Firefox starts up and restores the tabs I had open last time I closed it. Usually this consists of an article or two, and/or something I need to fill out or do.
First I open Meebo so I can see who is online. As that loads I open my RSS reader in another tab and that shows me what new items have come from my favorite websites. Feeds I like include:
Any of the comics listed over on the right.
Reuters Science, Disinfo, Ars Technica, Infowars, and FileShareFreak for most of my news.
I enjoy the previously mentioned Things of Interest blog and also the 365 tomorrows short fiction site.
While I do this Mozilla Thunderbird, my Email client fetches all of my emails and i go through those too.
Next I check in on my Human Age character that Mandy got me hooked on. Then after that I chase the green dragon (no, thats not a drug term). I see if any posts I have been following have been updated or replied to. If I got an email telling me that something happened on Facebook, I check that now too.
Once I have the basics covered, comics and news items read, facebook, email, and games checked, the serious business can commence.... By this time, I have either started listening to my music library from Amarok or fired up the songs Last.FM thinks that I will like, and I usually do. By this time I've taken 10-20 minutes and I have already covered a lot of virtual ground. But with all of my usual stomping grounds conquered, where do I go next, how does a person discover NEW stuff on the internet?
At this point I open a few new tabs; digg.com, two or three blank tabs to start using StumbleUpon with, Google Calendar to check my upcoming events, and Spreeder, so I can read articles more quickly when I come upon them...
When I come over something that I like I bookmark and tag it with firefox's bookmark tagger, which makes it easier to find them again and I don't have to think as much about where to store the bookmark. Also I "thumbs up" any page I like with the stumble upon "thumbs up" button (aka 'I like it!'). Sometimes the page hasn't been submitted to StumbleUpon yet, so I fill out the form (only takes 20 seconds) and submit the new article or other webpage.
I continue to peruse digg and stumble for an hour or more until I feel I am caught up on the current events of the country, world, technology field, science community, and internet meme time wasters. At this point I close any tabs I don't want to re-open next time I start firefox, I say goodbye to the people I was talking to on Meebo. I check my Email one last time, and then exit firefox & thunderbird. I get my bugle out and play taps for a good internet session done. Shutdown my computer, and close the laptop.
Then I get out my bugle, play taps, and then go outside and play.