raybear | If you having girl problems, I feel bad for you, son, I got 99 problems, but a [day job] ain't one.

I'm amused every time I hear the radio version of Jay-Z's "99 Problems" because they bleep out "but a b!#ch ain't one", so I like to just insert in the blank whatever they hell fits in the moment.

Alright so this morning.....not my best work. But it happens. And there's still an afternoon and an evening and there's always tomorrow morning to try again. I haven't been very compassionate towards myself lately, truly compassionate, but you know, it's a busy time in my life right this second, so I'm going to get stressed out a little. I leave for my residency in just over a week, I have a few more days left in this job, I'm trying to line up work for next month, etc. etc. But you know, it's still not as bad as last June. Last year at this time I was sort of a wreck, going back and reading various journal entries and e-mails from the time, which I did yesterday. But again, you know, it happens. Life. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Last night the film noir group watched the movie Detour which is the film that kicked off the film noir movement with the first appearance of a femme fatale. And a crazy fcked-up scene involving "accidental" strangulation with phone cord. I came home and finished watched The Triplets of Belleville which I'd started Sunday night then went to bed. Surprisingly, my dreams were pretty mild. I remember reading an e-mail at one point, which is interesting to me because I used to suffer from the typical dream phenomenon of not being able to focus on written words in dreams, but I seem to have gotten over that. So much for that dreamsign.

[This entry was interrupted for an hourlong coffeebreak with

vimandvigor to briefly discuss life "in between the livejournal entries".]

So I'm one of the few mofos who doesn't make jokes about the ridiculousness of suing McDonald's for various reasons, including the woman who got second-degree burns from coffee

McFact No. 1: For years, McDonald's had known they had a problem with the way they make their coffee - that their coffee was served much hotter (at least 20 degrees more so) than at other restaurants.

McFact No. 2: McDonald's knew its coffee sometimes caused serious injuries - more than 700 incidents of scalding coffee burns in the past decade have been settled by the Corporation - and yet they never so much as consulted a burn expert regarding the issue.

McFact No. 3: The woman involved in this infamous case suffered very serious injuries - third degree burns on her groin, thighs and buttocks that required skin grafts and a seven-day hospital stay.

McFact No. 4: The woman, an 81-year old former department store clerk who had never before filed suit against anyone, said she wouldn't have brought the lawsuit against McDonald's had the Corporation not dismissed her request for compensation for medical bills.

McFact No. 5: A McDonald's quality assurance manager testified in the case that the Corporation was aware of the risk of serving dangerously hot coffee and had no plans to either turn down the heat or to post warning about the possibility of severe burns, even though most customers wouldn't think it was possible.

McFact No. 6: After careful deliberation, the jury found McDonald's was liable because the facts were overwhelmingly against the company. When it came to the punitive damages, the jury found that McDonald's had engaged in willful, reckless, malicious, or wanton conduct, and rendered a punitive damage award of 2.7 million dollars. (The equivalent of just two days of coffee sales, McDonalds Corporation generates revenues in excess of 1.3 million dollars daily from the sale of its coffee, selling 1 billion cups each year.)

McFact No. 7: On appeal, a judge lowered the award to $480,000, a fact not widely publicized in the media.

McFact No. 8: A report in Liability Week, September 29, 1997, indicated that Kathleen Gilliam, 73, suffered first degree burns when a cup of coffee spilled onto her lap. Reports also indicate that McDonald's consistently keeps its coffee at 185 degrees, still approximately 20 degrees hotter than at other restaurants. Third degree burns occur at this temperature in just two to seven seconds, requiring skin grafting, debridement and whirlpool treatments that cost tens of thousands of dollars and result in permanent disfigurement, extreme pain and disability to the victims for many months, and in some cases, years.

http://www.vanfirm.com/mcdonalds-coffee-lawsuit.htm

http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm

But I also theorize fast food companies could be sued for marketing their products as "food", when in reality, it is not. And no, people aren't being forced to buy and eat fast food, but the issue is more about information being witheld which influences consumers decision in choosing to buy and eat. Most people think that's a little out there and I admit it is. But today I read this: french fries may need label similar to cigarettes.