A Day in the Life of Ryan Hoecker, Detroit Amateur
6:45 AM*: Wake up to the voice of a complete stranger, thanks to our newfound social alarm app “Wakie” that instantly connects “wakies” to “sleepies” in real time. [*This time only applies to the days in which my alarm is actually effective enough to get me out of bed and to the gym before work—a rarity.]
7:15 AM: Actually roll out of bed after turning off my sixth alarm. Sorry Ben.
7:18 AM: Start brewing my first cup of coffee for the day.
7:20 AM: Look ridiculously groggily stretching in the common room of our apartment while waiting for the coffee.
7:22 AM: Jam to music and drink coffee while walking the half-mile to the Wayne State gym.
7:30-8:40 AM: Run. Lift. Awkwardly stand guard near the machines while resting in between sets.
8:45 AM: Pass the other DukeEngagers on their way to work, which starts an hour earlier than Build.
8:50 AM: Hope I haven’t been locked out of our apartment. Ironically my key is less than twenty feet away…just stuck in the middle of a door frame in which there is a well-placed hole just that’s of sight, yet still within reach. I was lucky enough to find that sweet spot pretty early on in the summer.
8:50 AM*: If still in bed, wake up.
9:00 AM: Leisurely cool down and jump in the shower.
9:15 AM: Realize I am running late for the umpteenth time and begin to throw all of my clothes and lunch in my backpack.
9:32 AM: Stumble out the door with an apple and jog down the hall to the elevator.
9:35 AM: Meet Liz in the lobby and make a sarcastic remark that I hope offsets the fact that I’m late.
9:35-10:00 AM: Bike three miles to Mexicantown, where Build is located. Practice riding with no hands.
10:10 AM: Make coffee round two for everyone.
10:15 AM: Read daily email news briefings from NY Times, theSkimm, and Morning Brew.
10:30-11:30 AM: Research local and national coworking spaces, looking at membership structures, building layouts, and funding models.
11:35 AM: Try to convince Liz that coffee is in fact better than tea.
12:00- 1:00 PM: Compile research information onto a Google Doc.
1:00-1:45 PM: Talk about studying abroad with Liz while eating lunch, which usually consists of a salad that I made the night before with fresh veggies from Eastern Market.
2:00-3:00 PM: Bike to a local coworking space with Liz to meet with a manager. Discuss start-ups costs, alumni incorporation techniques, and funding sources.
3:10- 4:00 PM: Bike to a coffee shop with Liz for the remainder of the day. Debrief from the meeting and enter our notes into a Google Spreadsheet. Third cup of coffee.
4:05 PM: Post in the guy’s group message “Catan” to get a feel for who’s up for a game later that night. Of course there’s unanimous consent.
4:10-5:00 PM: Finish up research and map out some weekly goals with Liz.
5:00- 5:25 PM: Bike back to University Towers.
6:00 PM: Microwave two veggie burgers and some canned vegetables for dinner.
6:05- 7:00 PM: Eat and watch Friends on Netflix while I wait for the others to get back from the gym.
7:10-7:45 PM: Attempt to read while I smell the delicious aroma of whatever dish Chef Bryce has chosen to cook for dinner.
8:00 PM: Begin to set up the Settlers of Catan game board. All hopes are high.
8:10 PM: Place first Catan settlements and begin to devise a strategy for the ensuing game.
8:30 PM: Angrily comment on the fact that sixes are not being rolled nearly as many times as eights even though they should be statistically even.
8:50 PM: Place the robber on Chris for no good reason except for the fact that he just seems like someone who should probably be blocked.
8:55 PM: Brew coffee #4, this time decaf.
9:10 PM: Realize David is winning on his next turn because he starts to vigorously deny the fact that he’s anywhere near the lead.
9:15 PM: Sadly put up the board while mentally examining the reasons for tonight’s loss.
9:30-10:00 PM: Make tomorrow’s salad while listening to The Avett Brothers.
10:10 PM: Squish way too many people onto one couch for a group movie with the girls.
11:30 PM: Realize I’m way too tired to finish the movie and move to bed.
11:45 PM: Fall asleep with borderline too loud music playing from my phone and my wakie alarm set for the morning.
