R.I.P. Nanna

September 22, 2012

Kathryn ‘Nanna’ Hobson and myself on her 93rd birthday in Camarillo, CA on June 26, 2011.  Photo courtesy of Nikki Russo.

One of the most amazing people that ever walked this Earth passed away yesterday.  She was my great grandmother, Kathryn Hobson.  As I was growing up in a strict Jehovah’s Witness household, she was my saving grace that kept me in touch with my higher self and accepted me, loved me and encouraged me to be who I was no matter what.  She lovingly pointed out my mistakes, helped me find the lesson in them and then forgave me for them.  She taught me how to sew, crochet, cross stitch, cook, feed wild animals, make silk flowers, love people for who they are and the individual contributions they make to our world, spirituality instead of religion, charity, gratitude and so much more.

She was always there for her family.  Through thick and thin.  She helped everyone financially at the drop of the hat.  Opened her home to us, fed us, made us blankets, organized the holiday gatherings, showered us with gifts, gave us each her undivided attention, encouraged us to follow our dreams, and forgave us no matter what.  She always greeted us with open arms, a warm heart and a giant smile on her face.  When her son came out of the closet during an era that said homosexuals were perverts and villains, she loved him unconditionally, traveled the world with him and continued to love his life partner even after his passing.

Kathryn ‘Nanna’ Hobson and her long time friend Arlow on her 93rd birthday in Camarillo, CA on June 26, 2011. Photo courtesy of Nikki Russo.

In her personal life she fed the homeless in her home, loved troubled teens that the rest of the world had tossed aside, helped start a foundation that beautified her favorite city, served the Pasadena Rose Parade, taught all types of art and craft classes in hopes that others would be able to express themselves and make the world a more beautiful place, was an outstanding wife to her husband Dr. Lee Hobson and was a popular and much loved friend to many.

Yesterday she passed shortly after 4:00 p.m. PDT, in her own bed at the assisted living facility she was living in, in Camarillo, California.  It was what she wanted.  She had been ready to go for quite some time and I’m glad she’s no longer in pain.  I know she’s in a much better place now, but my selfish ego is going to miss her.  I know I’ll be with her again.  This wasn’t the first or last lifetime we had spent together.  I’m so grateful for the time I was able to spend with her.  I don’t think she knew just how much of an impact she had on my life, although I believe now she has perfect knowledge of everything now.

Kathryn ‘Nanna’ Hobson and her best friend for the last couple of years of her life, Helen Wolfington, on her 93rd birthday in Camarillo, CA on June 26, 2011. Photo courtesy of Nikki Russo.

The last few years of her life were difficult for her because she had lost so much of her sight and hearing.  She couldn’t do her art or crafts anymore, she wasn’t very mobile and it was difficult for her to be social.  She continued to attend art and craft classes at her assisted living facility even though she couldn’t participate, just so she could be around others like herself.  There were so many things I never knew about her until she gave me her scrap book as a wedding gift.  After I saw all the newspaper clippings and pictures, I went back and did a video interview with her that I will cherish the rest of my life and I hope my children will cherish too.

I know she was ready to go.  I am at peace with her passing and while I have shed some tears, I’m relieved for her and I believe the timing was intentional on her part due to conversations her and I had privately.   I will always love her. Be grateful for her.  Look up to her.  Remember her.

R.I.P. Kathryn ‘Nanna’ Hobson.  You’ll be greatly missed.

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I’m Back…

August 15, 2012

I had recently suffered 3 major setbacks in my life including the loss of a 2nd trimester pregnancy I wanted very much.  For awhile there I didn’t want to say anything to anyone but I am back.  I don’t care to look in the rearview mirror so it’s all looking forward from here.

I started back on my vegan diet from years ago.  For so many reasons, I made the decision and it’s just one step in me trying to be the change I wish to see.  I have to say that along the way there were many influences in this decision, but I’m confident I’ve made a good one.  It’s definitely an adjustment.  One step at a time though.  I’ll get there.  I don’t foresee myself, at this time, being one of the extreme raw vegans that don’t eat yeast even, but for the moment I’m choosing foods (cooked or raw) that simply don’t incorporate animal products, including honey.

Other updates?  We’re living in Toluca Lake now, somewhere we’ve wanted to live for a long time.  We had a rough settling in period getting used to neighbors because we’ve been living in houses with privacy for a long time and now we’re in a 4 unit building, but now we’re all settled in and there’s Friday night wine, we camped out with all the neighborhood kids and parents to watch the meteor shower the other night, and I love the historic quirkiness of our building.  I must say I’m pretty happy!  Now just to get the place organized and decorated the way I want it to be!

