Dogs are thee most amazing creatures that walk on earth. Do not fight me on this. Everything they do is spectacular, starting from the moment they are born to the day that they (unfortunately) are no longer with us. One of these breathtaking features is when they stick their heads out of the windows when driving around. While my dog gets WAY too excited when I say, “wanna go for a ride!?”, it’s only fair to say that I get just as excited when I see him plop his head out the window and beam with happiness.

Why?
One of the main reasons why dogs sticking their head out of the window is so common is because of sense of smell. As most people already know, dogs senses are miraculously better than humans to begin with. Their noses, in particular, are crazy. As Soniak describes as an “all-you-can-smell scent buffet”, dogs olfactory membrane have the power to pick up on the tiniest scents possible. With their receptors being so powerful and sensitive, alongside of the wind picking up scents on top of that, dogs practically have the ability to smell a hotdog from a mile away. Impressive, right? Also, the scenery is very refreshing, especially if your pup doesn’t get out much. Going on rides finally presents them with the opportunity to “explore” the unknown (Dr. Kelly Moffat) and expand their visual curiosity.

Pros:
I honestly cannot prove that there is scientific research supporting this claim, but one pro of dogs sticking their heads out of the window is that it is SO precious. Have you ever actually looked at your dog when they’ve done it? They automatically gain the biggest smile ever (or is it the wind pushing their face back? Hmm..) and you can just tell that they truly appreciate their life and everything at that exact moment. Dogs become so happy and that alone should be worth your wild. Don’t fight the sensation, accept it.

Cons:
Unfortunately, where there is beauty, there is said to be pain. In this scenario, lots of pain. Dogs sticking their heads out of moving vehicles is extremely dangerous. To begin, there is risk of objects flying into their face and damaging their eyes. Dr. Mike Paul goes into depth about how dogs corneas are more prone to lifelong damage than humans. For instance, if a pebble or piece of gravel was to fly into a dogs eye, it would be nearly impossible to fully repair their sight. Yikes.
Also, there is always risk of dogs jumping out of the car and hurting themselves. In personal experience, my dog was in the back of my dads truck and jumped out of the trunk, leaving his butt scratched and bruise. He could hardly walk for a few hours, and this was only going 5 mph into my driveway. Imagine the damage that could’ve been done if we were on the highway, or in this case even a 25 mph road. Nobody wants to see an injured puppy. Aside from running the risk of jumping out of the moving vehicle, picture how many times one slams on their breaks while driving? This sudden jerk of motion is sure to bring harms way to not only you, but more importantly your dog. We don’t want that.
Finally, the air coming from the motion of the car can severely impact dogs hearing. Dogs ears are naturally sensitive, so any added pressure can cause them to become deaf. Dr. William E. Monroe elaborates this subject more in the nature of sensory nerves.

Conclusion:
It comes with no doubt that there are more arguments against than arguments for having dogs stick their heads out of the window. Nevertheless, dogs are the most beautiful animals alive-let’s give them the respect they deserve. These alluring pups only live for so long, so might as well let them enjoy life while they’re still here. Regardless, it is still essential to stay cautious! Flop on.

Picture Sources:
Top two- my pictures
Slow-mo Pup
Flop

Let’s make this clear right from the get-go. My title is misleading. If you take anything out of this blog, please don’t let it be to never shower because that is not what I’m saying. However, before we start, take a second to think about how much you actually shower- and be honest. Once a day..twice a day..once a week? In our universe today, we like to live by the stigma that cleanliness is key. The idea that one must shower everyday has been plastered into our heads ever since one can remember. But how accurate is that though? Does one reallllyyyy have to shower everyday? Is that even healthy?

Let’s start with the pro’s of showering everyday:
1. You feel squeaky clean. Coming straight from a workout? Get a shower. Feeling gross from greasy fast-food? Get a shower. Don’t feel like doing homework? Get a shower. No-matter what the cause, shower’s are always there for you and will never fail to give you that squeaky clean feel.
2. You smell delightful. Whether you support Dove, Irish Spring, Suave, or Axe, you leave the shower smelling 10x more charming than you did going in.
3. You instantly become a rockstar. Take it from Fez, once the curtain closes, the concert begins.

