbing bureaucratic necessities of navigating daily life. Who books your medical appointments? Rose is stressed and anxious about school again so maybe she should start the meds again. Thanks, Capitalism! You really do force us all into the same smooth round holes, no matter how clunky we may be.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 12, 2023, 10:26 PM subject 105 – 1209
Dear Justin,
Drove around trying to find a bike shop open early enough to fix the flat tire from the other day, but the place supposedly in with the Bixi offices said they don’t do on-site repairs so eventually through all the traffic and road closures and detours I left my bike at C&L Cycle on Villeneuve and then took the car home, picked up a few groceries on the way, then took a Bixi back to the bike shop and they replaced the tube in ten minutes flat. Then off to Vox to start the cleanup, but I left early to go to a press conference the Mohawk Mothers were giving at the Old Royal Vic site. They won a court injunction last year to stop the construction work on the site due to the possibility of human remains. McGill started digging again last week, claiming that they found no evidence and they are happy to move ahead. The Mothers, not convinced, and the have been harassed by construction security and have not been given access to the sites or information or documents, so the process is not unfolding in an “Indigenous-led” manner, as even the Colonial courts have decided. So a bunch of us from Decolonial Solidarity are going back tomorrow morning to form a human chain and add more orange ribbons to the fence to denounce the actions of McGill and the SQI developers.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 16, 2023, 12:25 AM subject 106 – 1509
Dis à Jasmine quand même un Shell OK OK ah OK Beth Dear Jeff, justin,
Sorry for that first phrase, I had the language on my keyboard sent to French. Today is Jess‘s birthday, she is 33 and beautiful as ever. Tonight is our first salon and it has been a lot of fun. I’m feeling a little under pressure because I’m reading this letter as part of my contribution to salon and all the other writers have read really great things and now I am just speaking into my phone.
I went to work this morning for a few hours to try and troubleshoot. Why that blue screen keeps popping up on Rami‘s video, it’s a technological mystery.
Oh, we put in an offer on that place and we should get an answer by tomorrow, so now stuff is starting to feel really, really real. We might have to buy a snowmobile.
I did hear on the news today that you have some bullshit planned about reducing or eliminating provincial sales tax for developers if they build apartment buildings as if somehow, this is going to solve the housing crisis, you are clearly worse in economics than I am
Are you retiring soon?
As I mentioned earlier, this is a dictated letter. It is dictated and not corrected.
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 18, 2023, 9:29 AM subject 107 – 1809
Dear Justin,
So we bought a resort! Our offer of $90K was accepted. Now I need to figure out how to transfer Jess $33K so she can then transfer all the money to the notary sometime this week. Banks love to make this process tricky.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 22, 2023, 10:32 PM subject 108 – 2209
Dear Justin,
Wow, sorry I haven’t written you all week. I have no real excuse. I went to Vox a few times to stay on top of things, and went to the Counter Protest to the MillionMarch for our Kids or Protect the Children or whatever the anti-trans cross-canada demo was called. It was intense, lots of shouting. Good signs and outfits on our side, at least one dumb idiot in a red cowboy hat with a Canadian flag draped around his shoulders on their side. I thought we had the fascists outnumbered by a factor of 15 or so when I left, but apparently a lot more of the Million March folks came out later. It was the same day that there was the panel discussion to decriminalize drugs in Montreal, part of the Defund the Police campaign I am involved with. Oh, and I have been going into the studio lately, and have around 9 little paintings I’m working on for the Gallery Hop in SJ in October.
I sent a request for a bank draft to give Jess to handle the payment of our resort, $33K for a 36.6% share. I suppose we should put that in a contract somewhere at sometime. Anyway we also had an impromptu date night after the Decrim panel, I came to meet her at Drawn n Quarterly for a book launch and we ended up at Nouveau Palais for a late night snack, ran into some of her CEP pals, and walked home late and sang some karaoke in the kitchen. She’s off to TO for the weekend and I have the kids. We watched episode 4 of the new One Piece series tonight. Sol is really into it, he’s up to book 45 and really likes the live action take.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 23, 2023, 9:59 PM subject 109 – 2309
Dear Justin,
Wow, what a see of green today! Something like 100,000 people supporting the public sector marching down avenue du Parc and filling Place des Spectacles. Drove down to Parc Jeanne-Mance with the kids and we walked alongside the march but it was too loud and way too many people for the kids. Makes me wish I was in a union. We walked to Eva B and then Sol and I played giant street chess and then we took the 55 back up to where I had magically found streetside parking, then drove Sol to visit Boris for awhile and Rose and I started watching Tangled. Her stickers and buttons came in the mail yesterday btw, they look amazing. Oh, and I also got another solar pane delivered on Friday. I want to have 2 100-watt panels to charge the little Jackery 500 for our weekend away when we go up to Mud Lake to sign the papers and get the deed to our resort. I’m researching a larger solar array to install there possibly as early as this winter. We have to see how the roof replacement goes first. Or should we have the power first? It’s a real egg or chicken situation.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 24, 2023, 10:08 PM subject 110 – 2409
Dear Justin,
How was your weekend?
