As an adult, what seemingly childish things do you get excited about?
I love bridges. If I see a cool looking bridge, I want to cross it, especially if it goes somewhere that I'm not familiar with. Same with stairs outdoors. They feel like an adventure to me.
My neighbors have a turkey. Every time I walk through the kitchen I look out the window to see if she's in our yard. If so, I run out to pet her.
Also, if I'm working outside she trots over to see what's going on and, of course, I have to stop to pet her for 15 minutes.
She just walks up to me and sits down expecting pets.
That sounds fantastic.
I don't know why it's so fun, but my day gets better every time I get to pet a turkey.
Let's see if this uploads... It's a picture of her after 10 minutes of pets
Edit: may look creepy, but she seems to be so comfortable that she'll close her eyes and just chill. But I'm no turkey scientist. I imagine if she didn't like it then she wouldn't run up to me.
Do you play an instrument? Or just own a flute or harmonica? The turkeys at my wife's uncle's place LOVE music, they even sing along. Gobbelgobbelgobbel. Hilarious! There's a German word,"Truthanschottigkeit" - it means the sudden urge to play the bagpipes for a turkey. ...nah, there isn't, but would be nice if there were, right?!
O wow, that's awesome and I'll have to try this. We've got a mandolin but both of us suck at playing it :D
Stone paths. I was hiking in a large state park recently and came on a stretch of path that a seriously skilled stonemason built. It was beautiful. I stood there for ten minutes looking at how perfectly they matched the stones together.
Zoo's and aquariums, fucking love animals.
A few years back my mom wanted to take a day trip to San Diego to sight see, I told her, the only sight I want to see is the Zoo so that's where we went. I go to the zoo in every state I visit, big or small.
I like exploring old buildings like churches and hotels. I feel like architecture has been optimized so much to fire codes that most modern buildings have pretty boring layouts. But older buildings are completely batshit in their designs sometimes. Like woah there's a second little staircase down here that goes to a single room not accessible by anywhere else, or just random little hallways to nowhere. Also secret little closets everywhere, it's way more fun.
I read that as "exploding" and was a little concerned for a moment ...
But hard agree - the more "fantasy-like" a building looks, the better. Especially castles and cathedrals.
You might enjoy this.
Trees! Those big, old giants which make you feel like they are indeed harboring some ancient wisdom, being there, in the same spot years before you, barely brushed by the passing of time. And then if they are evergreen not even season affects them - they just keep on existing, all tall and gracious. How awesome is that.
Have you ever seen a redwood in person? That is a tree that commands your attention. I hope to see one someday.
Yes!! Funny story, I learned about redwood from a boardgame when I was six and thought they are some trees from this magic game world that don't exist in real life. You can imagine how excited I was once I realized they are real and more so when I first saw them! Californian ones are the most impressive, no debate there, but I actually found quite a few across Europe too, often in super random places. So maybe you will also find some around where you live? You never know.
Seeing the moon and stargazing in general. Oh and everytime I see a picture come back from the Perseverance Rover. I just look at them in absolute wonder and still find it unbelievable that we have clear pictures coming back from Mars. Every new picture is like Xmas for me.
Everything in Space is awesome
Nothing has been more heartbreaking in life than sharing my love of space with someone I care about, taking them out with the telescope and stargazing and meteor showers...... Only to be met with "yeah, that's cool."
.... My soul-crushing disappointment is immeasurable, and my year is ruined.
My children are old enough for Lego now.
I'm more excited for their Lego christmas gifts then they will be!
I treated myself to one of the NASA sets last year for Christmas. Sat down with my best friend and we built the moon lander. It was great.
Treat yo'self
I LOVE Lego! Have you seen that awesome Batman shadowbox set? It's stupidly expensive, but cool as fuck. I want it, but I just can't bring myself to drop $400 on Lego.
I thought about it, but I already have the batwing & 1989 batmobile. I'm not really that big of a Batman fan, so I think my collection on those might be complete.
Not exactly childish but, assembling furniture. I’m excited when I buy furniture that arrives disassembled because I get to look at the instructions and build it myself. I guess it resonates with setting up and assembling toys, just with adult things instead.
IKEA is my lego.
Their assembly instructions are even designed the same way. Those Scandanavians definitely know how to write an assembly manual!
The IKEA empire is built on this feeling. If you put it together yourself, you're more inclined to feel that it's better quality
In actual fact, 90% of IKEA stuff is well-designed cheaply made shit
There are tons of toys where the fun part is assembling them. Humans love building things. :)
SNOW!!!!!
There is nothing childish about snow. Especially since in some parts of the world, we're the last generation that gets to enjoy it at all
I got to play in snow for the first time the other day. It was fantastic :)
(Early 30's)
Mine isn't snow, but it is connected. As I can't resist stepping on crunchy ice while walking. That crunch is just so satisfying.
