Gator / Mask Mania

Not a project, just a personal page. It all started when people started wearing masks and I started looking for one with skulls on it. My sister had found a skull gator and bought it for me. That inspired me to buy some superhero gators. From there it steamrolled where I’d average buying a new one every few weeks.

Since very few people I know have seen all my gators, I’ve collected them here. This is a collection of all the masks I have worn in PUBLIC – work, stores, everywhere; wore Lemmy 2 to the BMV. The only places I wore a ‘normal’ mask were in a medical facilities.

The Gwar band mask has a pull string at the top. It looks like they retooled a bag making machine – putting a hem on the bottom instead of sewing it together.

I was wearing my Spiderman once in one of the lower grades. After quickly fixing a teacher’s problem, she said I was awesome. I wanted to say, “No, I’m amazing,” but I didn’t because most people won’t get the reference. However, it does make a good story in the retelling.

By the time I got the Oderus mask, my lockdown beard (which has had numerous styles) was in the braiding stage as in the picture. A high school student asked me if that was my real beard or if it was part of the mask. What amused me is that Oderus had a dreadlocky kind of beard, so braids at the bottom of mask would be appropriate. Of course, there’s no reason the student would know that, Dave (r.i.p.) passed away in 2014.

Another time while wearing Spidey in the lower grades, a secretary commented on how fast I was getting around – popping up and disappearing through the office a few times. A passing teacher mentioned that it was because I was Spiderman. I commented that Batman might be more appropriate, but the only part of his face he doesn’t cover up is the part we had to. I’ve always believed that techs should be like early Batman – get in, get out, and people should doubt your existence.

Shout out to Todd for telling me about the Lemmy Kilmister masks on the Motorhead online store. To date, no one has recognized Lemmy*.

July 2021 update: I had a doctor’s checkup appointment. When I walked in the door, no one was handing out masks and I didn’t see any. Rather than walk back to the car, I had Lemmy 1 in my pocket and I wore that. The nurse complimented my mask. Everyone else was considerably stone faced – as stone faced as someone wearing a mask can be. So, I have wore a non-normal mask in a medical facility.

August 2021 update: I wore Lemmy 1 to the Endoscopy Center. The nurse prepping me for the procedure gave me another mask because I was “creeping her out.” Thank you, Lemmy. You have helped me creep people out since 2019. This is what people get when they make me wear a mask. Coincidentally, it is also the mask that people compliment the most.

August 2021 update: School has mandated mandatory masks for the upcoming school semester. I went to my wish list to buy more gators and masks.

And on the first day that masks were optional, I wore this in certain parts of the high school:

Mind you, I felt really safe wearing this as everyone took special care to socially distance themselves from me.