Lon Chaney
Phantom of the Opera
1925
Do you realize how ridiculously unsanitary masks are? While wearing one, you are breathing your own recycled germs over and over, with no revitalizing breath of fresh air.
And masks are magnets for airborne germs. All of the unseen scum that travels through the air adheres to the front of your mask and stays there.
So -
the inside of the mask is covered with your own germs
and the outside is coated with everyone else's germs.
My advice:
After you get home from shopping for toilet paper - burn your damn mask!! It is not reusable.
Same thing with gloves.
And hand sanitizers are nearly worthless. Use good ol' fashioned soap and water.
Some day - when you least expect it - you'll thank me for this unauthorized medical advice.
My cats and I refuse to wear masks. Partly because we look better without them - and mostly because there are very few Black Plague germs being distributed here in the woods....unless, of course, Big Foot shows up.
Just for the hell of it, I messed around with some photos to see what we might look like if we wore masks.
It was a rather frightening revelation.
I'm wearing a scarf over my head as a cheap imitation of a sheik
Kitzee
pretty in pink?
Bosco
not impressed
I'm sick of blogging lately.
In fact, I'm thoroughly tired of everything.
The weather has turned cold again. A few nights ago it was 28 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, for those of you in Wuhan). Today the daytime "high" was 41.
I'm tired of the eternal rain. Noah saw 40 days and 40 nights of rain.
Tennesseans get 300 days and nights of rain a year. At least.
I'm sick of the weeds and brush on my property that grow two feet a day from the rain. I'm disgusted with the knee-deep mud.
I'm tired of hauling trash a zillion miles to town......and shopping at the friggin' Walmart that now rations food and keeps you six feet away from other people (what the hell good does that do?).
I'm thoroughly disgusted with squirrels nesting in my roof, 'possums nesting under the house, and mice endlessly scurrying around all night.
Bosco catches the mice frequently - - and then he lets them go!! What the hell kind of pussycat is he???
What's this?
You don't like to hear complaints??
Then go to the Pollyanna Channel.
I live in the real world....I think.....
You're lucky I only write when I'm in a good mood.
I resisted the masks until this past week. It seems rude now to not wear one. We made makeshift ones from tshirts and rubber bands and I am indeed tossing in the trash after use.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what is humoring me the most about this whole thing? Now we are being told to do the opposite of what the environmentalists have preached. Not allowed to use reusable bags at the stores and the city doesn't want to pick up recycling anymore. And use disposable everything!. To hell with the environment, it's everyone for themselves!
I have seen many more women wearing masks than men. The redneck guys around here are probably reluctant to try this strange, new facial garb. I would personally feel foolish in a mask.....heck, I'm foolish enough without one.
DeleteI haven't heard anything about recycling - - but the world as we once knew it seems to have vanished.
I hear ya! I still haven't been out, but by weeks end, will most likely have to go to market for some staple items. My neighbor has told me to wear a mask, as grocery stores now have signs at the doors, and won't permit anyone in not wearing one. A neighbor lady, where I get me eggs, actually made me two pretty ones. I also saw the other day on my local news that the Walmart here closed for a day, since many employees had caught the virus. The company had to relocate associates from other locations. But I don't shop there. I tell ya, if not for my mother, I would blow this pop stand and move to Europe. That's my goal when she is passed on, but thankful she has many years left.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the best thing about wearing masks in Walmart is that it improves the appearance of the creepy shoppers. I'm REALLY dreading my next trip to town. I'll probably be forced to go sometime this coming week.
DeleteSo far only three people have the virus in the county where I live - but that could change quickly.
I hope you will be safe Jon. The good thing about being rural is your way out there, from which I hear, the virus isn't really infecting to heavy. Hopefully it will stay that way.
DeleteJust came from Geo's blog and was reading some of your last few posts. Gotta tell ya - I could NOT AGREE MORE with your views!! For real!