I’ve also adjusted my schedule so I can get to more of my spiritual groups, starting with my ashram’s meetup tonight for yoga and meditation, a Buddhist meditation tomorrow and a women’s Law of Attraction empowerment group on Sunday.  I’m pretty excited!

So that’s that.  This is the update that will launch my regular blogging again.  I promise I won’t neglect this blog again! Sometimes I just freeze up but I vow to myself to at least post an interesting video or something like that if all else fails. PROMISE!!

 

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Two More International Screenings of ‘Box’ Coming Your Way!

April 29, 2012

I’m so excited right now and again, forever grateful to the Viscera Organization for all their hard work getting female filmmakers the exposure they deserve!  So here are two of the latest screenings of ‘Box’ overseas and I am just as happy as a clam….

FIRST!!!!

Viscera Film Festival and Symposium University College of Dublin

DATE: May 17th and 18th

LOCATION: UCD. Dublin, Ireland

HOSTS: Emma Radley and Viscera Founder Shannon Lark

DETAILS:

UCD is hosting selected screenings from this year’s Viscera Film Festival, which promotes the work of women filmmakers in horror cinema. Shannon Lark, the organiser of the festival, will be in UCD to present and discuss a selection of features and shorts. We will also host a small symposium, bringing together scholars and filmmakers to talk about gender and horror.

This is a free event, but numbers are limited. For more information about the event and to register your place, please contact Emma Radley: emma.radley@ucd.ie

Event FB page

VISCERA LINEUP:

Adventure Girls by Dara Jade Moats and Jon Deitcher
Barbee Butcher by Sophie Lagues
Blood Bunny by Molly Madfis
Nursery Crimes by Laura Whyte
Bon Apetit by Kate Shenton
Brains by Shannon Lark
Candy by Sage Hall
Consumed by Lis Fies
The Ghost and Us by Emily Carmichael
Together by Gigi Romero
I was a Tranny Werewolf by Lola Rock n Rolla
Taste of Flesh, Taste of Fear by Stacie Ponder
Snow Day, Blood Snow Day by Jessica Baxter and Faye Hoerauf
Confederate Zombie Massacre by Devi Snively
The Many Doors of Albert Whale by Marichelle Daywalt
Switch by Melanie Light
The Party’s Over by Gigi Romero
I’m a Little Teapot by Sallie Smith
Salome’s Picnic by Victoria Waghorn
Aftershock by Lori Bowen
Mary Jane Go Round by Ginnetta Correli
Box by Nikki Wall
A Fever and a River by Rachel Deacon
The Key to Annabel Lee by Staci Layne Wilson
The Bride by Ana Almeida
Belle Nouveau by Cassandra Sechler
Modern Grim by Kate Shenton
Belated by Valentines Lover by Ruby La’ Rocca
Hollywood Skin by Maude Michaud
When Sally Met Frank by Victoria Waghorn
Don’t Lose Heart by Matt Mitchell and Taliesyn Brown
The Room at the Top of the Stairs by Briony Kidd
Gasp by Thomai Hatsios
Beautiful as You Are by Doug Mallette and M.K. Sisco
Mockingbird by Marichelle Daywalt
12/15/1996 by Mae Catt
Doll Parts by Karen Lam
Fantasy by Izabel Grondin
Lip Stick by Shannon Lark
Wretched by Heidi Martinuzzi and Leslie Delano

And SECOND!!!!

FEST: International Film Festival

DATE: July 1-8th, 2012

LOCATION: Espinho, Portugal

HOSTS: FEST Representatives

DETAILS:

FEST is Espinho’s Youth International Film Festival, a non-profit film and educational event that takes places in Portugal on the first week of July.

Festival website.

VISCERA LINEUP:

ADVENTURE GIRLS by Dara Jade Moats, Dan Emery, and Jon Deitcher
BOX by Nikki Wall
THE MANY DOORS OF ALBERT WHALE by Marichelle Daywalt
NURSERY CRIMES by Laura Whyte
THE ROOM AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS by Briony Kidd
A NOIVA/THE BRIDE by Ana Almeida
CONSUMED by Lis Fies
LIP STICK by Shannon Lark
CONFEDERATE ZOMBIE MASSACRE by Devi Snively
WRETCHED by Heidi Martinuzzi and Leslie Delano
WHEN SALLY MET FRANK by Victoria Waghorn
THE PARTY’S OVER by Gigi Romero
I’M A LITTLE TEAPOT by Sallie Smith

 

 

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A Year Later….

