Households in Quarantine is an effort to collect, document, and share moments from our lives at home in quarantine. Anyone can submit a description of daily life in their household during COVID-19, and I will depict it in a drawing to add to the collection. The more the collection grows, the more accurate, diverse, and universal it will become.
It is my hope that individuals can recognize themselves in the drawing of others, and experience small moments of unity, humor, and solace in knowing that although physically separate, we are still a collective.
To see Part I, please go here. To see Part II, please go here.
Rachel’s marriage comes with some serious advantages, especially that her husband is a professional cook! Working from home is a barrage of delicious meals served hot, with a hefty side of locally-sourced, crippling anxiety.*
Sara is spending quarantine slowly (or quickly) becoming less formal. No pants, no bra — who cares?! Hey Sara, have you checked out what Sara or maybe Sara are watching on Netflix lately? It seems she is starting to develop multiple viewing personalities on her Netflix account. Sara number one likes comedies, Sara number two likes dramas, and Sara number three is still on episode three of Breaking Bad.
Eric and Katie have it on lock! The kid is doing yoga while grandma babysits.
Kris is getting amazingly efficient at speed-grocery shopping. She has her route timed down to a keen science: 6:15 pm produce department, 6:21 bread aisle, 6:30 seafood department, and 6:37 wine aisle. In and out in under 30 minutes! A new record, Kris — can this sport be added to the next Olympics? Wait … DO THE OLYMPICS EVEN EXIST ANYMORE??
Peter is very very very very very very very very very very very very very focused on his garden right now. Because #prepper.
Paula isn’t lonely during quarantine at all! No way. Between seven horses, nine dogs, and two cats (plus the two other humans in her house), she has a cozy crowd to keep her company.
Susan’s job has her in front of her computer putting out administrative fires all day, every day. Good thing she can manifest rainstorms to put out all those flames. Wait a second … Susan, are your powers in any way connected to that giant sandstorm cloud that was over Austin last week? Also, can you send more rain soon, please?
Aliza has discovered that shelter-in-place is much more difficult for her than her fiancé. She is far more extroverted than him—he is happy to just sit with the dogs on the couch, while she is FaceTiming every person she has ever met just to make the hours crawl by. Can she get your number? Want to FaceTime? Want to FT? WTFT?**
****
*Rachel’s exact words; however, I am unsure exactly as to the actual portion size of said anxiety.
**Want To FaceTime?
****
Megan Hildebrandt is a Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project. She is the Director of the First-Year Core Program and an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Art and Art History at UT Austin.
