As the fish began to die and sink into the water, he cried out, "Why?"

And the frog said, "Because it is my nature."

Okay, Aesop told it better.

-via Tastefully Offensive

It's winter, so it's time for some heavy Ugg boots. Ugh at weather and, since this fashion appears to be so widely hated, ugh at these boots, as well.

Cartoonist Beth Evans ughed for this photo. You can read our interview about her work here.

People in Seattle, Washington often call the 31-storey Rainier Tower the Beaver Building. You can see why: it clearly looks like a beaver chewed into the 11-storey pedestal on which the tower stands.

Minoru Yamasaki, a Japanese architect who also designed the Space Needle in Seattle and the former World Trade Center in New York City, developed this unique shape. His goal was to offer more space for pedestrian traffic and shopping at the base. Constuction finished in 1979.

-via Amusing Planet

Redditor GILDID offers this photo of a massive and, er, majestic horse. Really, he is usually an impressively dignified specimen. But at the moment, he's just mugging for the camera.

One thing about the Star Wars universe- everything is in black and white. You’re either with the light side or the dark side -or you’re a Stormtrooper, and have no say in what armor you wear. There is no panda in Star Wars, but there is in this picture, believe it or not. Need some help? Look here. -via reddit

During my family's Christmas travels, we drove through the gorgeous little town of Helena, Alabama. There's a park there that stretches for about a quarter mile along Buck Creek. It's locally called the Helena Beach because residents treat the creek bank and a little island in the middle of the water as a beach. If you go there, park your car, then walk out to the shore to play in the surf and catch a tan.

My family visited as the Deep South was drenched in heavy rainfall and flooding. Buck Creek swelled massively, making this parking sign unnecessary.

In the United States, many high school seniors purchase class rings that indicate their accomplishments and identities. For example, a varsity sports player may get a ring with a symbol of that sport. An accomplished student may note his or her best subject.

What did your teenager accomplish in high school? Well, yes: sending a lot of text messages. Let's include that option, too.

I don't know where this image came from, but the ring company Balfour does offer a texting side on its brochure. It's on page 15 between Student Council and Accounting.

-via Kevin D. Williamson

Joanna Hendrick is a student at Sacramento State University. She recently made this labyrinth out of raked gingko leaves for people who would like to meditate during the stressful final exam period. From her photos, it looks like some students took advantage of the opportunity.

-via The Soul Is Bone

A now-deleted Craigslist offering in Boston offered the ideal Christmas party entertainment: a living Elf on the Shelf staring at your guests. It's the perfect way to set the mood!

I wonder if he's available for service off-season. I'd like to have an Elf on the Shelf around the office to keep morale up.

-via Dave Barry

Imgur member EddardStawk posted a simple photo of a cat sitting on a plain white floor. He then invited the good people of the internet to add doodles to send the cat on wild and amazing adventures. Now he's an acrobat, a movie star, a toupee, and more!

Bored Panda has an open invitation for anyone who wants to contribute to a rapidly growing gallery of doodles. So far, there are 188.

People told Imgur member morihime that she should do something different with her hair. So she wove it into a braided beard worthy of a dwarven king. It is a most manly and robust beard--far more than I am capable of growing.

-via Fashionably Geek

A snowman in a store window is not all that uncommon at Christmas time. This one is firmly in the 21st century, with a smartphone and a text conversation. He’s obviously conversing with another snowman. I like the way the glass itself is used as a medium for captions. The scene has nothing to do with the clothing being sold in the store behind him, but this would get me to stop and look, and that’s what counts. -via reddit

sexy_bum82 and Angeldemons of the educational website reddit reveal to us a cultural expression that those of us in North America and Europe may not be aware of. Yes, this is how Australians assemble a Christmas tree while in their homeland.

Australia is well within the southern hemisphere. So science teaches us that December 25 is during Australia's summer, so a fan is useful. Also, everything is upside down. And there are venomous snakes and spiders everywhere--probably wrapped inside these presents.

So you've lost a tire but don't have a spare to put on your car. What would you do? I'm stumped.

But the driver of this SUV in St. Petersburg, Russia wasn't. The Moscow Times reports that he was driving at about 50 kph (31 mph). Hopefully the local police will log the incident as a safety violation.

-via Dave Barry, who warns "steer clear of beavers."

UPDATE 11/25/15: In the comments, Frau directs us to this complete photo gallery of how this car lost its tire and the driver replaced it with a log--until the log was worn down. Thanks, Frau!

We all cry sometimes. For example, you may get sawdust in your eyes while woodworking. Or you watch an emotionally intense movie, such as The Dirty Dozen.

Those are the two occasions when it is acceptable to cry.

But Aaron Gillies, a comedy writer, has noted that his wife cries more often than that. She cries at incidents that he finds trivial. He has published a list of some of these occasions. These include watching a rabbit escape from a fox in a nature documentary and remembering that swans can be gay.

On reflection, I agree with the wife: all of these are legitimate reasons to cry, which you can now add to the pair that I have mentioned above.

Now, as a happily married man who plans to remain that way, I advise you gentlemen to never do this. Embarrassing your wife online is a terrible idea for most marriages. But Gillies's wife tweets that "I don't feel at all attacked." She's a good sport.