Assignment 2A- My Bug List

1.     Getting into your car on a hot day and touching the metal part of the seatbelt.

a.     Why it exists- the metal part gets hot because of the sunlight directly shining into your car, then the heat trapped in your car heats up the metal seat belt buckle.

2.     Getting water all over the sink area after washing your face.

a.     Why it exists- The water runs down my elbows as I splash water on my face which is one way the water gets on the area around the sink. It also exists because the sinks are shallow so when I wash my face the water splashes back onto the counter.

3.     My eyes hurting from reading online textbooks.

a.     Why it exists- When our eyes stare at a computer screen for too long, the blue light from the screen penetrates to the retina that can cause damage and strain to your eyes with prolonged use.

4.     By the time I eat half of the groceries I buy (e.g a loaf of bread, container of strawberries), the other half has gone bad.

a.     Why it exists- College student usually buy groceries for themselves and grocery stores sell foods that are meant to serve more than 1 person. There’s often too much food for one person to finish within the time frame where it’s still edible.

5.     When my roommates do not take out the trash during their turn.

a.     Why it exists- Roommates often forget or are not use to taking out the trash in their home outside of college, therefore when they transition to living by themselves, they do not do it.

6.     Folding/hanging/ironing and putting away all of your clothes after you washed/dried them.

a.     Why it exists-In order to prevent some clothes from wrinkling or being mistaken for dirty clothes, we have to put our clean clothes in its proper space.

7.     Thinking there’s a parking spot open, but it turns out there’s a tiny car in the parking spot.

a.     Why it exists- The car is smaller than the parking spot, therefore when the small car is pulled all the way into the parking spot and the 2 other larger cars next to it that obstruct your view, it seems as if the spot is open since the rear of the small car isn’t visible.

8.     Washing clothes, but the colors bleed from one item of clothing and ruin your other clothes.

a.     Why it exists- The dye of vibrantly colored clothing runs into the water used to wash clothes and get absorbed by the other items of clothing in the wash cycle, more apparent in lighter colored clothing.

9.     When you still find dog hair in your house, even after you finish sweeping/cleaning.

a.     Why it exists- The dog hairs get trapped in the carpet or in other hard to reach areas and the vacuum/broom may not pick up every single hair. The hairs may also get caught on the sofa, loveseat or other pieces of furniture that are difficult to clean and linger even after you finish cleaning.

10.  When there’s a coat on pollen on your car during spring.

a.     Why it exists- During spring, pollen from flowers is in the air and lands on objects that are outside (e.g our cars) and over time, the thin layers of pollen build up to create a coat of pollen over our cars.

11.  Grocery stores throwing away food -that’s not fit for sale but still fit for human consumption- instead of donating.

a.     Why it exists- Grocery stores do not donate because they are afraid of liabilities and lawsuits if someone were to consume their foods and get sick. Instead they believe it’s easier to just dispose of the food to avoid lawsuits.

12.  When you travel and the shampoo and conditioner you packed in your suitcase leaks or explodes all over your clothes/other items you packed.

a.     Why it exists- Our luggage gets tossed around as it’s being passed through the airport to get on/off the plane and that could cause the cap of shampoos/conditioners to open and leak all over our belongings. Another explanation is that the lids of our soaps aren’t secure enough so a little movement could cause it to unlock/open.

13.  Stepping in a puddle, getting your socks wet and having to continue to walk in soaking wet socks.

a.     Why it exists- We sometimes underestimate the depth of a puddle, assuming we can step in it and the depth of the puddle will be less than the height of our shoes. But when we step, the puddle can be deeper than expected and the water can splash into our socks, leaving them wet and forcing us to continue to walk in them because we do not carry an extra change of socks or do not have the time to go home to change.

14.  Driving and having love bugs or any bug splatter on my windshield.

a.     Why it exists- Especially on the highway, we drive at a fast speed, as a result, any insect that were flying in the opposite direction would splatter on impact. If we drive for a long time, that increases the presence of insect we run into and over time, it creates a buildup of dead bugs on the front of our cars.

15.  Having to clean out the dryer lint every time after using the dryer.

a.     Why it exists- As we dry our clothes, lint gets collected in a net that we can pull out to clean in our dryer. We must clean it out every time to prevent build up that can cause a fire.

16.  Trying to find your keys when you’re already late for an event

a.     Why it exists- We often toss our keys in our rooms or on the countertops and we can’t remember the specific location when our mind is in a rush and our mind is scrambling to remember things we need.

17.  Difficult to open packaging (ex: needing scissors to open your package containing scissors)

a.     Why it exists- Hard to open packaging especially for dangerous items such as scissors are used to protect it from damage and prevent children from accessing it.

18.  Waiting hours for food to defrost (e.g chicken, beef).

a.     Why it exists- When we take a hunk of meat out of the freezer, we have to let it thaw to let it come to temperature, this makes it easier to cook and handle. We also have to let it slowly come to temperature over a long period of time because if we were to increase the temperate in attempt to speed up the process, it would cook the meat in a way we do not want.

19.  Several people talking at the same time and not being able to focus on hearing one at a time.

a.     Why it exists- When in a group discussing a subject, many people could participate in response and when several people talk at the same time, it’s difficult for our brain to focus on more than 1 subject. Our brain ends up not taking in any information.

20.  Oil splattering around the pan, all over the stove or even on you when you cook.

a.     Why it exists- When water gets into oil as you cook (e.g liquid from the food or leftover water on the pan after washing it), it can cause bubbles that pop and splatter oil or fat out of the pan.

Reflection- Personally, I did not find it difficult to find bugs because I have always noticed the small things I wish could be improved and I try to make a mental note of how to minimize the things that bug me/prevent it from happening. I went through a typical day and paid attention to small details I usually skim over, from there I think about what I wish could be improved (my “bugs”). Once I went through my chores and walked through a typical day with extra awareness, it became a lot easier to come up with a list of things that bug me.