Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Keyboardist Nik Green dies after battle with cancer March 13, 2016
Nik Green lost his fight against cancer Sunday, March 13. He smiled and wave goodbye to some friends that morning, but his weakened condition and complications of pneumonia were too much. Just a couple weeks earlier, Nik was going to the studio for a couple hours each day to finish up some of his mixes of his music. I promised him during his last day that I would finish his mixes, especially the mix of "Starless" which he'd been working on. Nik's own music deserved more recognition. He didn't seem to know what category it fit into, or how great his music was -- but every piece was a journey, a mini movie. Together, we were "The Away Team", and besides being musical partners, we've been married since 1994.
There will be a tribute to his life and music in Santa Barbara, CA He was loved by so many for his sweetness, his quirkiness, for his kind heart. TBA.
Nik was a childhood prodigy, who would pick out melodies of songs on the radio at age four. After rejecting formal classical training, he was introduced to synthesizers and taught himself "pretty much from scratch". After a stint with Roy Harper and Jimmy Page, Nik joined Blue Murder, a hard rock outfit lead by former Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes, releasing several albums, touring alongside notables like Jon Bon Jovi. After Blue Murder, Nik and I formed the Away Team. In our first incarnation we had a Chapman Stick player, James Fanning, with both Nik and I on keyboards. Our last gigs were a series of album release parties for "Topsy Turvy World" and playing the Summer Solstice Festivals.
Nik was first diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the head, neck and lung in October 2014. It was already in an advanced stage by the time a lump appeared on his neck. He underwent chemo, radiation and immunotherapy treatments which reduced the cancer in his neck by 85% and the lungs by 50%. Nik contracted pneumonia in October, had a downturn, from which he never fully recovered his strength .Immunotherapy medicine Nivolumab kept the progression of the disease at bay. When Nik had another bout with pneumonia, he was still hopeful that he might recover and get back to music. Squamous cell cancer of the head, neck and lungs is a formidable beast. In spite of all this, he remained in good spirits. He died peacefully, simply stopped breathing, no gasping, no fear. Twenty minutes after his death, his mouth which had been wide open, closed and he had his wry little smile on his face. We watched as this happened. He left us a little "gift".
Nik was first diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the head, neck and lung in October 2014. It was already in an advanced stage by the time a lump appeared on his neck. He underwent chemo, radiation and immunotherapy treatments which reduced the cancer in his neck by 85% and the lungs by 50%. Nik contracted pneumonia in October, had a downturn, from which he never fully recovered his strength .Immunotherapy medicine Nivolumab kept the progression of the disease at bay. When Nik had another bout with pneumonia, he was still hopeful that he might recover and get back to music. Squamous cell cancer of the head, neck and lungs is a formidable beast. In spite of all this, he remained in good spirits. He died peacefully, simply stopped breathing, no gasping, no fear. Twenty minutes after his death, his mouth which had been wide open, closed and he had his wry little smile on his face. We watched as this happened. He left us a little "gift".
It is nearly unfathomable for me to imagine life here on Planet Earth without him.
Because he did not have an insurance policies, a friend, Dawn Perrine has set up a Memorial Fund to cover costs of Cremation, Services, and final medical bills. Nik Green Memorial Fund
Because he did not have an insurance policies, a friend, Dawn Perrine has set up a Memorial Fund to cover costs of Cremation, Services, and final medical bills. Nik Green Memorial Fund
Nik with Jimmy Page
Nik at the Black Cat Ball with Jonathan Alburger
Friday, September 25, 2015
Report from the Planet
What a fun night was had by all at the August 1st Benefit for Nik ! Dancin' and rockin' out to Iron Curtain DJ Darla Bea and the Ronelles. Saturday Aug 1st at the Creekside Inn in Santa Barbara. Thank you to all who came out to support Nik Green in beating his cancer! Being around friends really lifted Nik's spirit. It was especially great to see John Sykes, guitarist from Blue Murder, and Yoko, a fan who flew in all the way from Tokyo just to be there!