Yeah this is the big one for me
Movies about giant monsters or giant robots or ideally both. I love Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Jurrasic Park, Transformers, Robot Jox, etc. etc. etc. I don't care about plot or a coherent story I just want to see giant things fucking up shit.
I can relate to that. I recently went to the cinema alone to see Godzilla Minus One, because none of my friends and relatives were interested. Watched big lizard smash things. Felt happy for the rest of the day.
Transformers .... I just want to see giant things fucking up shit.
I have a beef with the Transformers movies.
I think the last one I saw was the second Transformers movie. Did the later ones move the camera position back so you could actually see who and what was fighting and winning/losing? I remember being in the middle of what may have been an epic robot battle, but the camera position was so close you couldn't tell which robot you're looking at. Even slight clue what would have told you like a color or maybe some lettering on the robot body was impossible to discern because the motion blur was so high and the cuts were maybe 1 to 2 seconds before another cut took place.
I remember looking that the screen hearing this epic robot battle and being just bored because I couldn't tell which robot hit which robot and couldn't tell which character was winning. At the end of the 3 minute fight scene a Decepticon was standing victorious over the Autobot he had just fought. I thought "huh, I wonder how he won"...even though the whole thing played out in front of me it was impossible to follow.
Did that get any better in the later movies?
Agree 100%. The fight sequences were awful because you couldn't tell what was going on. It reminded me of the shakey camera technique they use in action movies.
Film critics complain about the plot, characters and a bunch of other things, so I thought that the director made those compromises so that the action would be better. Turns out, even the people who are in it for the robot smashing are disappointed.
No, the action camera work is just god awful.
I see “Godzilla minus one“ today and I’m pretty excited.
I'm seeing it with my son today, I'm excited as well.
Metro. Train go underground, yay! Probably helps that where I'm from they're pretty tidy.
Mechanical items being repaired. It didn't work as it was supposed to, now it does, magical, you healed it! (Sometimes it's even me being the magician.)
I used to take the Metro in DC every day to get to school. I enjoyed it.
Sometimes I get served ads for toys and I'm like "I fucking want that."
There are so many kick-ass toys right now I wish existed when I was a kid. 😩
I feel that. I bought one of those gel bead shooters the other day, just on a lark.
It is glow in the dark. The gel beads it shoots are also glow in the dark. It's got a pair of UV LED's in the magazine that charge them up before it fires them. It's great; like your own little stormtrooper laser blaster.
It was only $40. I would have shoveled so many driveways and mowed so many lawns to be able to afford that as a kid.
I used to be into Nerf blasters when I was younger, into my teens I would remove the air restrictors and change out the springs, other various performance modifications.
I recently discovered the Adventure Force Aeon Pro, which is an off brand blaster that seems to be marketed for that demographic, and it certainly delivers. Playing with it practically makes me giggle.
I turned 41 this year. First snowflakes of the season still put a huge grin on my face.
Snow is just so pretty! You're never too old to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Me too. Even though it means ice and slush and wet feet. And not because I own a Yes Typo (reason to celebrate right there). It’s just “yeh - snow!” somehow
Steam locomotives. I still get giddy like a little kid when I get to see one in a museum. Real life is even better. Heck I'll go out of my way to see model trains if there's a steam engine somewhere in the display.
If you ever visit Hamburg, this place will blow your mind:
https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/
I don't even have words to tell you how cool that place is. We went to an art exhibition in Hamburg, and kind of accidentally went to see that place too. Like, they have day/night cycle there. They have trains with little cameras on top of them so you can travel in them. They have model planes landing and they have cruise ships going in real water.
So damn cool.
I've been wanting to go there for years!
Same. I'm loved them since I was a kid and I still love them to this day.
Honestly so much stuff I don't even know where to start. The world is amazing!
Blankets, bubblebaths, colouring in, making a mess, making stuff out of mess, chocolate, jigsaws, road trips, snowy days, macaroni cheese, exploring new places, playing games, giving and receiving hugs, dancing just because, wearing big whooshy skirts and making them go whoosh, cuddling dogs, cake, rollercoasters, ok you probably get the idea.
Also I got to go on a reeeeally big boat this year, that was awesome.
I used to babysit a little girl who, if she saw someone in a skirt or dress, would run up to them and say, "Hey! Hey! Um. Does your dress spin?" And of course, even strangers knew the only correct response was to perform the most elaborate twirl and make that dress spin. Now, over a decade later, when I'm shopping for dresses, I always give them a test spin to make sure they're wooshy enough.
Thank you for reminding me of that memory this morning, it sparked joy :)
Snow days are the best! Also games, puzzles, occasional fancy dresses, puppy snuggles, etc
whooshy skirts
Reminds me of George in The Wedding Singer
Vehicles used in a fictional setting in an unconventional way. Sky pirates in a wooden ship for example, or space trains, etc
I'm about to harvest my first batch of vegetables in a very old MMO.
