So I get into my car this morning and I think, ‘Shit, the steering wheel is cold!’. It is. And just as I’m feeling all bummed about that, another thought pops into my head: “First World Problems”.
If you’re not familiar with this expression that has begun to gain some traction around the place lately, let me put it another way….
As the great philosopher Kylie Minogue once sang: “I should be so lucky”.
Baby it's cold outside. And inside.
Yes. A cold steering wheel in my car is not a matter of life or death. It is annoying and unfortunate but really? What a great problem to have. I should be so lucky that a cold steering wheel even registers as a problem in my world.
I find the “First World Problems” mantra popping into my head more and more often lately and it’s a terrific way to jolt yourself out of a pity-party and create some much needed perspective. Suddenly, whatever it is you’re bitching about doesn’t seem so bad anymore.
So. What’s your First World Problem right now?
Comments
503 Comments so far
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Public toilets…why are they so disgustingly dirty, in most cities and beach fronts, towns. Many years ago.. Ha.. in a city I used to walk rather a mile to a toilet, that was clean, and a lady used to sit at the door which we had to pay 5 cents and then use the toilets, they were beautifully kept, and CLEAN. Toilet paper was always available, you had somewhere to sit, for a while, the basins were clean. You felt safe. I wonder if this system would work all over Australia, as travelling around Australia, many tourist complain about our toilets, how very dirty they are. Why cant we have someone in the toilets, and pay them to keep them clean, hygienic and safe. In the toilet above I was talking about, the toilets were so clean, you felt clean, and everyone respected the area. There was no damage done to the toilets, and no grafitti. What does everyone else think….
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I have to slice 15 square metres off my already-petite house plan…damn those local councils!!!
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My FWP: My Mercedes was broken down all last week and I had to walk my daughters to school and family day care, all 2km round trip of it. Lucky it wasn’t raining like the week before.
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i complain that i have to commute from my beautiful 5 bedroom house. i do catch the bus tho
i complain that it’s so hard to choose what to eat everynight, cos there are so many options.
i complain that i got ‘nothing to wear’ while my wardrobe is full of nice clothes.
i complain about periods tho after i saw the 28 video, i slap myself! at least i have pads.
i complain that heater is not heating the house fast enuf.
OMG im so ungrateful!!!
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*First world (*read totally spoilt) problem of the day… whinging that last year we didn’t go on a European summer holiday (went on safari in Kenya instead). Now I’m complaining that two European summer weekends away isn’t good enough for this year, considering we’re going to New York in October and home (HOME!) for Xmas.
I really really need to get over myself. Deep breathe friends, we’ll get through .. x
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I curse our cold, draughty victorian house without central heating which requires me to turn the heater on well before bringing our baby into a room. Then I see a homeless person sitting in a doorway on a freezing, windy day and feel like the most selfish, ungrateful person in the world.
I really apprecaite this post for reminding me that I have NOTHING to complain about, and instead I feel very thankful and proud of what we do have. I feel inclined to write a few post-its to this effect and place them strategically around the house to remind me next time I get into a ‘mood’ about something.
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Being nearly 39 weeks pregnant, I’m grateful that I haven’t needed to buy ANY maternity clothes but, boy am I sick of the clothes I do fit into…!
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Just try living in St Kilda..
Its like damn I wish I could watch the morning news on a wide screen lcd and then I only have the home brand cheese for my pasta for lunch because I ran out of the italian parmesan and ohhh I my wardrobe would be perfect if I had those new boots..
And you walk out onto the street and theres an addict with scratch marks on their face begging for loose change and shivering from the cold, muttering to themself and they won’t meet your eye…
Tv, cheese and boots – not such a big deal.
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I understand First World Problems as a concept, but tell me when is it a ‘First world Problem’ and when is it (and please I love Mia usually but …..) just a sign of a really over indulged person.
I do understand how people who want to upgade their cars and complain because they don’t have the money for the car of their dreams can be considered in the category of First World complainers but really how does a cold steering wheel even register?