Another Benefit is in the planning for October, again to cover the extra expenses and burdens of having to cope with cancer. Nik is finished with radiation, and only on immunotherapy and various supplements. The tumor in the neck has shrunk considerably, but there are new nodules appearing nearby which need to be stopped. He's in good spirits, but not working largely because of energy and pain levels, which are variable. We will have more updates soon!
Another Benefit is in the planning for October, again to cover the extra expenses and burdens of having to cope with cancer. Nik is finished with radiation, and only on immunotherapy and various supplements. The tumor in the neck has shrunk considerably, but there are new nodules appearing nearby which need to be stopped. He's in good spirits, but not working largely because of energy and pain levels, which are variable. We will have more updates soon!
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Help Nik Beat Cancer
Rock Out to Iron Curtain DJ Darla Bea and the Ronelles. Be there Saturday Aug 1st for a fun evening! Support Nik Green in beating his cancer! Benefit dance with 2 rock bands and a great DJ to support expenses for the complementary treatments of Nik’s cancer.
You can get tickets at the door or donate or get your tickets online. Your name will be on the guest list. Special mention will be made from the stage for donors of $100 or more (not the amount)
Nik Green is a Santa Barbara resident, a fantastic musician and recording engineer who has performed and/or recorded with Jimmy Page, Roy Harper, John Sykes, Blue Murder, Barry Palmer, Cougar Estrada, and others.
Nik was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of head, neck and lung, and is undergoing traditional treatments – chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation along with complementary alternative treatments, including non-THC CBD oil, and nutritional support.
Join and share Facebook event link
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Wounded Knee: A Line in the Sand
"Who controls the past controls the future;
who controls the future controls the present" - George Orwell
Wounded Knee, a Line in the Sand http://huff.to/1pxFnv9 a new movie by Kevin McKiernan comes in the midst of a firestorm of controversy generated by American Indian Mafia, a new book written by the FBI Special Agent-in-Charge of the Wounded Knee siege.
In 1973 Kevin McKiernan, a young NPR reporter who didn't think the media should be embedded on one side, penetrated the cordon of agents and soldiers around Wounded Knee and made his way into the village. He stayed until the end, smuggling out reports and film. While other reporters were reporting the official story, Kevin witnessed and filmed the siege from the inside. This was a turning point in modern Indian history and is considered the longest public disorder in US history not counting the Civil War.
The dramatic standoff caught the attention of the world. By the time it was over, two Indians were dead, two federal agents and 18 Indians were wounded, and more than 500 arrests had been made.
Why would Kevin McKiernan revisit this 40 years later? Is it because the truth in media is essential to a free society? He opens the trailer to the movie with the above quote from George Orwell. When we look at how a controlled media can change the story, change history, the politics, and the power structure, finding out what really happened at Pine Ridge, could have an impact our future. Every time another lie is written as history, there's another nail in the coffin of a freedom
Many worthy films do not get the support from big funders these days. Kevin is using crowd funding to get completion funds. The movie is in post - production. For more information and to support this documentary check out the Kickstarter campaign here: http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/1907846287
Kevin McKiernan is a veteran foreign correspondent, photographer and filmmaker. McKiernan's photography, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, has taken him to some of the world's most troubled regions, from El Salvador to Iraq, from West Africa to Afghanistan and Syria.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Don't Trickle on Me
There are problems with trickle down economics for musicians in the digital age “If we can’t make enough from digital media to pay for the record that we’ve just made,” Mr. Ribot said, “then we can’t make another one.” Marc Ribot, It seems it's still about the Big Three. Read all about it here
The trickle down economy theory has been refuted even by our current Pope Francis:
" . . some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. . . . "
But what does this have to do with music? Nothing really. But it has everything to do with the music industry, making a living, and what's happening in the economic landscape. The rich get richer, the one percent, that is, .01%, and the 99.99 percent are left to be pissed on and used.
