I don't go anywhere without my phone which has a reader app on it. It makes waiting a little less sucky. If I am in a cashier line-up at Costco I can get through 20-40 pages while waiting.
I used to bring knitting, but they'd always call me in the middle of a row. By the time I picked it up again I usually didn't know what I was doing because I'd forget to mark it. So now it stays home!
I usually have kids with me and we are doing school work. I'm sure I've annoyed plenty of people by doing reading or math lessons in a waiting room. If I'm by myself, which I honestly can't remember the last time that happened, I'm reading a book or flipping through a magazine (if I forgot my book).
Okay, I am the weird one maybe. I watch the TV. I almost never watch at home, so it is different enough that I find a hour or so entertaining. That said, neither the doctor or the dentist have TVs -- when I was homeschooling I would take school books and make the sibling work. So I am starting to work Early Voting this week for 2.5 weeks. I will be working M, W, F for 13 hours a day as the head cheese at the site. I am hoping to make a cross stitch Christmas Stocking for my DIL. I also plan to take some physical books and of course, there is always Sudoku on the phone. Actually, I hope we are so busy that I don't need time fillers.
If I'm with one of my kids, I chat with them. If I'm at the ortho for one of my boys, sometimes I'll bring my laptop and do some work. Other times I read magazines or just look at my phone. It depends on where I'm at and how long the wait is. I've never worried about viruses on magazines. Those same viruses are on every public surface (door handles, chair arms, etc). I just make sure to be vigilant about frequent hand washing and don't touch my eyes, nose or mouth often.
I usually use my phone nowadays -- Facebook or email or Word Wow or a Kindle book -- but I used to LOVE reading the magazines. We were just at the dentist several days ago and I was admiring the impressive collection of magazines tidy stacks across their little tables. They looked untouched. Most people seem to look at their phones while waiting.