There are people who live in the first world and walk to the train station in the dark on a gloomy, cold winter’s day and then ride to work in an overcrowded train and then walk to the office in the cold and rain. Now I know that this is not up there with Third World Issues and so could be a First World Problem but how is having difficulty coping with a cold sterring wheel a First World Problem? Sorry Mia you lost me on this one.
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I should add ….. I scrolled down and read some really sad and difficult stories and my heart goes out to those people. Their stories are NOT in the category of First World Problems. Regardeless of where you live there are some situations that are just the pits.
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i only scanned the stories and i found most of them to be unashamedly overindulged. i thought that was the point of the post that many of us complain about things that really would never be a problem for most people living in the world. heaters not hot enough, dvd’s not recording, cleaning for the cleaner etc.
most of us ARE spoilt rotten when compared to people in developing countries.
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I think some people in the First World are well and truly and most horribly spoilt rotten and some are just a wee bit psychologically unhinged. Others have problems that are really difficult but minor compared to problems in the Third World and then there are people who have problems that are traumatic regardless of whether they live in the First World or Third World.
So to take it further … what category would you put the woman who has an emotional collapse because her Nannny is in bed with the flu, or a Prime Minister who has a melt down and lashes out at the airline steward because his airline food is cold?
Maybe my point is about definitions.
I do agree however, …. sometimes you just have to have a laugh at yourself or your Prime Minister.
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I think the point of the post was to realise how trivial our problems really are. I can’t speak for everyone but I know how effed up so much of the world is and sometimes you just need to laugh at how selfish we are in comparison. Sometimes the world’s problems are just too big and overwhelming to be serious about them all of the time.
Making a joke out of it doesn’t mean that we feel any less for those people and all of their problems.
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The man who was sad that he had no shoes, didn’t worry so much when he saw the man with no legs.
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Last night I got up to feed my newborn at about 3am, ducted heating had been on for about half an hour when I was woken up, and I decided I would watch The Good Wife that I’d recorded instead of falling asleep in the rocking chair. So got baby up, changed nappy, got our feeding pillow, sat on our comfy lounge in front of our 50 inch TV only to realise that my glasses were in my bedroom. Damn it! Couldn’t be arsed walking back to our bedroom so just sat and read Mamamia on my iPhone, which brings me to another problem – couldn’t post a relpy from my phone this morning so had to wait till now!
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Bad parking. Everywhere. Shopping centres. The school car park. I have the irrational urge to slap the mother who parked on an angle across two parks … Did I mention we live about 500 m from the school?? First world problem indeed !
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Deciding whether to watch Celeb cook off on Ready Steady Cook or All Saints. Oh the dilemmas!
Also, wondering about why Declan from Neighbours has become an Edward Cullen clone. The old Declan is joining the Army. Crisis over.
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Ergh I hate the new Declan! I much preferred the old Declan. That is my crisis! I cringe everytime I see that new dude!
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That appears to be the consensus, MadCass! I had a bit of a hunt around and found that he has always wanted to join the Army, and has quit Neighbours to do just that.
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silly bugger
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Putting car in for service for a whole day with 2 kids under 2 = first world problem.
Kill me now!
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I have a terrible cold. And not all the amazing medicines and the wonderful GP that I have access to can help me. So I will have to continue to ‘suffer’ – woe is me.
I just discovered this post today – and it’s bloody helped me get out of my pity party for 1 re: my cold!! As did the comment that Peanut made re: ‘people in Darfur feeling sorry for us right now’!! Love it Peanut!
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Ha – I used it just yesterday when my husband was complaining about our slow internet connection!
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I cant be bothered to tidy my messy kitchen! Im sick of doing it! Woe is me!
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my mobile internet usb stick thing didn’t work properly on my laptop this morning and i could not log onto the internet. First World Problem!!!