Even some of the one per-centers get this. Like Nick Hanauer who published a Memo to his Fellow Zillionaires - "The Pitchforks are Coming" He sees the writing on the wall. To quote Nik Green: "When you tilt the playing field too far, everybody falls off…"
So, we have the BIG THREE in the music industry who still seem to own the playing field, and the gap between the haves and have nots is expanding exponentially. There are few stars at the top, the Miley Cyruses and Justin Biebers, and there is very little middle ground - i.e., middle division or middle class. Even though the promise of the Internet was to level the playing field, who out there is making a living at music?
"They" - the marketers - tell independent artists that you have to do other things like sell t-shirts, merchandise and engage your fans. Sounds great. I always wanted to sell t-shirts. Do they really mean it when they say that you glean one fan at a time? Let's see how long will it take to get 10,000, and out of 10,000 maybe one will buy your CD? Or, there's the idea of 100 core fans who will spread it out to the masses. On the Internet, there are flukes and it seems those who are interactive with their audience can have some degree of success. Look at Amanda Palmer. She's workin' it.
But hey, most people these days think music on the Internet is free . . . . isn't it? Or, the paid services might give you $4.43 for those 10,000 streams, one fan at a time. Musicians don't have to eat, we don't have to pay rent, there are no travel expenses, we don't have to buy expensive equipment . . . Yet if you want to make money at it, you have to be good, right? And that means you must spend most of your time doing it. How does that happen with a full time job? Or three part time jobs? Well, I have a time machine and I slip into it every night and write songs, woodshed, and get my beauty sleep. I come back after my journey into the future or past completely refreshed having lived another 24 hours as a practicing musician in another time dimension. Oh, that was a dream.
With every other band begging on Indiegogo or Kickstarter to get their albums made, doesn't it feel like we're all street musicians with our begging bowl out, defending our turf in the subway or on our virtual "block" waiting for some of that change to trickle down?
The royalty are the BIG THREE and those who are anointed get to play in their court, and millions are lined up in the cue to be their servants. The Independents are vying for their positions in the hierarchy. What's that trickling sound? Drip drip drip . . .
My question, if being a solitary musician or band with a pitchfork doesn't work, what if we get together and light some torches to create a new type of union, a new type of network, where there is the potential for a more level playing field, potential for those with talent and persistence to succeed at finding an audience together? I don't know what it is or what it will look like, but am open to suggestions. A gigging network? A distribution network with some built in tools for PR? Does it already exist? I know there are sites out there for independent musicians, and some are these are great; musicians have more online tools at our disposal than ever before.
But ultimately, it's usually gigging and being in front of an audience that brings rewards. If you're an acoustic singer-songwriter, it's easy to pick up and travel to gig in - or even beyond - your home town. If you're a band or have to rent a truck to leave home, need a roadie and a driver, the threshold to gigging success is a lot bigger, often with smaller rewards. With musicians competing for smaller and smaller openings, it makes sense to try a different model: collaboration. It's what cells do in a body to keep it alive.
Ideas anyone? I've got a quite a few, but . . . ideas are cheap. In the next chapter, I'll elaborate more. I've got my torch and some time on my hands.
The trickle down economy theory has been refuted even by our current Pope Francis:
" . . some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. . . . "
But what does this have to do with music? Nothing really. But it has everything to do with the music industry, making a living, and what's happening in the economic landscape. The rich get richer, the one percent, that is, .01%, and the 99.99 percent are left to be pissed on and used.
Even some of the one per-centers get this. Like Nick Hanauer who published a Memo to his Fellow Zillionaires - "The Pitchforks are Coming" He sees the writing on the wall. To quote Nik Green: "When you tilt the playing field too far, everybody falls off…"
So, we have the BIG THREE in the music industry who still seem to own the playing field, and the gap between the haves and have nots is expanding exponentially. There are few stars at the top, the Miley Cyruses and Justin Biebers, and there is very little middle ground - i.e., middle division or middle class. Even though the promise of the Internet was to level the playing field, who out there is making a living at music?