ReplyDeleteWow! It's an absolute delight to hear from someone who actually agrees with my opinions! You're one of the very few. Thanks for stopping by - and I hope you'll return.
DeleteWill do - and btw, I have five cats who allow me to share their house with them LOL!!
DeleteMy cloth masks are washable, although not as effective as an N95. Right now, I'm thinking that it's safer to wear them than not since the medical professionals are all doing so. They are terribly uncomfortable though! I love your creative masks! :) I wonder if it rains more in Tennessee than in Washington. People always think we get a lot, but it's the gray days we suffer from or drizzle for part of the day. It's rare to have torrential rains here. You sound very fed up with your routine. I always watch funny videos or read mindless mysteries when I get frustrated with life. It doesn't work 100%, but it helps a bit.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea to have washable masks. My opinions about masks are undoubtedly over the top (and tongue in cheek), but I would really feel foolish wearing one. Perhaps because I don't like to look conspicuous...
DeleteWhen I lived in the Missouri Ozarks I thought that was the rainiest place on earth - but it can't hold a candle to Tennessee. I actually like rain, but too much can be annoying - especially when I'm surrounded by tall brush and weeds.
I've been watching lots of movies and documentaries lately.
my youngest daughter is a microbiologist and she was exposed and being treated. she always wears a mask so you might have a point. loved the kitties masks. and for being such a tough guy i thought your heart shaped one showed a sweetheart under that gruff exterior. you wore it well. i agree the weather is depressing. we were expecting 3 inches of snow and the next day it was damn near 60. just crazy. the world has gone mad. sounds like you're itching to move? hang in there. take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that your daughter was exposed and pray that she'll recover quickly. The problems and worries never seem to end. I was mostly jesting about the masks, yet I do think there's some truth in my opinions.
DeleteThe weather is extremely annoying. 75 degrees one day and 40 the next. I had to get out my winter blankets again because it's so cold at night.
Admittedly, you're right - -
underneath all the bullcrap, I'm really a sweetheart....
Well, now you've done it, Jon. That photo of Lon Chaney's fantastic film version of Lash Larue's, I mean Gaston Leroux's "Phantom" in the wild skirts of the Masque of Red Death --in homage,perhaps, to Leroux which also means "red"-- reminds me immediately of an old copy of the book, illustrated with stills from that film, that my eldest sister read to me as a child until I ran out of her room. In the photo illustration, Chaney was descending a broad curved staircase in full-length Victorian gown with that incredible mask where a face should be. That was in the early 1950s. About 30 years later, Norma and I attended "Phantom" musicalized by Webber and Stilgoe. My friend Nick, helped arrange the opening miracle of a huge fallen chandelier lying ruined front-centerstage that seemed to reassemble itself and levitate in its own light, where it signaled the beginning of a recurring story, and remained there. I now have no fear of the "Phantom", only admiration for my sister, Lash Larue, Nick, Gaston Leroux --but still. But still, in my doctor's office there is a plastic human skull on the corner of the examining room counter and I shudder at it. The nurse once asked me what was wrong, and I pointed and said, "That fellow in the corner...he looks hurt real bad."
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, Geo, I saw Lash LaRue when I was six years old. He was filming a western at "Crash" Corrigan's movie ranch in the Simi Valley. Such long-ago memories..... the entire movie ranch burned down in the 1970s.
DeleteI first saw photos of Lon Chaney as the Phantom in the movie magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland" when I was about 8 or 9. I didn't get to see the 1925 film until I was in my 20's.
I have a copy of Leroux's "Phantom" but never read it. Perhaps it's time for me to dig it out of the mothballs....
Doctors scare me even when they don't have plastic skulls.
