That is a truly abhorrent scene. It's either the result of a diseased mind, or a genius visual metaphor for the political state in which we find the world and should be transposed forthwith piece by grubby piece to the nearest Tate gallery for critical dissemination by art experts and seen by everyone. Or both.
Why the towel? I can only guess it's for a kind of lumbar support being rolled up like that.
I think it's high time we had another round of take a picture of your desk and post it here.
I found a heavily discounted gaming (I hate the term, but that's how they market it) mouse pad in Currys some time ago, down from the exorbitant £20 or so down to £7, and it really makes a difference. The one I got is between 1 and 2mm thick, so you don't experience a ridge that would be in the way of your wrist and it really allows the mouse to glide. You get virtually no resistance and it's a consistent surface, much better than the piece of wood making up my desk. No way would it be worth £20+, but for what I paid it's great.