Wonderful News While Abroad!

After the great streak of victories the week prior to my trip to Europe, I was relishing in the good feelings, almost to the point of having "senioritis" at school! I even skipped Monday's class in favor of packing everything for the next day's traveling. No regrets, though, as it guaranteed a peaceful and put-together time, rather than mad hustle bustling.

The week in Barcelona, three days in Madrid, and the week in Paris were just wonderful--flawless, as I like to put it.
Aaaand a post here wouldn't be complete without some court reporting-related news. The following happened during my time abroad:

(1) I was interviewed via email to provide material for a JCR article on networking at conventions.

(2) I was asked to beta test the online RPR testing procedure upon my return to the States.

(3) I was one of the winners of the NCRF Student Intern Scholarships! That's an extra $1000 in my bank to help cover some CR costs! Plus, the good news will be announced during the Saturday Awards Ceremony at the NCRA Convention in NYC!

That event is just a few weeks away and I am eager to get all the logistics locked down in time for it! My time in Europe has been quite inspiring and, as always, I am once again geared up to get some serious studying and drawing done in the month of August while out of school.
I will write again with more good news or at the very least a rundown of how the convention went later on.

Until then, happy end to July!

180 Lit Passed!

It's happened! I received the good news last night, so it's time to make the official announcement!

180 Lit passed passed on 6/22/2015 with 13 errors (98.6%)!

I'll tell you what, I was in quite a negative spot before this happened, with the previous weeks and months having me convinced that I'd simply never pass a 180 Lit test (at 98%, no less) so long as I was at this school. Nearly all Lit tests were of the congressional record variety, meaning never-before-heards words in hard-to-understand sentences. THIS! THIS was what I needed!
A good old-fashioned, straightforward story about a druggie hospital worker who was stealing medications!!! Scandalous!

As soon as the test wrapped up, I sat back in my chair and knew -- just KNEW that I had passed it! I'll tell you what helped me get to this point, though. It was "slowing down to speed up." At the start of the semester I was just focusing on QUANTITY of high-speed dictation, rather than QUALITY! So I started slowing down the dictation material just to make sure I got it all and improved my accuracy like never before!

I don't want to keep flippantly saying, "Oh, I'm a messy writer." No more!

The timing of the test was also the very same day I got my RPR JC pass results, so it was two amazingly good things in one day! I just enjoyed the traditional celebratory sushi dinner last night, and the good news also comes at a perfect time because...

I'm going on vacation for the next three weeks! You heard right! My first lengthy vacation from school since I started the program. It's a back-to-back family reunion in Barcelona followed by a solid week in France!

Part of me does still think that I'll only realistically qualify for the CSR by passing the RPR, and with one down and a 180 Lit already passed, I'm going to jump at the opportunity to do it once it goes online. Hopefully before the summer is out!

Well, that's all for now. It may be quiet on the frontier for a while, but just know that I'm still chugging away and have only those bastard 180 4-Vs to test before I'm in qualifiers.
Which will come first? Qualifying through school? Or qualifying through RPR?

We'll see!

RPR Jury Charge Passed!

Wow!

Long time, no write!
A LOT has happened, trust me, but as usual, I felt it only necessary to update when it had to do with a test pass.

Well, this is pretty little number actually started back on May 2nd, with the second RPR on-site test that I took on campus. For those of you who may not know, the RPR is the beginner-level national standard for court reporters, consisting of three legs -- 180 Lit, 200 JC, and 225 QA.

Going into it, I had my heart set on passing the 200 JC. After all, I'd already passed it at school, so I felt pretty solid. Getting the 180 Lit would've been nice, but I didn't even bet on that 225 QA.

ALL of the tests were great, though I really chalk up my failing the 180 Lit because of NERVES! Nerves, nerves, nerves... So silly! Were it not for that, I know that I would've passed it. The content was very familiar to me, and it was read just splendidly! The same goes for the 225 QA. It was like QA 101 in terms of content!

Anyhoo, I am so very happy to share that I passed the RPR 200 JC with 47/50 errors! Phew! Skin of my teeth! I even posted the good news on FB, which I don't usually do, and the responses by people were very uplifting! As I said in that post, I was skippin' and whooping around the house when I received the letter in the mail. To be honest, I first suspected that the letter might just be a reminder to renew my NCRA membership or something, but, nope!