Hopefully, Jon, you will not stop blogging because speaking for myself (possibly others?) I would miss your posts. You make many valid points, especially about the face masks. I/we have homemade bandana ones which thankfully are washable & reusable and now I’m so glad to have several purchased years ago when we lived in VA and wore as sweatbands while working outdoors. Who knew they would later be face protectors? I wear them when entering stores since it seems everyone is doing so, and no one wants to be an outsider now or shunned because of not wearing one. But, I do not wear it when walking outdoors with no one around as they are make breathing in “fresh air” difficult and isn’t that the point of getting outside? Gloves are totally useless on so many levels, except if you’re a medical professional or handling items for public consumption. I base this comment on reading new articles (yes, I know this can be mis-informative too).
ReplyDeleteLike you I have been watching a lot of online documentaries and movies. Alfred Hitchcock has become a recent favorite, but so few of his movies can be found on some of the more popular streaming services, regretfully. Also there are several free streaming services, which I will do a future post on so you may find one or two more entertainment sources...and did I mention these would be no cost😀
I doubt if I'll ever abandon my blog - - writing is therapeutic for me, a great emotional outlet. My opinions of face were partly in jest, yet I think some of my points are valid. I used to have a colorful collection of bandanas but don't know whatever happened to them. I never thought that someday they'd be useful.
DeleteFor some reason, I would feel foolish wearing a mask in public.....but I'd do it if it was required by law.
I watch a lot of things on YouTube, but they often delete good movies because of copyright violations. I've recently found some other sources, such as DailyMotion. I'll look forward to your post on the subject.
Jon, check out the Internet Archive for vintage TV shows and movies in the public domain and you can watch FREE online. I have been watching episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the mid 1950s TV show. Two other sites with FREE movies and TV shows are Tubi and Crackle, these are also FREE but there may be some ads. So far, they have been minimal on the shows I’ve watched there.
DeleteThanks, Dorothy - I'll definitely check them out. I just noticed a typo in my above reply. I meant to say "my opinions of face masks".
DeleteJon, check out my blog post for today for some free viewing choices. I have really been enjoying The Internet Archives for the vintage ads and TV shows. Also, YouTube has been a good source for old time B&W films.
DeleteMuch to ponder! It took 3 weeks, but finally mt package of disposable (paper) masks arrived this week. Still waiting for the washable variety -- I'm beginning to suspect they won't be here 'til Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteLove these photo edits! Wow, your blue eyes look nearly luminescent.
Disposable masks are a good idea - and so are washable ones. I'm just hoping (praying) that masks will soon be a thing of the past and we can return to life as we once knew it.
DeleteI was initially hesitant to post those photo edits (especially mine!) but I'm glad (delighted) that you like them.
Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to leave a comment. My blog died on the vine and my ability to leave comments along with it. I'm still here, Jon, and have kept reading you faithfully. Anyway, supposedly masks are to protect others from you, not keep you safe. I suppose you are immune to your own germs. I haven't left the house in over a month so have yet to suffer the indignity of wearing one. The best thing so far? My jury duty has been cancelled. Go pandemic!
ReplyDeleteWow - what a surprise! I'm so glad that you're still here and your comment got through. I never thought of masks protecting others from ourselves, but it's a valid and good point.
DeleteIsolation is a "normal" thing for me out here in the woods. I only go into town about twice a month, but all this virus hoopla has made it an even more annoying excursion than usual.
It's great that your jury duty has been cancelled!! Bad situations sometimes yield positive results.
Cheryl says it is "rude" to go shopping now without them. I just don't want anyone thinking I'm going to rob the place. And if I did, I have the perfect alibi for wearing a mask. I'd also blend in with everyone else. I can see the exchange already: What did he look like? He was wearing a mask! Buddy! Everyone is wearing a mask!
ReplyDeleteMy biggest fear is that this mask craze is going to become permanent and will eventually be required attire by law. Criminals will love it.
DeleteI, for one, will refuse to comply...
One thing about wearing a mask is that nobody can see the frustration I feel with today's world.
ReplyDeleteValerie, that is SO true! Thanks for giving me a smile.
Delete