Working From Home

I have imposed limits on my news consumption. I simply cannot read anymore without becoming emotional. I know we'll get through this, but the thoughts that so many people could be/most likely will be ill and there are those who are so vulnerable make me incredibly sad. 

So, to distract myself (since I am now working from home until further notice, and the only way I can really do any work from home is to amuse myself with "fun" breaks in between grading papers), I made a mask. No, not the kind of mask that helps prevent the spreading of germs. Seriously, what would be the fun in that? That would just add to my sadness. I'm trying to alleviate said sadness, so a fun mask seemed the way to go.

After much thought, I imposed a couple of rules.

Rule 1: The mask had to be made mostly from trash.

Rule 2. One rule was enough.

So I found an egg carton I'd put into the recycling bin. I cut off the lid and trimmed the sides. Having no idea how to go about making the mask shape, I placed my glasses on the lid. Realizing I could barely see well enough to trace around my glasses, I did the best I could and ended up with this:

But just getting to this point was a struggle. For the eye holes, I wanted to use my exacto knife. However, due to a reason I will explain later this week (it's a totally big surprise), I couldn't find my exacto knife. I searched everywhere. I even went upstairs and accused Angel Baby of taking my exacto knife. To which he said, "Why in the world would I take your exacto knife?" 

So I kept searching. I went out to the garage, poked around on the shelves, and found this:

For a couple of seconds I thought, hmmmmm, if I need to go to the store, maybe I could take this and spray it all around me as I walk up and down the aisles. If it's good enough to kill the West Nile Virus, maybe it's good enough to kill the coronavirus. Just kidding. I know this won't work. What do you take me for, a nincompoop? I only had that thought for a split second.

I returned inside the house to continue The Great Exacto Knife Hunt. Two hours later, I found it. Right where I had put it (but that's for later this week, when I reveal my totally big surprise).

With the eye holes cut out, I decided to adorn it with earrings I have never worn. I think they were given to me since I'm not a turquoise fan and I would never buy myself jewelry with turquoise. I also found a cd destined for the trash, broke it into pieces, and glued the pieces around the eye holes.

 

Thinking the mask needed something else to jazz it up a bit, I walked through the house, trying to decide what might make for a nice detail. As I was running my hand over a large pillow in the living room, the pokey ends of feathers stabbed my palm. I pinched those pokey ends and pulled the feathers from the pillow. Now my pillow is much softer to the touch, and my mask has feathers lining the top edge.

That left just one last step: something to hold the mask up to my face. For this, I used a piece of the egg carton and wrapped thin red ribbon around it.

Now I have this mask to hide behind when I don't want anyone to recognize me: