Why am I so shit?

[JNicholson]

I just bought a sandwich from M&S after a work meeting in a different location, and ate half of it before getting on the train back to the main office. I put the other half in its packaging in my open laptop bag, which is crammed full of other stuff, to eat when I got back.

As soon as I sat down on the train I saw that the open package had fallen from the bag onto the floor, so no other half of the M&S sandwich for me. I couldn’t see the sandwich, assumed it had fallen under the seat but when I got up to throw the packaging away I saw it had somehow fallen to the side and slightly under me so although I have now thrown the squashed half sandwich away, there is now some squashed egg mayonnaise and ketchup on the seat, bad luck for anyone subsequent who wants to sit there, and ditto on my smart work dress which was newly washed this morning and which I will now have to wash again.

This kind of event sums up my life. Why? Why am I so shit? Why am I incapable of having a laptop bag that isn’t crammed and which I can close? Why am I incapable of eating a sandwich on the go without throwing it on the floor and mashing it into my dress?

FML.

Spilled a quarter of a large bottle of coconut water into my work rucksack yesterday. Absolutely sodden. My make up bag and all its contents, my scarf, etc. I was already having a bad day. Mind you, the laptop didn't get wet, so that was a relief.

Sounds like you need a better lap top bag/set up? Why not post on MN your must haves and see if that situation can improve?
how about one big enough that a small nylon carry all can be tucked away for items you “unexpectedly” pick up?
I have a ziploc baggie with a few paper towels at the very bottom of my purse. Same in my day back pack.
there’s a learning (and shopping) oppertunity here.

The average person can probably eat one half of those sandwiches in like 5 bites? Just seems odd to put the other half in your laptop bag for the sake of something that could have been eaten it like 30 seconds.

not getting on at the poster. We've all had moments... but I do think people create problems for themselves that can be easily be avoided if they just think a bit more logically.

IMO laptop bags are stupidly designed. Yes they fit the laptop but what about all the other stuff I have to carry - glasses, phone, wallet, tissues, and yes, something to eat now and then? I would love a laptop bag that has room for other stuff as well.

Don’t be hard on yourself …. It reminds me of my biscuit eating days; when I was getting washed and changed for bed I discovered a squished and melted Jaffa cake stuck to my boob 😅. I’d obviously dropped one when snacking earlier and not noticed ALL DAY. (I no longer snack but it isn’t for this reason)

🙄

What else was in the sandwich?

Yeah I cant carry opened food about without it spilling everywhere

Thanks, yes this is what happened. The person who talked about eating it in 5 bites is on a path to indigestion (and possibly gastritis, which I already have, so I’d rather not make it worse). Also M&S sandwiches are nice so I’d like to enjoy them rather than wolf them down (not helped by throwing on floor, obviously).

For people wondering about the egg mayo and ketchup: it was an all-day breakfast sandwich, those were just the bits that came off on the seat.

Thank you to all the people who reassure me that I am not shit, but I also duly note the input of the person who thinks the solution is ‘be less shit’.

Nah I agree with you. It's pretty obvious that packaging isn't designed for easy transport so it was already tempting fate to shove it in anywhere. If it hadn't fallen on the floor it could have fallen anywhere in her bag -having egg mayo and ketchup squished in your laptop port would be even more expensive and inconvenient than on your dress/seat.

The whole incident would have been avoided by just eating a (small) sandwich at once. Its not some gigantic or expensive meal that needs slow digestion and savouring at a dinner party. It's literally designed to be eaten quickly and on the go, not squished in a bag for filling and smell to spread everywhere.

It's not like OP was just unlucky or subject to unfair external forces than nobody could predict, like someone bumping into her while she was eating and sandwich falling to the floor. Anyone with a speck of common sense is aware that sandwiches in open cardboard carriers don't transport well and therefore it's better to just open and eat them.

She's asking why things like that happen to her and not other people....in this instance at least it's because she does things most other people would know not to do and thus avoid creating potential problems for themselves.

One of those bags on wheels with seperate lunch compartment was game changer for me
I keep a large tupplewear container on the compartment to chuck half eaten sandwich or whatever in.

Oh God, is this seriously going to turn into a thread about whether it's reasonable to eat half your sandwich and save the other half for later?

I bet there are so many things that you’re good at.

There are probably loads of people walking around with similar issues . I can not wear white, eat anything with tomato , or chocolately stuff in public . Or drink anything out of a bottle . Combination of small mouth and no preferably dexterity. When I remove my bra at night all sorts of debris may or may not fall out .
So yes , wet wipes and make up remover wipes are your friends.

Got to love MN. OP comes on and (I 'm guessing in a fairly lighthearted way) looks for some sympathy, and most of us sure can sympathise, but of course one or two then have to jump in wth "helpful" comments about why she's eating a sandwich wrongly, why she can't organise a laptop bag, why she is even eating what she's eating.

FFS, you must all be such fun.

So men keep egg sandwiches in their pockets?

separate bag for food OP. That’s the way I think.

you’re not shit of course

Whereas people who moderate which replies are acceptable and which aren't on an open discussion forum are the absolute life and soul of a party, I'm sure....

I must be not average then, I couldn’t eat one in 5 bites without giving myself indigestion!

Hang on - update made it much worse. You have gastritis, bought an egg sandwich and got on a train?
the dropping of the sandwich was your higher power stepping in to save you from yourself

next time you have one count how many bites it takes you to eat one half. Cant be much more than 5, surely? 😂

Sounds like a rough day!
Accidents happen, but if you attract mess ( like I do) you have to take steps to minimise problems.
Make sure your bag can easily close so that things don't fall out. That means a proper zipped bag, not just a tote. If you are carrying so much that you can't fit everything your bag, you either need a bigger bag, less stuff, or an extra bag ( although that causes extra problems, and you are more likely to misplace one of them!)
Like another poster, I never wear white, and tend not to wear light colours. If I'm travelling I prefer to wear something patterned because there's a 50:50 chance that I will spill something down my front if I'm eating or drinking at all while in transit. If I can I take a change of clothes or a layer, but at least a small pack of wipes and a big drapey scarf.
Assume the worst will happen and have a plan!

Some people make life look easy and the rest of us have egg mayo on our bums x

I mean, I don’t actually like pre packaged sandwiches so it’s not an experiment I’m going to carry out any time soon, but I can easily imagine eating half a sandwich on the platform, then the train arriving so putting it in my bag to finish when I’d got on and sat down. I wouldn’t stuff down the second half just for the sake of not having to carry it on to the train.

I once got sent to another hospital (in place of somebody higher up than me) for an important meeting, having no time to stop for lunch i bought a drive through with curry sauce to wolf in the carpark before going in. The inevitable happened on my white uniform top and being well endowed it landed slap bang in the middle. It was summer and hot so no coat. Rushed to the toilets to try to clean it off which only made matters worse as it then became see through as well as stained 😱 still had to attend the meeting😳

This is why I’ll never understand white clothes wearers.
How do they do it? Geri Halliwell must be hyper-neat…