Tilt-Shift Video of Awesomeness

I honestly find everything with stumbleupon nowadays.  Today I wanna share a video that I found yesterday.  I am obsessed with and love the tilt-shift effect.  (For those not in the know it's the effect that makes things look super small like a model.)  So I was pretty amazed once I watched this video, which is 5 minutes of tilt-shift.  I have not seen any tilt-shift video before (is this the first of its kind?) and I recommend you watch it fullscreen!  Really awesome and neat, the tinyness of random things will make you go "Awww how cute" before remembering it's not really tiny. :D
Watch it fullscreen! Click the four little arrows on the bottom right of the video!


The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Oh, and on a side note, is anyone else tired of winter?

picture from here

Time for Some Positivity!

And my personal favorites...

images from: here, here, here, and here.

And if that didn't bring a smile to your face, maybe this will.

Comfort Zone Camp

CZC. Those three letters mean so much to me. They have helped me thought the toughest times in my life. Today in class we had to share our essay topic on a group we belong to. I chose Comfort Zone Camp. As I was explaining to the class what it is and why it is my topic the teacher asked me to go more detail about a misconception about the group. Grief itself is a misconception. So many believe that there is only one way to grieve and only a certain ti

me period till you are supposed to be "over it". CZC breaks those misconceptions and lets you grieve at your own pace.

After class a girl came up to me and told me she lost her dad when she was 8 years old. She had never heard of this camp and wished she did at the time. I told her it was the same way for me. As we were walking I told her about some of my life-changing experiences at camp and she was getting excited. I gave her the website and she gave me a hug. I was very nervous to share my topic with the class, I didn't think people would understand. Instead, I found someone who wants to join.

The other day I was in my dorm room reading a facebook post that Jen posted. The question was: What is your favorite picture of yourself. I immediately looked up at my wall that is covered with about 200+ photos of me and my friends. Looking around I see a lot of pictures that I love, but I didn't know which one was my favorite. Then all of a sudden I found it.

It is me at CZC in VA. I was the green team leader. But this picture is more than just me being a leader of my favorite color. It's about who I really am. I look awful in this picture, I have green paint dripping down my face and sweat stains soaking my shirt, yet this is my favorite picture of myself. It shows me at a time where I really didn't know what I was doing; I was flying by the seat of my pants. To be the green team leader I was asked to do only one thing: keep the energy level high in a postitive manner. I would like to think I did just that and maybe even more.

This video that I have also attached shows me in action as a team leader. A little background to set this up: there were contests between the different colored teams this one shows the impersonation contest. This little girl volunteered herself to perform the impersonation part, but she wouldn't tell anyone what she was doing. She wanted me to come up with her and as I am standing in-front of the whole camp with her the pressure began to build. I didn't think she was going to be able to do it. Did she perform? Well, watch and find out!

I haven't written in a long time, but today was just such an excellent day I just had to share it with the world, or whoever is reading this. I want to take a moment to thank Comfort Zone Camp for everything they do for grieving children all around the world because it is making a difference. To Lynne Hughes I want to commend her on being brave through her own struggle and turning it around into something life-changing.

The world can be a truly wonderful place.

For more information on Comfort Zone Camp, please visit comfortzonecamp.org

Not So Positive... (Sorry)

We've all gone through rough times.
Sometimes it's hard to look at the positive side of things.  Sometimes it's just easier to be pessimistic.  Sometimes it's easier to ignore a blog about positivity and instead just be indifferent about things going on around you for months.  That's what I've been doing.
It's still hard to be optimistic and hopeful.  Lately I've been saying "Fuck it, positivity is too much work." It is a lot of work, but it does make you feel better.

     Tonight I've had one of those moments when everything that's been happening/ happened just hits you and you're overwhelmed.  You think over your biggest mistakes in life, you curse yourself for being so stupid, you know you should talk to someone but you just can't because you currently hate everyone's guts.  I won't lie- I cried.  That's not something you'll see me admit to often.  I knew what was coming, the feeling, anger I've felt in the past and I had to scare it off. (Jen, Krista an Kat you know what I mean)  I had to find something positive.

     I began ransacking my room, tearing apart my desk, searching for something, anything that would make me feel better.  I saw pictures of my friends but it made my feeling of loneliness only worse.  I found my rosary, but that didn't help either.  I found the Antioch bracelet Devin made for me but that only made me think of another boy at that Antioch and made things worse.  I found my Ring of Inspiration, but the quotes of courage and trying new things made me even more upset at myself for not doing so.  My mood was only getting worse and worse so I started digging through my bookshelf.  And I found my 'surveys' from Antioch.  More specifically, the notes from my last Antioch down in Chester and the first Antioch in SFAS.  And reading the letters, being told over and over how special I am, how fantastic and inspirational, how I'm loved and will be missed made me smile.  Then it made me grin.  And then it made me laugh.  I'm glad I was smart enough to bring these down with me.
     I'm feeling better for now but I've still got my problems.  And I just don't know how to be positive about them.  I don't have any wise words, inspirational quotes, thought out plans, or any idea what to do.  This is a blog about love and positivity but right now I can't do that, and I'm sorry.  I wish I could bring happiness and joy to you on a silver platter, but I can't find much for myself at the moment.  I am doing as much as I can to be positive.

     But to end I want to give you guys something nice to think about, and not my problems.  So here's a quote from Jason Mraz himself, his own words, via his twitter account.

"Life is amazing! Why, because I say it is.  You can say it too.  Choose life to be amazing! It is!"

We're trying Jason, we're trying.