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October 2008 Blog Posts (29)

Halloween Fears - not related to court reporting

Well, it's Halloween. I usually try not to take jobs around holidays. Why? If you've visited my page, you know I have a little girl. And Halloween is one of those days you kind of have to knock off early, pick your kid up from school, caregiver, whoever and take them trick-or-treating. If I take a job, it's usually the attorney who doesn't have a kid (bec. the one's with kids have the same problems I do & they need to go home & take their kid out) and they go on forever. There's no… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 31, 2008 at 6:00 — 8 Comments

Theory

Am learning theory on my own at home and need mental motivation. It's hard to keep at it all day when you're on your own. Any ideas on how to stay motivated? I haven't even begun speed, am still trying to learn real time theory as opposed to about two months of theory learned at technical center years ago. Old habits are hard to break.

Added by Vicki on October 28, 2008 at 19:06 — 4 Comments

A Navajo Prayer

Walk in Beauty.
Beauty is above me.
Beauty is below me.
Beauty is to the east, west, north and south of me.
I am surrounded by Beauty.
I Walk in Beauty.
I live in Beauty.
Walk in Beauty

Added by Yvette LaRochelle on October 28, 2008 at 5:30 — No Comments

Paperwork!!!

Well, working in the Federal court is definitely a government job. Lots of paperwork.

Have you guys ever watched Office Space? Well, I feel like I spent my day doing TPS reports. Whoo-hooo.

I had to fill out the G-46 and G-11 because I screwed up filling out the G-46. In order to get paid for the criminal appeal transcript, I have to fill out the CJA-24.

And, yeah, by the way, all the forms are online. Nope. They're not. And if they are, there's no directions on… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 27, 2008 at 14:30 — 6 Comments

The Scopist that does things YOUR way!!

I am currently in The Court Reporting Institute of Dallas with a 4.0 GPA. The software I have used is Total Eclipse but I had to sell it to go to school. I do have the full edit version of DigitalCat and the student version of CaseCATalyst. Scoping is what led me to want to become a court reporter. I have been a scopist for the past 3 years and love it! I have fast turnaround, a complete home office, excellent grammar and punctuation and can receive any kind of wav. files. Should you need to… Continue

Added by Yvette LaRochelle on October 27, 2008 at 11:30 — 2 Comments

Well Said (stuff from my quote journal)...

"First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do."
--Epictetus

Good Morning All! I'm trying to get myself motivated as I tackle my "mountain" of homework! Have a great day!

Added by elle on October 26, 2008 at 5:45 — No Comments

Well Said (stuff from my quote journal)...

"I believe brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. They are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." -Randy Pausch

Added by elle on October 25, 2008 at 18:15 — 2 Comments

Show me the money!!!!

Okay. If you're trying to hide your head in the sand and say the economy is great and you're doing just as much business this year as last year. That's awesome for you. Maybe you're doing more. Good for you!! Stop being so selfish and share the wealth. Send me a job already.

However, my gut feeling is that reporters are seeing more cancellations, more settlements just before you get the transcript in. Insurance agencies are telling the attorney, hold off on that depo, settle that… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 25, 2008 at 9:40 — 14 Comments

LA RATES! HELP!

I am a court reporter in San Diego and was wondering if anyone has any feedback for L.A. rates. I'm wondering what the page rate is that is paid in L.A., and I'm also wondering if there is an hourly rate? If anyone has any suggestions, that would be awesome!

Added by Imagine Reporting on October 20, 2008 at 17:29 — 2 Comments

AUDIO SYNC in ECLIPSE

My audio sync in Eclipse does not follow the text, it always starts at the beginning of the audio file. Can someone please tell me the correct settings. Thank you. A.T Shemin, CSR

Added by anita t. shemin on October 20, 2008 at 10:00 — 2 Comments

Eat Your Spinach

“I am what I am, and that’s all that I am” is Popeye’s famous line, monosyllabic and simple, but poignant. After being pushed and bullied, Popeye would eat his spinach and bring down the bad guys.

