This Should Get Your Tails Waggin’!

I recently read an online article about a woman who rescued a 21 lb. lobster from becoming the guest of honor at dinner party for 20 of his closest frenemies. She (the woman, not the lobster) entered a raffle in Massachusetts and spent $600 to ensure the win and rescue the lobster from certain death. It turns out there was such an outcry of crustaceous concern from the local community, the restaurant in question decided the winner would instead be able to help set the lobster free or receive 21 individual lobsters (how is that better??).  When the lobster-friendly woman won ($600 later), she instead opted to donate her prize to the New England Aquarium in Boston. The Aquarium has granted her special visitation rights when she’s in the area in early August. Perhaps he’ll wave his giant lobster claw at her while she presses her face against the glass, knowing in her heart that he is safe from future capture. Although, if I were the lobster, I might prefer the freedom of the ocean as opposed to a tank, but now I’m just being picky. One final note to this story; the proceeds from the raffle were donated to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Pretty cool.

I don’t know that it would even occur to me to try and fix a raffle so I could save a lobster.  Maybe I’m just lazy . . . or don’t think outside the box . . . or don’t know how I would drive a lobster around in the back of my ’96 Jeep. (Fish tank? Card board box? Car seat?) But I do have a friend who is pretty creative when it comes to advocating on behalf of animal rights. Danielle and I have been friends since college, and we are both suckers for all things cute and furry.  But over the years, Danielle has continued to impress me with her knowledge and passion about these issues.

Aside from donating her time at local animal humane societies, she is also quite vocal about calling out the heinous business practices of puppy mills. She posts disturbing videos on her FaceBook page or in emails. Puppy mills often abuse, abandon, or murder the mothers, and  they also leave the puppies and mothers in piles of their own filth in horrible crowded conditions. The only way they can make a profit is to inevitably increase the dogs’ suffering. This makes me sick – and it really pisses off Danielle. We both believe that adoption (versus breeding) should always be the first choice. There are millions of dogs euthanized every year because of shelter space issues. Chuckles, one of Danielle’s dogs, came from a puppy mill rescue group. These groups will frequently show up at auctions to bid on puppies and mothers that would have otherwise been sold to less than savory characters. (Kind of like the lobster!) Danielle is torn about these groups; because on one hand the dogs are rescued, but at the same time the rescue group is financially supporting the business at auction.

On a personal note, I don’t have dogs, but my two cats are former strays who are ever so grateful and spoiled. My parents have rescued all of their brood as well, and they are currently living with two cats and black lab puppy. My brothers and sister. (Not-so subliminal message: ADOPT!)

Danielle has also fostered puppies. She gives them a home while they are awaiting adoption. She said, in all honesty, that it’s a lot of work. There is puppy poo everywhere and they have to be sequestered from your own animals. It takes a lot of patience, but it’s worth it when you meet the new family and know they’ll be going to a good home.

One last thing. Before you settle down in front of your big screen to watch your Magnum, P.I. DVDs, with a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a plate of foie gras, ponder this:  To fatten the goose or duck (in order to make his liver extra ginormous and “buttery” – gag), they force feed him with a tube down his throat (known as “gavage” – look it up). It sounds torturous. Oh wait – it is. Anyway, there is an animal-rights group called Farm Sanctuary that created business cards meant for restaurants that still serve foie gras, originally a French delicacy. (Do we really NEED that on our menus? I ‘m just wondering). Danielle has handed out these cards to restaurant managers, with a message that indicates that you (the duck or goose lover) will not be dining at their establishment in the future because of the presence of foie gras on the menu.  Pretty cool.

Once again, maybe I’m lazy . . . or chicken (no pun intended) . . . or don’t typically eat in places that serve foie gras (unless it’s a new menu item at the Cheesecake Factory that I’m unaware of). But I think it’s great that Danielle has the guts (also known as tripe – gag) to take a stand against animal cruelty in such a public way. Kudos to Danielle and the animals in her life, and thanks for helping make our world a safer and more comfy place for them to live. Woof. Meow. Honk. Quack. Glug glug glug. (Lobster sound)
R.I.P. Tori and Mozart

With peace and gratitude. And a little nip! (Good dogs don’t bite)

I Swear, I Didn't Join a Cult!

