Interesting Happenings From San Francisco

Recently, my life has been a jumble of interesting revelations. Also, I've met cool new friends while ending a great friendship because of a very bad decision by him.

Photo's, music and some multimedia has been streaming out my body at a frantic pace. Creating art and self expression continues everyday in some form or another. It's as important to me as breathing air and being alive. It needs to be the focal point of all my future careers and business. My optimism recently has also grown about a possible major and maybe I can finally decide what to persue. Then I can decide on a school and a course of action towards starting class there.

The political realm continues to intensely engage, infuriate and provoke me. Because of my sexual orientation I've no choice but to make myself an example of what a healthy and mostly happy gay man looks like. There are times that I truly feel under attack by religious zealots, homophobia and people who wish to deny my community the same basic rights as other Americans. Most people can't understand what it feels like to be so different and denied.

And are there any gay couples out there who are monogamous? Long term, mature & healthy relationships seems to be missing in our community. Or maybe they never existed. Personally, I'd love to have a traditional one but by no means do I expect it. No one seems sincerely interested and at times this really disheartens me. But keeping the faith in true love continues and will forever be something I know can happen.

This afternoon the Olympic Torch was run through the streets of my City and I barely missed the runners as it ran down Van Ness. It was time for Musics afternoon jaunt and we walked down that street for a few blocks before making a new heading.
I wish it had passed me!! What a photo that would have been!!!

Over all the interesting happenings in San Francisco have been good ones for me. Some have been not so good but that is life.

I remain strong/happy/focused and wish only for the health/best for everyone.

Preparation for lifes big changes must contine. And learning, growing, evoling, creating while loving all of life remain my constant theme.

Nothing ever stays the same and nor shall I.

More Recent Photos

Buddhist Thought

All conditioned things are impermanent - When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.

- Buddha

Buddhist Thought

Buddha: One is the way to gain the other is the way to Nirvana. Knowing this fact, students of the Buddha should not take pleasure in being honored but should practice detachment.

oRigiNal

A poem
damon burns 2008

"I'M oRiGinaL!"

Music MAkeR, stylez creator
heart breaker
Love maker
vinyl -player
-dance floor- sound system -
Bo0tie Quaker
Thought provoker
blunt smokers
coke manipulator
money holder
ass smacker &
the hand clapper

To all the
Funk haters
mIc fakers
money takers
skin flayers
All ya'll diRty dick teaserz
Im fresh/till death

Well, I'm not sure where It's gOing &
Icould keep up flowing
Cuz it sure does feEl good
ShoWing ya'll
How to be original

I've got soMe more rhyme
If you'd give me some time
To re-explain
How to be Original

NumbEr1.
STop buyIng A syStem
thatz hastens ouR dying
En-sAlves babies wild cryings &
CrEates soul less clones
sans any oRigNal

Number2.
Do uR oWn thAng
but make it somEthing
that shows

Ur OriGinaL

Im fresh/till death

Premonition

From the Country
That eats
The most meat
And sits
On the highest cliff

The Future Chief
From Abraham
Shall win
The highest seat

Those in charge
Become alarmed
That change
Happens most
Too swift

They've never lost
And brought to us
At time
the greatest harm

A Plan hatched
By them
To kill the man
And replaced
With the womAn
From HilsLary

She approves the dudes
And then they move
To do the Final deed

To tie the hands
Of Future Plans
To secure her power Strong

One wonders why
Those alabie
Lie with the sweetest smile

They were the ghost
From dead waRs post
And fixed the fiRe bomb

To blow up when
His time begins
To start change
For the throngs

The Cost of War

With today being the five year anniversary of Bush war against Sanity I thought it approitate to post some sombering thoughts on this misguided path.

The dollar cost of invading and occupying a foreign country: over 400 Billion US dollars and counting!

Number of US soldiers/ and Iraqi citizens killed during Operation Iraqi freedom: over 3000 dead US solders and counting. Over 300,000 Iraqi's killed.

