Daniel Birns - International Treasure

Daniel Birns - the re-incarnation of Orpheus? Daniel knows that music comes and goes; when it is with him; his grin goes ear to ear; when it is absent, he is unhappy. I have seen Daniel playing bass with Joules Graves, and you'd swear he was nine years old and in heaven. I have heard Daniel take someone else's song, Like Isn't It A Pity, and sing it with his Tres, to make George Harrison on his Cloud Nine cry with happiness. Right now, Daniel is in Stanford Hospital recovering from hours of surgery, looking like a warrior who has grappled with Death and won. Check out Daniel's music @ http://danielbirns.com/www.danielbirns.com/Music/Music.html

BIG SUR BARELY SURVIVES BLAZE OF BRILLIANT BRUSHWORK

On Saturday, August 22nd, at 6pm, the results of two months' Visionquest through the Southwest and Colorado by visionary artist Shivani Rajan were revealed to a dazzled company of admirers, many of whom had traveled many miles for this occasion. "These paintings call for a new and more powerful brand of sunglasses" said the distinguished director of Live-Education.com, Mr Rainbow Rosenbloom; "Their luminosity is unprecedented!"
"I am so sorry for Leonardo Da Vinci" sobbed noted Bay Area Impresario Danielo Bittlestoni, "He would have been so happy to have experienced the fusion of Humanity and Nature in these rock formations!"
Fortunately, we have been able to acquire this bootleg copy of one painting.
Stay tuned for breaking news concerning the release online of quality reproductions!

SURPRISES FROM ELIJAH

Soon after my birthday, I received in the mail a beautiful, coffee-table book, lavishly illustrated, telling the story of Elijah and my visit to Yosemite.

At this time, Elijah was already on his way to a Summer Film School course in Florence, where he directed and edited a movie: "The Ring of Love", and acted in two other movies. He told me that his movie moved the audience to tears. I shall attempt to make these available for your viewing here. Have a handkerchief ready! It may take a minute to buffer up...

Yesterday, August 27th, Elijah's mother Deborah called to let me know that Elijah had just broken his right upper arm, when a golf cart that a friend was driving tipped over. I spoke with him and, in typically stoic fashion, he said he was fine!

More
Birthday
Blisses


After the surprise party, John Engel was ravenous, so Elijah, he and I went down to the Asana Tea Room that has great organic cuisine. We were told that chef Chris had just closed down the kitchen. Then Chris appears. He says: "Hi Daniel, How is Shivani?" I say "She's on a visionquest in the Southwest,( http://visionquest-desert.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html ) and today she sang on my voicemail a three-minute Hindu birthday song."

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Elijah says "Its my Dad's birthday, is there anything left in the kitchen that we could eat ?" Chris says; "OK! I'm opening up the kitchen again. You can have anything you like. Give Shivani my greetings!" So we had the most fabulous toasted Panninis stuffed with deliciousness, while it so happens that Madou Diabate, King of the Kora, ( http://www.myspace.com/mamadousidikidiabat) renowned for over a thousand concerts around the world, is playing fierce and gentle and dazzling and dancing music with another gifted Kora player, for us this evening...
So, tell me, who are the exalted beings overseeing the woof of this intricate tapestry, while we blithely bungle the weft...?

Surprise
Birthday
Magic


In the middle of the First Annual Live-Education Home Schooling Seminar in Santa Cruz, the organizing dynamo: Rainbow and Kelli, maneuvered me into my kitchen, behold! full of guests, candles, cakes, and conversation...
When everyone was munching from a slice with a still-burning candle, a dancing story emerged from Seraina, with background music from John Engel, about elephants with bells in twilight... Whereupon the entranced gathering was transported into the future on the wings of a Michaelic-Christian improvisation from John that had our visitor from Alaska in tears and myself in new heights of awe and depths of gratitude. Well, what can I say, but thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope that everyone was as fired by this experience as I was !