Back in mid-March, our provincial government ordered the closure of all but essential services because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arenas, community centres, libraries, recreation and sports centres, swimming pools, and more all had to close from one day to the next – with no advance notice, no warning.
It was a good decision, because Montreal was already the epicentre of this virus in Canada and we had to take action quickly to try to limit the spread of the virus. Like so many others, I found myself without all the activities for which I’d registered through local communities and libraries.
An eight-week creative writing course, a six-week creative journaling course, a series of four weekly workshops to provide WordPress ‘tips and tricks’ (WordPress is the platform used for this blog). All were to be in-person courses, through a variety of community libraries in my area.
I’d also signed up for some technology training with my husband, also at a local library; a 2-hour “Introduction to 3D printing” course and an “Introduction to vinyl cutting”.
My husband had to be with me for these courses, because my brain tends to turn to mush after more than an hour… due to a disease-related mild cognitive impairment (MCI), since late 2018, my attention span for complex tasks is limited to about an hour.
To prevent the MCI from worsening, it’s important for me to continue to learn new things; to challenge my brain. In increments of an hour or less, which is sometimes difficult to manage. That’s why these types of courses are perfect for me; an hour a week, over several weeks is something that I can aril manage.
I wanted him to take these technology training sessions with me, so that we could use the “Fab lab” together at this newly-renovated library. City residents can book time – for free – to use the Lab’s professional-quality 3D printer or vinyl cutter. But first you have to take these two courses.
©Sandra Woods 
©Sandra Woods 
©Sandra Woods
The first was going to be to learn the basics of 3D printing and design on March 19, and as part of this course each participant would get to design their own 3D object. Then after the course, if you were willing to wait for up to an hour to get a turn on the printer, we’d each have been able to print out our own 3D designs. I definitely would have waited for that!
This technology has interested me for several years, and I already had an idea of what I’d try to design and print. A flame in 3D, because a flame is the usual symbol for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS); the rare autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease with which I’ve been sharing my life since 2016.
The course that really intrigued me was the second one, in April, to learn to use the vinyl cutting machine at the same library “Fab Lab”. During this session, participants would be trained not only on how to use the machine, but also on designing vector-based images. This entails creating a computer-generated image using points, curves, and lines; these images are developed using mathematical equations, rather than pixels.
We’d have found out how to design our own vector images and then bring them to life using the vinyl cutting machine, to make stickers and decals. These could even be used to make personalized magnets, depending on the outline or shape you select.
Again, I was planning to create a vector image for disease awareness, in preparation for the annual CRPS awareness day in November. Of course, all of the courses and activities were cancelled due to the pandemic. At this point, there are no plans to reschedule any of these activities, but I still have hope.
That they’ll either be rescheduled – with the masks, physical distancing, and everything else that makes up our new normal – or offered virtually. I’ve set myself a long-term goal, to learn to use these two machines at our local library… someday.
Whatever activities, events, or plans have been cancelled for you, I hope that you’re making the best of the situation. And that they’ll someday be offered again, in some form. It’s important to have things to do, to look forward to, as well as to keep learning.
Staying safe, and keep looking out for yourself – as well as your loved ones, your neighbours, and your community. This is a time for all of us to come together and do the right thing, to be kind…
As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Have a lovely day, no matter what you’re doing – or not doing – with your time.