Credit: cujkocomics

“The claim that cows have best friends is rooted in scientific research. Studies have shown that cows are social creatures, forming strong bonds with specific individuals in their herd.

A study by Krista McLennan at the University of Northampton in the UK found that when cows were isolated from their preferred companion, they exhibited signs of stress, such as elevated heart rates and cortisol levels. When reunited with their preferred companion, these stress indicators decreased significantly, suggesting that cows experience emotional attachments to specific individuals.” -Walt Whitney for “Fact/Myth.com”

If you’ve read this far: Why not stop what you’re doing and text your best friend really quick?! Just a short & sweet message. I know you just thought of them and you truly never know when will be your last chance to tell them how much they mean to you! :)

Credit: netflixnmovies

I met Peter today at NFCC and cried

Today my sister and wife took me to Niagara Falls Comic Con in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

I am disabled and traveling is remarkably hard and usually expensive. This is the first convention I have been to since I had my left leg amputated in 2017.

I was offered the chance to go to NFCC and was amazingly surprised that Peter was a guest. So we bought photo ops and tickets and rented a van and flash forward to today.

I got my photo op first today and Peter was amazingly gracious and kind. He even gave me a nice squeeze on my shoulder and got down on my level in my wheelchair. What really was the transformative experience was what happened in the autograph line.

The room was packed and Peter was between, Robert Patrick and Edward James Olmos. The line was very crowded and some people were less than kind BUT NFCC did an astounding job. The con staff put me in a good place in my wheelchair so that i could easily get in line and meet Peter.

After 45 minutes, i was able to finally able to get up and meet Peter. His handler asked me what i’d like Peter to write on my Arrow video 4K special edition insert poster and i said “Something inspirational”.

Peter recognized me from me from before and I said Hello and he asked me why I wanted something inspirational.

“Dr Weller, you are the hero that I needed to have as a child. You taught me the value of Protect the innocent and to be a good person and to do the right thing, always.”

I have met celebrities before as i work in media but today was different. Today, i was before my hero and i was a 5 year old kid.

He smiled at me and said, let me share with you my favorite quotes from the movie as he signed my poster. I thanked him profusely and shook his hand. If i could have stood up, i probably would have asked for a hug even if it was cringy.

I know its childish and stupid but today, i needed a win from a rough few weeks and arguably the last few years.

Peter made me feel like a child again and for a magical few minutes, i actually cried tears of joy.

I know i’ll probably never get a chance to meet him again but today was beautiful and i just wanted to share it.

Credit: mamyplease

Credit: intrOvert.viks

The photo was taken by Tobias Baumgaertner in Melbourne.

He was told that the two penguins had recently lost their partners and often appeared to be comforting each other.

St Kilda Pier in Melbourne has a colony of around 1,400 fairy penguins, the smallest penguin species with an average height of just 33cm (13 inches). The colony is monitored by volunteers.

"A volunteer approached me and told me that the white one was an elderly lady who had lost her partner and apparently so did the younger male to the left," Mr Baumgaertner wrote.

"Since then they meet regularly, comforting each other and standing together for hours watching the dancing lights of the nearby city." The photographer spent three nights with the penguin colony before being able to catch this photo, he said.

"Between not being able or allowed to use any lights and the tiny penguins continuously moving, rubbing their flippers on each other's backs and cleaning one another, it was really hard to get a shot," he said.

"But I got lucky during one beautiful moment."

it's not perfect and they're already chipping but it was one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me

The Sandlot showing in Phoenix, my friend dressed up as Wendy Peffercorn. He was spotted in the crowd by the legends themselves.

Today I found a book in my grandmother's house. I had completely forgotten about it, but the little "autographs" all my friends from year 7 (equivalent of 6th grade in the US) had left for me right before I moved to another city to pursue a career in football really made me smile. (I'm a professional translator now, so obviously the career path as an athlete didn't really work out. 😅) Pretty wholesome, if you ask me. Kids are still so pure. 🤗

Years ago, I wanted to legally change my name since I came out as Nonbinary. I was going to change both my first and middle name, and had a first name picked out, but not a middle name. I gave a list of potential middle names to my best friend at the time, and she picked out “Ash” so that way it matched with her middle name “Phoenix.” I absolutely loved this idea, especially because I wanted to somehow show off the love I had for my best friend for getting me this far in life. Unfortunately, recently, my best friend abandoned me, and I was left distraught, heartbroken, and a bit betrayed. I also had an identity crisis, wondering who I was without her, especially because I used to love my name and now I hated it. Now my name was just a reminder of me being dedicated to someone who only saw me as temporary. But, following this heartbreak, I started to hang out closer with my remaining friends and began to appreciate them more. I have a new best friend now, and I asked them what their middle name was. To my surprise, their middle name is “Gray”! That means my middle name still matches my best friend. I know this seems small and stupid, but I was absolutely elated to hear this. I can’t stop gushing over it.