Jake Norman Bug List

Jake Norman
ENT3003
Friday, January 24, 2020

My Bug List

1. When my parents call me frustrated because don't know how to use “simple” technology 

• My parents are very “old school,” which I guess is a nice way to say old. They are stubborn to learn newer technology because they are accustomed to what they are accustomed to. They refuse to adapt to the technological advancements that have been made in the last 10-15 years, which has placed the burden of teaching them how to change the input on the living room TV (8 times a month). This creates frustration rooted from their inability to master the art of basic technology, which is then sent my way via phone call. 

2. Not having a water filter on my fridge 

• I would consider myself to be more interested in my health, than not. Drinking water is an important part of my day to day operations, without it, nothing is possible. Living in an older home in the Gainesville area, we have been handed the short end of the stick with our refrigerator situation. The saying, “you get what you pay for” is true in this case. I find myself feeling dehydrated quite often unless I am constantly refilling my Brita for myself and my dog, or dishing out a ton of money by BUYING water, which brings me to my next bug.

3. Buying Water
• Nobody should have to buy water. Buying something that is roughly 98% of the Earth doesn't quite add up to me. I don't believe it should be sold, rather, it should be distributed to those who need it and bottled by the government. Buying water might not be expensive, but it shouldn't be. There are too many companies profiting off of the sale of water, which is why this theory will never come to fruition, but just some food for thought. 

4. When a place of business doesn't have wifi 
• Businesses like Starbucks have created an environment that students, professionals and researchers alike find to be a comfortable place to conduct their work. This has created the era of “coffee shops” becoming a productivity hub. When a place of business such as an auto-repair shop doesn’t provide their paying (and waiting) customers with complimentary wifi, I find it disgraceful. The cost of creating a more comfortable environment for your customers is nearly as simple as allowing them the ability to browse the internet. 

5. When my dog wakes me up before my alarm 
• Dogs are creatures of habit. They have been domesticated to live with families in houses for generations and have become staples in the hearts of many families. I happen to be lucky enough to own my own dog, in addition to my family dog back home. One thing that usually doesn’t warm my heart about these two rascals is when they wake me up before my alarm. Although this is truly a great way to wake up, I’d love the extra few minutes. This can be avoided by taking the dogs to the park more often, or even for a daily morning jog. 

6. The New England Patriots
• The New England Patriots have been the most relevant and dominant team in the National Football League since about 2001, when Tom Brady begun his NFL reign of glory. As a fan of the Patriots AFC nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers,  I have found myself on the short end of the Patriots Steelers rivalry many of times. Although, I do have much respect for Tom Brady and the organization as a whole, they bug me.

7. When I’m rushed for something that I don’t need to be on time for. 
• Unless I am on a serious time crunch, I am in no rush to get out the door. Other people often feel like it's necessary to be early to everything, I am not a proponent of being late, but I tend to take my time if the situation is not time delicate. Rushing out the door to go to the grocery store is something that bugs me, being on time to work, does not. 

8. When my dog rips up toys/his bed that I buy for him. 
• Dogs do not understand the concept of money, or the fact that everything they have costs something. They get enjoyment from ripping up their toys, crate beds, and other items. Sometimes it's a result of them teething. For example, when my dog was a puppy and chewed up his bed, all of his toys, multiple pairs of shoes and my favorite shirt. 

9. When things in my house break 
• Repairing house appliances can be tedious for anyone, especially for someone who has no prior building, electrician, repair, or carpentry background. In the summer, my AC was broken for almost an entire week. This left me no choice but to abandon my apartment for these days until the sauna that I called an apartment was back to a cool 71 degrees. This is an extreme case, but even the simplest of appliances breaking can cause frustration for the whole household. 

10. Hand Washing dishes 
• It's 2020, our phones take commands that we ask, our speakers can tell you the temperature or play your favorite song on request, while calling you by your first name. Washing dishes should be a thing of the past, but once again, it is not. Being dealt the “old house in Gainesville” hand, my roommates and I have reverted back to paper plates to avoid hand washing dishes. This is not a real issue because most houses do have dishwashers, but it is a relative bug to me in this period of my life. 

11. The smell of cigarettes 
• The foul stench can be smelled from miles away. It is a putrid smell that can stain a room or bar  for hours. The United States of America is a beautiful place, you have the freedom to smoke a cigarette outside if you so please, this doesn’t mean that the smell is delightful to anyone. This smell bugs me for obvious reasons, second hand smoke is a very relevant negative effect of simply being around a cigarette smoker, by not even participating in the damaging of lungs, you can be at risk!

