My thoughts on Boston

So in the U.S., we now have September 11th and April 15th. Tax day. Patriot's Day. And now, the infamous Boston Marathon bombing.

The real terror of the act - (and make no mistake, whoever is behind this - domestic or not - intended for this to be an act of TERROR) is not only in the senseless deaths of three, including an 8 year old child waiting for his father to cross the line, but in the sheer demonic evil in having caused the amputation of the legs of marathon runners. There could be no more vile curse put upon these incredible athletes than to have their legs taken. That is what makes me cringe and feel so afraid for humanity - that there are people among us (no matter what their "message") who are so evil as to target an event that is meant to showcase what levels of greatness we are capable of. Anyone who has stood on the line of 5K race, a 10K, a half marathon, or a full marathon (whether participating or as a bystander), understands the power and electricity about these events. Clearly, there is something existential and powerful about it, as we continue to line up and subject ourselves to pain during the run, because the joy of it all surpasses any desire to stop running. There is something about these races, and the "buzz" about them (to borrow the Irish term), that nearly always moves me to tears. It is beautiful beyond words and until you stand in waiting, (no matter what the race distance), you can't quite know the feeling. There's excitement, nausea, overwhelming comradery, and a communion with your fellow runners that is akin to a religious experience. That's why people run races. I do not exaggerate here - it is powerful. THAT is why this act was so heinous and evil. The people responsible for yesterday chose this event in a very calculated way and the intended horror was "achieved". Every single one of those 23,000+ runners had an incredible story to go along with reaching the "Everest" of marathons in Boston. Some were cancer survivors, some have been running for 50+ years, some only started last year, and many travelled the globe to be there.

The real terror of it is in the fact that all of us runners will spend the next weeks having "moments of silence" as we start our group runs together in Seattle, here in Dublin, in Tokyo and in Paris. To add to the list of oppressive fear I feel as a female runner (after last week when a woman was sexually and physically assaulted in my home town of Seattle, as she was out for her 5 am run), I now have to wonder - when I run my first marathon - (whether it be in Dublin, Seattle or Berlin) will I feel the ever so slight sensation of resistance in my muscles as I set my sights on the finish line. Will I fear continuing to the line that I have now been working toward for several years?? I know that the fear of a bomb will not escape my consciousness and THAT is where the continued terror lies. It is in the hours of chaos that Boston felt yesterday, in those hospital wings and operations rooms, but it is also in the lingering fear that we will all have, of copy-cat bombings for years to come. Will the New York marathon be a target? Paris? The media has done it again, just as they do with every American tragedy, of escalating the notoriety of the "event" to mythic proportions. You need only log in to Facebook, Twitter, or ANY international news website to see that this bombing has been raised to a media-frenzy level nearing that of September 11, 2001. They're hardly comparable, on any scale, and yet the media-feeding-frenzy and our now insatiable need to gorge ourselves on gory details (and photographs) is now insuring that any copy-cat who tries the same will be catapulted to the same notoriety. This has to stop and you'd think, with all the school killings in the last 15 years, that we would have learned this lesson. The "bar" on these tragedies continues to be raised, not by the killers, but by our own sensationalism.
Marathons will now be broken up into "before Boston, 2013" and "after Boston, 2013". Another continued terror-effect will be beefed-up security at every major running event for the foreseeable future. I can imagine at London's Marathon, there will be armed soldiers policing the finish line, doing bomb-sweeps with dogs. They may institute a metal-detector/scanning system for anyone wishing to congregate near the finish line of any major marathon. You might have to prove your connection to a registered marathoner before they'll let you within 1 mile of the finish line. Gone are the days of crowds of 500,000 spectators - unchecked, unprofiled. Marathons will take on a military security presence and after several years, we'll take that as 'normal'. Just like we barely flinch in having to take our shoes off at the airport, so they can scan them for "shoe-bombs". This has become 'normal'. That's the terror in this act.
I do not mean to diminish other bombings in the world by focusing on this either. The death tolls from bombings in Iraq, Syria, and Serbia are no less gut-wrenching. Innocent children are killed daily. Part of me is so sad at the outrage people feel over Boston (as they should) when no one "takes to Facebook" to plaster articles about 31 killed in Iraq (over 100 injured) by bombings on the very same day. We've become so de-sensitized to those headlines that we gloss over them as we scan the CNN 'app' while eating our morning porridge. I see myself read those headlines and with the flick of a finger on the screen, they are catalogued as "just another bombing 'over there'". Of course I could write about this topic for years but I just want to acknowledge that those deaths are no less tragic and just because they live in warzones does not mean their killings are less heart-wrenching.
Today though, my thoughts are with Boston. As someone here in Dublin requested, runners will wear their various running race t-shirts today in a show of support for all affected. And so, while I feel silly and ineffectual in joining, I'll wear one today as well. While no one will see it under my layers of sweaters insulating me against Dublin's "Spring", I'll know it's on. It's all I can do for them today, along with writing this. I am so sad for Boston, for every runner there, for the families planning funerals and for my country.

Norah's First Movie!

Today, on a rainy Spring day in Dublin, we decided... on a weird whim, to take Norah to a movie. I have seen ads for this new animated film called "The Croods" and so we decided to walk to the theatre.

We had reservations about bringing her to a theatre as she's not even three. We didn't know if it would be over-stimulating or scary but we read a bunch of reviews on the movie and it sounded like a safe one (no bad guys, etc.). She absolutely loved it. She was just giddy to be sitting in the theatre and, while we were prepared to leave if she found it overwhelming, she just loved it. She even made us watch all the credits. And as an aside: An adorable movie - we definitely recommend it.