Shit sorry I just procrastinated for a half hour scrolling IG. Pointless waste of time. I did manage to help Rose with math homework, and some food prep today, making sushi rice and sushi for supper, baked cookies, made pesto from the garden. Set up the second solar panel but I don’t know what the deal is, whether there is a limiter on the Jackery or what, but in afternoon sun I was only getting a combined 75W into the Jackery from 2 100-watt panels. I know there is always energy loss from cables, connections, angle of sun on the panels, etc. but it never got higher than that. Individually the panels only seemed to give 45-55W each. Also, should I get roof racks for Ericka or just sell her real quick and make sure that the automatic transmission SUV we buy has a tow hitch as well as roof racks? Maybe we’ll get a nice old Jeep.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 26, 2023, 10:27 PM subject 111 – 2609
I still can hardly believe we bought a resort. I’m only allowed to use that expression sporadically around Jess, I wore it out. I’m feeling worn out and its only Tuesday! I’m liking the routine of getting into the studio in the days, I have 10 small little cute little paintings on the go.
You know what isn’t cute? A houseful of parliamentarians who don’t know who was fighting who in WW2. Never mind the individual name – upon hearing Munka I immediately thought of Hunca Munca, one of the Two Bad Mice. She and Tom Thumb were pretty darn cute.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 26, 2023, 10:32 PM subject 112 – 2609
Dear Justin,
I figure I can get my numbers up and maybe finish the year averaging a letter every two days if I jot quick little letters to you like this. Or dictate more.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 27, 2023, 10:32 AM subject 113 – 2709
Hi Justin,
Just a quick hello from work. Sol was feeling lazy this morning and it was a bit cold outside so I drove him to school, then drove back home to leave Ericka and take my bike to work. Did I tell you that we plan to sell Ericka because she is a manual transmission? And also quite possibly a lemon. Anyway I was looking at secondhand Jeeps on Kijiji but they are way too expensive. We want a 4×4 so that getting into our resort will be easier. Can you believe we bought a resort?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 28, 2023, 9:27 AM subject 114 – 2809
Good morning! Boy was it hard to get out of bed this morning. But I did. Made lunches, breakfasts, everyone dressed and off to school. Now at work, but also looking at used cars and trucks on Kijiji. Found a nice Toyota RAV4 and a Nissan Titan both look cool. As you know I’ve never owned a truck, but there is a first time for everything. Maybe that should be the phrase on my next hand tattoo?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 28, 2023, 10:28 PM subject 115 – 2809
Dear Justin,
I’m finally back in bed. Met Jessica in the afternoon after a morning of testing a big flat screen TV. She had an appointment with her neurologist but then developed a bad migraine so cancelled her class and went home. I cycled to pick up Sol and made ramen again for supper. Rose and I finished watching Us. It’s freaky and scary but once the doppelgängers are revealed to be so plentiful I feel the movie loses impact. Nice twist at the end though.
Sent with positive vibes from my super-duper hand-held computing device.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 30, 2023, 10:18 AM subject 116 -3009
Dear Justin,
Happy National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (is dead?). I’m joining the Mohawk Mothers contingent of the gathering today. I’m cutting up a few more orange ribbons from some skirts and pillowcases I bought at Renaissance. I have a new Every Child Matters T I bought from Decolonial Clothing out in Victoria. But right now I should go get more coffee. We had our second Salon last night sorry I didn’t have time to live-read-send your letter then.
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sep 30, 2023, 9:14 PM subject 117 – 3009
Dear Justin,
Me again. Came back from the gathering exhausted and needed to nap. The Mohawk Mothers had a great turnout, we gathered and then marched from the Royal Vic site and met up with the larger Rally at the Georges-Étienne Cartier monument for speeches. Then the whole group, a sea of orange, marched down Park. We stopped at the Roddick Gates for a drum and dance circle and then the larger group continued on to Dominion Square but our little group disbanded and went our separate ways. After my brief nap Jess and I went to Gros Luxe to celebrate her Vegaversary, then she went to a book launch and stitching circle while I came home to wash dishes and have a shower. Now what?
—
- ° Chris Lloyd
- ° 514 295-3048
- ° Dear PM
DEAR PM 