The Trial for The Contessa

The trial for the thief that stole The Contessa was June 29 and I'm very happy with the results. It was actually his arraignment to decide if we would proceed to trial. He plead guilty to the charges. After hearing that I was the 8th car theft victim of this guy, my blood began to boil. The thief , age 57, went on to say that he had had a difficult life with his drug addiction and asked for leniency and drug treatment. He said he didn't have any money- he worked in exchange for rent and $100 a week. Tough life? I don't think so buddy!
 Armed with the before and after photos, I presented my side of the case. The judge looked at the pictures and $14K repair estimate and listened. After explaining that after taxes, rent, utilities and $700 a month in medical payments, I live on about $75 a week-25% less than the criminal. That's when the whole case took an interesting twist.
The public defender questioned the amount of damage and the cost being that The Contessa is a 28 tear old car and it wasn't worth that much. The judge snapped "You've destroyed a classic car! Look what you've done (passing the pictures to the public defender and defendant). You've ruined this man's car that he's cared for for years because of your actions. You have cases going back 11 years of car thefts causing your victims great hardship. In each and every case, you were ordered to complete drug treatment provided by the court at no cost to you. Looking at you history, each and every time you were released you went for treatment one time and never returned. Mr Lewis (the defendant)- today you will learn. 20 years with 15 to serve". The public defender countered that the sentence was excessive. The judge shot back with a bit of a snarl "Shall we make it 25? Mr. Lewis' trail of victims ends today. In addition, I'm ordering that Mr. Lewis pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $14,255.86 for that damages he caused".  The gavel fell  and it was over.
Although I will probably never see a dime from this guy, it's a comfort to know that he will spend the next 15 years regretting that I showed up in court and fought back.

The Contessa is home. Even though her body is damaged, she still pops right off and drives wonderfully. The search for parts has begun in earnest to one day bring her back to her former glory.

The Contessa stolen-AGAIN!!

I arrived at work on Thursday at 1;20pm. I clocked in, got my water bottle and headed to the floor. I no more than got to my department when one of the lot men came running through the store screaming "Where's Greg! They're stealing his car!". We have APD officers in the store and he heard Tony screaming. He knew my car -she is unique- and called it in right away. What the idiot that stole my car didn't realize was that the brake lock I use (it's like The Club except it locks the brake pedal to the floor) meant he couldn't stop the car. He nearly hit to pedestrians who also called it in. He didn't get far before crashing through a chain link fence at the Goodyear Service Center (where I've had a lot of work done), jumped out of the still moving car and took off leaving the Contessa to crash into the building. The police were on him immediately and cuffed him. The police brought me to the scene where I was able to read him a very controlled riot act (too many witnesses for me to say what I really wanted to).
I had her battered body towed home and mourned her injuries. She goes into the shop Monday for repairs.

I was able to block the thief's appeal for bond meaning he'll sit in jail for at LEAST 2 weeks before he faces arraignment- where I will be again to block his release. I'll update with more info when available.

Life's challenges never cease.
Full pics at http://s684.photobucket.com/albums/vv207/graugorama/Car%20Theft%206%203%202010/

When it rains, it pours...

Last Sunday afternoon I started feeling weird. The left side of my face started tingling like I had had a shot of novocaine. I figured I'd slept funny during my nap and tried to forget about it but it didn't go away. Got up Monday morning for work and while shaving I felt a small bump in my left cheek. Still, I really didn't think anything of it and went to work. The problem really began when I got up Tuesday morning and found the entire left side of my face swollen and red. Off to the ER I went at 4am. It turned out to be Cellulitis- a staph infection running from the top of my ear, down to my jaw and across to the corner of my mouth. They gave me some really strong antibiotics (which make me feel worse) and to me to check with my Dr in 10 days. 
Well, here I am at day 5 and its getting a bit better. I haven't been to work (mostly out of embarrassment but also because of the Rx) and I'm bored out of my mind.  The worst part of this entire situation is the Contessa.  On the way home from the ER she started making an odd sound when idling at a light that disappeared when I accelerated. It got louder the closer I got to the apartment. I made it home ok but upon inspection I found that one of the motor mounts had broken - not something I can easily repair. So she's off to the shop on Monday for repair. 
Here I sit, face bloated, feeling like crap without a car. I'll be fine in time but the trip getting there will not be fun.


When it rains, it pours... 

Update on the Tummy Troubles

Two days after I posted about my tummy troubles, the biopsy results came back. Nothing serious but it was positive for H. Pylori (a nasty little bacteria). It feeds on stomach acid and makes the stomach think it's not producing enough acid which in turns makes it produce more (are you following this?) causing a host of issues.
Well, after a two week treatment (Prevpac) of EIGHT pills a day to kill the thing, its dead. The best part is not having to take antacids all day every day in order to function. I was finally able to have a cup of coffee without doubling over in agony.  I haven't tried alot of the foods I used to eat because, well, I've kinda lost the taste for them which is a good thing. The weight loss throughout all of this is the best part 20+ lbs. Now, if I can just keep it off.

I am hopeful this will bring an end to this saga and I can get back to living a somewhat normal life.
That's all for now.

With a bit of hope...

We may have found the problem behind all the health issues that have plagued me these past years.

On Friday the 11th, I had an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) at Dekalb Medical. It showed that I have a Hiatal Hernia big enough to cause problems other than GERD (acid reflux) but not large enough to require surgery ( whew).
There's a lot of stuff inside the chest in that area that can be affected by this condition. One of them is the Vagus nerve (one of the longest in the body) which picks up readings from all over the body and sends the signal back to the brain. The brain, in turn, sends out commands telling various parts of the body what to do or how to react. With this type of hernia, it can press on that nerve and "short circut " things-so to speak. The brain can't figure out what's going on and sends the "fight or flight" signal to the rest of the body. Everything goes into high gear (even if you are lying down.) and throws everything out of whack. Heart rate and blood pressure go up, breathing can become difficult, and stress signals go through the roof. To sum it up, your engine is racing but the transmission is not in gear.

After all of this happens, you are left feeling exhausted (fatigue), dizzy, and heartburn like you've never imagined. This what has been going on with me for the past 3 years or so.

Now, I have to take blame for some- well a lot- of this. Smoking is one of the big things that irratates the stomach. This will be a tough habit to quit. Pasta, most breads, and even liquor were easy to give up. But having smoked for 35 years, it is so ingrained in my daily life, change will be difficult. Diet is another adjustment that will help control flare ups which means giving up some favorites (the demons in disguise) that irritate.  Stress at work will also have to be addressed and regulated.

Now that I know the cause of this, I will take steps to correct it. Difficult- YES. Impossible- NO.

I hope this has been informative and enlightening. I know it opened my eyes.

Some Fun Things To Ponder

*UNANSWERED QUESTIONS*

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If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...
 Does that mean that one enjoys it?

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There are three religious truths:
Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.  Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the Leader of the Christian Faith.  Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters

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If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

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Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

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Why do croutons come in airtight packages?
Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

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*Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?

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Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

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If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

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 If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

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Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

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What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
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I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me, they're cramming for their final exam .
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I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons
and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?

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Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office?
What are we supposed to do, write to them?  Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

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If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
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 *You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

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 *Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
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 *If a cow snorted when it laughed would milk come out of her nose?

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 Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

AND FINALLY....

As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice that when you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells 'THEIRS'?

Enjoy a laugh every day!

Eye test

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