Excuses

After much neglect, I will attempt to update my followers that by now are without a doubt dwindling by the wayside due to my lack of posts. Because I am both currently lacking creativity and (mostly) time, I will update by way of pictures. Besides, didn’t a wise person once say that a picture is worth a thousand words? In the spirit of that logic, I present you a few of my many excuses as to why I have been so glaringly absent from internet land.


Vacationing in MI with my bestie

Time with the fam on the lake

Chi-town

Graduating with some very cool court reporting peeps



NCRA convention in Chicago

The pros and cons of going paperless as a student

I recently upgraded my student writer and made the plunge into the world of paperless. I admit, my initial excitement has officially burned off and now I’m wondering if I made the right decision. I think it is fair to say that the transition has not been as smooth as I had hoped or thought it would be. As a student, there is much to learn and we rely a great deal on the wisdom of those who have gone before us. The problem with that is you can talk to five different reporters and get five different opinions. Sorting through these varying opinions to determine what is right for you can be a bit challenging, and at the end of the day you just have to make a decision and go with it. I do think there is a slight bit of a disadvantage in regards to the opinion pool as many of the reporters went through school with paper machines. With paperless being a relatively new phenomenon, especially in the realm of student-writers, sometimes it is hard not to wonder how much of their thinking is just (dare I say) “old school”. I know, I know. I’m probably not supposed to say that out loud, but you know you, too, have had that very thought. There are also those who seem to almost embrace every advancing technology almost a bit too eagerly and snub the idea of a paper machine as nothing more than a mere relic. In light of all this, I’ve decided to share a few of my own personal pros and cons of going paperless as a student. Now, please note. These are merely my own opinion based on my own experiences. You can take it or leave it as it makes no difference to me.

1. After using a manual writer for so long, I sometimes get irritated with how smooth and light the touch of the paperless is. I know…even as I write that I think that must sound totally crazy. It’s just that it is so drastically different from the manual that I feel like I often press keys I’m not intending to merely because the touch is so extremely gentle. If writing on my paper machine, I doubt I would get even a hint of a shadow. I wonder if I had learned on a paperless from the get-go if this would even be an issue. I think not.

2. On the flip side, I find my hands and fingers don’t get tired nearly as fast as they used to with my paper writer. I’m sure this is due to the fact that the touch is so extremely light that keystrokes are practically effortless. This is definitely not to be undervalued as it is beyond important to be actively taking care of our body. After all, our hands are quite literally our bread and butter.

3. Due to the ultra-light touch, I have trouble with stacking and being able to determine what I was intending to right. Often words transcribe in reverse. So for instance, I might write the words “the car” (T/ KAR). I will write it quickly and correctly, yet it will pop up as a mistranslate stroked reversed and appear on one line as KART. Maybe not the best example, but you get the idea. Sometimes it is easy to figure out, sometimes it isn’t. With a paper it seems to be a bit easier to decipher shadows and stacking.

4. I do miss the convenience of having good old-fashioned steno notes to stash away in my purse for those spare moments that pop up here and there where I can read back on the go. If I want to do that, I now have to print out my notes. I must admit, this is a total pain. I find I rarely do that and as a result I don’t read my notes back as often as I probably should. Shame on me for reading back is an essential form of practice.

5. With paperless there is no ink cartridges to deal with or steno pads to order which is actually quite heavenly. I think I had a stack of paper notes in corner of my office that seemed to grow like a bad weed. Plus, my new-found paperless-ness is stylishly green.

Overall, my opinion is paperless is still definitely where you want to end up, but when and how you get there seems to be a choice that is as personal as whether you prefer 2% or skim milk with your latte. Like most everything in life, you will find someone to agree with you and someone to disagree. I think in hindsight, I may have chosen to wait until I completed school before going paperless…maybe even until a year or so after starting work. But then again, there’s nothing like taking the bull by the horns. So whether it was bravery or insanity that overtook me, I’m currently in the wrestling phase and one way or the other I will come out on top. Watch me.