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My problems…plural
Well two and a half years ago I had a accident that shattered my heel and bits of my ankle making it nesasary to have 5 operatoions over the last few years and I will be losing my job at the end of the year beacause I am now not phisically fit enought o pass my employers fitness standard…in the middle of that my then 15 yearold daughter started cutting drinking and generaly not being herself.She then attempted suicide by cutting her wrists at school and if that wasn’t bad enough little did I know that it would be the first of three attemptes over the next 18 months…..FYI the mental health system of this country SUCKS…..they and by them I mean the hospitals just scooted us out the door after each attemt and made an appointment with a Phyciatrist that she did not have to attend if she didnt want to…..go figure…after the last attempt which was in mid march of this year and countless misdiagnosis we where put onto the director of the Black dog institute who diagnosed her with Bipolar 2,which is a blessing because we now have a starting line she is taking her meds but alternates with acceptance and saying its not true…makes life a challenge,today not so good!!!!!!! she is a gorgeous ,smart(before her illness straight A’s),funny girl that cannot see her wonderful self.And to cap it all off my gorgeous sister in law dies at the end of feb from complete organ shutdown after battling her way through 44years of heart disease..and my brother has come to live with us because he is not doing so well.My gorgeous daughter doesnt like the attention being off her and on him but also doesn’t like it on her..I know maddening.. so as they say FML
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I just wanted to say, third or first world, they are serious problems you are dealing with and I really feel for you. I was also treated by the director of the black dog and he really helped me and I hope he can do the same for you.
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Hey Sim And Rainbow,Thankyou soooo mch for your thoughts Miss17 has switched again today so for a little while I have my gorgoues girl back yea….. Sim I am so glad that he has helped you,stay strong girl…xx
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you have real problems to deal with. it adds a bit more perspective to this post. i really wish you the best and hope you and your daughter get access to the very best help. and best wishes to your brother too, he is lucky he has you
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Daughter’s problem: ineffective dream catcher (according to her)
Other daughter’s problem: has to choose between going to a 5th birthday party or a dance performance.
Son’s problem: he has to sit in the ballet waiting room once a week and it’s so boring.
Husband’s problem: should our winter holiday be for 3 weeks or 2?
My problem: I can’t stop wearing my slippers outside so they are always dirty.
Thankfully I already know how lucky we are when these are the things that consume us.
xx
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First World Problem = Fat acceptance
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I had a party on the weekend and someone tramped blueberries all through the house on the carpet……. FML!
Lol
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When I whinge about ‘first world problems’ my husband always says to me…”Dear Welfare Department, today I have xxx problem etc” and it always makes me remember how lucky we are.
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me too- if I dared to whinge to my Husband he replies with- did our child go to school safely today? does my wife or daughter have to walk around covered head to toe and not been seen? Did anyone try to kill you because of your religion or what you said about a political party? Six years in a warzone puts things in perspective…
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Feeling overwhelmed sorting through a backlog of photos to scrapbook. So many wonderful memories of healthy family and friends. Also feeling sorry for myself because I cannot choose between 2 foxtel shows that are on at the same time. Should have got IQ. Also my WIFI connection is dropping out constantly and should I take out the chicken or the steak for dinner….. Geez I really needed that reality check. Things could definately be worse.
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I went to the department fridge this morning and not only was no milk delivered today, the milk I bought over the long weekend (teeny carton) had been finished off by someone else. I wanted my hot chocolate and marshmallows, damn it.
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We are renovating my house and I’m pregnant with 2 small children. I’ve had to live 200kms away at my mothers house for the last month. Everything is in a total mess at home and covered in dust and dirt.
It won’t be finished for another 2 weeks. I’m sooooo over it….
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I know what you mean! We moved two small children and 11 weeks pregnant and the main moving day I couldn’t stop vomiting.
I would give instructions of what went where to our movers and helpful family members, then vomit!
Possibly only topped by the selling of our house prior to that when newly pregnant and small children (who leave mess and fingerprints everywhere) and the agent would call and want to show our house, ahhhhh!
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My laptop is about to die. How on Earth am I going to survive this lecture without Mamamia to distract me? And I’m going to have to take notes on *gasp* PAPER!!
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Yesterday afternoon I changed over the linen on our bed to flashy super thread count Egyptian cotton and new quilt cover with matching pillows and whatnot. Was very pleased with the look. At 2am my nine month old vomited all over lovely clean new sheets. Was having a bit of a whinge about having to get out my OTHER set of lovely sheets and do it AGAIN when my loving husband reminded me to get over myself just a bit.
