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On determination

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"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." ~ Ayn Rand

A few random thoughts on determination.

There are many simple things availabe in life which have the power to completely transform us. They could not only change our life, but also have the power to change other lives. They are some of the initial ingredients for success. One of them is determination. The stronger the determination of a person, the more successful he will be in life. It seems safe to say that the vast majority of the people who fail in life generally lack a strong determination to succeed.

Those who succeed in life are not extraordinary human beings. They are as simple as we are; however they are highly determined to reach their goals. Determination provides us with a strong force which helps us reach those goals. Many talents fail in this world because they do not have strong determination required for success.

The WizWog family values and greatly admires determination. We notice that some folks unfortunately mis-perceive 'determination' as  'stubborn.'

The dictionary defines 'stubborn' as 'unreasonably or perversely unyielding,' while 'determination' is defined as a 'firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end.' It seems pretty clear - one is negative, one is positive.

What can you gain with determination today? What is to be lost by acting stubborn?

Check out this little guy - the picture of determination!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

independent thinkers

"Follow the path of the unsafe, independent hinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost."  ~Thomas J. Watson

We in the WizWog family pride ourselves on being independent thinkers. We like to assess situations and items, factor in our experience and other evidence, then make an educated decision. Mindlessly following crowds or fads just isn't our style. At least most of the time ...

"I'm going down to the AT&T store," I wake to at 6:45 a.m. on July 11, "just to see how many people are in line."

It took a moment to shake out a sleep-fogged brain and realize what's happening. My favorite early adapter and tech junkie, our own Woggy, is actually going to expose himself to the risk of *gasp* a fad at the AT&T store - the day the G3 iPhone (version 2) is delivered.

No, no, Mr. Wogg! Resist the urge - don't go there!!

Alas, two hours later, Wizzy's trip to Starbuck's for coffee and doughnuts to keep up Woggy's strength during his early morning vigil, standing in a line that wraps clear around the building, and discussions about the earlier version of the iPhone with others in line.


Next thing we know we're carrying out two of the 30 iPhones allocated to our local AT&T store.



Whooda thunk it of two Independent Thinkers? *snort*

do it anyway

A few encouraging words as our weekend of celebration draws to and end -

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will acuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack if you help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

happy father's day

Dads are dolphins in disguise with hearts as big as kings.
They test the waters and devise a way for everything.
When we are small hey swim along to help us reach our dreams.
And through it all so proud and tall
So like we'd like to be.

Many, many warm Father's Day wishes to all dads granddads, and dads-to-be out there. We hope your day brought you much love and many special moments. We love our Wizzy & Friends dads! Here are a few of our favorite daddy moments from the past year.

A special blessing today to our OpLove daddies, especially those who are deployed and cannot be with their families this Father's Day. You're in our hearts.













And a heartful of love on this Father's Day to our Woggy, with memories from Cirina, the late Sweet Roobie, Sam & TeeTee, and Jennifer- his four-legged and two legged kids.

eight gifts | no cost

"Love is a gift. You can't buy it, you can't find it, someone has to give it to you." ~ Kurt Langner

 
Eight gifts that do not cost a cent

The gift of listening
But you must really listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

The gift of affection
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and holds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for those you love and your friends.

The gift of laughter
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

The gift of a written note
It can be simple. "Thanks for the help" note, or a full sonnet. A brief handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

The gift of a compliment
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," or "you did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

The gift of a favor
Every day, go out of your way to do something kinds.

The gift of solitude
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

The gift of a cheerful disposition
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone. Really ... it's not that hard to say Hello or Thank You.

What gifts will you give today?

Weddings | anticipation, love, commitment

from the 'Desiderata -
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silents. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others. Enjoy Your achievements as well as your plans. Keep Interested in your own careers, however humble.

Be at peace with the Universe, whatever you conceive that to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noise and confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."

Two or three times a year we agree to photograph ceremonies of couples who are being married, renewed or re-married. Potential clients are screened carefully to make sure we're a good fit. With our non-traditional photography and lifestyle, clients whose ceremonies will also be non traditional is where we do our best work.

Under 50 guests, out-of-the-ordinary locations (beach, park, home), often non-religious are other factors we take into consideration.

We generally know we're a fit right away, seeming to just 'click' (pun intentional).

Sharing the emotions, and being reminded how they fit into our lifestyle together, is a bonus.

Anticipation. Love. Commitment. All experiences that bond us with one another.
* * *
What inspired these musings?

We're scheduled for J&J's preview/order appointment this week. Designing a couple of our signature StoryBook pages, we were reminded of the significant role anticipation, love and commitment play in our everyday lives.

Capturing and designing with meaningful moments like these delights and inspires us.

Left side page -


Right side -
 

Double-page layout -


Speaking of weddings, are you or someone you know being non-traditionally married, re-married or renewing vows, and want that one perfect photographer who will capture the emotions of your special day? One wedding spot between August and mid-October remains in our schedule. We'd love to hear from you!

Teamwork at Fenway | an unexpected assist

Kleenex alert!
Moments like these feed the soul.

leap year day | top 25 facts

don't be fooled by the calendar. there are only as many days in the year as you make use of          ~ charles richards

while we'd love our readers to think we share interesting tidbits here and there just for them, that's only true in part. truth is, the WizWog family has always been avid learners.

here's what we learned today -

1 - the original roman 355 day calendar had an extra 22-day month every few years to maintain the correct seasonal changes. by the time julius caesar took reign, the seasons no longer occurred during the same months they once had.