Failure will never overtake me...

if my determination to succeed is strong enough.
Og Mandino

I have finally crawled out of the deep dark hole of self-pity that I have been wallowing in for the past week, and I am finally ready to announce (ever so sadly, I might add) that there was no good news regarding my latest attempt at the RPR. I’ve wallowed, made my emotional “shoe” purchase to combat my depression, and now I’m ready to pick myself up off the floor and move forward…again! I must admit, this was the first time I actually felt plagued with a bit of self-doubt. Enough so, that for the first time I seriously started to question whether or not I could actually do this. Thankfully, a divine intervention of sorts arrived at this precise moment. When I forgot to send my usual Friday morning email to my favorite CR firm about my weekly intern hours, they contacted me to schedule a depo. Although that is a little unusual, I was secretly relieved. Interning is great for a motivation boost. With elements ranging from strippers to hit and runs, this week's deposition certainly did not disappoint. It felt a bit more like an episode from a bad soap than a depo. As entertaining as it was, it was also a great reminder of why I really love and want to do this. The same day I also received a call, out of the blue, from a CR friend who gave me a healthy dose of encouragement and mini-pep talk. I definitely needed it. So, I am now ready to turn the page, move forward, and pick myself up off the floor for the 18,746th time and will try, try again.

RPR Limbo

Fair warning to all my blog-following, internet-land junkies: I am still currently in RPR limbo as I anxiously await my test results. Because I am a firm believer in “having a plan”, here is mine as I may suddenly "disappear" and you will no doubt wonder where I went. Since my current outlook, in regards to my RPR results, is doom and gloom, I am of course, leaning my plan in the negative direction. (I know! I know! This goes against EVERY last shred of positive thinking we were ever taught to practice, but it is what it is.)
Assuming my results are less than desirable, please note I will likely be found crying in the corner of a nearby Nordstrom’s shoe department. I'm sure to be near a pair of those delicious stilettos I’ve been eyeing but will be unable to purchase thanks to my ill-timed, self-imposed 30-day shopping detox. If you by chance see me here, it is best to abandon any hopes of a shopping intervention, and instead join me in my moping. (Please note: You will not be allowed to speak any words of encouragement as I will promptly kick you out of my pity party. Actually, I might just kick you out if you speak any words at all. Clearly, the only solution here is to just go ahead and purchase that pair of killer shoes for me.)
Now that we have that all squared away, I better get back to my super busy schedule of waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more for that little envelope to arrive in the mail.
As you can see patience is one of my most glamorous virtues.

The Art of Avoiding Carpal Tunnel

Spending eight hours a day sitting at a desk with your eyes glued to a computer screen and your fingers hovering over a keyboard can, without a doubt, put definitive strain on your eyes, back, shoulders, hands and wrists. Because of this, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is an obvious occupational hazard that has found itself right at home in corporate America. Now, if you are a court reporting student like me, you are lucky enough to follow these eight hours of strain and discomfort with an evening full of practice, hovering over yet another set of keys. Yes, it is no surprise that court reporters are just as susceptible to CTS as the next office professional. Fortunately for me, I get a double dose of risk thanks to my full time work coupled with my full time school schedule. It should come as no surprise that avoiding this pesky little problem is and should be a priority. So what to do about it?

For starters, take care of your body, especially if you hope to have any kind of longevity in the court reporting profession. It is best to wise up quickly and start practicing good habits now that can help to ward off this nasty little pest. I, myself, have finally starting heeding the wisdom of other court reporters and practice regular exercise, massages, and finger stretches and exercises. Given that court reporting is actually quite physical, you won't regret it. I happen to be a devoted fan of walking and yoga. Both are obviously great for the body, but also the mind. (FYI: Relaxing and clearing the mind is by no means overrated. We don’t want to be a bunch of crazies now, do we?!) There are also some fantastic yoga poses that can really help specifically in the area of CTS. I recommend using the power of Google if you are not familiar with them. I have also FINALLY started to do regular massages focusing primarily on my arms, hands, neck and shoulders. I must admit, it’s rather nice being able to condone this as a “professional necessity”. I back this up with the story of an ex-court reporter I met a couple of years back who is actually no longer able to work as a CR due to this very problem. Ironically, his wife is also a CR and she has been working as one for the past 30 years. Then again, he reminded me that she has also been getting monthly massages for the past 30 years. (Just saying!)

