Yeesh! I'm a week behind with this update! What's the matter with me?
As you can see, I've passed my 160 JC test!
160 JC Passed on 12/2/2013!
This completes my semester goal of finishing two 160-level tests before winter break!
SOOOO happy to have accomplished this. I really had to push for this one, and there were several times where I didn't pass a test by, like, one or two errors! Those are always the most infuriating.
So, the pass came at a good time, because I had also filled my school schedule with maybe one or two more modeling gigs than I should have. ^^; It's really my guilty pleasure.
But I'm already reconsidering just how much modeling I should allow myself to do come next semester. Don't get me wrong, I still love doing it and hey, who can complain about a little extra dough on the side, but I've really been thinking that I should focus 100% on my studies! I mean, check it out! I'm half way to my goal! Why slow down now?
ALSO, huuuge dose of inspiration thanks to a phone conversation with a deposition reporter who reports in Japan. More on that in a separate post.
Oh, yes. Exams. I completed my medical vocabulary component for speedbuilding class. 199/200. Not bad!
And as for Court & Deposition Procedures final, 45/50. So that maintains my A average.
All that's left in terms of exams is the Medical Terminology class tomorrow night! And I'm confident that I've got that one in the bag. ^_~
There is Eric's testathon tonight, and thought I have already requested a 160 QA test, I'm oh-so tempted to head home early... Meh. Oh! But this means plenty of time to look at Total Eclipse tutorial videos! I really want to nail this thing down!
Until next time, I won't have much to report in the way of test passes, but hopefully there will be much to say regarding learning more about my machine/Eclipse/deposition shadowing (fingers crossed!)
Monday, December 9, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
From Manual to Digital
No, no news of a test pass this time!
I thought I'd change things up and talk about a new step forward in terms of my "career" as a court reporting student.
As of yesterday, I've purchased a WAVE writer from Stenograph!
For those of you who don't know, the Wave is the student version of the very popular professional Diamante machine also released by Stenograph. As far as I can tell, and according to Wikipedia, Stenograph owns 90% of the market, so it's no wonder several other classmates of mine are getting their Waves, too! (Plus, we had a representative come by a few months back and that left a very strong impression on me.)
What I'm most looking forward to with this new machine is:
1) No more using paper.
--> Yes, my tree-hugging ways still governs many of my choices.
2) No messy ink.
--> Just recently, I was having significant issues with my paper, which resulted in many messy inky fingers. Yuck. Plus, per my tree-hugging ways, I like to do a lot of practice on the machine without any paper in it at all, and that causes an unfortunate build-up of ink on the roll. Unnecessary, I tell you!
3) Lighter touch!
--> Need I say more? Seriously, I'm pretty sure there's going to be an obvious difference in finger/hand strain with this lighter, digital touch.
4) Familiarization with Eclipse
--> Ah, a goal that I had since summer. Use my CAT program more. Alas, I opted to focus first and foremost on my writing and accuracy, and let messing around on Eclipse fall by the wayside. Despite what appears to be building up to a rather busy December/January, it's my hope that I'll take the time to work on building my dictionary/briefs, and all around getting more familiar with the many intricacies of the program. Besides, I still have that webinar on Eclipse features that I have yet to watch! D'oh!
The reason for my getting the Wave now is that I told myself I'd switch over to paperless as soon as I passed out of 140. With that goal passed, I'm simply fulfilling my promise to myself. Plus, part of me was holding out on the Passport Touch...until I realized that there was no student edition for it available.
I'm very excited about my new machine arriving next Wednesday, but I know better than to think that a new machine will possibly guarantee faster writing. As a wise classmate of mine says, "The bow doesn't make the Indian." Wise words, Peggy. Wise words.
And with that, I eaglery await its arrival in a brand-spanking new jetbag and rolling backpack.
