buck up

I've been in a bit of a funk lately, with a few things in life that have me feeling frustrated and down, plus perhaps a dose of the old seasonal affective disorder. Blerg. For times like this when I'm feeling a little sad or a little sour, sometimes I just need to fake some cheer or a better attitude to get me going down a happier path - and I don't know about you, but for me funny animal cuteness is often a good trigger...

This Toy Stories photograph series of animal figurines and funny captions by Aled Lewis is adorably amusing. Two favorites (but you should check them all out, and you can buy a whole book! I want it):

If one is somehow still feeling blue after that, there's this 50 cutest things that ever happened page. This baby elephant face plant and stuffed toy look-alike puppy are my favorite.

This is the clincher for me though: Ginger in Peter's glasses. Just remembering how much I cried from laughing so hard while he was taking these photos is enough to draw a giggle every time I see them. (And this is yet another example of how she is the world's most tolerant dog.)

And of course there is a whole YouTube trove of cute animal videos, like Lala the penguin who wears a backpack to go shopping for his own fish or the sneezing baby panda that scares its mom, for a really tough day. Any other suggestions for me?