March 5, 2012

Shannon and I realized after we wrapped on the Viscera commercials that it had been almost a year since the first time we had actually discussed the commercials.  I’m so happy that we finally got them done and I’m 100% convinced that there was a reason it took as long as it did and that the circumstances were meant to be.  I was a bit bummed out because Heidi and Ivy were ill for the shoot and couldn’t make it, however, the team we had worked perfectly.  I can’t wait to get something that I can post here.  I’ll be doing the thank you cards soon for the handful of donors we got, who I’m so so so so grateful for!  There were very important elements I would not have been able to have if it weren’t for that so thank you so much.  I’m also so grateful for everyone that participated!  I can’t express my gratitude enough!  I couldn’t have done this alone, obviously, so thank you so much for all your help!!!

Now that I’ve finally got that over with, the bug is in me more and after working with Jim Kunz, my Director of Photography for the project, I can’t wait to work with him again.  We shot everything on green screen and I must say I’m very happy with how it turned out and now can’t wait to see what happens in post!  I’m nervous but excited at the same time.  This is my first try with the green screen so there’s much to be feared but I think Jim did a great job and was very knowledgeable about everything so that is all a plus.

As a total geeky personal accomplishment, in addition to playing Fable again, I’m now completely caught up on the Sons of Anarchy and so pissed I only got 3 seasons.  I need more.  That being said, this damn song (below) has been stuck in my head now for the past few days and I’m looking for suggestions for the next series to marathon through.  I love my ‘day job’ where I get to just sit in my pajamas and do whatever.  Leaves me lots of free time to watch whatever while I work.  Throw me some ideas people…

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Get Them While They’re Hot!

February 13, 2012

I haven’t written in awhile because there’s been so much going on.  I can’t believe how crazy it’s been.  I don’t think anyone would want my life to be honest.  Between my ‘day job’ (which is actually a night job),  several upcoming productions including the Viscera commercials and my daughter’s first movie that she wrote and wants to direct, daily life stuff, relationship stuff and all that, I feel like I can barely breathe sometimes, but it’s all going well and that’s all that matters. Run on sentence.

Next weekend I’m shooting the commercials and I’m very excited about that! I will be working with Shannon Lark, Heidi Martinuzzi, Ivy Pemberton, Grace Lee, Tara Cardinal and Stacy Pippi Hammon to bring to life the amazing artwork of Irene Langholm from Norway.  I’ve picked 14 images that I’ll be shooting on green screen and we have an amazing visual effects artist, Enrique Ochoa who I’m also a fan of already.   So far things are going pretty smoothly but even with such short notice I have to find a director of photography still so that’s kind of a pain in the ass but I know it’s gonna happen.  I’m comfortable in my own green screen and lighting knowledge but I just need someone I can trust that won’t make my girls feel uncomfortable since there is some nudity involved.   Thank the Universe for closed sets.

On another note, for those of you interested and in the area, the flyer on the top of this post is a Women In Horror Month event.  It is an awesome bloody carpet event to scan potential bone marrow donors.  All you have to do is get your mouth swabbed and then everything else can be taken care of later.  Free food, drinks and fun times.  It’s all being put on by the Viscera Organization in conjunction with Femme Fatale and the Cella Gallery and is for a great cause!  I’ll be there and so will many other horror genre filmmakers but I have even more exciting stuff!

I know you’re saying to yourself by now “Oh my GAWD! How many amazing things can Nikki throw at me right now?” but I warned you that I’ve been busy and there’s been a lot going on so knock it off!

So this is pretty cool on a personal level.  A fellow filmmaker, Tonjia Atomic, sells some really cool jewelry on Etsy and along the way, she’s decided to dedicate a few things to fellow females in the horror genre.  I was one of the lucky ones and I couldn’t be any happier with the ones she chose to name after me!  I think it’s awesome and I’m so thankful to her for doing this.  Please stop by and check out her stuff and maybe even pick up an item or two for yourself or some lucky lady in your life if you can because she’s awesome. :)

On what may seem like a bit of bad news, although it’s not, my script deal with the French Production company has fallen through, although, the reason it’s not bad news is because right before that happened, I got hit up by an American producer who is impressed with my work so I’m going to be seeing what’s going to happen there.  It means that some of my travel plans will be put on  hold for just a little bit but Phuket is not off the table yet.  I’m still determined to get there and I know I will as soon as it’s supposed to happen.

