It is easy to get depressed and bored. There are a lot of things to be upset about, and there just is not that much on television that is really worth watching these days.
Still, the world can be a pretty remarkable place. You simply have to make the choice to appreciate the little things that make it so cool, and there are a lot of those little things out there.
Here are ten pictures and facts that will make you realize how wonderful and interesting the world really is.
1. The Coyotes
This is an urban coyote. According to scientists, they are extremely monogamous, even there is an abundance of food.
First of all, that’s a pretty cute coyote. I would be sort of scared if I saw it in real life, though. My dog would probably attack it, which would likely be the end of my dog. That idiot dog of mine barks at hawks, and they could easily make him a snack because he is tiny. Actually, it almost happened once. I was taking my dog for a walk in a park, as I often do, and this hawk was just circling around. The darn dog was barking at it and wouldn’t shut up. Clearly, the hawk was not pleased.
I ended up picking up the dog and carrying him to safety. I figured the hawk would be reluctant to attack both a human being and a little dog, and I was apparently correct. I don’t know what I would have done if the hawk attacked, though. I guess I would have tried to punch the hawk in the face.
Just in case you think I’m joking or acting overly afraid of birds, hawks can and do attack both people and pets.
In regard to urban coyotes, it should be noted that they generally don’t attack humans. They will attack little dogs, though.
Still, it is nice to know that they manage to be far more monogamous than human beings are. It is also sort of depressing when you think about it.
2. Shoes Being Rationed
It is something of an understatement to say that World War II was a difficult time for the world. For example, the British and the French didn’t like it too much.
Shoes were rationed, as a lot of things were; lovers of footwear certainly didn’t enjoy the war. The rubber and the leather were needed for other—more important—things.
I have had the honor of knowing many men who fought in World War II. You just don’t get cooler than them. They saved the world, essentially. They experienced awful things, but they typically didn’t complain about it when they got home. They had jobs to do and children to raise.
My mother once told me the story of her uncle, who fought in World War II. Someone was trying to break into his home once; she lived there at the time, as did my grandmother and great-grandmother. All he did was warn the guy that he had killed before and was willing to do it again.
That’s intense stuff. Naturally, the criminal was too terrified to do anything and fled the scene.
My great-uncle was also, from what I understand, one heck of a bowler. I believe he once bowled a perfect game. Sadly, he died when I was a small child. He would have been an interesting guy to get to know.
My favorite soldier from that era, though, is Smoky the Yorkshire Terrier. She served in World War II. She entertained the troops, sure, but she also helped build an airbase.
You would think, considering how many World War II video games there have been over the years, there would be a video game about Smoky. I would play a game about a Yorkie in World War II. Heck, if I knew how to program, I would make it. Who wouldn’t play a video game about a Yorkie that served in the South Pacific? The creators could rewrite history a little and have her serve in Europe, too. This could be a brand new franchise. Why isn’t anyone making these games? If anyone does make such a game, please make sure I am listed as a “producer”.
3. The Eggs and Antarctica
These are eggs in Antarctica; they had been covered in cooking oil. You have to preserve food somehow under such extreme weather conditions, and oil apparently does the trick. Anyway, the inside of the broken eggs froze—as you can clearly see.
I am literally allergic to the cold—I get hives; even if that weren’t the case, I couldn’t imagine even considering visiting Antarctica. I suppose it would be an interesting experience, but it is the sort of experience I’d want to have for about 45 seconds at most. What would I even do there? If I want to see a penguin, there are plenty of places I can go, like a zoo. There is also a species that lives near the equator.
It is the Emperor Penguin that makes Antarctica its home. Based on my research, they have terrible lives. In addition to being freezing all of the time, they are often attacked by seals and orcas.
You might never want to visit Antarctica, but it is sort of nice to know it is there for your scientist friends who want to freeze their butts off for months or years at a time.
4. The Lego People
If you work at Lego, you apparently get little Lego people that look like you, and you can use them as business cards.
That must be a fun company to work for; so few companies these days really care if their employees actually enjoy their jobs. Most bosses really don’t care, sadly.