Quick note about that: I absolutely DESPISE rolling cases!! The amount of air pollution they create with their obnoxious wheels droning and roaring across the granite floor makes my skin crawl and sets my nerves on edge! It sounds like a tornado ripping across campus just outside of the classrooms, as anyone will attest to when I'm trying to hold a conversation over the phone outside.
In the hope of avoiding any further hearing damage to my fellow classmates, I vow to avoid using the roller and am already considering adding back straps to it...
I thought I'd change things up and talk about a new step forward in terms of my "career" as a court reporting student.
As of yesterday, I've purchased a WAVE writer from Stenograph!
Available in gray, gray, or gray!
For those of you who don't know, the Wave is the student version of the very popular professional Diamante machine also released by Stenograph. As far as I can tell, and according to Wikipedia, Stenograph owns 90% of the market, so it's no wonder several other classmates of mine are getting their Waves, too! (Plus, we had a representative come by a few months back and that left a very strong impression on me.)
What I'm most looking forward to with this new machine is:
1) No more using paper.
--> Yes, my tree-hugging ways still governs many of my choices.
2) No messy ink.
--> Just recently, I was having significant issues with my paper, which resulted in many messy inky fingers. Yuck. Plus, per my tree-hugging ways, I like to do a lot of practice on the machine without any paper in it at all, and that causes an unfortunate build-up of ink on the roll. Unnecessary, I tell you!
3) Lighter touch!
--> Need I say more? Seriously, I'm pretty sure there's going to be an obvious difference in finger/hand strain with this lighter, digital touch.
4) Familiarization with Eclipse
--> Ah, a goal that I had since summer. Use my CAT program more. Alas, I opted to focus first and foremost on my writing and accuracy, and let messing around on Eclipse fall by the wayside. Despite what appears to be building up to a rather busy December/January, it's my hope that I'll take the time to work on building my dictionary/briefs, and all around getting more familiar with the many intricacies of the program. Besides, I still have that webinar on Eclipse features that I have yet to watch! D'oh!
The reason for my getting the Wave now is that I told myself I'd switch over to paperless as soon as I passed out of 140. With that goal passed, I'm simply fulfilling my promise to myself. Plus, part of me was holding out on the Passport Touch...until I realized that there was no student edition for it available.
I'm very excited about my new machine arriving next Wednesday, but I know better than to think that a new machine will possibly guarantee faster writing. As a wise classmate of mine says, "The bow doesn't make the Indian." Wise words, Peggy. Wise words.
And with that, I eaglery await its arrival in a brand-spanking new jetbag and rolling backpack.
Quick note about that: I absolutely DESPISE rolling cases!! The amount of air pollution they create with their obnoxious wheels droning and roaring across the granite floor makes my skin crawl and sets my nerves on edge! It sounds like a tornado ripping across campus just outside of the classrooms, as anyone will attest to when I'm trying to hold a conversation over the phone outside.
In the hope of avoiding any further hearing damage to my fellow classmates, I vow to avoid using the roller and am already considering adding back straps to it...
Thursday, November 21, 2013
140 Lit Passed!
Phew!
Having had a rip-roaring good time with my sister for the first week of November, it took me until the second week of being back in school to really GET IN THE GROOVE again.
And as you can see, the effort paid off!
140 Lit Test Passed on November 18th, 2013
That's the first of the 160-level tests, albeit it the slowest of them. It felt only okay-ish and I DID only pass by the skin of my teeth. ^^;
Like the 120 Lit test from before, I feel like "Hmph. Not my best work." A lot of luck, easy verbage, and even some guessing got me through this test. But I look forward to future tests where it comes easier.
Today also starts the beginning of what will be two solid weeks of DOUBLE-TESTING! That means two tests given during each class.
While this doesn't completely help my goal of completing 160 JC by the end of the semester because only one test will be given in the 15 minutes before class, every bit counts, right?