I also try not to neglect my hand and finger stretches. My latest and greatest new favorite finger exercise actually comes by way of my masseuse:

Simply place a rubber band around the tips of your fingers and then open and close your fingers.
This super easy exercise helps to stretch out the backside of your hand. With any kind of typing or writing you are really only working the muscles on the inside of the hand. So it makes good sense to work out and stretch out the backside occasionally.






While the verdict is out on whether or not all these habits will ultimately help one avoid Carpal Tunnel or not, they certainly can't hurt. My own conclusion, however, is that the real art comes in being proactive about taking care of yourself and developing good habits now.

“First we make our habits, then our habits make us.”
Charles C. Noble

Ten Random Things I’ve Learned During Court Reporting School:

1. The admissions department flat out lies when it comes to telling students how long it will take to get through school.

2. They strategically overlook the 95% failure rate too. (But in their defense, I probably would have never enrolled had I known that little tidbit of info.)

3. I will never again have long nails.

4. A caffeine addiction is essential to a healthy work – school balance. It is widely rumored that Starbucks is now listed as my emergency contact at work.

5. Taking care of my body with regular massages and exercise is time and money well spent. Never underestimate the value of good hand and finger exercises either.

6. Never head to a depo without an extension cord, cough drops, energy bar, and some extra cash (for that rare occasion when a law firm doesn’t validate). You never know when you might need one of these valuable items. Trust me…mooching money off a court reporter you are interning with so you can get out of the parking garage is the last thing you want to have to do (hypothetically speaking, of course).

7. You can meet a fellow court reporter or student and be instant friends in 2.5 seconds flat.

8. Anytime someone finds out you’re a court reporter the response will ALWAYS be the same…”Oh, so you are the person that types on that funny little machine.” This is usually followed up with “so you must type really fast.” If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that.

9. Two things: You can’t trust spell check! Attitude is everything!

10. Court reporting school is probably the single most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it is also the one thing that has shown me just how strong, disciplined, determined, and successful I can really be.

10 grammar mistakes that make you look stupid

After reviewing the test results for a 200 Jury Charge mentor test I recently took, I was thrilled to find that I had received an A for my punctuation grade. I would like to randomly point out here that although speed and accuracy are a necessary requirement to be a skilled court reporter, a good chunk of this profession also requires excellent spelling and punctuation skills. Sadly, I have always felt that I lack in this department. Thanks to a healthy dose of eternal optimism, I have chosen to merely view this as a minor glitch in my master scheme to overtake the world of court reporting. (Insert evil laugh here)
I am confident with a little practice I will improve in this area, and I have been making an effort to do just that. So the A for my punctuation grade was a delightful little dose of encouragement. On that note, it is only appropriate that I share an excerpt from an article that I recently read.

10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
By Jody Gilbert, TechRepublic

#1: Loose for lose

No: I always loose the product key.
Yes: I always lose the product key.

#2: It's for its (or god forbid, its')

No: Download the HTA, along with it's readme file.
Yes: Download the HTA, along with its readme file.
No: The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.
Yes: The laptop is overheating and it's making that funny noise again.

#3: They're for their for there

No: The managers are in they're weekly planning meeting.
Yes: The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.
No: The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy about it.
Yes: The techs have to check their cell phones at the door, and they're not happy about it.

#4: i.e. for e.g.