RuneScape?
Heheh, I figured most people would think it's RuneScape. Actually, it is a classic server for Final Fantasy XI called Eden.
Here's the info if anyone is interested:
Im 50 years old. I watched Trolls 3, Wish, and Leo all in the same week. I have not seen Openheimer nor do i wish to.
I havent seen Barbie either, but when it shows up on streaming I might.
As someone with similar taste: Barbie is hella good. It's a hilarious comedy with plenty of cartoonish surrealism. Don't sit on it, bro!
I genuinely enjoyed Leo. I'm 37. Don't have kids, don't really watch much of the newer animated stuff. I was surprised by leo. Even Sandler 's stupid voice worked.
I still get really excited every time I get on a plane. Like it's so cool. Giant flying machine transports hundreds of humans in the sky.
Love takeoff. It's amazing when you really think about it.
In-universe lore. Of any franchise or story really. I love good world-building. Even if it's just some funny details or references.
You can imagine the first time, as a kid, watching a marvel movie and recognising Stan Lee, I was very excited. Little did I know this was a running gag.
I kind of assume everyone has, but if you haven't read Terry Pratchett, his books are absolutely chock-full of lore, detail and references, some of them so obscure that I haven't actually got the joke for years.
Doors. Specifically doors in obscure places. Think maintenance accesses and such. I like to imagine that they’re less mundane than they are.
I love me a good lighthouse
Fuck yeah. Lighthouses.
I love going to the toy aisles in stores or to toy stores with my daughter. I don't even have the excuse of looking to buy something for her anymore because she's 13. We both just love looking at toys. There are so many cool toys. Also, so many toys to make fun of.
Setting up a new computer.
Something about wiring it up, setting up the environment and configuring the desktop to do just what I want is a lot of work, but so rewarding!
Seeing my friends.
Cool rocks.
New video games coming out soon (Tekken 8!)
Finding new pretty things to wear.
Baking treats.
Having a whole day to myself with no interruptions to do what I like.
Dragonflies! They're so cool. Their wings are amazing and it's like they're nature's small attack helicopters. The body is colorful.
Fun fact: Dragonflies are natures most successful hunter, with a kill rate of over 95%.
I know, right? They're awesome!
I'm just happy not to live in a world with dragonflies any larger. Dragonflies the size of a rat would probably be dangerous for most pets, and by the size of a cat you'd be waking up with a dragonfly eating your arm.
At this scale though they're just awesome. I have some wetland on my property, so it's quite often in the summer, that I'll drop what I'm doing and just wander off after a dragonfly.
Riding my bicycle!
Shit, now I want to go for a ride...
Update: Went for a ride.
Still want to go for a ride...
I would love to ride, but the weather where I live makes that currently impossible. Snow, ice, snow slush, salt and everything either on a regular road or on completely unmaintained (and thus frozen) bike paths. So my options are slipping on ice or slipping on ice and then getting run over by a car.
I'm not suggesting that you put yourself in unnecessary danger, however, if you still wanted to get out on the paths, Schwalbe makes some really great studded tires that help a ton on ice.
Climbing things! Trees, walls, playground equipment. Just the idea of being able to get up there from here gets me excited. Same thing with tunnels and other out of the way places. I just love to explore places where I'm not supposed to be ever since I was little and I never really lost that.
Of course nowadays I can't be seen climbing on someone's roof or trying to scale a security fence without being seen as a trespasser. 😒
I went to a climbing gym once with family, and it's a crazy workout, too. I'd love to do it regularly if it weren't so expensive.
Have you tried bouldering? Their gyms are usually cheaper and you need fewer gears; just shoes and a crashpad if you want to do it outside
Snow on tree branches. To be shaken
OLED TVs, AV Receivers, game consoles/new games.
Driving through puddles. The bigger the better. The muddier the better. I get true child-like enjoyment from it on a real deep level.
But never to splash people. I’m not an asshole.
Snow. Every year I’m like a 10 year old when it snows.
I like the first big one but it gets old fast where I live.
Snow.
I proper love snow. The crunch of it when you step on it, how nice everything looks covered in it. Sledding is my jam, and snow is the butter!
There is no other quiet like a wooded area with a fresh blanket of snow.
When the dish soap makes bubbles.
Rainbows.
Cartwheels.
Bees, I love seeing bees.
I'm with you on bridges, will go at least slightly out of my way to drive over the Skyway just because it's so gorgeous.
Just looked it up. Beautiful bridge!
Fireflies. Cloud shapes. Snow. Cool rocks and leaves. Ladybirds. Dragonflies. Bubbles. Rainbows. Fairy doors
I miss seeing large amounts of fireflies.