6:45 AM*: Wake up to the voice of a complete stranger, thanks to our newfound social alarm app “Wakie” that instantly connects “wakies” to “sleepies” in real time. [*This time only applies to the days in which my alarm is actually effective enough to get me out of bed and to the gym before work—a rarity.]
7:15 AM: Actually roll out of bed after turning off my sixth alarm. Sorry Ben.
7:18 AM: Start brewing my first cup of coffee for the day.
7:20 AM: Look ridiculously groggily stretching in the common room of our apartment while waiting for the coffee.
7:22 AM: Jam to music and drink coffee while walking the half-mile to the Wayne State gym.
7:30-8:40 AM: Run. Lift. Awkwardly stand guard near the machines while resting in between sets.
8:45 AM: Pass the other DukeEngagers on their way to work, which starts an hour earlier than Build.
8:50 AM: Hope I haven’t been locked out of our apartment. Ironically my key is less than twenty feet away…just stuck in the middle of a door frame in which there is a well-placed hole just that’s of sight, yet still within reach. I was lucky enough to find that sweet spot pretty early on in the summer.
8:50 AM*: If still in bed, wake up.
9:00 AM: Leisurely cool down and jump in the shower.
9:15 AM: Realize I am running late for the umpteenth time and begin to throw all of my clothes and lunch in my backpack.
9:32 AM: Stumble out the door with an apple and jog down the hall to the elevator.
9:35 AM: Meet Liz in the lobby and make a sarcastic remark that I hope offsets the fact that I’m late.
9:35-10:00 AM: Bike three miles to Mexicantown, where Build is located. Practice riding with no hands.
10:10 AM: Make coffee round two for everyone.
10:15 AM: Read daily email news briefings from NY Times, theSkimm, and Morning Brew.
10:30-11:30 AM: Research local and national coworking spaces, looking at membership structures, building layouts, and funding models.
11:35 AM: Try to convince Liz that coffee is in fact better than tea.
12:00- 1:00 PM: Compile research information onto a Google Doc.
1:00-1:45 PM: Talk about studying abroad with Liz while eating lunch, which usually consists of a salad that I made the night before with fresh veggies from Eastern Market.
2:00-3:00 PM: Bike to a local coworking space with Liz to meet with a manager. Discuss start-ups costs, alumni incorporation techniques, and funding sources.
3:10- 4:00 PM: Bike to a coffee shop with Liz for the remainder of the day. Debrief from the meeting and enter our notes into a Google Spreadsheet. Third cup of coffee.
4:05 PM: Post in the guy’s group message “Catan” to get a feel for who’s up for a game later that night. Of course there’s unanimous consent.
4:10-5:00 PM: Finish up research and map out some weekly goals with Liz.
5:00- 5:25 PM: Bike back to University Towers.
6:00 PM: Microwave two veggie burgers and some canned vegetables for dinner.
6:05- 7:00 PM: Eat and watch Friends on Netflix while I wait for the others to get back from the gym.
7:10-7:45 PM: Attempt to read while I smell the delicious aroma of whatever dish Chef Bryce has chosen to cook for dinner.
8:00 PM: Begin to set up the Settlers of Catan game board. All hopes are high.
8:10 PM: Place first Catan settlements and begin to devise a strategy for the ensuing game.
8:30 PM: Angrily comment on the fact that sixes are not being rolled nearly as many times as eights even though they should be statistically even.
8:50 PM: Place the robber on Chris for no good reason except for the fact that he just seems like someone who should probably be blocked.
8:55 PM: Brew coffee #4, this time decaf.
9:10 PM: Realize David is winning on his next turn because he starts to vigorously deny the fact that he’s anywhere near the lead.
9:15 PM: Sadly put up the board while mentally examining the reasons for tonight’s loss.
9:30-10:00 PM: Make tomorrow’s salad while listening to The Avett Brothers.
10:10 PM: Squish way too many people onto one couch for a group movie with the girls.
11:30 PM: Realize I’m way too tired to finish the movie and move to bed.
11:45 PM: Fall asleep with borderline too loud music playing from my phone and my wakie alarm set for the morning.