A few days earlier, I'd written a post "A Thing Called Anxiety."
I don't regret having written it. It's important to note the good as well as the bad, so long as you frame it with the intent of learning from it.
And I did learn quite a lot from that short dip into hesitation and anxiety.
The cause, I realize, was that I was over-thinking and obsessing over what the "right" way to practice is, the "right" way to pace myself.
There may be better-than or worse-than options, but it's silly of me to try and confine myself to some pre-defined parameters before I'd even met those parameters.
In other words, I needed to stop thinking about what I'd do and simply go out and do it!
It's worked for me very well! Rather than looking at my writer with some apprehension ("Oh, no. Should I really start moving onto the next lesson before I've 100% mastered the previous one??"), I decided to simply take the first step.
Moving on was so liberating (I've just completed lessons 6, 7, and 8 in quick procession)! I realized that moving on to new material doesn't necessarily mean that I'm abandoning previous material. In fact, previous material is intertwined so closely with the new letters/words/concepts, that it made reviewing them that much easier.
So, instead of practicing looking like this:
old old old old old...
It ended up feeling more like this:
NEW old NEW NEW old old NEW old...
(Notice that "old" got a face-lift!)
The mix-up of new and old really helps to keep things fun and, well, new!
Plus, I find that previously reviewed material actually flows off the fingers easier.
I think it may be similar to the study how construction workers who took regular breaks every 20 minutes ended up completing more work than workers who just worked straight throughout breaks.
Breaking up reviewed material can feel less like hitting your head against the wall, and more like progress!
So, word to the wise, don't mash those keys into the ground repeating monotonous drills. Keep it fresh and fun!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Sons of Anarchy (part 2)
For those of you who are fans, SONS OF ANARCHY is available on Netflix, which is like my lifeblood. My boyfriend is particularly fanatic about the show, while I just try to keep my sanity during the most twisted and depressing scenes.
And while we both have pretty good hearing, we are addicted to watching shows with closed captioning (CC). I find that it helps me follow the dialogue much better, and I can often recite quotes much better when I see it written down.
Over the past few months, I'd seen my fair share of subtitles works and was starting to notice that some CC was better than others. A whole lot better, actually.
SONS OF ANARCHY was one of those shows, where it was clear that the movie studio had actually released the entire script to Netflix for implementation.
Other shows or movies can sometimes get the boot.
I may get into this in a separate blog entry.
Anyway, at the end of another any-old episode, I suddenly see the following pop up...
(WARNING: The following content may contain spoilers for those of you still following SONS OF ANARCHY.)
And while we both have pretty good hearing, we are addicted to watching shows with closed captioning (CC). I find that it helps me follow the dialogue much better, and I can often recite quotes much better when I see it written down.
Over the past few months, I'd seen my fair share of subtitles works and was starting to notice that some CC was better than others. A whole lot better, actually.
SONS OF ANARCHY was one of those shows, where it was clear that the movie studio had actually released the entire script to Netflix for implementation.
Other shows or movies can sometimes get the boot.
I may get into this in a separate blog entry.
Anyway, at the end of another any-old episode, I suddenly see the following pop up...
(WARNING: The following content may contain spoilers for those of you still following SONS OF ANARCHY.)
*gasp* Clay in a hospital bed! Wait no... "Captioned by"?
Oh, right! Someone had to caption this mo-fo! But who?!
Wha-whaat? A company captions it? Not just some random Netflix intern being paid in donuts?
How does one learn more about this fascinating venture?!
And then, the answer presented itself...
Honey, I'm home.
That very same evening, I jumped online, typed in the address, and opened what felt like the floodgates of my new life.
For the next two weeks after that, I was caught in a whirlwind of educating myself about all things court reporting. Granted, I still had/have a lot to learn, but it was this innocuous link in an otherwise creepy television show that got the ball rolling.
And as much as I hate to admit it, I have SONS OF ANARCHY to thank for that.
Together, we form...the Initial Side!!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sons of Anarchy (part 1)
Now you may be wondering why I've titled this entry after the gritty, bloody drama television series.
