I spoke today at the Stop Violence Against Women Rally at the Statehouse. I spoke right after the Secretary of State (Jan, not Condi, in case you were really that obtuse) and the Director of the Department of Corrections, who referred at least three times to my agency as the "Arizona Southern Center for Sexual Assault." Close enough for government work.

I'll be posting the text of that speech as delivered tomorrow, along with a revised version of my Rally for Love and Justice Speech as delivered. In fact, I'll probably be creating a separate page altogether with my speeches. My speech from my trip to New York last year was particularly poignant. Well, I thought so anyway.

The good news is that so far nobody has said anything negative to me about either speech and in fact I've received a lot of really kind, positive feedback that I don't think was forced or fake (except for one co-worker who complimented my speech today even though they arrived halfway through it).

I'm feeling less blah, but still working through some stuff. I'm exploring the concept of mixed emotions and the fact that I can like something or someone and still be frustrated by it or angry at them and that's OK. My emotions have always been one of the few things in which I'm an absolutist. It's kind of painful for me to even be conceding this much. I'm usually right about most things (not arrogance, just a simple truth), so it's disorienting when old wounds get reopened and I have to process them again.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has expressed concern. I won't soon forget your kindness. I'm really fine, just trying to cope with the angst and all the latest trauma at work. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark and it has the unmistakable stenches a certain despicable Board Certified Diplomate and pure-evil red-headed cunt (and not in the reclaim-the-word kind of way, either). Really, she's been gone for almost a year, but her abusive, vindictive behavior still has me traumatized. I hate her. A lot. She's a terrible person and deserves to die a slow, painful death. She put her own delusional self above the needs of rape victims. If there is any justice in this world, she would never work in this town (or any other town) ever again.

Ah, sometimes it just feels good to vent. I haven't really had the chance to do that. I must say though that making speeches and being artfully articulate are kind of cathartic.

And if you like my speeches, I am for hire. Seriously, somebody has to start paying me one of these damn days...