Stella Awards...

Ok. This is one of those emails that go round and round. I had not seen it before and got quite a tickle out of it. I hope you enjoy it too.....These people can't be real....can they???

It's time again for the annual "Stella’s 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 the 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 scratchier handy.

Here are the Stella's for the past year:

7TH 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.

6TH 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.

Go ahead, grab your head scratchier.

5TH 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 them, EIGHT, days 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 pa y Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.

Keep scratching. There are more...

4TH 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.

Grrrrr ... Scratch, scratch.

3RD 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 ea r lier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

Scratch, scratch, scratch. Hang in there; there are only two more Stella’s to go...

2ND 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.

1ST PLACE : (May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please)

This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven onto 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????

It's Baaaackk....

Ok, Warning!!!! This post is WAY too much information for some folks. Honestly, I don't care if anyone reads it. It is here for me, and for anyone going through/having gone through this crap. Of course I do know that since I stated that, some of you won't be able to help yourselves and will have to read on. Don't say I didn't warn you though.

I kind of knew it was coming. The signs have been there for the last few months. Pimples--that was the first sign. Night sweats (eeewww!!!), could have been a form of hot flashes. Then the mood swing. My mood swing involves me getting a big "why me" or "poor me" complex. And a feeling of not being appreciated. Then Friday, a whopper of a migraine. (Now by itself, this wouldn't have meant anything. But I do have to say, I don't think I have had real bad one in quite awhile.) Sunday morning a back ache, later- slightly crampy. I knew it was coming. Even a few months ago, when I just had one symptom (pimples). Luckily I listened to my body and decided to put a pad on, even though I haven't needed one in 11 months. Sure enough--my period, monthly friend, Aunt Flo, whatever you want to call it, decided it was time to start showing up again. And with a vengeance!! I think my body is making up for those 11 months all at once. Very heavy and very uncomfortable. Mixed feelings on this whole thing. Glad my body isn't getting old before it's time. Glad to be done with the hot flashes- for now. Glad to lose the other menopause issues-for now. Can't say I missed my period though. I mean honestly, who would miss that?? I do still need to get my ovaries out though, which will put me right back in the same position I was before. I guess the bright side is that I get a break from all the crap for a few months. And if the drs see no hurry, maybe I'll wait til fall on the ovaries-so no hot flashes during the summer.

So chemo didn't totally crash my female body parts. Not a huge deal, again could do without the period, but still kind of nice to know that my body bounced back from that.

Snow Days and Superbowl

I have about had it with winter. I know, I live in the wrong area then. All this cold, snow, and dreary weather just gets to me! YUK! And last week the two storms that hit - did so on nights that Haley had gymnastics. We go to gymnastics, it's fine. Then on the way home, bad driving conditions. And of course it is supposed to do it again tomorrow! I'm not sure how much snow we are supposed to get though. School was cancelled this past Friday. I admit it was a nice little break.

Saturday we went out to eat at a newer restaurant in New Lenox -Gatto's. It was really good! I wasn't sure what I should get. Too many choices. It bills itself as the "best Italian comfort food in the south suburbs". Huge portions. Very friendly.

Yesterday we watched the Superbowl at home with our neighbors. Of course once it was over, the girls couldn't fall asleep. I know Jenna was still up at midnight. Not sure about Haley.

Thursday I had an appt with Dr. S also. Went okay. Not really alot can be done for the nips being just a tad too high. I think I can live with it though. I will have to choose a lighter color for the tattooing so it won't show through shirts. Yes, you get to pick the color. She pulled out something very similar to a paint chip chart and showed us what most people go with and the various choices. No kidding. I had heard about this, but didn't quite believe it. Her office also asked if she could use my pictures in a presentation she is giving to medical personnel. I don't care! Why would I?? My name is not on them and my face is not showing. I plan on telling her she can use my pics for future patients that want to see her work.

The girls first day of intramural volleyball is today. I have to pick them up at 5. They were of course so worried about how bad they were going to be! I wish they would get over that.