While waiting for long amounts of time, what do you do?

Read. (Hope you took a book with you!)
Work. (Mark papers, read journal articles).
Watch TV. (Unfortunately set on the channel the nurses choose).
Go for coffee.
Go for a walk around.

Hope your friend is fine.

Bring a notebook
– journal
– draw

Do you have a smart phone? If so, you could…
– read a book
– read up on something you’ve been wanting to learn
– create music with GarageBand (iPhone)
– watch a movie

Go for walks near the hospital

I used to take a book or mags to read, now I take my iPhone and I still have books and mags to read but also games to play, the net to surf, or even fluther!

Read.
People watch.
Stare and think (I like doing this looking out the window on long Greyhound bus rides.)
Play my DS. Or you could play games on your phone.
Write/Draw. I like to brainstorm new ideas for products for my small business or design new things. Draw small sketches of things I’d like to paint.
Txt lots of people and have multiple conversations going throughout the day.
Browse the internets on your phone, or scroll through Facebook every 5 minutes.

If I’m not with family or others that need my support I can totally veg out. I just shut down everything and go into a trance like state. I’m aware of what’s going on but I don’t react to it. If I have family or friends around I just take care of them. That makes the time go well.

Ah, thanks for suggestions. Currently, I am people watching. So far I’ve seen some interesting people. An old man with tear drop tattoos on his face, a cute old married couple, and a man that looks like he’s totally a drug dealer. Fun stuff.

Call a friend.
Call a family.
Read.
Seduce somebody? ( ok just flirt ) Lol.

I read good, gripping books that keep me from worrying too much.
Watch new episodes of my favourite TV-series on a laptop.
Text with entertaining people.
And most importantly: eat massive amounts junk food from vending machines and drink lots of coffee.

When I have to wait, I try to have a book, interesting magazines or computer close at hand.

But I can’t imagine waiting for ten hours while someone else is prepped for surgery; get away from there and do something! It’s not as if you’re required for the prep or surgery, is it?

Smartphone. It’s great having the internet when you’re bored.

Take periodic power walks.

Why do you have to sit in the waiting room for 10 hours?

Take a book to read to your friend if there is a time period between prep and the actual surgery. Make it one you would like to read yourself while you wait. Poetry, dramatic scenes, short articles. Nothing that has a long plot for your friend, but for just you, that’s good too.
And I agree about getting out of there while the surgery is going on.

Replay all vacations of the last 20 years in your head. Day by day. This works even if you can’t read and there’s no tv, no phone and no mp3 player and you can’t have visitors.

try to guess what is wrong with all the patients just by the look of them.

If you’re going to use your smart phone, I recommend that you bring a charger.
Walk around, bring a few books, and take a few naps.

Matsurbate

I’m not kidding

^^Is matsurbating a new card game, like gin rummy?

@King_Pariah Write it on the bathroom wall and I’ll try to look for it next time I’m there. Lol.

Read
Play games on my phone
Talk to my boyfriend on my phone
Watch tv if possible
Sleep if possible

Well, the day is done and everything went well. I occupied myself pretty nicely!

Read, doodle, or if I thought to bring it, play with my PSP or DS. Lots of smoke breaks, too. I hate waiting for long periods of time though, because no matter what I do, eventually it all just gets horrible.

I would not sit in a waiting room for 10 hours. I would go home and come back later.

If I had to wait 10 hours, let’s say for a plane to depart or something, I would hopefully have computer and/or books/magazines available. If not, I would buy books/magazines. Eating may take up maybe an hour total. I would talk on phone, take walks, look around, look out the window, and maybe shop (let’s say airport that had shopping). Or I might leave and do something local, and then come back. If there were a library nearby or a museum, I might do that. Or a bookstore…...with a coffee shop in it -perfect!