I may write again soon, hopefully, with good news regarding a certain 180 Lit test from school~~ Mwahaha, we shall see.

Until then!

200 QA Passed + New Writer

Whoa-boy! A lot to write about!

First off, a 200 QA test pass!! @___@ AAAAAAAH! That's how I felt as I was correcting it. AAAAAAH!, I said to myself. 20 errors maximum (because of the 98% accuracy requirement,) and I'd had 14 errors, but my instructor found FOUR more!??!? Unbelievable! I look forward to learning from them once I get the official results on Monday. The stats are actually as follows:

200 QA test passed on Tuesday 3/3/2015!

Now, for the second bit of news (and, no, I guess I won't be talking about the wonders and glory of my second DRA convention ever. ;_;):

A got a Passport writer!!! You heard me. A professional writer! Allow me to tell the tale...
Last Saturday, 2/28/2015, I did yet another set of mock depos at Boalt Hall in Berkeley. Even compared to last October's sessions, my skill level was through the ROOF! The morning session went off without a hitch, and I did not even allow myself the "safety net" of recording audio. I just HAD it, OR I spoke up and told the speaker to slo-o-o-o-w do-o-o-own. One of the attorney-students clearly had a point to make and was ready to just dash out of the starting position, guns blazing!But, nah, I said. Nah to that ridiculous speed.

Cut to right after lunch (which was a delicious and spicy dish at a local Chinese restaurant.) We were a) LATE (and I knew, I kneeeeew in my heart of hearts that it was not going to work out time-wise, but I still went along with it! Curse me for trying to be social!)
And (b) upon arriving LATE to the room, already packed with students and on its way through the depo, I flip up the screen to my Wave writer, touch the On button, andddddd....nothing. Nill. Zilch. Deader than dead. Dead for no reason! No rhyme! And certainly no rhythm! The battery had plenty of juice, but the writer was just having none of it! So I step/barrel my way back out into the hallway, find Ana, our mentor/counseling extraordinaire, and proceed to ramble and panic about my situation.

At the end of the day, I ended up recording the afternoon sessions (which I couldn't even get straight at first on account of my frazzled state) and still, have to transcribe those this weekend, and mope about what the hell am I going to do about putting money in to fix my student writer.
In steps the hero of our story -- Alison! Classmate, former NASA genius, and amazing friend! She offers to not only lend me her old Passport writer, but -- get this -- sell it to me! For a fraction of what it would cost!
To give you a rough estimate, one-fifth of the original cost! I am in writer heaven!

I've been banging away on this machine and figuring out its little doodads and amazing abilities, such as being able to do realtime to my laptop via Bluetooth. Look, Ma, no cables!
Alison, ever the fan of all things teal, had the "solid match ice" skin on it, but I am currently selecting my new skin of choice, and I think it will be...

"My Heart"! My heart...of hearts?

It has that perfect blend of pure graphic design and -- pow! -- red in your face! And my husband has said that red always matched me best.

Just two nights ago, I also rigged a writer-sized carrying case for it so that it won't get banged up as I transport it via bookbag, because there is NO way I'm lugging that behemoth of the original carrying case around. It may be fugly as heck, but it should get the job done.

The next test on my hit list if likely the 180 Lit OR a 180 4-V. I'd be happy with either at this point!
Until then, happy summer-like spring weather!

Start to Spring Semester

So here we are after one week done in the spring semester.

I accomplished some of my spring break goals, but not all of them.

ACCOMPLISHED
- completed all apprenticeship hours and transcripts
- daily practice
- started drawing again

NOT ACCOMPLISHED
- pass 200 QA
- pass 180 Lit

Part of me is thinking, what the heck was I expecting with those Ev360 tests?? They are way harder than anything in the practice section. But I am happy that I was able to get those apprenticeship hours done, considering that I'd have had to potentially sacrifice class hours to get them all in. So in that way, I am relieved and should be happy with my accomplishments.

Unlike last winter break, I also studied much more regularly and I think that I can already feel it paying off. 200 is SO much more comfortable than it ever was, and that alone is a pretty amazing thing to think! I mean, 200 is the top at school. It's the last major hurdle!