No: Use an anti-spyware program (i.e., Ad-Aware).
Yes: Use an anti-spyware program (e.g., Ad-Aware).
Note: The term i.e. means "that is"; e.g. means "for example". And a comma follows both of them.

#5: Effect for affect

No: The outage shouldn't effect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't have any effect on users.
Yes: We will effect several changes during the downtime.
Note: Impact is not a verb. Purists, at least, beg you to use affect instead:
No: The outage shouldn't impact any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage should have no impact on users during work hours.

#6: You're for your

No: Remember to defrag you're machine on a regular basis.
Yes: Remember to defrag your machine on a regular basis.
No: Your right about the changes.
Yes: You're right about the changes.

#7: Different than for different from

No: This setup is different than the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is different from the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is better than the one at the main office.

#8: Lay for lie

No: I got dizzy and had to lay down.
Yes: I got dizzy and had to lie down.
Yes: Just lay those books over there.

#9: Then for than

No: The accounting department had more problems then we did.
Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did.
Note: Here's a sub-peeve. When a sentence construction begins with If, you don't need a then. Then is implicit, so it's superfluous and wordy:
No: If you can't get Windows to boot, then you'll need to call Ted.
Yes: If you can't get Windows to boot, you'll need to call Ted.

#10: Could of, would of for could have, would have

No: I could of installed that app by mistake.
Yes: I could have installed that app by mistake.
No: I would of sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.
Yes: I would have sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.

Now stop making me sic and use some good grammar already! :)

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

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.

Chronicles of a Court Reporting Intern - Part 1

I have decided to do a small series of re-occurring posts chronicling some of my internship experiences. A recent essay requirement for school prompted me to simply segment these very thoughts out into a few blog posts. Obviously, many of these experiences and thoughts are backdated, but I hope you enjoy my ramblings all the same.

At the start of my internship, I found myself pretty unsure of what path I specifically wanted to pursue when it came to the world of court reporting. I have always been a little baffled that many of my peers seem to have a really strong idea of the direction they want to go in professionally, yet I just can't seem to pin down what it is that I want to do. Why is it I can't seem to make up my mind about what interests me most? I am prone to be somewhat indecisive, but seriously, how can I be this far along, and still have no clue? Too many options I tell you. Ironically, the variety of options is precisely one of the reasons that enticed me into the court reporting profession to begin with. Sure, I admit it. I was drawn in by the lure of flexible hours, the ability to work from home, and the promise of high pay. But I was equally drawn in by the variety of options available.

More often than not, when you tell people you are in school for court reporting they immediately think of "that person in the courtroom that types on that funny little machine." True, technically you could say that, and it is indeed one of the options you have once you have mastered the skill. Although, I'll be the first to tell you, it is a little more involved than that. It is, also, slightly annoying when people word it that way. It makes it sound so easy, yet if it were truly this easy, why, I ask, does court reporting have a 95% failure rate?! (I digress) In addition to being an official reporter, you also can be a CART provider, a broadcast captioner, or work as a freelance reporter. Upon enrolling in school, I had no clue what path really interested me most, but I was confident of one thing…it wasn’t the world of officialship.

As a random side note…I find it funny that the admissions department was quick to talk about all the various areas in which I could work, however, they failed to leave out all the little, nitty-gritty details about how much work, time, and dedication would really be necessary to advance to that magical speed of 225. Of course, had they told me that, I may have backed out right then and there, so it's probably best they didn’t take that route. I never consider myself to be the very driven type growing up. Thankfully, that is a trait I feel for the most part I have left behind. (Most likely, because I have found something that interests me and I am passionate about.) But I best get back on track. I feel a rabbit trail around the corner if I’m not careful.

