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.

Hello to my sassy, I just passed SH230 shoes!!!!

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...