Office Voodoo

Today, from 11 A.M. -12:15 P.M., I embarked on a journey on uncharted territory. That’s not really true. It has probably been charted by children under ten and by people who actually practice voodoo and don’t just pretend to when they are bored at their offices and have a surplus of office supplies. Nevertheless, I don’t have a long history with voodoo dolls, at least not one that goes past two hours ago. But I do have a long history with office supplies, and today I decided to create my own voodoo doll out of whatever is readily available to me (meaning I did not have to get out of my chair) to protect our office from evil spirits, office violence, the crazy people on Canal St., and other relevant Boston office concerns.

In order to make time for this project, I had to push lunch back to 12:30. This would not have been possible without a resting/snack break sometime after my arrival to the office at 10:15. The representative voodoo doll of our office is without name – any suggestions would be welcome and appreciated. Yes, those are cone-shaped breasts inspired by early African statues of women.

Office Voodoo Doll Q & A session:

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of the Office Voodoo project?

A: You might think it was not getting caught by my boss. It was not. The real answer is getting splinters from snapping chopsticks. They really weren’t meant to be further broken down. And the noxious smell of tea bags that I never used because they were unpalatable. Another challenging aspect was not having glue.

Q: What materials were used in the creation of this doll?

A: A lot of tape was used. So much tape I ran out and had to get more from supplies. For the body and head, I used tea bags surrounded by pink notes for phone calls that say IMPORTANT MESSAGE at the top. Also used were push pins, string from the tea bags for hair, paper clips, chopsticks, rubber bands, staples, petals from a fake flower that is attached to a possibly-dead 4 year old cactus, Post-it sticky notes, and a calligraphy pen.

Q: Where will the doll be displayed?

A: It will be hanging from a push-pin next to my desk until it falls apart or is stolen by one of the janitor’s kids who periodically leave toys in the office after hours.

Q: What is the biggest difference between your voodoo doll and more traditional voodoo dolls?

A: Probably that it is made of office supplies.