I wouldn’t mind working for Lego. I bet it is a lot of fun working at their amusement parks. I would work at its headquarters, certainly, but then I would need to move to Denmark. The company actually employs almost 20,000 people, and it is very profitable.
You might not be aware that Lego makes video games; also, the company has been doing so since 1995. “Lego Worlds”, which came out in 2017, was pretty well received. There have also been Lego video games about “Batman”, “Star Wars”, and “Harry Potter”.
I am surprised Lego hasn’t teamed up with Nintendo to make a Pokémon Lego game; I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if that happens in the next couple of years.
I have had a few fun jobs over the years. For example, I liked working at a college. Well, to be terribly specific, I liked my particular department. The person who ran the entire college was a doddering old fool, though, and he had terrible breath. He would always “drop in” to visit my department on Friday afternoons and ramble on about nonsense. I am not sure he made one coherent point in the years that I knew him.
5. The Rocket Taking Off
This is a rocket taking off. To be more specific, this is the Space Falcon 9, and it looks awesome.
Sadly, this is not a picture of aliens. I keep waiting for the aliens to arrive. I have been watching movies about aliens since I was a very small child, and I hear rumors about abductions, but they certainly never abduct me. Then again, I’m not exactly the most interesting human being on this planet.
One of the reasons that I like “The Sims” games is because there is the possibility of getting abducted by aliens. I have played those games for years, but I have literally never had a character abducted or impregnated by an alien. Even fake aliens don’t like me, which kind of hurts my feelings.
6. The Giraffe
As far as I know, everyone thinks giraffes are pretty darn cool. They are kind of fragile creatures, though. There is a reason they have high blood pressure. It is so they don’t get all dizzy and faint when they lift their head using their enormous necks.
For a while there, a lot of people were convinced there was a farm that sold miniature giraffes. Sadly, I was one of those people. This was several years ago, and I was something of an idiot. There were a lot of other idiots, though, so I don’t feel too bad.
That said, science is a remarkable thing, and I look forward to the day when you can buy miniature giraffes. It would be fun to see one interact with my dog. I think I would get along with a miniature giraffe. It isn’t like the normal ones are known to attack humans. You wouldn’t want to be kicked by one, certainly, but it isn’t like they are particularly aggressive animals. From what I understand, they typically run away if approached by a person.
7. The Pigeons and the Races
In Spain, apparently, there are people that breed pigeons. They do so for races. Those pigeons are not trying to get from point A to point B quickly, though. It is all about the male pigeon that manages to spend more time with a female pigeon than the other male pigeons involved in the “race”. That’s pretty weird. It is interesting, I suppose, but it is pretty weird.
There are a lot of people who don’t like pigeons, but I am a fan. They have never done anything to me. I once saved the life of a pigeon. This was when I was in college. The pigeon got its head stuck in a grate, and it was flailing about, so I gently pulled the bird out. I like to think the pigeon was grateful.
My classmates were horrified, though, and refused to interact with me until I washed my hands. That was kind of grating.
8. The Clothing Company
There is a clothing company named ‘Steve Jobs’ in Italy. You apparently can’t trademark a name; actually, you might be able to, but Apple wasn’t wise enough to do so.
Steve Jobs, of course, was one of the people who founded Apple. He is one of the major reasons you can buy an iPhone. You kind of have to wonder what the world would be like if he hadn’t been born. There’s a good chance Pixar wouldn’t exist, which would mean there wouldn’t be “Toy Story” movies, which would have been awful.
Sadly, Jobs died in 2011.
9. The Goats In the Tree
These are goats in Morocco. They like to climb trees in order to eat the fruit of a certain type of tree, which is called the argan tree. They are, from what I understand, encouraged to do so.
I think it is time that we all agree that goats are kind of adorable; the baby ones, in particular, are extremely cute. If you have the space and you’re willing to put in the work, goats can make truly excellent pets. Before you adopt a goat, though, make sure you are legally allowed to own one. Many places won’t allow it. They can also be quite loud.
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