John Von Achen's Picture Blog

It seems to me, almost everywhere I look these days, I see people struggling with challenges they are not used to encountering, and, in some cases . . . have never faced in their life.

This bothers me!

And it bothers me a lot because I see so many good people beginning to lose hope . . . hope about a better present, hope about a better future and hope about being able to overcome the problems, challenges and obstacles they are encountering now.

So in response, I thought I would share some hope and solutions with you.

I have two Pugs, named J and K (to learn how they got their names, click here.

The younger Pug, K, can be best described as a hyperactive spaz, known for being a hooligan. Truth be told, he should be on Ritalin because he definitely has Pug A.D.H.D.

For those of you who have asked about whether or not Moscow is really burning . . . the answer is YES!

To be clear, the city itself is not on fire, but pretty much everything around Moscow is. Because of the high temperatures we have had over the past several weeks, everything in and around the city is dry and susceptible to igniting.

And igniting it is!

I am an Apple loyalist . . . I admit it! To me, if it’s Apple, it must be good. So it should come as no surprise that not only do I own an iPad, but I love it.

Still, with all my affection for my iPad, I will admit it does have a few limitations – no USB port, no video camera . . . and no stand from Apple in the box when you buy it. Now in most situations, having a stand for an iPad is not all that important, but there are times when having a stand for my iPad comes in handy.

If you know anything about me, you know I travel a lot and I have traveled all over the world. And in those travels I have seen things that, well, not only I can’t really explain, but if I were able to explain some of what I have seen, most people just wouldn’t believe it.

If you have kids or pets . . . I have both by the way . . . you know they have a tendency to create facial expressions that are cute and fun. And, depending on the expression, sometimes you are not quite sure what the expression is supposed to mean and not sure what they are thinking.

I do realize we are living in challenging times. And I also realize that for many of us, it can be difficult to work up a smile, especially if we are facing circumstances and situations that may be undesirable and/or less than ideal.

So, if smiling has been a challenge for you of recent, the following step-by-step process I GUARANTEE will help.

All you will need are few easily accessible household items and then just do what the pictures below show you to do.

That’s it!

The pictures show you everything you need to know to GUARANTEE a smile everyday.

And, by the way . . .

Let's face it, there are many disadvantages to working in a cubicle, but this picture shows just how bad things can get.

And, if this picture resonates with you in some way (from either side of the isle), not to worry, there is still hope for you!

If you have ever been to Russia, you know how out of character this is and how much trouble this guy would get into for doing this.

Still, kudos to him for having fun, something the world needs a lot more of.

Gotcha!

No, this is not my office, however, some of my staff might disagree with that, especially when I am writing a new book.

Leave it to Dilbert to simplify working life for all of us.

If you are not familiar with the Dilbert cartoon, check it out at www.dilbert.com

You may have seen this image before, it has been around for a while.

Still, I love it.

It is to me such a great reminder that things are never as bad as they might seem, no matter where you find yourself.

If you have not seen this show, well, in my opinion you are missing one of the funniest shows on TV right now.

I discovered this show by accident, or should I more correctly say, Julia discovered it by accident on a flight to New York and she got me addicted to it. And that is a big deal, since I do not watch a lot of TV.

Sorry Billy, this just isn’t hot! When I saw this photo, I tried to figure out what the photographer and ad agency was thinking.

I got nothing.

And, this picture sure does not make me want to run out and buy a PC or Microsoft software. Actually, this picture reminds me of why I am such a committed Apple loyalist.