The things I never knew I’d do all in the name of research… my post is a little late but a few weeks ago I ended up participating in a research study… that had to do with sheltering-in-place after a disaster. It involved being “locked” in a room with 15 strangers for 48 hours. During this time I didn’t have access to any of the things that normally keep me busy… computer, phone, TV, my textbooks [side note: I may have chosen to leave the textbooks at home]. I did have a room full of entertaining people and a Monopoly game. Anyway seeing as I wasn’t able to keep the outside world up-to-date regarding the happenings in the room via my usual facebook posts I created an hour-by-hour list to share after the fact, and yes I know I missed a few hours… it was long and hot and there wasn’t a lot of food or sleep, my creativity was not at its optimal level.
Enjoy!
Hour 1 8PM Friday: I wish I got to play Monopoly at work
Hour 2 9PM Friday: This is not real duct tape.
Hour 3 10PM Friday: I wonder what the hammer is for?
Hour 4 11PM Friday: Back to Monopoly… this game is getting intense
Hour 5 Midnight Saturday: Book club time!
Hour 6 1AM Saturday: Who is going to turn the lights out…?
Hour 7 2AM Saturday: *insert creepy nightmare here*
Hour 8 3AM Saturday: I guess this counts as sleep
Hour 9 4AM Saturday: I wish I was asleep
Hour 10 5AM Saturday: That dude needs a CPAP
Hour 11 6AM Saturday: Seriously… they took my bandage scissors and gave us a hammer.
Hour 12 7AM Saturday: What is the hammer for?
Hour 13 8AM Saturday: There’s coffee… it’s going to be an okay emergency
Hour 14 9AM Saturday: Is this really an emergency?… No I don’t make eye contact…
Hour 15 10AM Saturday: Minus one
Hour 16 11AM Saturday: FYI I am not the only one in the world who has been known to carry around a copy of the Crime Classification Manual
Hour 17 Noon Saturday: I wish I ate peanut butter
Hour 18 1PM Saturday: Note to self: at home disaster kit must contain Monopoly
Hour 19 2PM Saturday:
Hour 20 3PM Saturday:
Hour 21 4PM Saturday: Lessons in passing time.
Hour 22 5PM Saturday: Pictionary win: Lady Gaga
Hour 23 6PM Saturday: Did we really throw the firefighter out?
Hour 24 7PM Saturday: When is the last time you ate a bowl of noodles?
Hour 25 8PM Saturday: The epic Monopoly battle concludes…Congrats Diana
Hour 26 9PM Saturday: Real duct tape would not keep falling off that door
Hour 27 10PM Saturday: Things to google: Commodore Perry, Dostoyevsky… Things not to google: yeah…this content has been edited
Hour 28 11PM Saturday:
Hour 29 Midnight Sunday: Lights out! There will be sleep tonight!
Hour 30 1AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 31 2AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 32 3AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 33 4AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 34 5AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 35 6AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 36 7AM Sunday: *insert sweet dreams here*
Hour 37 8AM Sunday: Good morning sunshine… yeah no…
Hour 38 9AM Sunday: 38 without a shower or air conditioning…ewww…
Hour 39 10AM Sunday: What is the first thing you’re gonna do when decontaminated? …shower!
Hour 40 11AM Sunday: I’m a Minnesotan I’m afraid of open water
Hour 41 Noon Sunday: What do dysdiadochokinesia, sectarian, chronic pyelonephritis, patch clamp and brobdingnatian have in common?
Hour 42 1PM Sunday: Who has to eat more noodles?
Hour 43 2PM Sunday: I’m running out of book to read… maybe I should have brought homework with me…no its probably better this way 🙂
Hour 44 3PM Sunday: Clock watching
Hour 45 4PM Sunday: Do we need to wear shoes?
Moral of the story: Plan for a shelter-in-place disaster (at home or at work / school) keep the essential items that FEMA and the CDC tell you to pack and put in a Monopoly game (or a deck of cards if that’s easier) for entertainment. You won’t regret it.