The most frequently cited figure is the 29,320 soldiers wounded in action in Iraq as of Thursday. But there have been 31,325 others treated for non-combat injuries and illness as of March 1.

Veterans Affairs predicts it will treat 330,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009 — a 14 percent increase over the 2008 estimate of 263,000 — at a cost of nearly $1.3 billion.

For the 2009 budget, the White House requested $93.7 billion for the VA, including $41.2 billion for medical care for all veterans — not just those from Iraq and Afghanistan. That's an increase of $2.3 billion over the current budget.

Earlier this week, a federal judge in San Francisco held the first hearing in a class-action lawsuit filed by two vet groups, including Sullivan's, against the VA alleging their neglect in treating suicidal soldiers. The lawsuit asks that the VA immediately screen and treat all potentially suicidal veterans.

According to VA research obtained last month by The Associated Press, 144 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide from the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001 through the end of 2005. Statistics from 2006 and 2007 were not yet available.

In November, President Bush signed legislation directing the VA to improve its mental health training for staff and do a better job of evaluating and treating veterans.

The Associated Press News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.

A Late Night After the Beach

Music and I had busy days yesterday. We spent time with friends out at Baker Beach in Geoffrey's RV. Three humans and three canines meant there was perfect numerical balance.

The weather was bracing but the sun was setting in the West and the sky was mostly clear. Our local Ocean was not so passive today! It pounded onto the beach sending tall waves toward us much faster than the dogs could get away from. As if they really didn't want to get wet and sandy??! A couple times I found myself running up the beach to avoid getting wet and cold shoes. The pups loved it tho spending- most of the time herding each other, playing fetch, keep away and tag.

A perfect sunset with friends and the dogs. Ahhh, perfect!

After taking 330 photos, eating Burger king and arriving home it was time for a hot bath and some sleep for me and my canine companion.

I woke up around 1:30am and here I am.

Early morning has arrived in Fog City. Soon sleep will over take me again. Here are a few pics from the beach with Music, Geoffrey, Tony, Howie, Donna and me.

Damon Burns.

Enjoy. Ciao main!

Photos..Yes..Again

Buddhist thought for the Week

Keep it simple; as simple as posible, but no simpler. - Albert Einstein

Status Report

The last month has been an interesting and at times painful one.

Reason one for it being painful is that I hurt myself lifting weights about three weeks ago. I was training my legs and decided to continue adding weight when I should have eased up. All of a sudden I felt the sharpest of pains in my lower back which ended the days weight training.

After dealing with pain, stiffness and major discomfort I finally felt well enough to return to the gym today where Jimmy and I had a very invigorating chest workout. We stretched a good deal before lifting weights which I hope will now become a pattern with us.

Another major development is that I've gotten a dog named Music. Thanks to my friend Geoffrey who researched and found me the sweetest dog. She's a bit shy with me at times and acts nervous but I'm trying to win her over best I can with love, loads of walks and lots of treats.

Also, I've been busy DJ-ing, making music and taking a good deal of photographs of the City and State I love so much!

My emotional health has been steady of late. I worry about Aaron in Iraq a bit to much and sometimes stress out over the direction of my life and worry about the State of Mankind.

I try to balance out theses negative thoughts with meditation and mental relaxations exercises. Now that I can work out again hopefully I wont enternalize any hurtful feelings or thoughts for long.

Things are and have been ok for sure. Everyone deals with stress and why should I be any different?

I just wish I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. If there is even such a thing!!!

Sigh.

Until next time.

Ciao main.

Photos

Happy Birthday Geoffrey

I'm grateful for your friendship. Happy birthday darling and I hope we get to spend many more as friends!

Buddhist thought for the Week

But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and well-behaved person going the same way as yourself, then go on your way alone, like a king abandoning a conquered kingdom, or like a great elephant in the deep forest. - Buddha

Debut March 5th 2008

Music's PhotoShoot