Back to my thoughts on officialships. For some reason, since day one, I have had it stuck in my brain that I have zero desire to be an official reporter. The idea of going to court every day, and hearing all the crazy things that people have done seemed pretty undesirable, and I felt like it would just callous me in some weird way. Yes, you do hear a lot of crap. There are definitely some weird people out there that do some weird things. I have already found myself slightly desensitized and I'm not even working yet. But that's neither here nor there. I'm not quite sure whether it just seemed uninteresting to me, or intimidating, but nonetheless, these were my feelings and thoughts at the start of my internship. Funny how you make up some of these ideas based solely on your own preconceived notions. As a result of these preconceived ideas, I figured I would simply do a few court hours just for the sake of fulfilling a requirement but I already knew that it just wasn't for me. You can imagine how surprised I was to find that after spending much time interning, my thoughts about this have drastically changed. I won't get ahead of myself just yet, though. I will let you journey with me through my thought processes and experiences that led to this profound change of heart.

Lesson learned: Allowing preconceived notions dictate your destiny will only lock the doorway to opportunity.

Save The Date

Yep, that's right folks, it's official. Come hell or high water, I'm graduating on August 4, 2010. Actually, I am hoping to be done well before then, but CCR's graduation ceremony is to be held in Chicago on the eve of the National Court Reporter's Association yearly convention, also being held in Chicago the same weekend. Since my school is based about an hour outside of the windy city, they are planning the festivities to coincide with the yearly convention. What a treat! Exact details are still forthcoming, but I'm ecstatic, to say the least. Can't wait to be finished with this 'never-ending student' thing, and even more super excited that I'll also be able to attend the NCRA convention after. I think 2010 is most definitely off to a good start.

Inspiration Needed

I presently find myself only a few short steps away from the doorway to my future, yet somehow I have again lost that much need motivation to keep going. (Why do I do always do this to myself?) I also find that the quickly approaching holidays are not helping this matter in the least. I have a history of being a bit too eager to check out for holiday break prematurely, and so is the case this year as well. I’m nearly done with the semester, one in which I was hoping would be my last, yet I find I am still in need of those last 225 QA test passes. Any fellow court reporting student can attest to the never-ending battle we face with motivation. I know that I MUST rally, but somehow I still am unable to find the will to do this. I am in desperate need of some inspiration.

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they are a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
- Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Test Day...Part 2

Those who know me best know that I have been relatively preoccupied lately with the RPR, hence the lack of updates. However, last weekend Day 2 of the RPR test FINALLY arrived. This portion of the test was the skills portion, which consists of three timed tests on your machine followed by a timed transcription time for each test. The end result is to hopefully turn in three transcripts that are 95% accurate or better. The total amount of time for the test ends up being about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I was feeling relatively calm, cool, and collected about it right up until the day of. I felt confident I had done just about all I could do to prepare for it. However, that all changed the morning of the test. I woke up and was suddenly plagued with nerves. I thought I might actually be sick due to my nerves. But I got myself together, loaded up all my equipment, quadruple checked all my needed supplies, and hit the road for Day 2.

When I arrived, the room that was offering all three legs was packed. There were about 25 people total in my room and I quietly found a space for myself and set up my machine, laptop, and printer and proceeded to warm up. I was starting to feel little calmer. I am soooo glad I practice a lot with my eyes closed. I simply closed my eyes, and it helped to shut out the nerves, all the other people around me, and the uncomfortableness of a new testing environment. I was starting to feel a little more upbeat about the test. When the test officially began, and the literary warm up started, I was dead on. I nailed it. I knew I could do this. After the warm up the literary portion started.....WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!! As soon as the first words of the test were spoken, my fingers immediately turned to jello and I noticed they were literally trembling. I was writing, but I was feeling like I was hitting a lot of extra keys because of my newly acquired jello fingers. After about a minute, I noticed...I"M NOT BREATHING!!! (You always forget those darn simple things.) I quickly pulled myself together, regained my focus, and the rest of the test was actually pretty good. The jury was way better. I feel pretty good about that as well. Thankfully, the jello fingers that had plagued me on the first test, were not nearly as bad. Lastly, the Q&A....well, let's just say, it was your typical Q&A. I hated it and I know it wasn't a pass. Although my Q&A was no doubt lacking, I am feeling pretty hopeful about the lit and jury. Hopefully the jello fingers didn't mess me up too much.

