The Quebec presentation is much on my mind these days as the deadline slowly creeps up on me. I decided to not use this photo as it is rather dark, and I had a somewhat better photo of the work table to put in the Power Point presentation. This one better shows how the cloth storage roller fits onto the table for inspection/repair/cutting. If you look closely at the upright in the front left of the photo you can see a ‘notch’. There is another one at the other end of the table and into these notches the second warp beam fits. The table top comes off and then the table can be used to beam a warp while the other (dressed) warp beam is being woven off in the loom.
Having the ability to prep the next warp while the loom was functionally weaving cut down turn around time by at least a day, if not two, when I was in high gear. Now such efficiency isn’t required so I rarely use this tool, just dress the loom each time it is empty.
But I’ve come up against a scheduling dilemma. My 3rd chemo treatment is supposed to be June 1, but I’m booked to leave on the 6 am (yuk) flight on the 3rd of June for the conference in Quebec. This prospect does not thrill me, so I’m hoping to shuffle my treatments in order to allow me to continue to live my life and meet my work committments.
In the pell-mell rush to treatment, life can get shoved to one side. But there are a couple hundred people counting on me to be in Quebec and cancelling now would be detrimental to them – and my bankbook. 🙁
Unfortunately my oncologist is in India – busy man, flying all over the world! – and no one else at the clinic wants to take responsibility for re-scheduling my treatments. And so I have to wait until May 10 when I can talk to him personally and find out if he is agreeable to moving my treatments to accommodate my life/work.
I do not want this dis-ease to take over my life to the point where that is all that is considered. Neither do I want to disappoint a couple hundred people who are willing to pay me to talk about weaving. I know that weaving isn’t in the same league as a whole lot of other human endeavours, but it’s important to me and it’s important to enough other people that I don’t want to cancel any of my teaching contracts during treatment. There are only 3 contracts – June, July and August – and hopefully this will happen.
So, once again I’m on hold, waiting to hear how this is going to play out. If my treatments can get shuffled to better accommodate my teaching schedule, I won’t have to cancel anything. But right now all I can do is wait and see.
Currently reading Mennonite in a Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen