Rezalution

What a sweet little pup! #adorable

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:42:32 -0700

What a sweet little pup! #adorable

Just hung out with James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski! FTW!

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:38:20 -0700

Just hung out with James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski! FTW!

lizclimo: my first attempt at making these guys move (original...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:33:29 -0700

lizclimo:

my first attempt at making these guys move

(original comic here)

So scary!!! Meow!!

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:15:05 -0600

So scary!!! Meow!!

And say hi to sassy Sally!

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:11:03 -0600

And say hi to sassy Sally!

Say hello to pumpkin cat! He poops pumpkin pie! :D

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:08:00 -0600

Say hello to pumpkin cat! He poops pumpkin pie! :D

Night fall

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:34:20 -0600

Night fall

Helllooo tumblr app! 😃

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:10:31 -0600

Helllooo tumblr app! 😃

So sleepy! (Taken with Instagram)

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:45:31 -0600

So sleepy! (Taken with Instagram)

Let’s go for a ride! :D The Great Artificial...

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:46:41 -0600

Let’s go for a ride! :D

The Great Artificial Elephant!

This is a robotic miracle…made from 45 tons of recycled materials, measuring 12 meters high and 8 meters wide. It can carry up to 49 passengers.

robertgillies: I couldn’t resist sharing this with you. It’s...

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:28:21 -0600

robertgillies:

I couldn’t resist sharing this with you. It’s happening.

robertgillies: I like to bend the rules sometimes, more so to...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:17:28 -0600

robertgillies:

I like to bend the rules sometimes, more so to test possibilities than anything else. I first starting using iMovie back in ‘98 when I was 14 years old, and it was amazing just to be able to record something with a camera, import it, and create a short film.

After using iMovie for a couple of years I wanted to do more with it. I wanted to edit existing material, only you couldn’t import video files themselves, it had to be footage from a camera; or stills. Stills. This is where I first started bending the rules.

I would painstakingly screenshot clips from movie trailers, frame-by-frame, until I had the section I wanted (this often took several hours), and then loop the audio from the headphone port to the line-in using a double 16th inch cable. That way I could mix and match anything I wanted, only it took me hours.

Next I discovered you couldn’t slow clips down. This is something we take for granted these days, but 10 years ago it wasn’t a possibility. So, again, I bent the rules.

I would screenshot frames and double or triple them to give the impression of slowing them down, again taking hours of time for a 30 second clip.

Then, my pièce de résistance. I wanted my digital movie to look rougher, as if it had been filmed on a film camera.

I set up my camera in front of the screen, covering the computer, the camera, and myself in a blanket to omit ambient light. I then manually played through the clip frame-by-frame to create a slightly slo-mo effect, and add a glow from the screen to the footage.

Voila! Footage that glided a little, and had a shimmer to it.

This video is another rule-bender, so to speak. iMovie isn’t designed for animation, but I refused to believe that I couldn’t make it work for me. So I spent over 12 hours manipulating individual frames in Photoshop and importing them one at a time. It isn’t meant to look smooth at all. In fact, the stunted, amateur feel is exactly what I wanted.

Sometimes you just have to push things to their limits to find out what you’re truly capable of.

Robert Gillies Speaks Songwriting

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:39:02 -0600

Robert Gillies Speaks Songwriting:

My fiancé, Robert, was just featured in a magazine! Check it out—pretty cool!

robertgillies: Thanks to all of my fans, I had the amazing...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:41:10 -0700

robertgillies:

Thanks to all of my fans, I had the amazing opportunity to open for Andy Grammer, Ryan Star, and Action Item. It was an amazing night and a huge confirmation that the right things are happening. Thank you for being amazing.

Ben Does Life.: One of the most popular emails I receive goes something like this:

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:29:40 -0700

Ben Does Life.: One of the most popular emails I receive goes something like this::

bendoeslife:

“I’m stuck. I know I need to turn my life around but I have no motivation. Have you ever been stuck? What’s your advice?”

And the truth is, I was stuck for the first 22 years of my life. It’s always there; you know you need to do something, but you don’t. It’s overwhelming to even think…

I was having a particularly hard time at work today—to be honest, I’m not really sure...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:16:00 -0700

I was having a particularly hard time at work today—to be honest, I’m not really sure why. I was unfocused and scattered, which made me slower than normal and sort of put a dimness on what I usually believe to be a radiant outlook.

Not many realize how difficult working in retail can be—in fact, I almost forgot what multi-tasking really looks like.

For those of you who don’t know I worked in the television industry for six years and during that time I did everything from producing to researching—all of which involved A LOT of multi-tasking.

But multi-tasking in retail is different. In any retail environment one is asked to memorize a certain set of rules, regulations, and (depending on where you work) recipes. But I have left out the main ingredient for any retail company worth its salt—

CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Now, many retail companies boast about their customer service standards, but in my opinion (and having worked a couple of different retail jobs), Starbucks sets an even higher standard and today I felt I was not meeting the expectation and it hurt.

No matter what I did I still felt unfocused, tired, and overall, GROUCHY—a feeling I’m not used to experiencing. I ended up feeling even worse when one of my fellow colleagues was so frustrated with me he called me out in front of customers (something he later apologized for).

I started wondering, “What am I doing here? Why would I do this?! Service to humanity? What was I thinking?!”.

Suddenly, a regular customer walked up to the register (he happens to be known as being a bit of a handful as he has a mental illness and sometimes can get out of control) so I braced myself for more frustration:

“Hi. How are you doing?” he asked more focused and grounded than usual.

“Oh I’m fine,” I lied. “Just tired,” I said with a smile hoping he wouldn’t notice.

”’Work is love made visible.’ Khalil Gibran, ‘The Prophet’. Work makes the soul strong”.

My heart leapt as he said these words to me. Overwhelmed I began to feel tears come to my eyes.

“Thank you! You’re right!” Still shocked I looked into his eyes and handed him his change from the transaction.

All day I had been reminding myself that work is worship and to focus on service. That through service real change will come to this world.

I was having such a hard time believing it today—

until a customer so lovingly reminded me.

Very proud of my fiancé, Robert Gillies, who co-wrote this song...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:44:47 -0700

Very proud of my fiancé, Robert Gillies, who co-wrote this song with his friend, Charlie Puth.

robertgillies: I’m going to be on Ellen. Dear lord.

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:49:54 -0700

robertgillies:

I’m going to be on Ellen. Dear lord.

Scones and a Ring

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:05:40 -0700

Coyly stealing glances at my new engagement ring I eat my homemade fruit scone while listening to the witty banter Robert and my new step-father in-law, Jeremy, share; I am overfilled with joy. It occasionally seeps out with random bits of nonsensical laughter. We’re sitting at the family dinner table—a place where for the past month I have shared scones, discovered Weetabix, and enjoyed a cup of Lapsang souchong—but today, it is even more special…

Robert and his mum sneak off for a final tea date before we head back in the morning to the States, but Jeremy and I don’t mind—WE HAVE SCONES TO BAKE!

As some of you may or may not know I LOVE family, and I especially love creating traditions that foster familial bonds. One of these traditions I have created is with my Dad, Stephen. He and I carve pumpkins together every year for Halloween—we’ve been doing this since he came into my life when I was about 3 years old, and each year I find there is more and more I gain from spending that seemingly small amount of time with him.

Even while making scones with butter and flour on his hands Jeremy has a quiet dignity swirling about him. He glances up only on occasion assuring me that I’m doing a good job as his helper. Part of me feels as though I’m 3 years old again helping Dad lick the batter off the spoon (yes, we did that—haha!) and I hope he considers this to be as special as I do. I have discovered a new tradition on the other side of the Atlantic with another Dad—even more so now.

Robert and his Mum come home. He’s been gone only for an hour or so, but I’ve already begun to miss him. He asks me into the other room so we can pray together—something we love sharing.

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me, have children with me, be annoyed on occasion at me, love me, be silly with me, pray with me, develop ourselves spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically for the rest of our lives?” Robert asks as he looks deep into my eyes.

I nod my head smiling.

He drops to one knee and hugs me burying his face in my stomach.

“Will you marry me?” he asks as he pulls out his Grandmother’s engagement ring.

“YES!!!” I shout smiling and laughing as he slips it onto my finger.

We stand silently holding each other and allowing the moment to pass over us, embracing us in its arms…

Now, as I lie in bed the night before I leave this wonderous country, I’m holding open this special place in my heart for my new family to grow knowing that this will be one of many magical moments to come.

Here are a few photos from my visit to Stirling Castle

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:16:42 -0700

Here are a few photos from my visit to Stirling Castle