What could it possibly have to do with learning stenography?
Well, I'll tell you. It pretty much started everything.
Actually, let me back up a bit. Approximately 6 years back, actually.
The year was 2007 and I was in Los Angeles, working as a manga editor at TOKYOPOP.
Life was great--I loved my job, the weather was always sunny, and there was a lot to explore in LA.
One of the many fun events that LA offered was the annual Book Fair! They had calligraphy writers, who could write your name in beautiful calligraphy on a bookmark for $1, the author of Y THE LAST MAN epic comic book series, and I'm sure many other acclaimed persons from the literary world.
I don't really remember much about the event, except when it came to one of the Q&A panels with the authors. That was my first time setting eyes on a stenographer. To be more accurate, a CART reporter--as she was transcribing everything that was being spoken at the panel onto a large white screen.
I was so captivated, I was busier simply watching her fingers fly across the machine than the actual presentation.
As soon as the panel ended, I came over to her and just sorta awkwardly tried to make conversation. She seemed like a very busy woman, and very "in the zone." After fumbling my praises about her skill, I eventually got her business card.
Total Recall Realtime Captioning
At the point, you'd think "Aha! So that's where you journey to learning stenography started!"
Not even close!
After that fateful day, I didn't think much else about it. I'm pretty sure I even forgot that such an occupation existed.
But I still held onto that business card. I didn't even understand half of the words in that company title, but I did know Schwarzenegger films, and for some reason, whenever I was going through my wallet to empty out unused cards--this one never left.
It was years later in a regular weekend in December 2012 that fate reared its head again...this time, as an angsty motorcycle gang rebel.
What could it possibly have to do with learning stenography?
Well, I'll tell you. It pretty much started everything.
Actually, let me back up a bit. Approximately 6 years back, actually.
The year was 2007 and I was in Los Angeles, working as a manga editor at TOKYOPOP.
Life was great--I loved my job, the weather was always sunny, and there was a lot to explore in LA.
One of the many fun events that LA offered was the annual Book Fair! They had calligraphy writers, who could write your name in beautiful calligraphy on a bookmark for $1, the author of Y THE LAST MAN epic comic book series, and I'm sure many other acclaimed persons from the literary world.
I don't really remember much about the event, except when it came to one of the Q&A panels with the authors. That was my first time setting eyes on a stenographer. To be more accurate, a CART reporter--as she was transcribing everything that was being spoken at the panel onto a large white screen.
I was so captivated, I was busier simply watching her fingers fly across the machine than the actual presentation.
As soon as the panel ended, I came over to her and just sorta awkwardly tried to make conversation. She seemed like a very busy woman, and very "in the zone." After fumbling my praises about her skill, I eventually got her business card.
Total Recall Realtime Captioning
At the point, you'd think "Aha! So that's where you journey to learning stenography started!"
Not even close!
After that fateful day, I didn't think much else about it. I'm pretty sure I even forgot that such an occupation existed.
But I still held onto that business card. I didn't even understand half of the words in that company title, but I did know Schwarzenegger films, and for some reason, whenever I was going through my wallet to empty out unused cards--this one never left.
It was years later in a regular weekend in December 2012 that fate reared its head again...this time, as an angsty motorcycle gang rebel.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Mini Shout Out to Other Blogs
Now, I've mentioned recently about how I read steno blogs, but there really aren't that many because I just started.
But I'm happy that the 2 I've been reading the most of lately are as follows:
StenoNerd
She has got to be one of the most upbeat and positive thinkers on the net. I absolutely love the dedication she puts towards her blog (it's quite regularly updated), but also towards keeping her eyes on the power of positive thinking.
I know that my last blog was a bit of a downer, but I am typically a very positive person.
Even that last negative event reminded me to look for the silver lining.
I'm nowhere near the "end" of her blog, so I look forward to what else she posts.
Kramm
This was the very first steno-related blog that I came across, even though it's headed by a deposition agency, rather than a fellow student.
