Shower Curtain

My Object:

‘shower curtain’

Duration of Use:

‘once, 10-15 min.’

How I experience the object through my senses:

‘looks beige, feels plastic but textured, only very slightly clingy’

Other activity occurring in the room while I use it:

‘shower, steam’

How much do I depend on my object?

‘keeping the floor dry’

Do other people use my object?

‘yes, one’

What would happen if I lost or broke my object?

‘bothered; would have to take trouble to replace it quickly’

What my object had to say about our last encounter:

‘”He just pushes me around, doesn’t really care about me. Open, close, open; hang here, hang there. Finally he leaves and I can relax and dry off.”‘

Desk Chair

My Object:

‘desk chair’

Duration of Use:

‘half a dozen times’

How I experience the object through my senses:

‘it’s hard to position, not very comfortable and not very nice to look at’

Other activity occurring in the room while I use it:

‘I’m usually sitting at the computer in the living room and through the windows I can see life going on outdoors. People in the park, rushing along the sidewalk, cars on the road. Sometimes Jonathan is somewhere else in the room, eating breakfast, reading, watching tv.’

How much do I depend on my object?

‘It’s a chair on wheels and indispensable for use at the desk and at the computer. It came with this apartment, I wouldn’t have spent anything on it’

Do other people use my object?

‘There are only two of us here and we both use it a lot.’

What would happen if I lost or broke my object?

‘I’d try to get the landlord to replace it with a better chair. If he didn’t then I’d either try to get another desk chair from freecycle or buy one. ‘

What my object had to say about our last encounter:

‘I’m using it right now. It would probably feel underappreciated. “I was manufactured at a time when “ergonomic” wasn’t a major consideration, so don’t give me such a hard time, lady. I do the job, you use me all the time. I’m an important part of this household. Sit on me and don’t worry about comfort and maneuverability–just appreciate that I am always there for you, sturdy, a workhorse in your home. I notice that you have a bigger bum than the man who sits on me but you are softer and less bony.”‘

Kitchen Sponge

My Object:

‘Kitchen sponge’

Duration of Use:

’2-5 times a day, 10 seconds to 20 minutes at a time’

How I experience the object through my senses:

‘It feels spongy, a bit scratchy on the scrubbing side. When I’m actually scrubbing with it, it never seems as scratchy as I’d expect from how it looks. Usually either damp or wet, smells like soap on a good day, like a stinky dried out sponge on other days. I have no idea how it tastes. Come on, that’s gross! Seriously. ‘

Other activity occurring in the room while I use it:

‘Somebody might be at the kitchen table, eating or using their laptop or both. Food is being cooked. Well ok, microwaved. We cook sometimes too! A housemate may be painting or working on a craft project.’

How much do I depend on my object?

‘It’s all one part really…I guess the scrubby side. I depend on it for getting hardened food bits offa my lovely plates.’

Do other people use my object?

‘Three other people. Maybe two. I have a suspect.’

What would happen if I lost or broke my object?

‘I’d reach under the sink and gt a new one, or go to the store and get a pack. This item is ephemeral.’

What my object had to say about our last encounter:

‘”So I was sittin’ at the sink, mindin’ my own beeswax, yeah? And outta nowhere this big hand swoops down on me and before I know it…badabing badaboom, I’m loaded with dishsoap and my kisser is bein’ smooshed into a dirty dinner plate, all covered with pasta bits and tomato sauce, a real mess I tell ya. And they’re rubbin’ my face in it, water coming down and suffusin’ my pores like, and then there’s a fork, and some tupperware, then I get the life almost squeezed outta me and it’s back to the counter I go, wham bam thank you ma’am. How d’ya like them apples? They ain’t too sweet, I tell ya. They ain’t too sweet.”‘