All in the name of research

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.