"They" - the marketers - tell independent artists that you have to do other things like sell t-shirts, merchandise and engage your fans. Sounds great. I always wanted to sell t-shirts. Do they really mean it when they say that you glean one fan at a time? Let's see how long will it take to get 10,000, and out of 10,000 maybe one will buy your CD? Or, there's the idea of 100 core fans who will spread it out to the masses. On the Internet, there are flukes and it seems those who are interactive with their audience can have some degree of success. Look at Amanda Palmer. She's workin' it.
But hey, most people these days think music on the Internet is free . . . . isn't it? Or, the paid services might give you $4.43 for those 10,000 streams, one fan at a time. Musicians don't have to eat, we don't have to pay rent, there are no travel expenses, we don't have to buy expensive equipment . . . Yet if you want to make money at it, you have to be good, right? And that means you must spend most of your time doing it. How does that happen with a full time job? Or three part time jobs? Well, I have a time machine and I slip into it every night and write songs, woodshed, and get my beauty sleep. I come back after my journey into the future or past completely refreshed having lived another 24 hours as a practicing musician in another time dimension. Oh, that was a dream.
With every other band begging on Indiegogo or Kickstarter to get their albums made, doesn't it feel like we're all street musicians with our begging bowl out, defending our turf in the subway or on our virtual "block" waiting for some of that change to trickle down?
The royalty are the BIG THREE and those who are anointed get to play in their court, and millions are lined up in the cue to be their servants. The Independents are vying for their positions in the hierarchy. What's that trickling sound? Drip drip drip . . .
My question, if being a solitary musician or band with a pitchfork doesn't work, what if we get together and light some torches to create a new type of union, a new type of network, where there is the potential for a more level playing field, potential for those with talent and persistence to succeed at finding an audience together? I don't know what it is or what it will look like, but am open to suggestions. A gigging network? A distribution network with some built in tools for PR? Does it already exist? I know there are sites out there for independent musicians, and some are these are great; musicians have more online tools at our disposal than ever before.
But ultimately, it's usually gigging and being in front of an audience that brings rewards. If you're an acoustic singer-songwriter, it's easy to pick up and travel to gig in - or even beyond - your home town. If you're a band or have to rent a truck to leave home, need a roadie and a driver, the threshold to gigging success is a lot bigger, often with smaller rewards. With musicians competing for smaller and smaller openings, it makes sense to try a different model: collaboration. It's what cells do in a body to keep it alive.
Ideas anyone? I've got a quite a few, but . . . ideas are cheap. In the next chapter, I'll elaborate more. I've got my torch and some time on my hands.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Website Overhaul for the Away Team
It began with moving some furniture around, and pretty soon we were taking down the walls. If you move one thing, something else has to move. That's a bit like editing. You have a chunk here and you want to fit it there. Now the chunk that was there needs to go somewhere. . . . one thing leads to another.
What if it's just a bunch of blocks and you move the blocks around? This is a bit like preschool. But what goes in each block? What do we want people to see when they arrive at The Home of the Away Team? Or, maybe we should ask, what do YOU want to see? Maybe not. If every decision became a collective one here we would all be stuck now wouldn't we?
Which leads to the ultimate question: How democratic can this really be? Does there need to be a Dictator, something like the Conductor who keeps it all together? Who is the voice of the band? Is it simply a Do-ocracy. Whomever does it . . gets the word in edgewise, the first word, the last word. Add Twitter and FaceBook so we can communicate and have a dialogue.... Amend and edit later . . Ok. .
Distilled the blocks became: Music, About, Tour, Videos, Blog and Contact.
Check it out: The Away Team's Amazing New, but Somewhat the Same New and Hopefully Improved WEBSITE
We're missing the "Press" button.
What if it's just a bunch of blocks and you move the blocks around? This is a bit like preschool. But what goes in each block? What do we want people to see when they arrive at The Home of the Away Team? Or, maybe we should ask, what do YOU want to see? Maybe not. If every decision became a collective one here we would all be stuck now wouldn't we?
