All through the weekend, we were getting emails from the administration about these extra special masks that the university purchased for the faculty. Then there was a big deal about packaging these ultra-special masks in separate Ziploc bags. Only one per person! Everybody had to submit lists of who is deserving of the extra special masks. Then you go to a special place and there’s a whole routine to check the extra special masks out.
The whole thing was hyped up to such an extent that I beelined it to the special place to take a look at the extra special masks at 7:30 in the morning.
Of course, I then discovered that the extra special massively hyped up masks are identical to all the other single use masks we’ve been using. Identical. As in, the same.
So now I’m doing this bit where colleagues come to my office one by one to get outfitted with the extra special masks. In complete silence, I show them the masks and we all heave with laughter for 10 minutes.
I’m starting to think this was all planned on purpose to raise morale and get people into an excellent mood on the first day back to in-person teaching. I haven’t laughed so hard at work since forever.
P.S. Folks, while I was writing this post we received an email that additional packages of these extra special masks were received and there’s going to be an even more byzantine process in place to get access to them. I’m laughing so hard, my whole body hurts. I swear I’m not inventing this. I strongly believe that somebody in the administration has a healthy sense of humor and is taking the piss out of the terrified academics. At least, that’s what I want to believe because it makes the world a better place.
Clarissa's Blog 