If court reporting were to make the same statement, “I am what I am,” it would beg the question, “What are you?” What is the answer? Is court reporting defined by the reporters, firms, ethics, our method of taking down the spoken word—all of the above?

Sadly enough, just like any… Continue

Added by Lisa Migliore Black on October 19, 2008 at 5:31 — 3 Comments

Wireless Realtime

Hi. Is anyone using the wireless realtime software by StenoCast, Inc., the latest version X7?

Added by Rachael Louise Hall on October 17, 2008 at 13:29 — 7 Comments

Look a Gifthorse in the Mouth: The Pitfalls to Gifting and Ethical Obligations

The advice given in the “Don't look a gifthorse in the mouth” proverb is, when given a

present, be grateful for your good fortune and don't look further to assess its value. This

may not be sound advice in our legal arena.

Gifts and incentives designed to influence your decision on which firm to use for court

reporting work are coming in all forms. You might wonder why your court reporter

doesn't offer such incentives. The answer is simple: According to the state… Continue

Added by Lisa Migliore Black on October 17, 2008 at 9:00 — No Comments

Where's Jack? Daniel, that is.

A few months ago I wrote about a new court reporting school that is opening up in the West Los Angeles area.

Here is a brochure with some pricing.

I think many of you know Jack and were wondering where she was after she got bought out by Gallo.

An official Jack Daniel sighting here.

PCRC Catalog[1].pdf

Added by Kyung on October 17, 2008 at 6:04 — 7 Comments

Attorneys are psychic

I swear attorneys can smell when you're going on vacation. They immediately expedite any and all transcripts. It's gotten to the point that the week before I go on vacation, I always ask the agency to see if they can find out if the attorney is going to want an expedite.

You'd think you could take a couple of days the week before and send the transcript off to the scopist and work on it when you get back. Especially if you're only taking a week. I mean, you've technically got two… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 15, 2008 at 19:21 — 1 Comment

Magnumsteno Online Speedbuilding Class

Just wanted to pass on this email I received from Mark Kislingbury a week or so ago. If you're a high-speed student or a reporter wanting to increase their skills, what a great opportunity this is.

After teaching my son Mark's theory back in May of '06, we attended his bootcamp in L.A. the following December. That two-day seminar sparked a fire in my son, and now he's taking the CA CSR next Friday.

Mark is a wonderful teacher and is so giving of his time, experience, and… Continue

Added by Tami on October 14, 2008 at 17:16 — 10 Comments

Hey, it's slow out there and I don't have transcripts.

Got you!!! You thought this was going to be another, oh, no, the economy is in the dumps story or I need work story. Nope. I want to be more positive than that.

It is slow out there. I don't know why. I don't know when it's going to pick up. Probably right around the holidays when you are buried under festive events that you have to go to or make huge meals for.

But in the meantime, you're wondering, what do I do? Enjoy your time off. Go catch a movie. Get your Christmas… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 14, 2008 at 7:00 — 3 Comments

CCRA Convention in Vegas!!! We are soooooo stoked!

Today, me and the girls leave for CCRA Convention! We are all so excited about all the knowledge we will learn and all the people we will meet!

I am just sad that my best friend and mentor cannot attend! However, she is making sure she takes care of herself - - now that she is 6 months pregnant with twins!

I am super excited about all the mocks. Even though I am only in my 160s and ready to pass, I just want to see and hear what it will be like!

Hope to see you… Continue

Added by Natalie Rodriguez on October 9, 2008 at 7:39 — 1 Comment

Has anyone ever heard of this court reporting agency?

Has anyone ever heard of a court reporting agency called "In Other Words"?

Added by Lisa Neal on October 7, 2008 at 14:20 — 4 Comments

Scary day on the job

So I'm in court. You may not know this, but unlike Superior Court, Federal Court does not have bailiffs or deputies in the courtroom.

So I'm writing away. We're doing calendar stuff. We're on the record. The clerk is reading off the case number and the attorneys are about to come up to introduce themselves. And I'm concentrating for all I'm worth bec. usually this is probably the only time that the attorneys will introduce themselves and you will have no way of knowing who is who… Continue

Added by Kyung on October 7, 2008 at 6:30 — 1 Comment