tardis toilets, bad news & remembering to be happy

So today I learned that there is a Tardis toilet now on the cycle path from Bristol to Bath, and from Monday onwards for a short while, I'm going to be in Bristol to work some shifts. So of course, I'm now determined to go visit it at some point, and I'm not even a big fan of Dr. Who. Although I did watch the episode with the creepy statue things when it came out.

Just pasting this image in made me jump a little.

Of course I won't actually use the toilet. Public toilets are disgusting and vile. Just to get through using the port-a-loos at a festival this summer I had to ensure I was, at the very least, mildly drunk at all times.

  But port-a-loos and terrifying statues aside, the reason I wanted to bring it up is because it brought a smile to my face, and there's not a lot of news that does that - and I'm sure I don't even have to mention any stories for you to know what I'm talking about.

 Don't get me wrong - the bad news is important. I think we could all do with being a bit more aware of what is going on in our world. The thing is though, it seems to be all we ever hear. You turn the TV on in the morning and before you've taken your first sip of coffee you've heard that somebody has been murdered. On your way to work, the radio informs you about of all the tax money you've paid that's being wasted one way or another. There are adverts everywhere telling you that banks owe you PPI (they don't), that you should take out our pay-day loan (you shouldn't) and to sign up for life insurance because WHAT WILL YOUR KIDS DO IF YOU DIE IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR SERIOUSLY PHONE US PHONE US RIGHT NOW...(okay maybe that's a little OTT, and life insurance obviously isn't a bad idea, but you get what I mean).

 So I've decided that every day, I'm going to look for a piece of news that makes me smile. I may or may not post it here, depending on if I think it'll be of interest or not (to anyone who bothers reading this, of course!) but I'm going to do it. I'm also thinking of buying some self-help books - I know they can be seen as fluffy and useless but the other day I was watching ITV in the morning and they interviewed a woman named Marianne Power who spent a  year of her life following 12 self-help books - one book for every month. She seemed so much happier for it too, and it's inspired me. The one they mentioned that I liked the idea of the most was F**k It by John C Parkin. If I do read it, I'll probably review it here at some point.

Go forth and f**k it - spiritually!

 The last thing I'm going to do is try the 100 Happy Days challenge. Even if I can't find a news story each day that makes me smile, I'd like to find something each day that'll make me happy. You do the challenge on social media, so soon my Instagram feed will likely be flooded with pictures of toe socks, my dog and vegan cakes. And hopefully a selfie in the Tardis toilet.

welcome to my life

 I can't say I'm really sure exactly why I started this blog. Initially I think it was to make myself accountable for weight loss, but of course I soon gave up on that in favour for crisps and dairy-free chocolate. I also tried a few times to write about life in medical school, but I'm not exactly funny, and when all you have are jokes bad enough to make a dad cringe, those posts are left confined forever to your drafts bin.

 So I'll be surprised if anyone is reading this right now. But just in case someone is, you'll know me as Lily. Obviously that's a pseudonym - I'd hate for someone to google my name and for the rants that I foresee posting here on my little corner of the internet getting me in trouble. Of course, that's being arrogant enough to assume somebody would google my name. But you never know. Maybe there are stalkers out there with a penchant for chubby vegans who are trying (and failing miserably) to make it as a doctor. But I suppose if they're any good at stalking, they'll already know pretty much everything I'm going to post. Think that means we've come full circle back to me being arrogant. Never mind.

 So maybe I should say more about myself than just that. I'm a 20 year old...student? Can I still describe myself as that? See the problem is, my university of choice are forcing me to take a gap year, essentially, leaving me with all sorts of problems - like a tenancy that I have no idea how to get out of, and having to live with my mother again. Don't get me wrong - my mum is a lovely lady, but I could save the world from evil and she'd still tell me off for not wiping up a couple of drips of coffee. And she bought me pre-chopped garlic in white wine vinegar rather than garlic cloves, and that is just a crime against humanity.
  I don't really have many friends. I never managed to make any when I started medical school two years ago, and a year in, the group of people I loved the most decided I wasn't good enough for them any more - world's smallest violin anyone? - so I was left with a few people I'm still in touch with from my school days - Claudia, Lola & Ami. Claudia is a bitch. I mean a serious bitch. The only reason I mention her is because I may blog about some of my experiences with her for the shits and giggles. I can't even pretend I see her as a friend anymore - Lola, Ami and I have all decided she just isn't worth having around anymore. Lola is lovely, we're good friends and I trust her, but I don't see her a lot - she spends most of her time either working or with her boyfriend, Stephen.
  That leaves Ami.

 Now, Ami - that girl is like somebody took some of the happiest things in the world, moulded them into a person, and put that person into my life. I am lucky to have her as a friend (as my mum constantly remind me - I think she loves Ami more than she loves me), because she is supportive, she is funny, and she makes sure I damn well know that she cares about me. I love hanging around with her, which is one good thing about not going back to university this year - more time with the girl I consider my best friend. She's invited her boyfriend, Spencer, on a weekend mini-break, but he's not sure he can go, so chances are I'm going. That's in October, so fingers crossed for some fun & shenanigans, as it might actually be something fun to blog about.

And maybe some last little things about me:

• I don't eat anything from an animal, yet I'm still ~40lbs heavier than I'd like to be
• I am a lover of the fat logic 'I walked the dog today, so I can eat this peanut butter with a spoon'
• That second point is probably what is contributing to the first...
• I have depression, which sucks & is why my uni won't let me come back yet (which has only served to make me more depressed...so...thanks for that one guys.)
• I am a child. Recently I bought a loom band kit.
• I also have a boyfriend, Jack. More on him later.
• Anything exciting I do, I will probably only have done just to have something to blog about.
• This'll probably be the blog equivalent of the Jeremy Kyle Show - reading it will make you feel much better about your own life. Except I'm not quite as bad as those people on Jezza. I'm still can't figure out where the idiots who go on there learnt how to use a computer in the first place, let alone figure out how to use Facebook, which seems to centre around a lot of their arguments. I'm not quite that stupid.
• It's okay, I'm allowed to say that. My second cousin was on Jeremy Kyle.