My passing 160 JC is really 50/50 at this point. I feel like it'd have to be a really "good" (read: easy) test and read by a consistent speaker. I've also already booked myself a lot of modeling gigs during these last few weeks, so some may cut into my remaining opportunities. But I'm pretty okay with that. I feel honestly that I'm just not THERE yet with160 yet. It's the truth, but I already see 160 not quite on the horizon. He's a little closer to me than before and with every passing day, he'll get even closer.
Hopefully I'll have some exciting news before the end of the semester is out! Otherwise, I'll just say what a great Winter Break it'll be!
Until then!
Having had a rip-roaring good time with my sister for the first week of November, it took me until the second week of being back in school to really GET IN THE GROOVE again.
And as you can see, the effort paid off!
140 Lit Test Passed on November 18th, 2013
That's the first of the 160-level tests, albeit it the slowest of them. It felt only okay-ish and I DID only pass by the skin of my teeth. ^^;
Like the 120 Lit test from before, I feel like "Hmph. Not my best work." A lot of luck, easy verbage, and even some guessing got me through this test. But I look forward to future tests where it comes easier.
Today also starts the beginning of what will be two solid weeks of DOUBLE-TESTING! That means two tests given during each class.
While this doesn't completely help my goal of completing 160 JC by the end of the semester because only one test will be given in the 15 minutes before class, every bit counts, right?
My passing 160 JC is really 50/50 at this point. I feel like it'd have to be a really "good" (read: easy) test and read by a consistent speaker. I've also already booked myself a lot of modeling gigs during these last few weeks, so some may cut into my remaining opportunities. But I'm pretty okay with that. I feel honestly that I'm just not THERE yet with160 yet. It's the truth, but I already see 160 not quite on the horizon. He's a little closer to me than before and with every passing day, he'll get even closer.
Hopefully I'll have some exciting news before the end of the semester is out! Otherwise, I'll just say what a great Winter Break it'll be!
Until then!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Level 140 Passed!
Wow, it feels like a while since I last wrote!
I had originally prepared a draft of this post where I was going to talk about some class structure changes that had come into effect here at WVC, as well as the repercussions thanks to them.
Luckily, however, I suddenly found myself at the brink of passing tests, so I figured, "Meh, I'll just wait!"
And so I am happy to announce that I have passed my remaining 140 wpm tests! That means I reached my goal of passing 140 by the end of October.
140 4-V passed on October 28, 2013
140 QA passed on October 30, 2013
That's right, folks, I actually passed a 4-voice before a QA!! What is the world coming to??
(Honestly, it's all thinks to this deliciously slow-ish 4-V that Maggie gave on Monday night. Bless my lucky stars.)
Now, you're probably thinking, "Okay, so she passed her 140s. Guess that means it's onto 160 class!"
Wellll...not quite. You see, that brings me to the topic I meant to bring up before.
As of the end of September, students enrolled in 80-140 class CANNOT attend the high-speed classes (160-220). Why, you ask? Because the new administration at school doesn't understand the importance of push/trail classes for CTR students, and see it only as follows: "A student enrolled in one class but attending a different class FOR FREE?? Not on MY watch!"
They don't see it that a student at the 140 level would essentially be taking advantage of just enough hours in both the lower and higher speed classes to equate to the regular amount of hours that they are entitled to by unit payment.
The best that our sympathetic instructors have been able to do is come in 15 minutes before class and push us at 160, topped with a 160 test (except for 160 4-V).
This is likely the biggest reason for my "delayed" passing of tests. Remember, I've maintained a pretty strict 2-week pass average for every test, but lo, it took me a full month before I passed a test!
...Then again, I did pass two in one week, so in a way it does still even out. Does'nt it?
Without the ability to routinely sit in at 160 class in order to a) improve 160 wpm processing ability, b) feeling like 140 is "pssht, slow!" c) more exposure overall, I think this contributed mainly to my pass rate in the month of October.
I admit, though, there may be a few more reasons to consider:
1) No more push classes.
2) Picking up more modeling gigs.
3) One week was totally stressed due to bad interaction with sister-in-law.