I still have the following tests to pass before I can take the mock:
200 QA <-- should be knocked out by end of Feb.
180 Lit <-- Mmmmm...it really depends on the content of the dictation at this point.
180 4-V <---Mmmm...I'd have a pretty good shot if a test were given at 180 wpm and 180 wpm only.

Concerns about good fortune with in-class tests makes me think that my best bet at being eligible for the July CSR is to take and pass the RPR in May! Even MORE ambitious, but it'll be good for me to train for that speed as well. I'll probably feel more confident with it by the time May rolls around. Right now, it's still a bit daunting.

In other news, I've started working part-time at a local deposition firm. The exposure and opportunities to learn are just too numerous to count (plus, it doesn't hurt to bring in a little extra $$$) and the schedule should not interfere with my classes. I've only got a few days, but so far I absolutely love it!

The next time I write, I hope to have passed either the 180 Lit or 200 QA.

Until then!

End of Fall Semester + CNBC + Winter Break

Quick Edit: I got the results of my two finals; so I thought it'd be best to record them.
Vocabulary: 198/200, CAT Final: 100/100

All right, fine. So I didn't pass my 200 QA or 180 Lit in time for the end of the semester.
But, you know what? I am very okay with that. More okay than I thought I'd be, and that's probably because:

a) I still feel very accomplished with other aspects of my educational journey -- mainly the CNBC interview (Oops! Have I not shared that here yet?) and my article writings for state/national association publications.

b) Any tests we pass through ev360 over break will still count! That essentially means that I have about a month and half of time before the spring semester to knock something out of the park, I that's something I intend to do.

First things first. The CNBC interview:

This first clip aired Monday November 24 morning on CNBC:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000333230&play=1

 
A second clip which aired Monday evening (starts at minute 23:20) on Nightly Business Report :
http://nbr.com/2014/11/24/nightly-business-report-november-24-2014/

Here's an article of the story:

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/court-reporter-job-makes-six-figures-no-college-degree-n255426

I've only been on break for one week, but it's already been a whirlwind of activity! Seeing as I have to wrap up my 40 hours sitting out in depos and court AND submit transcripts for them, that can really gobble up a day. But, hey, isn't that just as good as focused practice? It's certainly a different kind of practice.
That and transcripts has been taking up the majority of my study time, but I'm relieved that at least I've got the court 20-page transcript DONE! Next up, depo transcript. Then that PM2 session from the SF Mock Trial of November 1. That ought to be a doozy~~

So, to reiterate, the game plan is to (in general order of importance):
- study 3+ hrs a day on Ev360 drills (200 QA is my next real goal)
- finish transcribing transcripts for Apprenticeship class
- accumulate as many depo/court hours as possible
- transcribe SF Mock Trial PM2 session
- transcribe VHP project
- transcribe church sermons
- ... translate for scanlation groups <-- yes, I am back into them just to enjoy more Eruri and keep up the JP!

I'll write again come the start of the spring semester, and hopefully by then I'll have some very good news to share regarding my test progress. Just imagine it, if I knock these two out by then, I'll really only have all my 4-voices to deal with. @_@ Down the final stretch!

200 JC Passed!

So, the unofficial pass from last Thursday was official!

200 JC passed on 10/30/2014!

The news came at a great time. I got the email on Saturday morning while in the midst of a grueling mock trial in SF. I was getting my butt handed to me, thinking to myself, "What am I doing here? I don't belong here..." but at least I got the confirmation that I can at least handle a 200 JC test.
It did take quite a few tests to pass this, though, and it was the kind of test that relied heavily on the content of the test. A trickier JC will still leave me in the dust. ;_;

Still, I take my achievements where I can get them!
And truth be told, I'd actually hoped to pass a test in time for Halloween, so I did technically meet my goal!
My next goal will be to pass either a 180 Lit of 200 QA before the end of the semester. Passing BOTH would be so killer!!

Here's to the fresh start of November. Fall is in the air, fires are burning in the fireplace, and it's the last full month before winter break where I can focus on studying on ev360 and accruing apprenticeship hours!

I hope to have good news in time for that!