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When life throws you a curveball..

Dead Tribute Banned

Picture the scene... It's a sunny morning in Dublin and you wake up excited as a virgin in a brothel. It's holiday time! You've the time booked off work, your boarding pass tucked safely away in your suitcase and money in your pocket.

Your friends are messaging you equally as excited. You've so many things planned for this trip, including tickets to see Depeche Mode in the Olympic Stadium. Life is SWEET!!!

You've been counting down the days to this for what seems like forever. Being a huge Depeche Mode fan, this will be a trip of a lifetime.

Just as you're about to walk out the door, you double check you have everything. You glance at your passport and the date seems wrong.

Expires February 2017? That can't be right. You slowly walk out the door and ignore your steadily increasing heartrate. February 2017? Hang on, what year is this... no, that can't be right, they must have made a mistake. Wait, is this 2017 or 2016? Ah, it's fine...it has to be fine... there's no way it isn't fine....is this a leap year? That's what it must be cos the thing on the thing..says.. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Que the penny dropping and a mad cap dash to the Passport Office. After floods of tears and life threatening negotiations, you realise that they won't back down. Emergency passports are only issued in the case of a family death or serious illness. Dave Gahan singing Enjoy the Silence, despite meaning the world to you, is not an emergency. Letting all of your friends down, also not an emergency. Not getting to go on your highly anticipated holiday, well you bet your ass that's not an emergency either.

This happened to me yesterday. It felt like the world was out to get me. Everything went wrong. I spent the day wandering around in a daze of tears. It felt like the worst thing that had ever happened to me.

However, this morning I woke up to a message from a good friend who I called in absolute bits yesterday. The message said - Cheer up, I got us tickets to see DM in November. Another friend called me and said if you're not going to Munich, lets go to Kilkenny for a spa weekend! So now we're booked into a lovely hotel in Kilkenny. I'm gonna go clothes shopping today and get my hair done and accept that it wasn't meant to be.

Has life ever thrown you a massive curveball that felt like the end of the world that somehow turned out to be a positive? Also, do you believe everything happens for a reason, like if I'd gone maybe my plane would have crashed (it clearly didn't). I can't realy see any reason that all happened. I'm down about 1,000 euro from hotels being non refundable, flights, trips etc and I'm sorely disappointed. Maybe I was meant to learn some lesson or maybe it's just a big pile of sh*t...

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gramar

Glenster wrote: »

Sort your own life out mate.

I really feel for the staff in the passport office, every day a hysterical sob story, every day disappointed kids waved in their face as though its their fault. It must be a grim job.

Sounds like you'd be perfect for it.

Ann22

Dead Tribute Banned wrote:

I wanted more than anything to see my sister. I let her down too. She was looking forward to seeing Depeche Mode with me cos we grew up on them. Letting someone else down is a horrible feeling.

What an awful disappointment! You poor wee thing!! Just think maybe if you'd went something awful might be happened. Perhaps it's for the best xxxx

team_actimel

Ann22 wrote: »

What an awful disappointment! You poor wee thing!! Just think maybe if you'd went something awful might be happened. Perhaps it's for the best xxxx

I like your response! OP, you'll probably appreciate and make the most of when you actually get to see them in a few months' time. You'll have the best time!
Don't waste any more of your energy being upset and focus on the positive! You'll be thankful when the time comes to see them in a few months

Dead Tribute Banned

Ann22 wrote: »

What an awful disappointment! You poor wee thing!! Just think maybe if you'd went something awful might be happened. Perhaps it's for the best xxxx

Thanks

My sister said to me yesterday, maybe it wasn't meant to be, maybe you'd have gotten crushed in the crowd.. or, with the state of the world, 80,000 people in a German stadium, there could be an attack...

I don't think she understands consolation!! :pac:

ThinkProgress

@OP:

Just kidding! :pac:

gramar wrote: »

Yes it is Hector but the OP has probably been listening and following this band for 30 odd years. They organise a trip to Germany to see the band maybe for the first time and spend a few days away with friends. Looking forward for months to a concert that in years to come they could look back on as one of the outstanding moments in their life and not to mention it costing a thousand odd quid. Then to see all those plans nay dreams implode through a simple yet unresolveable oversight. That stings Hector no matter what world you live in.

And the bigger lesson in all of that...?

Don't have a large chunk of your potential happiness hinging on some distant event or occasion in the future... You've gotta find joy and pleasure in everyday events. That's the essence of a fulfilling life. Not just some holiday or concert that may or may not happen!

topper75

A bit of old brown boot polish on the mug, over to Dover, and do a reverse asylum claim through the chunnel.

Depechez vous!

Agricola

Curveball? This is more a gentle underarm toss from an arthritic elderly person!

LadyMacBeth_

I'm sorry that this happened to you OP and that you missed out on the concert, seeing your sister and losing so much money. I had to get an emergency passport before in a similar situation. That being said though, if this felt like the worst thing that ever happened to you then you are pretty damn lucky.

Irish Guitarist

When life hands you curveballs make curveballade.

ScumLord

MarcusP12 wrote: »

But just cuz some dozy yoke doesn't cop it in Dublin airport (unlikely since there are a few checks) doesn't mean they'll get away with it for the flight home or get through passport control the other side....id imagine the Germans are very thorough on these things and then they'd be rightly screwed!!

My sister made a mistake buying a ticket once, she put her famliy name on the ticket instead of her new married name on the passport. The Aer Lingus guy at check in said that if we take you out we have to bring you back, so I don't think it would be a huge issue coming back if you've already made it through the airport once. But that was a valid passport.

I don't know that you specifically need a passport to enter other European countries. It's often the airlines that require them. A valid ID can often work too but it depends on the country, I know you don't need a passport to enter the UK as an Irish citizen.

ToddyDoody

Dead Tribute Banned wrote: »

Has life ever thrown you a massive curveball that felt like the end of the world that somehow turned out to be a positive? Also, do you believe everything happens for a reason, like if I'd gone maybe my plane would have crashed (it clearly didn't). I can't realy see any reason that all happened. I'm down about 1,000 euro from hotels being non refundable, flights, trips etc and I'm sorely disappointed. Maybe I was meant to learn some lesson or maybe it's just a big pile of sh*t...

Firstly, your story is not positive. It's OK to say that it is sh*t. To be down €1000 that you'd have been better off wiping your arse (pardon the French) with is not good.

In my case, I practically have no friends.

There's family who are great for any weekend visits, the odd one or two I can do a weekend with and work colleagues but otherwise, I'm by myself.

The positives - A deep interest in music, reading books, the wonders of the web and, due to practice, the ability to comfortably go on a night out, with plenty of drink, by myself and take it all in, also there's personal time with art galleries and different cities / restaurants.

Peer pressure, to me, is there to be conquered and if the pressure becomes too much, maybe I turn to the almighty for guidance... what or whoever the almighty is.