4. You get daily alone time (this becomes very essential, especially when you live in supplemental housing).

But where there are pro’s, there are con’s:
1. Bad for hair. As gross as it sounds, the greasy hair one gets after not washing it once or twice actually matters! The oils moisturize your hair and keep the scalp healthy. Not only does washing your hair too often dry it out and makes it vulnerable to dandruff, but it also ruins color. Let’s not forget about all of the minerals from the water having the ability to dull colors and cause a lost in richness. How rude.
2. Skin damaging. As discussed here, the barrier of ones skin is called the stratum corneum. This layer of hardened, dead skin cells are held together by lipids which help maintain moisture throughout the skin (Josh Clark). These fatty compounds secure the healthy cells that rest underneath. However, taking frequent showers and washing your body with washcloths and loofahs damages this layer. The combination of soap and hot water dissolves the fatty compounds. Also, scrubbing with either washcloths or loofahs quickly increases the damage. The destruction of the stratum corneum prevents moisture, therefore drying out the skin causing it to be irritated and cracked. As studied by Dr. Elaine Larson, cracked, dehydrated skin opens perforation for infection causing germs, bad bacteria, and diseases.
Long story short, the more you scrub your body, the more prone you become to breaking apart the stratum corneum. This damage causes lost of moisture and prevents the immune system-supporting bacteria from spreading. That being said, showering everyday gives less time to the skin to repair the breakage of the dead cells (outer layer), causing irritation and potential infections.
3. Time consuming. While they may be relaxing, think about all the time you spent standing up soaking in water. You could have be catching up on homework, running errands, or checking out a new series on Netflix. This may not be scientific, but it holds truth.
4. BILL$ BILL$ BILL$. The cost of your water bill skyrockets per shower-especially if you’re like me and take 20/30 minute showers. It only becomes worst showering more than once a day. Not only does your water bill double, but so does that amount of money you put out to buy shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. $$$

Conclusion:
It is clear that the pros are overshadowed by the cons. Showering everyday is horrible for your skin and can cause health problems in the long-run. Nevertheless, even with that being said, I believe it just comes down to personal preference. Although I am now aware of the dangers that come along with showering frequently, I will still continue to shower seven times a week. However, if one is concerned with the hazards involve, there are ways to get away with not showering everyday. Check this out for ways to “look great even when you don’t shower”. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll take up a few of these life hacks.

Picture sources: 
Fez
Budget

I think it goes without saying that Q-tips are quite possible one of the best inventions in the world. The feeling of sticking these little things in your ears cannot be beat- especially after a long day on the hot, sandy beach. But, have you ever looked at a box of q-tips? On each container, it points out the variety of uses such as First Aid, Baby Care, Electronics, and Household Use. Where does it say anything about ears? Look a little closer. If you turn the box to the side, you’ll see “WARNING: Do not insert swab into ear canal”. Wait, what? How is it that one of the main uses of Q-tips is under a warning label? Well, here’s why.

As explained by William H. Shapiro in this brief video, wax is essential for your body, specifically your ears. Two essential “duties” of earwax are to protect your body from insects crawling inside of you (ew, right?) and to also prevent fungus, bacteria, and viruses from forming. You’re not going to be known as a fun-guy if you have a ton of fungi in your ears.. if you know what I’m saying.

Also, the potential for physical harm arises as well. If forced in too far, Q-tips will push back the wax in your ears and impact the ear canal. Harm to your ear canal can likely cause loss in hearing. If effected enough, one can even rapture their ear drum. Ouch. Not worth it if you ask me. However, what is one expected to do when they get that “itch” in their ear? Klein explains this cycle through a metaphor which we can all relate to. When one gets a mosquito bite, they feel obligated to scratch it. While there’s a sense of relief and pleasure throughout these few scratches, it just becomes more itchy! Now replace the mosquito bite with a Q-tip in your ear. Klein refers to this as a “vicious” cycle, and I find that hard to argue against.

Nevertheless, is the temporary pleasure worth the spiders, fungi, or a raptured ear drum? Don’t risk it. Make a Q-tip snowman instead.

Picture sources:
Glasses Man
Qtip Snowman

I never wrote a blog before. To be completely honest, I never even thought of writing a blog before. Now that I am, though, I am pretty excited. Let me introduce myself. I’m Katharine Marie Sayer, but most people call me Katie. Well, everyone does. So you can call me Katie, Kate, or even just K if you have such a strong desire to do so for whatever reason. I answer to anything, even if you just point at me. Anyway, I’m from a really small town in South Jersey (Pitman- anyone?) and had a graduating class of 121 people. That being said, being in SC200 with over 300 kids is kinda a big deal for me.

Science has never been my thing, like ever. When I heard I had to take science as a gen-ed class, this was my reaction:

No joke.

I had no idea what to do, but my adviser set me up. He was basically the one who picked this course for me- indicating a great professor and an overall highly talked about class. So with that being said, how could I refuse? Now being in this class, I see why it’s so talked about. I already feel engaged and am way more thrilled about science than I’ve ever been all throughout K12. I’m not planning on being a science major because, well long story short, I suck at science and it bores me too much. I currently plan on majoring in Criminology but depending on how this semester goes and how well I actually do in my Crim class, that may change. I guess time will tell. I am only a freshman anyway- I “have time”. Hopefully this class will change my opinion on science though. I’m hype for what lies ahead, especially with Andrew’s accent lol.

This is random, but HERE ‘s an article on the constant bath vs. shower argument. I’m not really sure how “sciencey” this is, but you gotta start somewhere, ya know? I’m personally team shower, what do you think?

Cleary, I have to work on my blogging. I have no flow. But hopefully as this class progresses, my blogging skills will too. Lol.

Until next time,

-Katie Say