I have no regrets regarding the second reason, but I won't even get into that last one! However, it did teach me a valuable lesson in dealing with depressed/neurotic types. Just stay away and don't feel like you can fix them (or that you HAVE to). All the mental anguish I spent mulling over that horrible interaction really left me drained and unfocused for the following week of class. A week where I could have been making some serious progress!
On the bright side, these test passes come at an excellent time because my wonderful twin sister will be coming down to visit all of next week! This means I won't have to have any pressure or guilt about not being in class. In a way, I feel like I've earned this little one-week vacation. And to top it all off, I get the good news on Halloween! When I'm dressed up as Nicki Minaj (yet again) and look forward to the days' festivities!
Lastly, you might be asking yourself, "Okay, what's next then"? Well, I still have a solid month of school left to hopefully do the following:
1) Further perfect my 140 speed and accuracy
2) Begin working more through CAT software
3) Possibly purchase a digital writer to aid in transition to 160+
4) Pass 160 JC and 140 Lit before the end of the semester
As I mentioned above, with so little practice time in class at the 160-level, that last goal may be a hard one to achieve, but I'm going to think positively!
Until then! Happy Halloween!
I had originally prepared a draft of this post where I was going to talk about some class structure changes that had come into effect here at WVC, as well as the repercussions thanks to them.
Luckily, however, I suddenly found myself at the brink of passing tests, so I figured, "Meh, I'll just wait!"
And so I am happy to announce that I have passed my remaining 140 wpm tests! That means I reached my goal of passing 140 by the end of October.
140 4-V passed on October 28, 2013
140 QA passed on October 30, 2013
That's right, folks, I actually passed a 4-voice before a QA!! What is the world coming to??
(Honestly, it's all thinks to this deliciously slow-ish 4-V that Maggie gave on Monday night. Bless my lucky stars.)
Now, you're probably thinking, "Okay, so she passed her 140s. Guess that means it's onto 160 class!"
Wellll...not quite. You see, that brings me to the topic I meant to bring up before.
As of the end of September, students enrolled in 80-140 class CANNOT attend the high-speed classes (160-220). Why, you ask? Because the new administration at school doesn't understand the importance of push/trail classes for CTR students, and see it only as follows: "A student enrolled in one class but attending a different class FOR FREE?? Not on MY watch!"
They don't see it that a student at the 140 level would essentially be taking advantage of just enough hours in both the lower and higher speed classes to equate to the regular amount of hours that they are entitled to by unit payment.
The best that our sympathetic instructors have been able to do is come in 15 minutes before class and push us at 160, topped with a 160 test (except for 160 4-V).
This is likely the biggest reason for my "delayed" passing of tests. Remember, I've maintained a pretty strict 2-week pass average for every test, but lo, it took me a full month before I passed a test!
...Then again, I did pass two in one week, so in a way it does still even out. Does'nt it?
Without the ability to routinely sit in at 160 class in order to a) improve 160 wpm processing ability, b) feeling like 140 is "pssht, slow!" c) more exposure overall, I think this contributed mainly to my pass rate in the month of October.
I admit, though, there may be a few more reasons to consider:
1) No more push classes.
2) Picking up more modeling gigs.
3) One week was totally stressed due to bad interaction with sister-in-law.
I have no regrets regarding the second reason, but I won't even get into that last one! However, it did teach me a valuable lesson in dealing with depressed/neurotic types. Just stay away and don't feel like you can fix them (or that you HAVE to). All the mental anguish I spent mulling over that horrible interaction really left me drained and unfocused for the following week of class. A week where I could have been making some serious progress!
On the bright side, these test passes come at an excellent time because my wonderful twin sister will be coming down to visit all of next week! This means I won't have to have any pressure or guilt about not being in class. In a way, I feel like I've earned this little one-week vacation. And to top it all off, I get the good news on Halloween! When I'm dressed up as Nicki Minaj (yet again) and look forward to the days' festivities!
