The March

I am not on the March against the 100% Government cuts. I will be on the next one.
I have been too ill and I am frightened of ending up somewhere I can not get back from, but I support the protesters 100%.
Our bosses do too, but I don't think they are marching; they are relying on those who are, to protect their jobs ( frankly, a bit like me today!)
Another thing is that tomorrow, as every Thursday, I will be working a ten hour day sandwiched between to one-and-a-half-hour commutes. It takes me a week to recover (I teach Tuesdays and Fridays as well and do freelance work and motherhood in between).
All because I am worried about losing my job.
Luckily (!) the laptop I use for work is poorly and is not here, so there are parts of my work I can't do.
The feeling of inconvenience and the related stress are counterbalanced by the glee that I simply can't proceed with some of the urgent stuff. For today, life has slowed down to an unpressured pace and I am even going to do some singing: I have a gig supporting Martin at Whelan's in Dublin on Friday and another at The Perseverance on Saturday which Martin will be coming along to. For gig dates see www.reverbnation.com/helenmccookerybook
I'm giving Myspace a rest for a couple of weeks as it crashes my laptop.

I'm trying to drum up the energy to complain to the Crown Prosecution Service after the three magistrates who tried Offsprog Two's attackers decided not to try the main culprit, as his defence barrister argued that because of his low IQ, he was too suggestible to stand trial.
We were allowed to talk to them afterwards; we had discovered that the young offender was on his last offence before a custodial sentence and that a judge had thrown out the doctor's evidence at a previous trial.
We pointed out to the magistrates that they had released a habitual offender, probably a knife carrier (Offsprog Two's bag straps were slashed) who, if he was a suggestible as his defence barrister said, could quite possibly seriously injure or kill his victim next time.
Because he was neither convicted nor acquitted, we could not ask for a restraining order to prevent him from harassing her again, as he had after the crime.
How do I feel? A combination of anger and fear for Offsprog Two's safety.
How does she feel? 'I'm going to get stabbed.'