Which leads to the ultimate question: How democratic can this really be? Does there need to be a Dictator, something like the Conductor who keeps it all together? Who is the voice of the band? Is it simply a Do-ocracy. Whomever does it . . gets the word in edgewise, the first word, the last word. Add Twitter and FaceBook so we can communicate and have a dialogue.... Amend and edit later . . Ok. .
Distilled the blocks became: Music, About, Tour, Videos, Blog and Contact.
Check it out: The Away Team's Amazing New, but Somewhat the Same New and Hopefully Improved WEBSITE
We're missing the "Press" button.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Pay to Play
Musicians complain about "pay to play", and well they should. Many music sites like Reverb Nation catering to the independent musician have become pay to play -- if you want to be seen and heard, it seems you have to pay. FaceBook has algorithms that allow only a small percentage of your posts to have any reach unless you use their boost your post mechanism which is pay to play. All the channels on television which were supposed to be publicly owned were snapped up by large media corporations. Paid Advertising is expensive pay to play through their channels. Getting on the political playing field has always been largely pay to play -- those with the most, get selected. Soldiers with promises of signing bonuses and patriotic intent sign up to protect our liberties and our Constitution, unwittingly are paying to play - sometimes with their lives --on the military playing field.
And now that Internet neutrality is being challenged by big corporations who want to own the playing field, it may come to pass that only those with the bucks will get seen and heard.
Pay to play has become a norm on nearly every playing field. It's not new, but . . .
"When the playing field becomes too tilted, everybody falls off." (Nik Green). When people train for a skill, they may be intern for awhile but don't expect to be interns for the rest of their lives. It's beginning to look like we're in living in a huge "internment" camp. Matrix anyone?
There is nothing wrong with "paying dues", working hard, giving one's all, giving it for passion, even spending money to make money, but when the system becomes rigged and the uber wealthy are allowed to treat workers as an underclass and don't pay a living wage, I have a problem. Seth Godin gives an example of cheerleaders who suffer low pay, abuse, just to be seen or heard. Pay to play. At ever strata of our society, people are taking advantage and sometimes abusing other's talents, time, work and passion in the name of the bottom line or the "team". Add to that the rising cost of living while wages stagnate, debt enslaves most ordinary folks ,and opportunity must become self made.
So many workers today, in whatever field, owe their "soul to the company store." In order to change this system, we must be aware of what it is, and why it needs changing. But will awareness or higher consciousness save us? We're at the precipice of a new feudal age or a bright new planet wide evolution. What path do we choose?
For action on net neutrality go to:
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Update for Jami
Yay, I saw Jami again on the street. and she's doing much better. She's in the video "Hey There Sugar Pie" and I was getting really worried about her since I hadn't seen her in months. She still hasn't seen the video, but she's really happy to know she's in it.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Heading into 2014
We've been working in the studio on mixing songs from the past year, pas part of a new album project. Fukushima, Sugar Pie, Head Heart, Truth Will Set You Free, others...
"Hey There Sugar Pie" This song and music video was inspired by an interaction I witnessed between a girl who looked like she was feeling sad and a street musician who said hi to her. The musician saw that she was down, they exchanged a few words, and she walked on. It became a story about a girl who had lost everything in Hurricane Sandy. She was feeling the weight of the world, when a street musician gave her some kindness or words of wisdom -- which set her on a different path. I ran back to the studio to write and record a rough demo of the song I was formulating.
The video includes pieces of the original writing process, piano part and lyrics being sung and recorded as I wrote them that evening of Nov. 30, 2012. I added the drums and bass the next day. Nik Green has put in his aura with some extra keyboards and drum programming, and a demented lead in the middle and end. Then, later the next evening, I found a bunch of video clips I had shot in NYC. and a couple stock footage clips, and put quickly together the video from what I had at hand. One rainy night in SB before Christmas I got some low rez shots. I tried to get funding through IndieGogo, to find a way to pay street musicians to participate in my video, to reshoot the "iPhone footage" with the storyline narrative. Although I will use some clips from this rough montage, eventually most will be replaced by new footage.