So now I wait...and wait....and wait for my test results. Six to eight weeks to be precise. All in all, I think my first RPR experience was pretty great. I choose to celebrate that fact that I have made it as far as I have, and that I'm even at the point where I am allowed to take the RPR. Pass or fail, cheers to me! (of course, I would much rather have some passing going on than failing.)

I write 225!

With the skills portion of the RPR just 17 days away, I have suddenly found myself plagued with anxiety and fear over my impending doom. The little voice inside my head is reminding me daily of unnecessary little facts that I would rather it not mention. Thoughts like, "You know you can't work without your RPR" or "So what if you graduate? If you don't have your certification, what good will it do you?" My personal favorite is "If you fail, you won't even be able to try again until May". So as you can see by the little voices in my head, I have come down with a nasty case of test nerves. I will admit, I have already shed a few tears; I have laid on the couch contemplating my future career, wondering if I am actually going to be able to do this. I have even been tempted to toss my machine out the window (of course anyone who has done court reporting knows that the desire to toss your machine out the window comes around just about as regularly as the 20% off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond). But I can no longer crawl under the covers and pretend the RPR isn't just around the corner. I must buck up, get back on my machine and suck it up. No time to waste. Whether or not I pass or fail, I only have 17 more days to prepare for my fate. So, alas, I take the advice of my dear, sweet, yet slightly quirky instructor, and tape a post-it note to my desk that says, "I write 225!" Her unwavering belief in the power of positive thinking is constantly being hammered into our heads. If only I could learn to believe in myself ALL the time, not just every now and then. So today I detox myself (yet again) off all the negative thoughts that plague my mind. I will solemnly vow to discontinue use of words like can't, won't, and hopefully, as they will only initiate the the vicious cycle of negativity and self-doubt yet again. So as I practice, I will look at my post-it note. I will remind myself that I too can write 225! I will believe it, and I will do it on November 7!

Test Day...Part 1

7:00 am - Wake up and have a cup of joe pronto.


8:15 - Take my morning walk with Darcy.


8:29 - Darcy attempts to sniff a cactus. Thankfully, no needles wound up
stuck in his nose.


9:35 - Vegetarian Pita Sandwich, breakfast of test champions...okay so it was
also followed by a breakfast burrito around 10:30 (sorry not pictured). I can't help it...I'm a big eater.


11:17 - On my way to start the first leg of certification.
As a kid, I always held my breath and made a wish when driving through the tunnel. I don't think I'll do it today. Purely precautionary. Would hate to lose valuable brain cells on test day.


11:45 - Arrive at the testing location. All my belongings were promptly confiscated, I had a mugshot taken of me (yes, quite possibly the worst photo ever), as well as a palm scan completed. Hello! I thought I was just taking a test. Really, do we need a blood sample and a strand of hair too?

1:49 - RPR Written test completed. Now to wait 3 to 4 weeks for my official results. Fingers crossed! On to preparing for the skills portion in a few weeks, so stay tuned for Test Day Part 2.

Only six days left until the RPR Written exam. Study. Study. Study.

Success

Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

I am celebrating the end of yet another semester. What, you ask, is so different about this one? Well, let me tell you. I find myself at the very point I have so longed to be at. Finally, success and the future is on the horizon. My goal for the end of this semester was to pass my exit level speed tests for both Lit and Jury. My reward to self was going to be a new pair of deliciously sassy shoes. After all, what makes you feel more fantastic than a great pair of shoes. Anyone in court reporting knows the only way to reach success is by completely failing tests time and time again, until that one magical moment comes along when it all of the sudden it just clicks. It is as if your mind and your fingers suddenly decide to cooperate with one another, and the result is pure magic...I mean a test pass. I am happy to report that this semester I successfully reached my goal and them some. Hence, celebrating must commence. In addition to these test passes, I also (completely out of the blue) passed all my 200 QAs, as well. I was completely shocked and obviously ecstatic about this accomplishment. So I find myself at the end of this semester officially at 225. I am also officially registered and preparing for the upcoming RPR in October and November, and the only things standing in my way of graduation are passing my 225s, finishing my internship hours, and one more academic class. Let the shoe shopping begin!

