Funny How Things Just Seemed So Easy When We Were Young

Last Friday, July 20th, I had the extremely pleasure to attend the Dolores O’Riordan concert in San Francisco. She has been on a small North American tour to support her solo independent release, “Are You Listening?” Though it was a small crowd, the energy was intense. I dragged my friend Tara to the concert with me. It is always so refreshing to go with someone who thinks they are as perfect as myself. It makes it that much easier to criticize others. Let me tell you, there were some crazies in the audience. I particularly enjoyed the 50 year-old men and women in front of us who were, to put it loosely, trying to dance. They were so entertaining! They made me happy due to their extreme enthusiasm for Dolores. The concert was a 50/50 mix of old Cranberries standards and cuts from her new LP. She played all of my favorite Cranberries songs except for “Promises,” and sang all of my favorite songs from her solo album, including my favorite b-side, “Willow Pattern.” All in all I had a fantastic evening. The downside was that I had to drive home from San Francisco after the show because I had marathon training in the morning. I got home about 2:00am went to sleep an hour later and was up at 6:00am. I was flat ass tired needless to say!

This week I also got the extremely sad and upsetting news that my Grandma’s cancer had returned. She had been in remission from breast cancer for about a year and a half. She had been complaining of stomach and back pain for a couple of weeks, but the doctor had thought that it might be a result from a car accident she was in a few months ago. After a few tests, it was revealed that her cancer had come back. It is now located in her liver, abdominal region, and one side of her lung. It is devastating news and almost too much to comprehend. She has always been the most active person and healthiest person I have known. Though all nine of her siblings have succumbed to this vicious disease, it is still difficult to accept. My Mom and Dad just returned from visiting my Grandma, and they said that there is a noticeable difference in her appearance and attitude in a mere two weeks since we last saw her. I pray that when she does pass, it was we painless and swift. Cancer is such a fucked up disease. It can just sneak up on it’s unsuspecting victim, and once diagnosed, it can be too late to successfully take any type of measures to eradicate.

It is extremely hard to put into words how much my Grandma means to me. I think that this song, no matter how cheesy it is, sums up my relationship with her. There really is nothing better than her on the phone. She is so compassionate and non-judgmental; pretty much the only person in my family that I can speak openly and frankly with.