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This time two weeks ago my husband and I were on our own, a wonderful holiday just the two of us. I was eating three courses, three times a day and having a very well dressed waiter put a napkin on my lap. Tonight I wiped green snot from my sons nose at the same time as catching spat up pasta my daughter decided was “too spicy!!”
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I am having a secert office war with the person who keeps going through my trash at the end of the day and taking out my recyclable items and placing them back on my desk. I put them back in every morning.
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why not just do the right thing to begin with and recycle.
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That is hilarious, but you should recycle …
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Too funny, I do miss that sort of thing about working !
I used to work with a whacko who would take the office newspaper each day and read it in the loo. So we set him up and got guys to plant food scraps in the cubicle he would always visit. In he would run yelling out ‘some dirty b*****d has been eating lunch in the toilet..’ Totally oblivious to the fact that its just as gross to read a communal paper on the toilet.
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The communal papers at work have big “do not remove from reception” stickers on them for that very reason. Disgusting…
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I totally understand that: yes, recycling is important, but this is about them being condescending. I had a flatmate who used to do things like that, drove me nuts: if she’d just asked rather than being passive aggressive, I probably would have done what she asked.
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Its just being a complete Mrs Mangel sticky beak ! Who goes through someone else’s rubbish?
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oooh! and passive aggressive notes… at my work there was one lady who loved to write these nasty little notes… is escalated into a full on war with her vs an entire branch…
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There are too many appliances on the kitchen bench and not enough powerpoints. I keep having to unplug and plug in, and there is a great tangle of cords getting in my way.
And the pantry is a mess. Lots of half-empty packets of things that haven’t been put into a proper container and then gone stale. Then they migrate to the back of the pantry which is hard for me to reach so they just stay there and get hidden by stuff being pushed in the front. Then the pantry moths find them.
The fridge and freezer are in a similar condition. Minus the moths. I imagine pantry moths are a very first world problem.
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I hear you on the power plug dilemma! We are one point short in our bedroom (our 4 point power board is full) so everytime I need to charge my phone, I have to unplug my side of the electric blanket. Woe is me – I can’t charge my mobile and have an electrically warmed bed at the same time
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I hate that my hair isnt sitting right today..
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the charger for the laptop occasionally makes this weird high pitch noise that only me and the dog can hear
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that actually made me giggle quite loudly, in a quiet sleeping house. Thank you for making my day =)
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First world problem in a developing country: Sometimes I have to load my own dishwasher because the maid doesn’t come in over the weekend.
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I use the line on my husband: ‘The people of Darfur are feeling really sorry for us right now’. It always makes us laugh and snap right out of our ridiculous whinging!
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Obviously laugh at ourselves.. not at Darfur… hm.
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Peanut – I love it. Hope you don’t mind if I steal this one!!
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I hate putting on winter weight!
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Do I keep growing my hair and straightening or go back to short and naturally curly?
Yep, life’s tough at my place.
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Oh, I had that problem last week. I cut it. Got sick of straightening it only for it to get sweaty now that I’m at the gym all the time!
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Keep it straight!
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I got quite suburnt sitting on my roof deck, eating food that had been delivered to me. I’ve also put on quite a bit of weight lately, BECAUSE I HAVE ALL THIS EASY ACCESS TO DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS FOOD. Oh, and the laundry service used too much starch on my husband’s shirts. And the Roomba doing my vaccuuming makes an annoying sound. So much to worry about!
Old Peanut, doing it tough.
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Peanut, I think you may be mistakenly having my life.
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I have to say, the Roomba changed mine. It’s a bit ridiculous to have a robot vaccuum cleaner (ok, very), but it gets under everything! I feel like it paid for itself very quickly, but I think my mother in law thinks I’m a spoilt brat. Which I am. But I know I am, so that’s the first step,right?
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From one spoilt brat to another (even though I don’t have a roomba) – And the problem with being a spoilt brat is??
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Just looked up what a Roomba is…oooohhhh I want one!!!
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It’s Monday night, which means that that the bin guys will be in their very noisy truck at approx 5.30am right outside our bedroom window. I hate Tuesday mornings.
