Peter Turner Birthday Bash!

Coming up December 10! Peter is turning 50--come celebrate with us! Award-winning roots rockers Two Hoots and a Holler circa Black Cat Lounge era reunites to provide great dance music about 9:30.

Jeena and Her Band of Brothers will entertain early guests for a holiday celebration for Turner Law Office about 8:30 p.m.
Tons of parking. Plenty of beverages. Snacks. Kids welcome.
Details forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Sage Advice from Pete Seeger via Ecclesiastes

I suppose I like to follow Pete Seeger's sage advice adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, later made popular by The Byrds:


Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There Is a Season
To Everything (turn, turn, turn, etc.)
There is a season
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Me contemplating all that stuff at Arches National Park in Utah Summer of 2009

Resume Blog

About me:

My professional resume is attached below and I'm happy to e-mail it upon request. I am in search of a professional position in which I can contribute to the success of a hardworking team and be rewarded with the positive outcomes of that work while having a good time and continuing to learn along the way.

I contribute good ideas which I can figure out how best to implement, but I also know when it's better to be quiet and listen. I enjoy working behind the scenes to help create solutions to challenges.

On a more personal note, I will add a few insights here.

I relish my solitude and love nothing more than hiking in the woods with my dog, Nico, or snorkeling in the Caribbean. However, I also love exploring the city, trying new restaurants, experiencing good films and art and seeing great live music, which of course involves dancing the night away with my life partner and dance teacher extraordinaire, Peter Turner.

I get along with just about everyone, and after a social event I usually take home interesting tidbits of information about many of the people I have met: one is interested in Chinese art, one is a prostate cancer survivor, one will participate in the Petanque tournament next week, one has 3 kids ages 4, 8 and 11.

Life and all the stories within it interest me. I am a compassionate person who respects the right of individuals and animals to live a fulfilling existence. I strive to respectfully stand up for those rights in an appropriate way.
Please see my professional resume here:
http://tinyurl.com/y9vrrm6

I can be reached at:
darlaberry@hotmail.com
512-284-2268

Isla Mujeres - Island of the Women (and the Animals)

We just returned from a brief visit to one of my favorite places, Isla Mujeres. This tiny island off Cancun used to be a sleepy little fishing village but is now a thriving tourist destination, thanks to its easy location, friendly people and relatively low cost. Only 5 miles long and half a mile wide, it displays beautiful craggy rocks on its southern tip and a lovely white sand beach on the north.

Not surprisingly, many gringos have moved in and bought up a lot of the property, much of which is now for sale due to the lagging Gringo economy. We come, we buy, we jack up the price and sell. Nevertheless, some of these gringos have brought great things to Isla, one gringa, in particular, having vastly improved the life of the animals on the Island.  Alison Sawyer Current is the driving force behind Isla Animals, and it shows.

I've been to a lot of places in Mexico, Latin America and South America where it was almost unbearable to see the suffering of the animals, and I guess that is why Isla feels so comfortable to me. It isn't perfect by any means--every community has room for improvement--all we have to do is look in our own neighborhoods. But in general, the dogs and cats roaming the island seem to be fairly well taken care of, and it wasn't always the case. About 10 years ago, my first visit to Isla, I heard that people were poisoning the beach dogs. I think this is what really drove Alison to start taking them in and it just grew from there. Check out the website and read more. http://islaanimals.org/

If you make it to Isla be sure to tour the whole island. About midway is a great little brunch place called Mango Cafe. The food is all lovingly hand made, 90% organic, with a Caribbean flair. The owner, Lori, likewise is involved in animal rescue. The pictures below don't really do the food justice.

Across the street is a fantastic sandwich shop she runs with her partner, called The Blue Iguana. Great people, great food! I guess you can tell we had a wonderful trip. I can't wait to go back!