I feel sad that I have not seen Jami - one of the homeless women in the video - for months. She was not doing well the last time I saw her.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
The Away Team at Summer Solstice Celebration 2013
(photos by Victor Rocha)
Penny Little and Nik Green aka the Away Team performed on the main stage for Summer Solstice Celebration 2013, as part of the largest 3 day arts festival in Santa Barbara County. Solstice artist Pali-X joined the Away Team, with another dancer dressed as a Unicorn.
This celebration of life and art brings 100,000 people to the streets to see the colorful people-powered parade dancing up State Street to Alameda Park.
We shared the stage with a fantastic lineup including Creed Bratton and the Rubbermen. For those who are not familiar, Creed is most recently known for playing himself in NBC's comedy "The Office" which just ended after 9 years. He is also a former member of 60's chart topper "The Grass Roots".
The Festival each year begins Friday with performances from ensembles from the parade - continues through the weekend, with the Parade at NOON on Saturday.
Friday, October 5, 2012
October 16 Deadline for Healing Journey Fundraising Campaign
I am grateful for those of you who pledged to help with my Kickstarter Campaign, even though I did not reach my goal of $1500, which meant that campaign was unfunded. 
Anyone who donates $100 or more will be included in the rolling credits as part of the special thank you and on the website - unless you wish to remain anonymous. $50 or more also gets you a mention on the website. Everyone who donates at least $25 will receive a copy of the 2 DVD set, which will help me achieve my goal of $1500.
You can donate an amount of your choosing, using the Chipin button on the donate page.
http://www.911dust.org/donate.htm
Now that I’m settled in back at home from the premier in NYC, and we got some initial exposure for the film “9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey”, I’m feeling a sense of accomplishment. I am happy that the film was so well received, especially by those for whom it was made -- the people who are still suffering from WTC syndrome. One of the first responders who was at the premier said, “This is my life! This is our film.”
Thanks again for taking the time to look at this. It is my hope that this film will be used to help those who are still feeling the effects of 9/11 daily as health survivors of the toxic dust at Ground Zero.-- Penny Little, Dir. People to People TVReport Back from NYC Film Premier
Pause || Press < Play
New York City - September 9-13 at the Kraft Center at Columbia University, my film “9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey” was the centerpiece of a four day event which included a fantastic roster of speakers and presenters -- including Dr. Lee Vickers, AmaLia Wai Ching, Olga Meylakh, Jonathan Talat Philips, Christopher Riano , Dr. John P. Salerno, Twee Merrigan, Helen Kramer, Richard Gage, Luca and Monica Bertini, each of whom offered something to our overall vision of providing a holistic, integrative symposium around the showing of the film to give people solutions, begin dialogues, and to reach out to new audiences.
The press conference on September 11 was honest, emotional, and there were tears in the eyes of some members of the audience as John Devlin and Kirk Arsenault both of whom who have 9/11 related cancers, talked about how they haven’t received anything from the Federal government. They related how the Zadroga Bill, which now will cover cancer, may not be adequately funded. With the current funding their award may not come through until 2015 or 2016, and will definitely not cover 10 or 11 years of medical expenses which they have incurred.
The art installation curated by L-M-N-T Miami featured the Pause Towers, a plexiglass sculpture filled with medical packaging from ten years of prescription based treatments of a health survivor of the WTC illness. The artwork has found a temporary home in NYC, but we still need to find a more permanent home, a gallery space, or place to store it. Anyone with ideas in NYC? The exhibit includes a large airplane wing, and quite a few pieces. Download PDF about the art
The event website is here: http://pausepressplay.wordpress.com
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Paying Attention
Long Story Short: I'm in NYC, Brooklyn to be exact, and my film is on it's way to the duplicator.
Long Story: I did something really stupid; it just goes to show how important "paying attention" aka “mindfulness” is. Not paying attention costs a lot.
I thought the film was finished at 1:30 am on the morning of my flight to NYC. I gave the DVD master to Nik so he could overnight the film to El-Man Productions (who has replicated my films and CDs since 2004.) I took one copy with me on the plane.