Lastly, you might be asking yourself, "Okay, what's next then"? Well, I still have a solid month of school left to hopefully do the following:
1) Further perfect my 140 speed and accuracy
2) Begin working more through CAT software
3) Possibly purchase a digital writer to aid in transition to 160+
4) Pass 160 JC and 140 Lit before the end of the semester
As I mentioned above, with so little practice time in class at the 160-level, that last goal may be a hard one to achieve, but I'm going to think positively!
Until then! Happy Halloween!
Monday, September 23, 2013
JC 140 Passed!
What a great way to start the week!
In fact, this entire weekend has just been grand, but alas, this is a steno-centric blog, so I won't bore you with the details.
However, something very steno-related that occurred this weekend was that I could feel myself being able to type faster...in my brain! I especially felt it as I was able to keep up pretty well brain-steno-ing along to a speaker's speech at a wedding. Before, it'd have been more jilted or hesitant. It flowed much better, likely faster than what my fingers can actually do right now.
I think that this is something that should be emphasized more often in school. Physically sitting at the machine is important, but just as important is mental practice! I've said this since the very start, even back in Theory, you take in new information, whether it's briefs or speed,m and then you let is ferment...incubate in your head so that the next time you get to sit down in front of the machine, it's already had time to settle into your brain and find a home to roost in. Yes, a lot of BIRD imagery, eh?
This can be achieved by simply daydreaming about steno briefs, brain-steno-ing along with any audio you're listening to, repeating sets of brief families you're trying to work on, etc... That actually may be one of the reason I slept so poorly last night. I was steno-ing quite frantically in my head while trying to sleep.
Anyhoo, I'm so happy to see that I have passed a Jury Charge at 140 on September 23, 2013, as it keeps with my general pace of test-passing. I consciously feel that QA at 140 is also just around the corner, and save for a slight interruption with my schedule due to a funeral this coming weekend, I hope to complete it within the next few weeks.
Until then, cheerio!
In fact, this entire weekend has just been grand, but alas, this is a steno-centric blog, so I won't bore you with the details.
However, something very steno-related that occurred this weekend was that I could feel myself being able to type faster...in my brain! I especially felt it as I was able to keep up pretty well brain-steno-ing along to a speaker's speech at a wedding. Before, it'd have been more jilted or hesitant. It flowed much better, likely faster than what my fingers can actually do right now.
I think that this is something that should be emphasized more often in school. Physically sitting at the machine is important, but just as important is mental practice! I've said this since the very start, even back in Theory, you take in new information, whether it's briefs or speed,m and then you let is ferment...incubate in your head so that the next time you get to sit down in front of the machine, it's already had time to settle into your brain and find a home to roost in. Yes, a lot of BIRD imagery, eh?
This can be achieved by simply daydreaming about steno briefs, brain-steno-ing along with any audio you're listening to, repeating sets of brief families you're trying to work on, etc... That actually may be one of the reason I slept so poorly last night. I was steno-ing quite frantically in my head while trying to sleep.
Anyhoo, I'm so happy to see that I have passed a Jury Charge at 140 on September 23, 2013, as it keeps with my general pace of test-passing. I consciously feel that QA at 140 is also just around the corner, and save for a slight interruption with my schedule due to a funeral this coming weekend, I hope to complete it within the next few weeks.
Until then, cheerio!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Goal Adjustment
I passed another Lit 120 test just yesterday and it was strikingly better than the one from last week.
As you'll recall, I didn't feel like last week's was my "best work," but this go around I felt much better for it.
For that reason, I want to push my finish-140-level-by-Mid-October goal to now the END of October.
That's still tight considering how every next speed level requires more time to complete.
This was a nice start to the week, whereas last week's I just felt out of it. A bit tired, a bit groggy. I really chalk it up to having learned about my new brother-in-law passing on Tuesday. I think that was it, just left me feeling a bit emptier and distracted.
I'm happy to know that these "less-than-stellar" times happen because I am reminded that they are temporary and I can get past it.
