Laughed at this because I did the same thing a few years back and my list was basically stove, pot, spoon, coffee maker, and a headlamp. Turns out I hauled 40 pounds of stuff around for three days just so my back could hate me. The other 30 items never left the pack. I even brought a folding saw I used one time to cut a stick I didn't need. My buddies still give me crap about the camp chair I carried for six miles and sat in exactly once. Nine things sounds about right and the rest is just fear in backpack form.

Throwing away 20 minutes? Hand stirring gives you time to think about the next step.

55 minutes is long enough that you can do a middle ground instead of all or nothing. I did the same commute for two years and what worked for me was one ear on and one ear off, or just pulling one cup back a little so you still catch the muffled announcement for your stop. You can also set a phone alarm for like 5 minutes before your stop, that alone would have saved you from missing it twice. The lady yelling thing is on her though, nobody expects you to hear a whisper through cans on a bus. Block out the speakerphone guy, he has it coming, but keep one foot in the world so you don't end up in Jersey.