Welcome, everyone (and by everyone, I mean my boyfriend and maybe my mom) to my second post on Bitten by Buddha. Reviews from the premier posting were mixed. Ok, that’s exactly not true. Nobody said anything negative, but a lot of folks didn’t respond at all. I think many of my friends and family think I’m a little loco and might not want to poke the proverbial hornet’s nest. They wondering, “Since when is Jenny Buddhist?” or “Did Jenny pay money to join some sort of cult?” or “What’s an MCA?”  

I can almost hear my Grandma (who is no longer with us on earth, but who I am quite sure is standing next to me, reading over my shoulder as  I type this), “Beastie Boys? Kids these days and their crazy music. I can’t understand what they’re saying. And they’re always jumping around. Oh for Pete’s sake.” (Insert Minnesotan accent and a frownish expression of annoyance).  I don’t mean to make fun of my Grandma. That is actually a quote I heard from her on many occasions. Always with the jumping around. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I had ants in my pants.

My point is, however, that I don’t think the tone of my first post was clear. I mean, I got the meat of my story across . . . I talked about Sarah and her PWR2MCA project. I wanted to highlight this creative idea that encourages people to go take action in something (anything!) they believe in. But after reading it a few times, it felt like I was reading one of the dumbass reports I have to write for work. Factual, informative, and B-O-R-I-N-G. Where’s the pizzazz? Where is my (naturally snarky) voice? Well, it’s a little bit of a conflict to be continually sarcastic and edgy when you’re trying to promote good will, compassion, and bits of Buddha. Or is it? I’m sure His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, can tell a good knock-knock joke or repeat a limerick about a man from Nantucket. Right? Maybe? I hope so.

But here is the other problem. I want to highlight random acts of kindness, charitable causes, and good deeds – yes? Well, how do you talk about cancer walks and AIDS benefits and the anti-human trafficking movement with humor and a little snarky bite? These are serious issues! I think it’s amazing that so many people are out in the world trying to make our planet a better place. It should serve as a daily reminder to the rest of us that it only takes one small effort to make a big difference. I just want to make sure I find the balance between being a cheerleader for compassion and gratitude without sounding like a holier-than-thou, bonnet-wearing Sunday school teacher. Somehow wearing a bonnet seems very goody-goody, à la Laura Ingalls Wilder on her prairie. Although, now that I think about it, Laura never wore her bonnet and got into a lot of trouble over that fact. Not so goody after all. Maybe I should be a little more “Laura” and a little less “Mary” – her allegedly perfect sister. What Would Laura Do?

I’ve actually been going through the last few months saying to myself, “What Would Yauch Do?” But since this is not a Beastie Boys fan site, I feel that sentiment may be lost on most of my audience. Not that a Laura Ingalls reference will make any more of an impact. Hmm . . . I’ve stumbled on an interesting dilemma. Will more of my friends and family relate to Laura Ingalls or Adam Yauch/MCA?  God-fearing prairie-girl stubbornness versus rapper-emcee bad boy turned Buddhist?

Grandma? Any thoughts?

I hope in the weeks to come I’m able to share the kind of stories that inspired this whole blog. I would love to hear from you, if you were on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. I would love to share your story about a cause that means something to you personally. I will gladly post links to any legit charities or other blogs in order to keep up the positivity! So, in case you know me, and you’re worried I got all mushy and positive and happy, or you’re wondering if you can still drop the “f” bomb in front of me (duh), or if I still guzzle the red wine (I do), or if you really think I’ve joined a cult (there is no membership fee for the path to enlightenment!) . . . don’t worry. I still jump to conclusions, overreact, do impressions of people that annoy me, and swear like a sailor. I just simply want to do those things AND make a difference in this world.

Until next time, peace and gratitude. With a little bite.

PWR2MCA

Welcome to the first post at Bitten by Buddha! I'd like to explain where this idea came from and what the intentions are behind this blog. For those of you familiar with the hip hop triple trouble visionaries known as the Beastie Boys, you'll know that May 4, 2012 is the day the world lost Adam Yauch (a.k.a. MCA) to cancer. The following months were a confusing blur of emotion as I wondered why I was so devastated over the loss of an artist that I never knew. I was soon sucked into cyber-grieving via the Beastie Boys Message Board and Facebook fan pages. There I discovered a world full of other Beastie fans who were just as heartbroken and confused as I was. I began to see a pattern emerge in the blogs and postings; a yearning to make a difference in this world and to live a life in a way that would make MCA proud. I'm not here to write an essay on the ever-evolving and prolific, yet painfully too short, life that MCA created for himself. I would like to talk about a project that was born out of love and support for the man.