I first stumbled across it while looking for how to carry my equipment in the most effective and no-hassle way possible. And it all just snowballed from there.
(Actually, would you believe it? That's also the same thing I was Googling when I first gound StenoNerd! And I STILL haven't found an answer that works for me. I'll blog more about this topic later.)
Honestly, I've actually never liked the idea of blogs. When they were first gaining popularity while I was in college, I was so put-off by them, because they were "clogging up" my Google search results. But now, I see that so long as you can find a blog that's geared toward what you want to learn more about, they can actually be quite beneficial.
My guess is that the shift from self-oriented blogs have fallen by the way side now that Facebook/Twitter provides that outlet for people. Thus, freeing up blogs to be more topic-oriented!
In fact, reading some other blogs has inspired me to make this one!
I hope that it helps as much as others have!
Going forward, I'll list out more blogs as I come across them.
But I'm happy that the 2 I've been reading the most of lately are as follows:
StenoNerd
She has got to be one of the most upbeat and positive thinkers on the net. I absolutely love the dedication she puts towards her blog (it's quite regularly updated), but also towards keeping her eyes on the power of positive thinking.
I know that my last blog was a bit of a downer, but I am typically a very positive person.
Even that last negative event reminded me to look for the silver lining.
I'm nowhere near the "end" of her blog, so I look forward to what else she posts.
Kramm
This was the very first steno-related blog that I came across, even though it's headed by a deposition agency, rather than a fellow student.
I first stumbled across it while looking for how to carry my equipment in the most effective and no-hassle way possible. And it all just snowballed from there.
(Actually, would you believe it? That's also the same thing I was Googling when I first gound StenoNerd! And I STILL haven't found an answer that works for me. I'll blog more about this topic later.)
Honestly, I've actually never liked the idea of blogs. When they were first gaining popularity while I was in college, I was so put-off by them, because they were "clogging up" my Google search results. But now, I see that so long as you can find a blog that's geared toward what you want to learn more about, they can actually be quite beneficial.
My guess is that the shift from self-oriented blogs have fallen by the way side now that Facebook/Twitter provides that outlet for people. Thus, freeing up blogs to be more topic-oriented!
In fact, reading some other blogs has inspired me to make this one!
I hope that it helps as much as others have!
Going forward, I'll list out more blogs as I come across them.
Friday, February 8, 2013
That Thing Called "Anxiety"
A common thread I hear on steno blogs and forums and such is how FAILURE is a consistent thing while learning.
You cannot get into court reporting seriously unless you accept that you will fail many times before succeeding.
When I first read that, I'd think, "Pff, but of course! I'm no child. I can take some hard hits." While the defiant side would whisper, "That will never happen to me."
And yet it didn't take long for me to have to realize that there is a difference between understanding that concept, and truly embracing it.
My theory Lesson 3 and 4 tests went by swimmingly. No misses at all. 100% accuracy.
I could hear the crowds cheering!
The cockiness already got to my head and so I barreled through Lesson 5 just so that I could get to the test.
The TEST! I had handle that! Surely!
I ended up making up some pretty silly mistakes and garnered only 96% accuracy.
And I knew exactly why that happened.
Because I rushed. I even rushed to the point of not ensuring that I got 98%+ accuracy on one of the exercises! What was I thinking??!
Clearly, I was thinking too much about how freakin' invincible I am, and let success blow up my ego.
This seemingly small event made me look at how I was doing my lessons. Made me reconsider my perspective of what I wanted and what was right.
Wanting to finish up soon sounds great, but not at the expense of rushing through something without having a firm grasp of the basics.
A strong foundation is what I need to have, and I shouldn't consider myself to be on some sort of deadline in order to be done with it, and move on.
When I think about my current situation, I really am blessed to have the luxury of time on my side.
I have an adequate nest-egg saved up, and could go without work for a few several years without putting a serious strain on my finances.
I have no children or car or house insurance or student loans nipping away at that egg, so I should not think that I must complete the entire program in 2 years "or wind up on the streets."