I also want to thank Brionny Kidd for allowing me to participate in the 10 by 10 horror script competition.  I’m so pleased with my submission and I couldn’t have had a better secret word to work with!  It was perfect for what I wanted to do and now I just have to wait for the judges to tell me that I won.  I say it like that because I’m confident and I know I’ll win something.  Besides, everyone that read the script thinks it’s pretty bad ass, and then there’s the whole NLP/LOA thing ;) I can’t wait!

And to wrap this up in a nice little package with a bow on top, I just want to congratulate my good friend Michael Perlin whose film ‘3 Magic Words‘ has been picked up by Warner Brothers for distribution!  You go boy!  That is almost unheard of for an indie filmmaker and especially for a spiritual/conscious living documentary but he did it and I couldn’t be more proud or happy for him!  I’m so fortunate I knew him before he got famous :D

So that’s all for now folks!  I think there’s plenty for you to absorb but let me just say how grateful I am right now!  I’m so thankful for so much at the moment and everything that the Universe is bringing my way! Thank you everyone! So much love!

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First of the Year

January 1, 2012

So it’s all been building up to this.  It’s the first of the year, welcome to 2012.  What a great time to talk about what I’ll be doing with the last year of human existence (as we know it).  I guess you can just look at it as my way of telling everyone at once instead of having to tell the story over and over again.  What a pain that would be.  There’s a couple of parts to this so you just have to be patient with me.

So the first part of this is that I have to say my husband has been one of the most amazing people in the world and a great influence on my life in a very positive way.  To even try to list all the way’s he’s helped me in my life and how much he’s done for me would be almost impossible.  I’d have to write a book.  It’s an understatement to say that both of us have done so much for each other.  We’ve shared a very special relationship and one that I’m more than grateful for.  He is a great father and an amazing artist in all mediums, talented, handsome, has a great sense of humor and is one of the best people I will ever meet.

Over the years, like a lot of couples do, we grew farther and farther apart.  We haven’t been enemies or anything of that sort and of course we had arguments like every couple does and said things we didn’t mean, etc. but we’ve always loved and respected each other when it comes down to it.  The love changed like everything else though, and eventually we found ourselves acting more like best friends, roommates, business partners, and such as opposed to a married couple so at this point we’re taking some time apart.  There’s not a whole lot to say about that at this point other than we are still friends and working together to make sure we spend an equal amount of time with our daughter and that we do what is in all our best interests and keep things peaceful.

That being said however, there are other reasons it all went down like this.  Each of us has things we are pursuing right now, bigger dreams and goals than what we’ve really helped each other to achieve and really can at this point.  One of my goals for a long time has been to spend some time in Thailand.  I don’t know why but I’ve always felt a spiritual pull there and in Peru among some others.  In addition to a lot of other travelling I’ll be doing this year, I’ve decided to relocate for a time to Phuket in Thailand.   Before you freak out, know that it’s not permanent.

My decision was based on the fact that it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and the fact that there’s no better time than now to do something.  I’ll be skyping with my daughter every day, having her there, hopefully as much as possible, but at least several months of the year and its something she’s perfectly fine with.   She’s actually excited about it because she’s wanted to travel for awhile now too.  The two of them will be able to come and visit whenever they want to and it will be an inexpensive and peaceful place for me to ‘come home’ to after each of my other trips.

The original plan was to go to the UK as I talked to some of my friends about but I realized that what was waiting for me there was something I should hold off on for awhile.  I really wanted to make sure I was following my path as I had intended and not veer off anymore and if what is there is for real then it will still be there later or might show up in Phuket on it’s own. Yeah.

So there it is.  The first day of the year and I’m getting ready to make the craziest move I’ve ever made in my whole life!  I’m so excited right now and feel so good about it!  I have been looking at houses and apartments there through some local real estate agents and I know exactly which few square miles I’ll be living in but not sure about the place yet.  I’ll be attending a Thai language school and culture course, living right on the beach, working and writing like I am now.  In a total paradise.

So there you have it.  I’ll be updating more on this but this is the big announcement.  I can’t even tell you how happy and excited I am and how much I’m looking forward to this :) So much good stuff is gonna happen this year.  I leave you with an appropriate video as far as what I’ve been feeling like to doing to pedophiles lately and of course the title.  Enjoy!

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