2 - this was remedied in 45 BC by removing the extra month and adding the extra day to a few months instead.

3 - julius caesar proclaimed the last day of february as Leap Year Day, skipping it three out of four years. back then, february 30th was the last day of the last month of the year, which is why he picked it.

4 - julius also threw in a month in honor of himself (julius - july)

5 - around 10 BC, it was found that the priests in charge of computing the calendar had been adding leap years every three years instead of the four decreed by caesar. as a result of this error, no more leap years were added until 8 AD - then every fourth year after 12 AD, until the gregorian calendar was introduced.

6 - in 4 AB emperor caesar augustus corrected acounting error in leap years. he also had the month of august named after him, and took the last day of february so that august can have 31 days, just like julius' month. now february has 29 days in leap years.

7 - the calendar was finally perfected by pope gregory xiii in 1582 who predicted easter and christmas would eventually fall on top of each other without his intervention.

8 - pope gregory determined that leap day should fall on any year divisible by 4 but not 100 (except whern the year is divisible by 400).

OK, did we all get that??

9 - century years were made leap years if they were divisible by 400. so, 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 was not.

10 - at the same time, pope gregory moved the end of the year to december 31st.

11 - he also moved the end of the year back two months so that easter would occur in the spring.

12 - today our year is 365.2425 days, off from our solor year by .00031, or one day's error over 4,000 years.

13 - leap seconds! some years are longer than others. this is mostly due to weather. every few years, scientists agreed to add or remove a second from a year right at midnight on january 1st or july 1st. this is called a leap second.

but wait - newsflash! scientists have now discovered that the earth is not rotating as fast, and have deemed this practice unnecessary.

14 - leap moons! many countries use a lunar calendar to celebrate religious holidays. whenever the lunar calendar falls behind the solar calendar by more than a moon month, a leap moon month is added to the lunar calendar.

15 - if you're a "leaper," you will have beaten the 1506 odds against being born on leap day.

16 - there is now in existence the worldwide leap year birthday club and the worldwide leap year festival.

17 - leap year was the traditional time that women could propose marriage. when the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years - february 19th.

18 - it is believed this tradition was started in 5th century ireland when st. bridget complained to st. patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. so, according to legend, st. patrick said women could propose on this one day in february during the leap year.

19 - according to english law, february 29th was ignored and had no legal status.

20 - folks assumed that traditions would also have no status on that day. it was also reasoned that since the leap year day existed to fix a problelm in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose marriage.

21 - the first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when scotland passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year.

22 - they also made it a law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. the fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.

23 - in the united states, some people have erroneously referred to this date as sadie hawkins day, with women being given the right to run after unmarried men to propose. designed sadie hawkins day is actually november 15.

24 - there is a greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. apparently one in five engaged couples in greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.

25 - herman hollerith developed the first computer on leap day 1860. he had been a special agent for the US census, and developed punch cards and electric tabulating machines in time to process the census returns, reducing considerably the time needed to complete the clerical work. hollerith's venture became part of what is now the IBM corporation.

Now that your brain is spinning with leap year explanation facts, here's one more fun factoid:

Q: what are your chances of being born on leap day?
A: about 1 in 1500.

value of a true friend | reflections

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person. Having neither to weigh thought nor measure words, but pouring them all right out just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."   ~ Dinah Craik Muldaur

Recently P and I have experienced an re-awakening - the value of a true friend.

It would be rhetorical to state that the two of us are true friends. Anyone who has ever seen us together or heard us speak of one another knows it unquestioningly.

From time to time we discuss deeply what makes one person there, truly, more than the next. We all go through life with different people by our sides at different times in our lives. But some people distinguish themselves. These are true friends.

There are times in all of our lives when we need the comfort and solace of someone who understands completely, and for some reason, continues to help us when we are at our worst - even when we, perhaps, exhaust them>

Going through dark times reveals who your real friends are. It's not to say that those who are not there for you during bad times are not good people nor good friends. But you get to see their true dedication and moral character about how they relate to you when you face adversity.

But real, true friends are the ones who come through with flying colors - when you do not even ask. There is something magical about the bonds of true friendship.

**

Personal to darlin' AG ~ Time after time again, in the past week particularly, with your sweet spirit you have defined the term 'true friend.' Your unconditional support and kindness and wisdom have moved my heart forward on that very long road to healing, just caring for my heart and letting me cry, and saying, "My friend, I care...," neither judging nor trying to change nor fix. Just being there ...

You have shared your heart ... and renewed mine in countless ways, all with your selfless gift of true friendship. You have made me grow a little taller in my soul.

There are not words enough to thank you. You have touched and inspired my soul - and the best way I know I can repay your incredible kindnesses are to pass them along to someone else in need. And you know I will.

And most positive thing to come out of these dark times? I can say without question, "I know you by heart." You are an unexpected and oh so appreciated Life Gift, and I feel blessed.

With a hug from my heart you have lifted,
~N

more YouTube fun | gates' last day at MS

Since most of are pretty dependent on our Microsoft products (and stock!), and since he's such an internationally-recognized person, we thought our readers would get a kick out of this - Bill Gates' Last Day at Microsoft. Remember, some of you will need to double-click on the center arrow to activate the YouTube video.

(Note for our email Subscribers - just click on the link at the bottom of your email to go to our WizBlog to view the YouTube video)