A Day in the Life of a Kindleer 2021
This is one in a series of posts which I write about once a year. I do this primarily to give my readers some ideas they might use to get more out of their devices. I also think it’s interesting to go back and look at the previous ones, to see how much things have changed. Okay, let’s start a typical weekday in the Life of a Kindleer.
I wake up between about 1:00 and 3:00 AM…usually closer to 1:00 AM, sometimes a little later (but I haven’t slept past 4:00 AM in years). As I explained before it’s not from an alarm or anything, it’s just my habit. I’ve had it checked out medically, and it seems to be fine. Asleep at about 8:15 PM, up at about 1:00 AM…that’s around five hours usually. I also may fall asleep out on the couch maybe around 7 for around half an hour. I used to say in these that I didn’t fall asleep during the day, but I do on days when I’m not working…just short naps.
When I wake up, I pick up my now discontinued Kindle Fire HDX 3rd generation, which I’ve been using for about eight years, a (knock virtual wood) considerable testament to an Amazon device’s durability.
I also pick up my Galaxy S10, which is next to the bed, too. It’s there as a back up. There is an alarm set on it for 5:00 AM, but I never use it…I let it go off, mostly as a reminder that it’s getting to that point in the morning, and to let the dogs know it’s breakfast time for them. It used to be because my Significant Other was going to leave then, but my SO has retired.
The other device I pick up is one of the best things I have ever bought! It’s my
iClever folding keyboard (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
It’s a Bluetooth keyboard which has the feel for me of a full-size keyboard. I use it with my phone, which lets me write effectively anywhere. Here’s my article on it:
As a writer who is also on social media, this gadget is my best new tool in years!
I go in the bathroom and do some wake-up things.
I do some reading on my Fire during this. That could be a book, or a magazine. I do about 45 minutes of exercise, floor work. I had a hip replacement coming up on three years, and it was great! Floor work seems to help, though, and I both want to get my exercise in and stretch out the time before the dogs see me so they can sleep later.
I check a series of apps on my phone during that:
- the Ring app…I love to see if NHAs (Non-Human Animals) have come by the house: almost always cats, but we did have a raccoon come up to the dog door this year (the dogs didn’t notice)
- Accuweather (I was very disappointed when Dark Sky sold to Apple and they deactivated the Android version of the app…this is the best alternative I’ve found, although I don’t like it as well)
- AirVisual (we’re in California: I have to check air quality)
- a local news app
- a 24 hour news app
- Amazon Shopping to see what’s coming…by the way, if you share an account (we do), you can archive orders when you are logged in on a computer. That will keep other people on the account from seeing them accidentally
- Word Crush (just a game I enjoy playing)
- My work e-mail & Microsoft Teams (just checking for anything that might change my day plans)
- Flipboard (that’s not just for myself, but for flipping articles into my free Flipboard magazines, including the ILMK magazine at Flipboard)
The ILMK Flipboard magazine has tens of thousands of viewers and is at more than 70,000 stories. The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard magazine is well over 275,000 stories…it has a broader scope. Our dogs’ Butterscotch Chaos and Friends magazine has over 100 followers. 😉
I use the Alexa app on my phone to turn on the family room light. That’s a great advantage to having a SmartHome.
Next, I head out to the family room…and one of the dogs gets off the bed to come with me (I love hearing the dog do the shimmy, then land on the floor). The other dog is often already in the family room. They aren’t as habit-based as they used to be as to where they sleep, though.
Our
Echo Show (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
is also in a sort of sleep mode, but still displays the time. I think it senses I’m moving around out there and wakes up. 🙂 I glance at it. I really like what shows up on the display: the first event on my calendar, the weather, but also headlines.
Next, the
Fire TV Cube (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
comes into play. It replaced our Fire TV…and it’s really a big step forward! Since they improved the remote, it’s even more important. I can turn on the TV from the remote…and push a button to mute it. That sounds like a small thing, but I don’t have to whisper to Alexa.
I start with live 24 hour news. Once I feel like I’m caught up on the news, I watch something narrative (a TV show, a movie). We subscribe to Netflix, Hulu (without commercials…well worth a few extra dollars a month), and Disney+. I also watch Tubi and Prime Video. Now how much could I watch? But wait, there’s more! We also have Peacock (I definitely recommend the free tier), HBO Max, and I watch Airy.TV. Since the Roku Channel was recently added, I’m enjoying that! Unlike some of the others, I’d say the interface is very well designed and the video quality is excellent. Yes, that’s a lot of options, but remember that I’m not watching TV without doing something else at the same time. I’ve had people chastise me about watching so much TV (funny, they don’t say that about reading), so I tested it. I didn’t watch any TV for a year, and got nothing more done. So, I can kid people who say that, and suggest they do the experiment of watching more TV for a year and see if they get less done!
Whenever I’m going to head back for my shower, the more intellectual of the two dogs (Elf) has a very cute “trick”, and this is my SO’s favorite thing of the day. I say, “Wake up call!” I open the door, and the dog (all 14 pounds) leaps on the bed and vigorously licks my SO in the face! Update: the other dog now participates. Patty has started a new game. She likes to be lifted on to the bed (she can get up on her own). I go to pick her up and, playing, she scoots a few steps away. She usually does that at least twice, so I get her on third or fourth try. She isn’t running away…just scooting just out of reach.
Eventually, I go back to the bedroom…I do some exercise more there and that’s where I get dressed and such. In that room, we have a
Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote (at AmazonSmile*)
and our
I do some more reading while I brush my teeth (which I do for about twenty minutes…I’m pretty obsessive on that).
In the car, it’s the Echo Auto (on sale for only $19.99 as I write this!), which is amazing! I may listen to the news for a bit, but most often, that’s where I’m getting some reading done, through text-to-speech on the device. It’s so nice to be able to just say, “Alexa, read my Kindle book”. The Echo Auto also lets us hear and make phone calls, texts, and get directions. This year, it was super valuable: I was working on a special project for a couple of months, which could have me in the car for three hours in a day.
At work, I use our
Echo Spot (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping)
That’s a great work companion! I often use it to set alarms and timers, for one thing.
On the way home, I’ll listen to more of my book and/or 24 hour news (it’s been a very newsy year, as you know).
When I’m home, it’s back to the Fire TV.
Once I’m actually going to sleep, I read on our
Kindle Voyage (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
I’m still re-reading the original fourteen Oz books. When I get to a point in my life when I have more time, I’m planning to write a book inspired by them (I have a few books to write in mind when that change comes), and being thoroughly conversant with them will be important.
That’s basically the weekday routine.
I do want to mention one non-Amazon piece of tech I use every day:
Oculus Quest 2 (at AmazonSmile)
It’s how I do my cardio: at least 30 minutes a day. I don’t eat between breakfast & dinner any more, so I work out at lunch. There’s enough room in my small office and I can really work up a sweat! Many people have commented that I’m in better shape. If they ask what I’ve been doing, I jokingly want to say, “Videogames”. 😉 I warm up with Beat Saber, then use FitXR. After that I use TRIPP, a meditation app, for an 8 minute routine to recenter for work. At home, I may use Supernatural rather than FitXR.
Hope that helps! If you have questions or comments, feel free to let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.
Join thousands of readers and try the free ILMK magazine at Flipboard!
All aboard The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project!
* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. 
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