Welcome to dani's personal space on the web!

i've come to the realization that all my web presence is about everything BUT me and my life. sure, i have two business websites (the squawk sites, see left). and i still have daniland (which used to be a site about the business of performance, & is now being transformed into a clearinghouse for all things "dani"). This webspace will help organize that transition!

for many years, my personal & professional life was about live performance and helping performers. but as i took on more projects, i realized that i wasn't doing what i loved anymore. and my work with performers (a small percentage of which are egotistical ungrateful jerks) was sapping my vitality, empathy, and time. i wanted change! and it was up to me to create that life change for myself. i found that right in my own home- parrots. in addition to my own flock, i started volunteering with an avian rescue, taking in broken avian spirits and trying to mend them. and in the process, i mended myself.

after a work-related injury and the failure of a large expensive business venture, i was pretty low. but the birds in my home (and the other foster homes i visited) really took away my woes. i found myself drawn to them. so, in 2004 i hesitantly started a parrot-centric pet sitting business. i was cautious not to spend tons of money & time on the project as i had daniland talent. i could not face another business stagnating or the 10K expense. so i started very small. and it grew and grew and grew!

i now employ 5 part-time contractors in the sitting service, and have launched a webstore. in the process, i have learned so much about parrots and their behavior that i serve as a behavioral consultant, am launching a rescue, and continue to educate myself on these fascinating creatures. i am writing a book on parrot toys & play behaviors. and the store seems to be going really well too.

Read about dani's past (and some of her present!) with performers & performance

the performance past started in 1997, when a timid poet decided her skills were more honed for behind the scenes than on stage...

the present includes limited managerial consulting, college bookings, the BAND workshop series, and The Berkeley Slam...

Read about dani's pre-performance past, mainly in non-profits, cooperatives, and collectives

environmental, anti-nuclear, and labor activism...

queer activism gets radical!