Sweet Sprinkles

As if it isn't already bad enough that I live a only a short two-minute walk away from one the best shopping places in town (yes, the temptation for excessive shoe buying is at an all time high), today I discovered a new destination that I find equally enticing, but on a much sweeter level. The shop around the corner I speak of is named Sprinkles. This super chic cupcake shop is the perfect blend of sugar and spice coupled with pure decadence. These beautifully delicious confectionery delights are too pretty to pass up and too yummy not to indulge in. And bonus!!! These sweet yum-yums are made with all natural ingredients and have no artificial preservatives or trans-fats. Of course, with ingredients like sweet cream butter, belgian dark chocolate, and citrus zest, it is entirely impossible not to create a simply divine cupcake. Flavors range from Ginger Lemon to Chocolate Coconut (and oh how I love coconut). Without a doubt, I will be frequenting their tasty cupcake bar again very soon. Now to decide what flavor to order next!

Check out Sprinkles here

Watch out Mr. 225

Alas, I feel as if the fog is finally lifting and I am busting out of the funk that as of late has plagued me with much frustration and lack of motivation. Yes, it happens to even the best of us at times. Thankfully, I am sensing the return of my long-lost self-drive and that positive, can-do attitude. And not a moment too soon, I might add. I am back in the groove...officially.
Perhaps it is just the crunch time factor setting in (or maybe just the extra strong coffee I had this morning). I do tend to procrastinate and wait until it's do or die before I really let myself kick it in high gear. An annoying trait I have still yet to kick to the curb. So whether it's the fact that that there is only a mere matter of months before I really MUST be done with school due to a dry bank account, or that I have finally finished travelling through my latest valley (Admit it. We all have our ups and downs), either way, I'm back and ready to conquer my Q&A demon!!! I've decided I'm done letting it beat me up. Rather than sit back and be constantly defeated by the grueling speed of 225 wpm, I am going to force myself to not just beat that stupid little number, but to pulverize it. It will not defeat me. I am bigger than 225 (okay, not literally, as this has no direct correlation to my weight, but you know what I mean). Besides, I'm sure I talk at least 350 words per minute, or so my family would claim. I figure if I am capable of spewing words out of my mouth at such a rapid pace, then I am positive the good Lord must have made my fingers and mind capable of clipping along at a mere 225, right?!

Mood: Energized (and I admit it, slightly over-caffeinated)
Outlook: Positive
Goal: Practice! Practice! Practice!

No great achievement is possible without persistent work. - Philemon Bertrand Russell

My job is...

It’s a fact! We spend a big chunk of our lives working. Day in and day out we go to our places of employment, we work at completing the tasks and responsibilities we were hired to do, and we anxiously await payday so we can receive our hard earned money. Even though we spend so much of our time on the job, it is surprising how many people tend to dislike what they do, or at least waste time and energy complaining about it. When you think about it, we spend about one-third of our daily lives working. I liken this to my “mattress theory” which is this: We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Say you sleep on average seven hours a night. That is 2,555 (of a possible 8,760) hours a year that you spend slumbering away on your bed. If that’s the case, I can’t possibly understand not purchasing a decent mattress, one that you find utterly and wonderfully comfy. Otherwise, you will have wasted one-third of your, day, week, month, year, or even life not sleeping as well you possibly could.

The same is true about our work lives. With as much time as we spend working, it is exceptionally nice when we can find a job that we at least enjoy doing. Of course, there will always be exceptions. In my case, I would’t call my job as an administrative assistant my dream job by any stretch of the imagination. (That’s why I’m in school.) To be honest, it’s quite easy and even a bit dull at times. Still, I am extremely thankful for my job, as it really has been the perfect one for me while I finish my education. It is without a dobut low-stress, close to home, and pays well. So I most definitely cannot complain. And sure, with the economy and the unemployment rate the way it is, often people are more inclined to take a job merely for the fact that it will provide money to pay the bills, rather than whether or not they will find true satisfaction in the work. Completely understandable. Still, whether your current job is that ideal dream job you always imagined, or just a means to an end, this simple fact remains: You are still spending about one-third of your time doing it. So why waste all that time and energy being unhappy, discontent, or even just mildly annoyed. No matter what job you have, or how and why you do it, there is still much to be thankful for...after all, there are nearly 14.8 million Americans looking for work these days. (Yes...I'm a dork and checked out the U.S. Dept. of Labor stats.) So I ever so gently remind you to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.
(Frederick Keonig)

Of course, that doesn't mean we can’t poke fun just a wee bit at our work. After all, life without a little bit of humor is somewhat dull. I ran across this on the internet and found it pretty funny.
Here are the top 10 answers.

My Job is to ______.

