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!

ACRA Conference

The Arizona Court Reporters Association held their annual conference in Tucson, AZ over the weekend and so I decided to drive to Tucson and participate. After all, what better way to spend my Saturday than with a room full of perfectionistic, Type A personalities. It was fantastic! I woke up bright and early and hit the road around 6 am. I totally forgot how much I loved the drive between Phoenix and Tucson. (Okay, to be honest, I never remember finding it that exciting. However, for some reason, this time I totally enjoyed it.) I am certain it is due to my long, 7 year absence from my beloved desert.


A picture of Picacho Peak which is about half way between Phoenix and Tucson.

I arrived right on time at the Hilton El Conquistador which was where the conference was being held.
It was nice...your typical desert-oasis type resort surrounded by mountains. (Sorry no pics.) The conference was fantastic and I learned some helpful things, made some excellent contacts, and was able to check out some of the latest writers. I was hoping that by checking out the machines in person, I would be able to narrow down my search, and finally be able to make a decision on which one I want to purchase. Some things never change though....I still can't decide. I think I have narrowed it a bit, so I'm making progress. All-in-all, it was a great way to spend my weekend. I've just been completely exhausted ever since. And now to start another week....

My Martha Stewart Moment

Thanks to a poor memory, I have no recollection of how I discovered my new found love for strawberry cake. I highly suspect a baby or bridal shower may have been involved, but there is no way to be sure. Although I am uncertain how this sudden passion for strawberry cake developed, the only thing I am certain of is that I have been craving a piece of moist, creamy, strawberry goodness ever since. This morning, out of the blue, I came across a recipe for Strawberry Pie, and although it wasn't quite strawberry cake, I was unable to resist the temptation any further. I immediately ordered my ingredients (yes, one of the advantages of living with the parents) and gave in to my persistent cravings and created a little taste of strawberry delight. I would, however, ask you to ignore the fact that I spent my Saturday evening in a kitchen. That fact alone has suddenly made me feel aged enough to be living in a retirement community. So I will push that notion right out of my head and remind myself that I too deserve to have a Martha Stewart moment, even if it is at the expense of a Saturday evening out. So without further adieu, I give you my deliciously, tasty, mouthwatering good, homemade Strawberry Pie...

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.

Road Trip: Day 7: Home Sweet Home

Alas, 2,000 miles later I finally made it to Arizona! The desert welcomed me with 113 degree weather and it was roasty toasty indeed. Not exactly ideal moving in weather. It does feel good to be home though, and it especially feels good to be done with all that driving. Now I am just busy getting settled in and attempting to adjust to the summer heat. (Note to self: NEVER moving in July again! Thought I was going to die of heat stroke on my first day back.)