Meanwhile, forgotten in the wreckage of the clock and tv, the smeared bug-guts remain on the wall and book cover in the late-summer heat....

Ah the joy of physics.

*sigh* Poor bugs. I don't expect everyone to avoid killing all bugs but that doesn't mean you have to go over the top and needlessly destroy the tiniest of bugs. A lot of people are thumbing down the 'anti-bug squashing' comments but if everyone squashed all the bugs we'd screw up the animal balance and die pretty quickly. A lot of animals rely on bugs as a food source.

Maybe it's not karma and just being unfortunate? I don't know why one in two comments is about karma Anyway I wouldn't have a home anymore if two of my possessions were potentially destroyed everytime I squashed, accidentally or not (stupid mosquitoes,) a bug!

YDI - For using a book to smash it!

Somewhere in bug afterlife, there is an insect laughing its ass off saying YDI. Im sure the previous bugs that you smashed with mallets and sledgehammers are laughing too, you cruel bastard you.

My reccommendation? Don't follow through quite so hard on your swing. And if the little blighter isn't venomous, don't sweat it and use a second-hand sifter to trap it humanely with far less risk to your appliances.

Haven't you seen Bee Movie? Even the smallest life has meaning.

Look up a thing called a spider rifle on Youtube. It is very easy to build, and it doesn't hurt the little creature. I use mine very often, and then I humanely relocate them to another place.

I don't get all these people saying you should never kill bugs. If it's outside I'll leave it alone because that's where it's supposed to be, but if it comes into my home it's going to die, with very few exceptions (moths and lady bugs, for example, will only be relocated). However, I don't want to risk the nastier ones like roaches and spiders coming back in after I relocate them. I don't want them near my food, and I don't want them near where I sleep, so they'll get squished every time.