This little scare with Lesson 5, which will look like piddly-dunk months from now, was a great wake-up call that I need to keep myself in check. With doing the online program, there is no one there to make sure that I am pacing myself--either too fast or too slow. So I need to really listen to my gut instinct about how solid I feel about a concept before moving on.
It's been a few days since that Lesson 5 test, and since then I've been doing a lot of thinking and inspiration-searching through steno blogs and forums. Thousands have gone through this, and am I just one more. My situation is no different or special than theirs, and if they were able to do it, then so will I.
You cannot get into court reporting seriously unless you accept that you will fail many times before succeeding.
When I first read that, I'd think, "Pff, but of course! I'm no child. I can take some hard hits." While the defiant side would whisper, "That will never happen to me."
And yet it didn't take long for me to have to realize that there is a difference between understanding that concept, and truly embracing it.
My theory Lesson 3 and 4 tests went by swimmingly. No misses at all. 100% accuracy.
I could hear the crowds cheering!
The cockiness already got to my head and so I barreled through Lesson 5 just so that I could get to the test.
The TEST! I had handle that! Surely!
I ended up making up some pretty silly mistakes and garnered only 96% accuracy.
And I knew exactly why that happened.
Because I rushed. I even rushed to the point of not ensuring that I got 98%+ accuracy on one of the exercises! What was I thinking??!
Clearly, I was thinking too much about how freakin' invincible I am, and let success blow up my ego.
This seemingly small event made me look at how I was doing my lessons. Made me reconsider my perspective of what I wanted and what was right.
Wanting to finish up soon sounds great, but not at the expense of rushing through something without having a firm grasp of the basics.
A strong foundation is what I need to have, and I shouldn't consider myself to be on some sort of deadline in order to be done with it, and move on.
When I think about my current situation, I really am blessed to have the luxury of time on my side.
I have an adequate nest-egg saved up, and could go without work for a few several years without putting a serious strain on my finances.
I have no children or car or house insurance or student loans nipping away at that egg, so I should not think that I must complete the entire program in 2 years "or wind up on the streets."
This little scare with Lesson 5, which will look like piddly-dunk months from now, was a great wake-up call that I need to keep myself in check. With doing the online program, there is no one there to make sure that I am pacing myself--either too fast or too slow. So I need to really listen to my gut instinct about how solid I feel about a concept before moving on.
It's been a few days since that Lesson 5 test, and since then I've been doing a lot of thinking and inspiration-searching through steno blogs and forums. Thousands have gone through this, and am I just one more. My situation is no different or special than theirs, and if they were able to do it, then so will I.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
It Begins
After some thought, I've finally decided to create this blog dedicated to my "journey" of learning stenography--or as some put it more broadly, "court reporting."
What I hope to accomplish with this blog is the following:
- provide a record of my own thoughts and realizations through the process (I have pretty poor memory)
- state my thoughts "aloud" to better understand them
- help others who may be going down a similar path, and hopefully continue to speak in a language that is familiar to them (there are some steno blogs that I read that I end up feeling lost because the blogger is speaking to an audience that is already intimately familiar with the terms and environment, etc...)
I'm starting this blog official 2 weeks into my first StenEd theory class, so a lot of things are still fresh and new!
Thanks for following me along my journey!
P.S. I haven't thought about how consistently I'll update, but the first few posts may be rapid-fire as I try to get out a lot of what's already happened and establish a "this is where I'm at" standard.
What I hope to accomplish with this blog is the following:
- provide a record of my own thoughts and realizations through the process (I have pretty poor memory)
- state my thoughts "aloud" to better understand them
- help others who may be going down a similar path, and hopefully continue to speak in a language that is familiar to them (there are some steno blogs that I read that I end up feeling lost because the blogger is speaking to an audience that is already intimately familiar with the terms and environment, etc...)
I'm starting this blog official 2 weeks into my first StenEd theory class, so a lot of things are still fresh and new!
Thanks for following me along my journey!
P.S. I haven't thought about how consistently I'll update, but the first few posts may be rapid-fire as I try to get out a lot of what's already happened and establish a "this is where I'm at" standard.
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