An energetic and passionate young woman in Sydney, Australia was inspired to show MCA how much he meant to his fans during his declining health, after watching the Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012. Her name is Sarah, and she created PWR2MCA as a sort of awareness campaign/living greeting card/grassroots movement of giving and compassion. Sarah said, "It was Mike [Diamond] and Adam [Horovitz] who inspired the whole thing. That needs to be crystal clear. They both delivered the most beautiful, heartfelt, hilarious speeches; and then Horovitz read Yauch’s [speech]. It wasn’t just that Yauch had composed the most incredible speech of all time. It was the tenderness in Adam’s voice as he read it. The way he glanced down and smiled at Yauch’s parents. The expression on Mike’s face; the beautiful way he was looking down at Adam, willing him to go on. The way they stood together, making him proud. Making us ALL proud."

Sarah reached out to Beastie Boys fans and asked them to write PWR2MCA on their fist, take a picture, and send it to her. Then she asked fans to go out and do SOMETHING: volunteer, donate to a favorite charity, or create something artistic and beautiful that will help make our communities and our world a better place to live. She compiled the photos and stories as a fan love letter to be mailed to the ailing MCA.

And then, quite suddenly and all too soon, he was gone. But Sarah decided not to stop the project. The photos and stories of charitable kindness kept arriving from around the world. The project will now be mailed to Adrock [Horovitz] and Mike D [Diamond] as tribute to their inspiration and to their brother, MCA. Sarah is quite busy keeping up with video tributes as well. Her powerful vignettes are set to music and capture the sense of connectedness that MCA loved to rap about and strove for in his constant search for enlightenment. Sarah embodies that special spirit and is a constant champion and defender of all MCA represented. Many non-fans don’t understand his spiritual journey as a practicing Buddhist, philanthropist, filmmaker, musician (YES – the Beastie Boys were MUSICIANS), activist, family man and friend. Sarah may be considered a mega-fan, but she isn’t all talk. She is out there walking that hip-hop, funky donkey, brass monkey walk. MCA and the Beastie Boys were much more than the stereotyped brats of the mid-80s License to Ill days. They grew into thoughtful, inspiring, devilishly witty and positive men. And Sarah wants to make sure the world knows it.

You can see the PWR2MCA Facebook page here and follow Sarah's thread on the Beastie Boys Message Board. You can also contact Sarah directly for more information about the PWR2MCA project at pwr2mca@gmail.com. My personal contribution to the PWR2MCA project was the creation of a fundraising page through the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which provides musical instruments to children who may not otherwise have access to them. You can visit my link and donate if you’re interested.

I have wanted to start a blog for some time, but I never quite knew the theme or the concept. I didn’t want to write just for the sake of venting publicly about how much I dislike my job or that I feel like I’m having mid-life crises. But after watching the power of PWR grow and reading about the different ways folks had contributed in honor of MCA’s memory, it made me realize that it could go on forever. And not just necessarily in honor of one particular artist that is a personal favorite of mine. But in honor of anyone who is loved, missed, passed on or making a difference right now. I want to highlight the good deeds of others; the small contributions or random acts of kindness, charitable donations, participation in charity walks or runs, development of a non-profit or event to raise awareness, writing a song, book or poem, creation any kind of art, helping protect the environment, adopting a pet, starting a neighborhood watch program, etc. The list could go on and on.

So, here is my plea to you, dear reader. Go out do SOMETHING. Get your ass off the couch and make a difference in this world. And if you feel like it, send me a photo and an email (BittenbyBuddha@gmail.com) describing what you’ve accomplished, and I’ll post it on my blog. This could help inspire others to do the same. If you have a charity link or website you’d like promoted, let me know. Together we can make a difference. As Adam Yauch so eloquently stated, “I think every person has the ability to effect change . . . Every one of us affects the world constantly through our actions . . . through our every thought, our every word, the way we interact with other people we’re constantly affecting the world.” A bit of Buddha indeed.

Thank you, Sarah, for affecting my world in such a positive way. And thank you, Adam Yauch, for paving the way.

R.I.P. MCA. Peace and love to his parents, Noel and Frances, wife Dechen, daughter Losel, and Beastie Brothers, Adam and Mike.