Every single person in this program has experienced this and I like that sort of quiet camaraderie we have.
I'll also want to write a little post about GRAMMAR because I had such a wonderful learning experience the other week about it. Until then!
As you'll recall, I didn't feel like last week's was my "best work," but this go around I felt much better for it.
For that reason, I want to push my finish-140-level-by-Mid-October goal to now the END of October.
That's still tight considering how every next speed level requires more time to complete.
This was a nice start to the week, whereas last week's I just felt out of it. A bit tired, a bit groggy. I really chalk it up to having learned about my new brother-in-law passing on Tuesday. I think that was it, just left me feeling a bit emptier and distracted.
I'm happy to know that these "less-than-stellar" times happen because I am reminded that they are temporary and I can get past it.
Every single person in this program has experienced this and I like that sort of quiet camaraderie we have.
I'll also want to write a little post about GRAMMAR because I had such a wonderful learning experience the other week about it. Until then!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
120 Lit Passed!
I passed the 120 Lit test yesterday on 9/4/2013! Yaay~~...
I know I should be happier about it, but to be honest, I felt that it wasn't the best work I could have done. A lot of luck was involved and common phrases. It was very much like a jury charge, which made it easier for me, but when it comes to some truly DENSE literary...well, I still feel like I have a while to go before I really feel like I'm out of 120.
This is sort of how every pass out of a speed level feels. Like...as though you don't quite belong there. Yet.
Yesterday, I also felt VERRRY good about one JC test, which I got only 58 errors on! Hey, that's pretty good considering they're been closer to 100+ lately. It just goes to show that every day and week here at school makes a huge difference!
Not to sound too petty, but I actually feel that I could've done even BETTER on that JC test last night had it not been for a student's coughing that distracted me!!! >_< It was so very...noisy and bothersome and the whole distraction/anger mix certainly did not help!
Anyhoo, considering that there are 6 weeks until mid-October, my "get out of 140 level" goal will be a bit tight. That amount of time is passed on the fact that I've managed to pass a test every two weeks on average since the start, but perhaps I should be more optimistic this semester! After all, I have both a day AND night chance to pass a test!
I know several people who have gotten stuck on the 140 MV tests, so we'll have to see how long that holds me up, too. Thankfully, however, I am able to attend school nearly every day without interruption, so that does put me in a good spot.
Either way, I'm happy to report on this recent test pass and just look forward to wrapping up 140 JC. I predict that it'll be my next pass. ^_~
Until then!
I know I should be happier about it, but to be honest, I felt that it wasn't the best work I could have done. A lot of luck was involved and common phrases. It was very much like a jury charge, which made it easier for me, but when it comes to some truly DENSE literary...well, I still feel like I have a while to go before I really feel like I'm out of 120.
This is sort of how every pass out of a speed level feels. Like...as though you don't quite belong there. Yet.
Yesterday, I also felt VERRRY good about one JC test, which I got only 58 errors on! Hey, that's pretty good considering they're been closer to 100+ lately. It just goes to show that every day and week here at school makes a huge difference!
Not to sound too petty, but I actually feel that I could've done even BETTER on that JC test last night had it not been for a student's coughing that distracted me!!! >_< It was so very...noisy and bothersome and the whole distraction/anger mix certainly did not help!
Anyhoo, considering that there are 6 weeks until mid-October, my "get out of 140 level" goal will be a bit tight. That amount of time is passed on the fact that I've managed to pass a test every two weeks on average since the start, but perhaps I should be more optimistic this semester! After all, I have both a day AND night chance to pass a test!
I know several people who have gotten stuck on the 140 MV tests, so we'll have to see how long that holds me up, too. Thankfully, however, I am able to attend school nearly every day without interruption, so that does put me in a good spot.
Either way, I'm happy to report on this recent test pass and just look forward to wrapping up 140 JC. I predict that it'll be my next pass. ^_~
Until then!
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