1. Help people hate each other: Divorce Lawyer
2. Stand on a field and get yelled at for hours: Baseball Umpire
3. Talk in other people’s sleep: College Professor
4. Call people who know what they’re doing and ask them what they’re doing:
Incident Manager
5. Show people how beautiful the Earth would be without them: Mountain
Landscape Photographer/Climber
6. Make people feel bad about their work: Quality Assurance Tester
7. Repeatedly fix what you repeatedly break: IT Director
8. Clean up an animal that makes more money then me in a year: Assistant Horse Trainer
9. Write words that no one wants to read: Technical Writer
10. Make food that is as healthy before it goes in your body as when it comes back out: Fast Food Employee

Can you describe your job in one sentence?

Read more funnies here

One at a time, please!

I sat in on a depo yesterday that, to be honest, drove me a little bit bonkers. The deponent refused to answer questions verbally, but rather repeatedly tried to respond with nods and grunts instead. The attorneys were constantly asking her, "Was that a yes?" or "Was that a no?". She must have been gently reminded a million times to please wait until the question was completely asked before answering, or to speak clearly using actual words when she responded. This was a court reporter's nightmare. In addition, one of the attorneys was really soft spoken and so listening for his objections proved a little challenging, especially since it was just one more thing to worry about in the mix of all these constant interjections. All in all, it was a classic case of too many people speaking at once or cutting each other off mid-sentence. By the end, everyone's little nuances were starting to drive me completely nutty. The court reporter did interject only once out of necessity, and handled the entire experience in stride (probably thanks to her 30 plus years of experience.) I myself wanted to interject and yell, "Hey lady, try speaking with some actual words!!!! And everyone, please, just one at a time!" Of course, I refrained. Instead, I sat quietly taking down, as best I could, everything that was being spoken, and quietly thanking God that for this very day it wasn't me who was responsible for creating the official record.

Pity Parties Not Allowed

It’s that time of year again when our dear friend, cupid, comes calling. Funny how February hits, and then all at once the world at large is head over heels “in love.” Suddenly street corners are peppered with vendors peddling their roses and flowers for last minute purchase, the first two aisles in the grocery store are chalked full of all things pink and red, and for some crazy reason Hallmark is running low on their stock of “I love you” cards. For the record, I personally am (and always have been) a fan of this somewhat commercialized holiday. Maybe I’m just a sucker for sweets, flowers, and a good excuse to buy a card or two, but anyone who knows me should not be too surprised by that revelation. However, I do find it somewhat annoying the amount of pity that is pointed in the direction of anyone who is remotely single. It seems glaringly obvious around this time of year. I would like to note that my dear friends (yes….you know who you are) are most definitely NOT guilty of this. I’m blessed to have wonderful people in my life that, whether coupled up or not, have NEVER made me feel like a third-wheel or a “pet project” with their entire mission strictly being to find my soul mate. But that being said, it is actually somewhat surprising to me how often people say things, or act in a way that can give you the impression that they somehow think your life is missing some important piece of the puzzle without a significant other attached to your right hip. I don’t believe they are consciously or purposely doing this, and it is especially not out of any ill-will. Yet, I wonder…did it never once cross their minds that there are singles out there that might actually be okay with their singeldom?! I have not quite yet figured out how to respond to this attitude of pity that somehow is thrust in the direction of all those who are unattached. I find I am baffled, and yet equally annoyed by it. I do have a life, I do have plans, and I am quite happy and content with my current non-relationship status. So why do I feel the need to somehow defend that? So to those out there that are blindly, without thought or reason, looking at me with pity, I say to you this...

I’m no less of a person just because I do not receive a surprise bouquet of flowers from an admirer. I work hard and I have my own money. If I want flowers, I am fully capable of buying them myself. I have many times before, and will no doubt again purchase myself a bright and lively bouquet to cheer up a random, dull day. And please don’t feel compelled to worry about whether or not I have a date or any special plans for St. Valentines. If you have nothing better to worry about, then my friend, I think you have too much time on your hands. One is not measured merely by the amount of V-day loot they do or don’t receive. Yes, it is entirely possible for someone to be quite happy on Valentine's and have no valentine at all. As shocking as that may seem, please know this...while some people might be settling down into cozy coupledom, some people just might not be settling. I’m happy flying solo, and pity need not be directed my way.
Love, peace, and Happy Valentines. ♥

Chronicles of a Court Reporting Intern - Part 3

Up to this point, my internship hours have been primarily split between shadowing with a local freelance firm doing depositions, and shadowing at the federal courthouse. After spending time in both environments, I've discovered I really love the courthouse. You might remember my earlier post where I mentioned perhaps a job as an official would be my least likely choice. Obviously, I was surprised to discover that I actually really love the court environment. The variety of things you see and hear are fascinating, and I really enjoy experiencing the judicial process at work, especially from start to finish. Although I have sat in on a variety of hearings, it has been trials that really seem to fascinate me.

