Pupils have begun returning to school as lockdown restrictions were eased across England.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms have also started reopening, while the first horse racing event in months was being staged and pigeons took to the skies for a race over Yorkshire.
True story.
In her video, the creator explained:
"I'm literally mortified."
"I just got back from the ENT."
"I went there because I thought I was losing hearing in my ear."
She continued with the play-by-play.
"So he goes in and he's looking at both ears..."
"And first he starts with the one that was fine. And he goes, oh, one second."
"And starts digging around in there, pulls out a massive black mass of ear wax."
"Like it was disgusting and it is huge and it looks like it shouldn't fit there."
Gross. But she wasn't done yet.
The TikToker then talked about what transpired when the doctor addressed the affected ear, which, as the doctor told her, was far worse than the "healthy" ear.
"I was like, 'Oh. Gross. But cool.' And then he moves on to the next one."
"And he's like, 'OK, there's some more ear wax on this. It's actually like cemented on the ear drum. So this'll take a minute.'"
"And then he pulls that out. Just equally as gross, much more painful though."
But the extraction didn't stop at the wax.
"And then he goes, 'No way.' I was like [nervous reaction], and he goes, 'Oh you're not going to believe what I'm going to pull out next."
"And then just like leaves it there."
"So I'm dying inside, thinking it's a bug. There's a freaking bug in my ear. "
"And he brings out tweezers and it was so painful. Like, he's like pulling really hard and it's like right on my ear drum."
The doctor was finally able to remove the mass, which just so happened to be a clump of dog hair.
"And he said it looked like somebody had put dog hair in my ear and just like stuffed it down the canal."
"I can't."
In the caption, @karrah_peden_tram wrote:
"Everyone should go get their ears checked and see what treasures hide inside."
You can watch the video below.
People in the comments were not okay.
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
Several, however, had surprisingly similar experiences to share.
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
And, of course, they wanted to see the guilty parties.
@karrah_peden_tram/TikTok
So the TikToker showed off the "culprits," Pugsley and Thornton.
We'd say they've been forgiven.
Few would argue that there is no worse feeling than discovering your purchase wasn't worth it, and your money essentially went down the drain.
On the flip side, there is no better feeling than realizing the hefty amount of money you spent was truly worth every penny.
Redditor Cool-Change7987 was eager to hear the things people considered to be more than worth their hefty price tag, leading them to ask:
"What seems too expensive but is really worth the price?"
"If you fly, even occasionally, noise cancelling headphones are worth every penny."
"With just the noise cancelling on without playing any music it significantly softens most sounds."
"When you listen to music/videos/whatever with the noise cancelling on, you can't hear anything else, even crying babies."-dystopiadattopia
"A quality pillow will change your life."- BigD4163
"Quality work shoes if your job requires you to be on your feet for long stretches of time."- skywalker777
shoes GIFGiphy
"Good tires."
"Good wiper blades."
"Good mattress."- MyPrimaryAcct
"Not really that expensive, but a good shower head."
"Even if you rent, swapping out the default shower head for one that will help with low pressure is a life changer."
"Swap it back when you're moving out."
"When I was renting, money was tight but it is a necessary splurge."- Leafy1320
"An Uber if you've been drinking."- KnitBrewTimeTravel
Uber GIF by MashableGiphy
"Regular visits to the dentist."- evieinthebath
"Good shoes all day."- BigD4163
"Not that it's too expensive but costs more."
"But real maple syrup is leaps and bounds better tasting than the flavored corn syrup replicas."- photoguy423
maple syrup scifri GIF by Science FridayGiphy
"A decent divorce attorney."- VXMerlinXV
"Movers."
"Save your friends and spend some money."- lizardpotter
"Regular visits to the dentist."
"It can literally kill you if you ignore dental problems."- Voyager5555
What Are You Talking About GIF by DrSquatchGiphy
"A good laptop."
"Or in some cases desktop computer."- FlowJoeX
"A good bra!"- Embarrassed_Age7706
"Good headphones and a good speaker."- seamon3y
Speakers GIFGiphy
Needless to say, staying on top of your finances is the responsible thing to do.
However, there's also nothing wrong with going a little over every now and then is also perfectly fine.
As the long-term payoff will more than justify the sizable investment.
Wicked is a two-part musical film based on the 2003 Broadway hit loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West about the Wicked Witch of the West's origin story behind her perceived wickedness.
In a before and after video, social media user Fred Asquith told viewers he wasn't looking forward to seeing the first half of the two-hour-plus musical, and he expressed his unadulterated loathing of it before even seeing it.
"And the trailer looks sh*t, so I'm like, 'Oh, two hours forty minutes of THAT,' " griped the Yorkshire native.
Asquith continued rolling his eyes over being told "It's f'king Citizen Kane" and that it would be a surefire Best Picture contender.
"I'm like, 'Can we all just calm down please?' " he said, adding, "It can't be that good."
The clip jumps to after, and it shows Asquith with tears rolling down his face and begrudgingly admitting the movie defied his expectations.
"It was okay," he said while laughing at himself for getting emotional.
He wiped away his teary face with his sleeve and added:
"Wow, f'k it's good. F'k, it's annoying."
The clip ended with him admitting defeat.
"It's good. And now I have to tell everyone."
Here's the sweet clip.
The video he captioned, “Well that shut me up," went viral with over 1.5 million views.
He also posted the video to Instagram, where he wrote the following:
"I went into Wicked a grump straight white [male] and I came out a resplendant witch defying gravity."
"Watch and enjoy as my expectations are subverted in this relatable and extremely candid video about going to see the new movie Wicked and crying my eyes out."
Fans were happy to see the movie's effect on him.
@fredasquith/Instagram
Some who were reluctant about seeing Wicked were inspired to change their minds.
@fredasquith/Instagram
@fredasquith/Instagram
@fredasquith/Instagram
And then, the unexpected happened.
Erivo, who plays Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, eventually saw the video and commented on his reaction.
Asquith shared a screenshot of the message he received from the Tony-winning star, who wrote:
"Fred I loved this video so much, it made me smile and giggle."
"The genuine reaction hit me hard. I appreciate you sharing this and thank you."
@fredasquith/X
Fans' jaws dropped at the interaction.
But the surprise wasn't a one-and-done situation.
He received another acknowledgment, this time from Erivo's co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Galinda, a.k.a. Glinda the Good Witch.
The "Thank U, Next" pop idol responded to Asquith's video with a crying-laugh, teary-eyed, and arrow-through-heart emojis.
To which he replied:
"I just absolutely collapsed."
@fredasquith/X
People lost their minds over his video reaching the leading ladies of Wicked.
Some musical films never take flight due to built-in skepticism and having limited reach or interest of general audiences.
But with a powerful story embodying friendship and love, coupled with dynamic performances and a catchy musical score, it's not surprising Wicked soared into the hearts of moviegoers…once they made it to the cinema.
Wicked also has a large fanbase with dedicated Ozians going back to the theater to see it over and over again.
There's a reason why the stage version that opened in 2003, with original cast members Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, is still enchanting theatergoers on Broadway and in theaters around the world with a new generation of stars in the iconic roles.
As of Monday, Wicked: Part 1 made $128.3 million at the US and Canada box office and $50.4 million internationally for a worldwide total of $178.7 million.
Wicked: Part 2 is expected to hit theaters in November 2025, and we're placing our bets that Asquith will be going to see it, this time, with hankie in hand.