Oh, but thank you bin guys, for coming each week.
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my bin guys come on Sat morning
– woe is me lol
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Mine are all to do with moving a family of 5 across the world. Stuff like what to leave and what to take, selling stuff here, where we live when we get back, buying cars. Not small issues, but when you’re going back to a job, when they’re paying for your moving costs and airfares you know you’re in a privileged situation.
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Hi String,
where and when are you going? We are moving to Singapore in a year and my head is already full of the same issues.
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Hi Flotsam,
We moved from Australia to the UK three years ago and are moving back in late August.
We stored lots of furniture, toys etc and rented a furnished house here. So we’re not moving a house full of furniture. But we are needing to sell our house in Australia and buy a new one, buy a new car once we get back, sell some stuff here, work out what to take, give away etc. It’s DEFINITELY mentally and emotionally draining. Especially when your husband is trying to finish his PhD before he goes back to a new job with new pressures/challenges.
Having done it once before, I’d recommend doing your research. If possible, find people there who you can ask all the myriads of questions about everything from trying to budget for your time there, what different areas are like, schools etc to which nappies are the best! We were blessed to randomly discover people in our city here who were friends of friends who graciously answered all our questions. If you don’t really have many connections, perhaps some expat forum or something might help?
I found having a file of all my lists, random thoughts etc helped me stay a little more sane! Gave me somewhere to write things down when I thought of them at 3AM too.
Good luck!
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Thanks so much, String. I’m stopping in Singapore for a few days later this year to check out schools, and suburbs. I’ve been haunting the expat forums and learning loads.
Good luck with your move!
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Do you have any friends that work for airlines? Or friends of friends? Airline people are great movers and know all the ins and outs.
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I had to leave my 5 star weekend away to come back to a job that is in a climate controlled office with free tea.
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I can never quite get the balance right with the heater in my lounge-room. It’s too warm when it’s on, and then quite chilly soon after it’s off… Woe is me.
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My boyfriend bought me tickets to Muse for my birthday. While I’ve been going on about how much I want to see to them for months, I did kind of have my heart set on going to see Wicked. For the fourth time.
I am disgusting.
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I understand, Wicked is AMAZING!
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Oh, I totally understand! I bought tickets to Muse last year and have been really psyched, but recently found out that they are playing on the same day as Flogging Molly. I’ve seen Flogging Molly like four times, but am totally gutted about it.
I’m disgusting too.
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lol Wicked is awesome but I got tickets for Muse as well so Im really excited for that!!!!
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My untidy home has been getting me down.
But I have a job that lets me afford to rent this place, and I’m fortunate to own Stuff that I’m trying to find room for, and I have a wonderful boyfriend who happens to be less of a control/neat freak than me. Much of the mess is his sheet music and uni notes, but we have access to good education that enables him to further his talent. And I get to hear him singing every day (he once dedicated a piece to me at an audition).
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I am slightly sunburnt from spending all day Saturday in the sun at the polo drinking pimms
LOL
Great post, everyone is very funny
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my cupboards are full to overflowing, they are so disorganised, i can never find anything to wear.. poor me
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Looked through my wedding photos from 6 years ago and realised that one of my eyelids is seriously droopy in every second one of them.
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I was in the shower today and the hot water ran out… I couldn’t wash out my conditioner properly!
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i know your pain very well!
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Gratitude exercises are so important…this post has reminded me to spend a few minutes each day listing everything that I am grateful for. Thank you!
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My arches have collapsed (plantar fasciitis), it really hurts and its hard to wear nice shoes. I really don’t want to wear homy-peds and birkenstocks. Help! Life can be so unfair.
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I love my birkenstocks! Got them firmly attached to my feet right now.
But you poor thing, it can’t be nice looking at all those lovely shoes and not being able to wear them. Can you get special insoles fitted with extra support and stability?
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Mum gets plantar fasciitis, and she wears sneaker-type shoes all the time, rather than Homy Peds. You can get some groovy-looking ones these days, even from places like Rivers. That said, I second MissNeriss’ love of Birkenstocks, which are awesome. Birkis also some in a bunch of groovy styles now, not just chef clogs.
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