We brought a juice box and some snacks but we also let her pick out a candy at the theatre.

(we didn't watch it in 3D)

Her feet barely stretched to the end of the seat. And she weighs so little that the seat kept folding up on her.

And walking home, this was waiting for us, just over the East Pier.

Part 4: Irish Genealogy Trip And Last Day

So on their last full day, Mimi and I made a trip into Dublin with baby Simon. Wayne was still doing really bad so he stayed home with Marko and Norah (aided by iPads and movies) while we had this genealogy outing. This was really important to Mimi (and Sarah) to do this while she was here and given how sick we all got, we never made it in. So, we were really happy to have a few hours in the city, with only baby Simon in tow, to uncover some tidbits about our family Flynn's.

 Mimi, like a kid in a candy store in the Genealogy room!

Mimi at the computers with Simon, printing away. We did find one cool thing - the 1901 census form, filled out by our Great-great grandfather, Francis Flynn. And on that form, we learned that his wife and children were born in County Longford, but that he (Francis) was born in Country Leitrim. Also we learned Francis Flynn's birthdate which was great. This was a piece of information we didn't have before so it was great to find out. So my mother's grandfather was John Flynn (as was her father), and Francis Flynn would be my mother's Great Grandfather.

The National Library Cafe

 Back to the pirate park on their last evening (Norah and Marko's favorite park). It's less than 2 blocks from our apartment so we took them there quite often.

 For our last dinner, we let Wayne nap upstairs and we took the kids down to Milano Pizza (at the base of our apartment building). It never disappoints.

Oh and Mimi fed Simon his very first solid food!! We picked him up some rice cereal and he Loooooved it.

We've had a lot of these in the house and given that I think this is a uniquely Irish term, I decided to take a picture. Meet: MANSIZE tissue. I love how they say it so non-chalantly - like it isn't completely weird. They really are mansize though.

Sad - taking them back to the airport this morning. Norah's trying to put her arm around Marko. :)

 We were able to watch them taxi out and take off so that was cool!

 And then we bought Norah some new shoes. :) Courtesy of Auntie Mimi. Can you tell she spoils this girl (and us)??

These little nail stickers are also from Auntie Mimi.

These stayed on for all of 4 minutes but she loved them for those 4 minutes. When she showed me, she held out her hands and said "These are girl things Mama".

Part 3: Trip to Connemara and Galway

Drivin' the Ford Galaxy 7-Seater across Ireland!

Still not doing great...

Arriving at the Waterfront House B&B in Oughterard (20 minutes northwest of Galway). Mary and her husband have run this B&B for 23 years! (and they have a 24 year old son who is a professional Irish golfer in Cork) Her husband built the home himself.

 Our trusty stead - the Ford Galaxy

 Mimi, Marko & Simon's Room (ours was across the hall)

This is all just outside the B&B. They had such a gorgeous property

 We liked this Toyota Corrolla, rigged up with a trailer carrying hay.

 The night before the race, having dinner with Clare and her friend Cliona in Oughterard.

 Mimi's first Irish breakfast at the B&B. Of course being vegan, she didn't eat the real traditional one (what I had, here below) but she loved the porridge and even the beans on toast.

 Beans on Toast - a very Irish (and English) breakfast. Mimi loved this.

Mary had a TV in the main living room so they liked that. :)

 This is the limestone etched out by the rain water in Connemara.

 They had spectator buses drive all of us from Oughterard to the finish line (25 minutes) and this is our walk to the finish line. It looks stormy but it was near perfect conditions (quite windy but no rain in sight which is very rare).

 Som ultra-marathon (39 miles!) and marathon (26.2 miles) runners coming in.

 My good running friend Clare (far right, lime green shirt) passing us, going into the finish! She did an AMAZING job and blew her intended time, out of the water.

The pony outside the neighbors house, next to the B&B

 Oughterard

We were all sick prior to the roadtrip though I had been on all my medications for 3 or 4 days at this point. Sadly, on the 2nd morning at the B&B, Wayne had a very high fever. Mary, the owner of the B&B was kind enough to book Wayne an appointment with a doctor in this small town and so this is where we went. This white house is the doctor's office. It was so sweet and quaint (and quick and efficient!)

 

And on the way home we stopped in Galway for lunch and Mimi bought some souvenirs. In this jewelry store, we met the most amazing couple. They hand make all the jewelry (Cladagh rings which originated in Galway, Tara brooches, earrings, rings with Connemara marble, etc.). Not to mention, the woman's husband is a marathon runner who has run in Ethiopia and Kenya. (one of my current obsessions). I got to meet him and he's one of the people who organizes races in Galway for Kenyan runners. (Book: Running with the Kenyans...read it). So meeting him felt a little like meeting a celebrity for me.  Anyway, Mimi also bought me a beautiful ring here (and one to match for herself) with celtic knots and a Connemara Marble stone. We learned this gem stone is 700 MILLION years old and is mined just 20 minutes outside of Galway. It's a dark green marble and its just beautiful. So, now Mimi and I have matching marble rings that may or may not imbue us with ancient Celtic powers.

 

This was, by far, the most magical toystore I've ever seen. It went up 3 stories in this narrow Irish building and had the most enchanting little toys you ever saw. I was in heaven.

Auntie Mimi bought this bear for Norah in the same jewelry shop we first went into. The bears benefit an Ethiopian orphanage the couple sponsors so Mimi was happy to get it for Norah. His name is "Dancing Bear" and now he lives with us.