If you have the space, you can plant what fireflies like and attract them to your house 🌸
Lightning and thunder. Awe inspiring and yet terrifying at the same time.
Especially from under a warm blanket ⛈️
And big piles of spices. I love going to the bulk section of the grocery store 🧡
Bath time, spinning tops, pizza, my dog, the feeling of safety when I hear my partner get home from work
I love it when my honey works from home. I feel so much better just knowing he's 5 miles away instead of 50.
Transformers. I loved them as a kid and still love them today. I love the action figures and the comics and the cartoons, but sorry Bayverse Transformers, hard pass on that shit.
Here i thought you were talking about the electrical grid transformers, powerful units
I hope you get the Robosen transformers, I would like to get my hands on the those.
I sometimes like to ignore the sat nav and take another motorway in my city that is the only one with tunnels.
The tunnels run under the runway at our airport so I also like to see the planes flying in.
My friends think I’m weird but really who’s the weird one. I’m just taking pleasure in the simple things.
Lightning. I'll leave my house every time to watch a storm for as long as it keeps up. It feels like the weather in my area has changed in the last 20 years so we don't get as many, but I love storms.
Seeing that sizzling fajita plate get set at my table when I'm really hungry.
Inclement weather. Any kind really but the bigger, the better. Snow flurries, a really big thunderstorm, howling wind - I turn 5 years old again every time. Just overcome with excitement and fear and awe.
I'm absolutely obsessed with dragons and dinosaurs. I just think big lizards go hard.
Saaaaame. I have a… sizable Bad Dragon collection lawl.
I am super impatiently awaiting a new set of wheels for my RC car to be delivered. I purchased them a while ago and it is taking ages! I want to finally finish my build and let it rip on the street!
trains, squirrels and frogs
Freight trains. The funny thing is that I was never really interested in them as a kid, only once I got into my early 20s. There's tons of adults who love trains, but for some reason it's still viewed as kind of a childish interest and I'm not sure why.
The last time I drove out to watch some I was kind of disappointed though. It's been a long time, so I was actually surprised that out of hundreds of freight containers, 90% of them are now just giant Amazon logos, and the other 10% are giant Walmart logos. It kind of sucks. The engines make it worth it though.
I live in an apartment that is right next to active train tracks.. a few floors up, i have a prime view of the tracks from my windows/balcony.. its a heavily used corridor that sees both freight and passenger service.
While im not really into trains, (more of a nuisance for me.. being essentially right above the tracks), i will say, ive seen some really cool shit that really gave me a real appreciation for people who enjoy trains… since moving here, i find myself actually going to the window to watch them more often than anticipated.
Personally, the coolest stuff ive seen hasnt been the freight or passenger trains, but the ultra specialized equipment used to maintain the tracks.. some examples:
1- one day, they replaced the railroad ties under the tracks. They had a really cool set of machinery that i can only describe as a robot on rails.. the front of it pulled out every other tie, the back installed a new tie in its place with a bunch of other steps in-between.
2-they were shipping a bunch of railroad rails. The rails were in long continuous segments that spanned the entire train’s length.. my apartment perch is on a relatively sharp curve in the rails (really pleasant for noise /s), so it was cool to see how they handled it.. the train essentially shimmied back and forth only a few feet at a time to allow their rail payload to bend and adjust to the curve in the track.
That is pretty neat that you were able to see how all of that worked!
One time my wife and I were driving across some tracks and we got honked at by a truck... that was on the tracks. It looked like it was there on purpose and I think it was modified to be about to drive on the tracks, but it caught us both by surprise.
Geysers. My in-laws live in a geothermal area and there are active geysers that come and go not far from their home. I don't often spot one erupting, but it's exciting when I do.
Went to Iceland in November. First stop was Geysir, located near Gulfoss. After waiting for twenty or thirty we learned it rarely goes off anymore and the new one is an additional hike. I'm still bummed I didn't get to see it go off.
That's too bad 😕 we cuaght it going off. I guess we got lucky.
Plush toys. Just bought one of Spyro the Dragon and I'm waiting for production to start on the Apollo ones (if you're wondering, yeah, the one of the iOS app's mascot)
Birds and wildlife in my neighborhood. I'm technically in suburbia, but enough old growth patches have been maintained that we have a surprising amount of wild animals that live in or travel through the neighborhood (Massachusetts, US)
Merlin app is amazing for identifying birds at the feeder I put on my back deck. And the rest of the animals, I mentally collect like Pokemon.
Thank you for this! I've found myself getting more interested in birds just this past year, and that app looks great. I got a set of binoculars for stargazing but been finding myself using them more to look at birds lol
i took my mom and grandma on a driving tour of my city yesterday and she was beyond excited that we went over 2 bridges. for me, its snow.