It's about time!

FINALLY, after being forced to practice much more patience that I feel is really necessary, I received the official results of my 180 Literary test that I was feeling quite confident about. I received a solid 97.2% and I am thrilled to have passed the first of my exit-level Lits. I now have four more weeks before the semester ends to pass a second Lit. WHEN I do (yes, that's right, only positive words allowed) I will have reached my goal for the semester of passing all my exit-level speeds test for both Jury and Lit, as well as my mentor tests. I'm so excited! Only those dreaded Q&As will remain.

I also just registered for my final academic course for next semester! The end is FINALLY starting to feel like it is just around the corner. It's about time!

Update

I am feeling rather uninspired, so here is a brief, yet random rundown of my very unexciting life:

Temperature: Still hot!
Mood: Adjusting, but optimistic
Health: Experiencing surprising relief from all those darn sinus headaches. I knew there was way too much mold in Cincy.
Job: Still unemployed (but then again, I really haven't put ANY effort into that either)
Internship: 20 hours down, 40 to go
Test Pass - Had a "close, but not quite" 180 Lit. with a 94.4%. Seriously?! Waiting...Yes still waiting to hear on another. Patience is not my virtue.
Bank account: dwindling
Shoe Shopping: On hold as a result of the previous.
House: Unsold (boo!)
Mr. Darcy: Casually employed...see below.


Whenever D feels up to it, he goes to work at my mom's office.


Sniffing for treats in the kitchen (one of his main responsibilities)


Charlie, one of D's co-workers.


D doesn't think this work thing is so bad. Now if only he got a paycheck!

Back at it.

I have been settling in and adjusting back to life in Arizona and now I find it time to get back into a routine and start focusing back on the things that matter most: money and school. Okay, so I'm still delaying the money thing, just a little longer, but only in hopes to get some internship hours out of the way first. I met with an owner of a court reporting firm here in Phoenix for about an hour and a half yesterday, which was fantastic, and I will start shadowing with that firm next week. I also went back to the federal courthouse today. My experience today was quite interesting. The first part of my day was shadowing a reporter who had an Evidentiary Hearing for a high profile case here in Phoenix. They even had extra security beyond the routine security to enter the courthouse. There were additional security guards and another metal detector just outside the actual courtroom. They also had a sketch artist in the courtroom, as there is no photography allowed in federal court. Hmm...who knew I was going to make my sketching debut?! The hearing was in regards to a bombing here in Scottsdale back in 2004. The man accused of being responsible is tied to a white supremacy group. The victim was present to speak to the judge and the purpose of the hearing was to hopefully overturn a decision by a magistrate in Illinois to release the defendant on a cash bond. The trial is scheduled for the fall. I have attached a link for a local article on the hearing today.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepagetopstory/stories/phoenix-scottsdale-news-081109-bombing-suspect.ccf720d4.

The other hearing I went to was a complete nightmare. It was a Final Pretrial Conference with eight attorneys present. The case was quite contested and heated, and the material was thick and difficult. There were four companies being represented and trying to keep all my speaker designations straight and trying to write all the thick terminology was quite difficult. The reporter warned me it would be difficult, as the case itself was quite involved. I was completely spent by the end. Both hearings were non-stop writing and to say the day kicked my butt would be an understatement. Tomorrow I will return to the courthouse and continue on with the copyright case. It will be going to trial, so I will be sitting in on the Jury selection and opening statements. I'm hoping it won't be quite as intense as today.