12.  My scooter not starting/ having to kick start 
• I do not regularly maintain my scooter, which is the reason for these problems. I am not a mechanic, so I do not understand the in’s and out’s of how engines work and how automobiles actually function. BUT, I have had more problems with my scooter, which has been maintained as often as a scooter should be (which I wouldn't call “often” but that's not for this post). These devices are great because they get me from point A to point B quicker than walking, at an affordable price in terms of gas and the mileage these scooters receive, but the problems that come along with these scooters has left a sour taste in my mouth for this type of automobile. 

13. Packing and unpacking my suitcases before and after trips. 
• Having to pack and unpack is tedious but necessary, you must take time and plan what you will need, how much, etc. Failure to do this strategically may cause issues during travels. The act of unpacking requires washing, sorting, refolding, and putting away the used closed and items on your trip. This act is almost more tedious than packing but again failure can cause clutter and mess. 

14. Traveling via bus or airplane 
• Traveling often requires the use of bus or airplane when traveling far distances, I cannot walk to California (or even Orlando) from Gainesville in an efficient manner. Public transportation ads extra barriers of entry such as scanning a bus card, waiting at the bus stop, going through airport security, layovers etc. In addition to this, busses travel at a much slower speed than airplanes and even cars. This makes the time traveling longer and more uncomfortable. Although these methods of travel may be necessary at times, they add many steps, money, and crowds. 

15. When chipotle on University has hard rice .
• If Chipotle workers neglect to change the rice after it has been sitting for hours, it can result in hard rice. Another reason for hard rice may be that it is not thoroughly cooked, which may be a product of a busy work day or uneducated cooks. Chipotle lines are typically long and the assembly line can move quickly, allowing the quality of food to slip the minds of these busy workers. 

16. When my beer gets warm before I can finish it.
• It is very challenging to drink out of a can or bottle of beer in the Florida heat, without it getting rapidly warmer. The heat from my hand often warms the beverage, in addition to the heat outside itself. Unless I have a yeti or a koozie to keep my beer cold, the end of the beer is typically warm, causing me to shotgun the majority of beers on a warm day. 

17.  Working at a nightclub as a security guard
• People go to nightclubs to drink and have a good time, often that leads to them becoming intoxicated and obnoxious. Occasionally, leading to them being removed from the club/bar. Drinking also increases aggressiveness, which leads to fights and hostile behavior. There is also a large Greek community at the bar I work at, leading to drama that isn't quite necessary.  

18. When my roommates don't clean up after themselves after I just cleaned the house. 
• My roommates and I have very busy schedules, we also have a different idea of what a clean house looks like. Some of them are fine leaving their trash and clutter on the table or in the living room, and I happen to have a different approach to cleaning. People also tend to be less considerate of things that they don’t understand, for instance, my level of cleanliness versus their level of cleanliness. 

19. Having to separate my laundry loads from colors and whites (and folding laundry).  
• It is important to not wash colors and whites together, in the event that the colors don't bleed into the whites. For example, one red item could turn a whole load pink. This sometimes calls for small loads that feel like a waste of a wash and tedious when it comes to folding and separating. I tend to wash my clothes on cold to avoid the color bleeding. 

20. When fruit goes bad before I can eat it. 
• I typically buy an excessive amount of fruit at the store in hope to boost my nutrient intake. I use these fruits in the morning when I blend them up into a smoothie, Unfortunately, with such a busy schedule and abundance of alternative food options in my house I rarely get around to eating it. Fruit does not have a very long life span and often goes bad before I can get to actually eating it, forcing me to freeze it. This usually makes the smoothie taste better but does not taste as “fresh.”

Reflection: The moment I read the instructions on this assignment I knew I would come across many challenges. I’m a more laid back person and haven’t thought to sit down and write down the things that bother me, which would remind me of the thing that do bother me. At first I began to write out my pet peeves, but I found myself at a standstill. Writing these “bugs” out took time that showed me more things bother me than I thought, and made me more in touch with my frustrations. Although, I started getting frustrated at the thought of some of these bugs, writing them out and expanding on why they do exist helped me understand these bugs, and a way to combat them. Overall, I feel like this assignment helped me understand myself, the things that bug me and how to combat these annoyances effectively.