So, I arrived in NYC (after one substantially delayed flight - about 16 hours of travel and airport time) and discovered the next day that there were major problems with the sound. It was partly the rush and partly the encode process exaggerating my mistakes in sound levels and balance. "I hate it! It can't go out like this!" I shrieked. I sent an urgent message to Elman to stop the presses.
I had to do a complete sound remix of the entire film, and re-encode, and re-author, which meant another night without sleep
So the really stupid part is that at the end of that long day, I went to the corner shop to get a gallon of water. As I left the shop, I was looking at the water bottle, not the sidewalk, trying to figure out how to hold it, at which point the little 2” ledge was not observed. I heard bones crack, and suddenly. ... Big ouch, hobbling around, hopping ouch! And when I got upstairs, crawling seemed to work much better than trying to walk. I couldn’t put any weight on the foot without pain.
Two days later, I am looking back at my moments of non-attention, and lessons to be learned. Even though it hurt to distraction, and I could not walk on my foot, now it seems mostly healed. This was after using ice packs, an oil called Balsam Fir, and me telling the foot “Heal NOW!” over and over, while breathing and tapping. I’ve broken my foot twice - “ballerina” hairline fractures -- in approximately the same place, and it felt a lot like that. Nik sez the twist & fall probably just snapped a bunch of cartilage temporarily out of place. It was definitely seriously traumatized. I’m just feeling relieved and thinking this was a miracle because right now, I’m not crawling to the fridge for ice, and I can walk -- not skipping just yet.
So here’s to mindfulness, paying attention in advance or it will cost you in arrears.
The cost: $45.00 to send the corrected version via UPS (they deliver on Saturday), loss of sleep, and a few stressful moments. I think I’m lucky!
Me, bleary eyed and weary, having just completed the rework of the film “9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey” Such lovely red indoor light, late in the night. This shows about the way I really felt. So done
.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Composer hard at work
Nik is working on music score for "9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey". Nothing like a looming deadline to stir the juices!
Monday, August 20, 2012
9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey
The deadline draws near for completion of my new film "9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey" and the date of the preview premier also gets closer (September 8). In order to fill the gap left by the primary funder pulling out "due to philosophical differences and the direction of the film", I launched a Kickstarter campaign to feed the rest of the process and get me to NYC for the premier. Please check it out and if you like what you see, please consider a donation to help me meet my goal of $1500.
This short documentary is a followup to my 2006 film “9/11 Dust and Deceit” about people who have suffered from the health effects of the toxic dust of September 11, 2001, many of whom are still not getting the health care they need. The film seeks to show solutions, and asks how those directly affected by illness, and all of us still grieving, can heal from 9/11.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Fukushima
One of the songs we performed at the Solstice Festival in Santa Barbara for the first time was "Fukushima" which I wrote thinking about how the government and officials act the same when disaster strikes, whether manmade or environmental; they don't tell the truth and it affects the health of people for years to come. Half way through writing the song, doing some research I found out that sunflowers absorb some radiation and were being planted by the millions in Japan.
The Away Team at Solstice
The Away Team performed at this year's Summer Solstice Festival in Santa Barbara, If you've never seen the Solstice Parade it is not to be missed. You can check it out here http://www.solsticeparade.com. About 100,000 spectators are entertained by the people powered floats, ensembles, dancers which can be likened to Brazil's Carnival Santa Barbara style. The Festival is three days with music, art, crafts and food, a drum circle, a DJ area, and a kid's festival. The parade began 38 years ago as a birthday party for a local mime artist Michael Gonzales, parading down the street in costume. It's taken me awhile to get back to blogging. After Solstice I had to seriously get in gear to get my followup to my 2006 film "9/11 Dust and Deceit" ready to go for a September premier in NYC. This short film "9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey" will look at how those affected by the toxic dust of 9/11 are faring, the Zadroga Bill, and looking at how we can all heal from 9/11. So, here's a photo taken by Steve Fields (from the band Bunnyhead) of Nik Green and myself, Penny Little, at Solstice 2012. 
Thursday, April 26, 2012
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