Friday, August 21, 2009

Unbelievable!

Stella Awards
It's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.

Here are the Stellas for the past year:
*SEVENTH PLACE*
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.
* SIXTH PLACE *
Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps
* FIFTH PLACE *
Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish. Keep scratching. There are more...
*FOURTH PLACE*
Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.
* THIRD PLACE *
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?
*SECOND PLACE*
Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.
* FIRST PLACE *
This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down?
$1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.
Are we, as a society, getting more stupid.... or are more members of Congress serving on juries these days?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New recipe coming

I just glanced at my side bar and my mouth started watering. I can eat chicken right now, but not that one! If you want the recipe hurry, because I am going to get rid of it pretty quick. I am up 2 lbs on my diet. Hope I don't quit. I am going to give it two more days and if I don't start losing I am going to have to do something drastic. It says cherries are OK, but maybe I'm eating too many. They are so good it's hard to stop. I guess it is back to the apple - disappointment!

Crazy busy at work and I am not going to get a break until September. I know I shouldn't be complaining after last year it is good to be busy, but I do need a day off. Sunday doesn't count and last Sunday really doesn't count. I just want to hang out by the pool and read. If there was anyway I could get away I would go see Lauri. She is struggling with all those babies. Hang in there Lauri help is on the way. Thank Heaven for Dream Dinners, they ease a mother's guilty conscience.

Look for my exciting new recipe, it is called "plain with nothing on it celery sticks". Very easy to make.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

From Aunt Lynda


I was in the pub yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to fart. The music was really, really loud, so I timed my farts with the beat.

After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my pint and noticed that everybody was staring at me.

Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.

Thanks Lynda for the laugh.

Is it week's end or week's beginning

Not quite sure if today is the end of my week or the beginning of the new one. I don't think I am up to dealing with a new week, so I'll report on the last one. Kristi and family left yesterday. We will miss them. Betty Boop is really mopping around. She misses Shawn. They were the best of buddies and it was so cute. Avery and Mckenna had a great visit and didn't want to leave(I love that). I really wish I could just travel and visit a different family every month. It seems like once a year is not enough. We loved our time with them.

It is crazy busy at work. Don't know how long it will last so I can't complain. I would rather be busy than have nothing to do. I have several new listings that should sell, so I am hoping for a little future business. As long as interest stays low, it should be good.

I am doing quite well on my diet, although I can't see a change, the scale is moving. Finally in the right direction. I think I am losing it all over since my clothes don't feel that much different. Although I do remember wanting to wear my fat pants a few days last month. You know, the baggy ones with elastic?

I went to a seminar on social networking all about how to use facebook, twitter and blogs. I am motivated to at least give it a try. Stay tuned, we'll see how I do.