My most memorable experience at the courthouse happened on a day I was originally supposed to shadow my mentor. She unexpectedly became ill and, as a result, she made last minute made arrangements for me to shadow a different reporter. Several trials were scheduled to start that day, and as a result, the security line was quite lengthy due to a heavy influx of potential jurors. Consequently, I didn’t make it in time to go with my arranged replacement reporter. When I finally arrived at the CR offices, the team of reporters was nice enough to help me find another trial to sit in on. It just so happened to be a copyright case with eight attorneys that had also ordered realtime services. So I hurried off, following a very well-known reporter in the court reporting field, to sit in on the jury selection and opening statements. For the sake of privacy, I will merely dub this reporter, the Queen of Realtime, a title which is most fitting.

As you can imagine, it was a real challenge for me to keep all eight attorneys straight. Plus, adding voir dire on top of this made the very start of this day a little more “fun” than I had anticipated. I spent the first half of the day entirely confused by which attorney was which and I quickly realized I needed to practice my speaker identifications a bit more aggressively. The material of the case was also extremely thick and tedious, and the pace quick and rapid. I was having to stroke out a lot of words merely because of the nature of the material. My hands and arms were tired, but somehow the resident Queen of Realtime was busy making it look so easy and effortless.

Since I was sitting next to the law clerk who also had a computer screen with a realtime feed, I was able to glance over occasionally and see just how perfectly she was writing. I found my own screen full of red untranslates and mistrokes. How was she so darn good at this? I felt like my arms were about to fall off and my mind was starting to become numb from having to think so hard. I immediately remembered the valued advice from a reporter I had met about six months prior. He had advised me to invest in monthly massages. All of the sudden I was starting to see why he would say that. Again, I found myself wishing I had been practicing my speaker designations a little more ardently.

The day proved extremely challenging and exhausting, but I truly enjoyed the experience. Later, my mentor contacted me and asked if I had been scared off by the challenging day. We both enjoyed a good laugh over what I had been thrown into. (I have found that reporters are often quite careful to select hearings and depos that will not be too terribly overwhelming or difficult for a student.) Ironically, I never felt intimidated or scared at all. Maybe I was foolishly naive not to realize how extremely difficult it was, but I loved the challenge and, as always, I loved seeing the legal process first hand. To add icing to my court reporting cake, the intense seven hour courtroom workout proved very helpful. The following day was test marathon, and I surprisingly (or perhaps maybe not so surprisingly) passed both my 200 Q&A speed tests.

List Making....a way to survive being TYPE A.

After a much need hiatus, I have found my way back to the land of work, school, and reality. You missed me, right?! My trip to Cincy was wonderful, and thankfully I have returned feeling quite rested and ready to get back in the groove of life.
I’m starting my semester off by getting organized, mentally refocusing, and willing myself to work hard and be productive. Because I’m totally Type A and the queen of list-making, I have constructed a list of things that stand in the way between me and graduation. These items MUST and WILL be completed this semester. Why, you ask? Well for one, I am a huge believer in setting goals. “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." (Fitzhugh Dodson) Obviously, my ultimate goal is graduation. It never was my dream to be a lifer when it comes to balancing work and school.
However, there is a much less glamorous reason as well for writing this list. Brace yourselves, now. Perhaps you, too, did not know this little insight I’m about to reveal. Believe it or not, apparently money does NOT grow on trees. Who knew?! Personally, I think it would be a lovely sight to see a gloriously handsome oak tree blossoming nothing but dollar bills in the spring. I am in the desert though, so perhaps a cactus would be nice…with some Andrew Jackson’s poking from its slender prickly spines. Sadly, my imagination is not reality, and I will not be plucking cash from a living plant anytime soon. The hard cold fact is, I’m tapped out. My financial aid has run out and I’m running on empty when it comes to my good ole’ stock pile of cash. So you see, do or die, this is my semester. I got nothing else, so it just has to be. So I will pen my list and work hard to cross each item off as I complete them, one step at a time.

Clearly, you probably could care less about what my actual list entails, but since I’m very visual, I just need to see it on paper (or a computer screen for that fact) so I know what I have to do. Plus, my neurotic, crazy self secretly enjoys crossing things off a list once they are done. So without further ado, I hereby declare to the world my laundry list of must-do’s this semester:

Pass two 225 QA speed tests.
Pass my 3 exit level mentor tests.
Complete 30 more hours of internship.
Finish editing my 50 page transcript. (I’m nearly finished with this anyway)
Complete my internship book and submit.

Wait..is that it? I’m surprised with how actually simple this list looks. I don’t think I have forgotten anything. Perhaps the only thing that has truly been stopping me from completing school has just been myself. Ay, there's the rub.